Format Details:
Release Date: 11 March 2022
Label: Jasmine Records
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 604988111422
Genres: Rock 'N' Roll Pop-Rock
Description
Originally a childhood prodigy violinist, Philadelphia-born Frank Virtue took up guitar and double bass as a teenager, in the mid-1940s, his musical roots were based on the sound and style of the immediate pre-WWII Big Bands, and his earliest line-ups of The Virtues, who were formed initially as The Virtuoso Trio, reflected these influences.
But by the mid-1950s they'd expanded to a quintet and were playing Big Beat and embryonic R&R, vying for popularity with local heroes Bill Haley & The Comets. In 1959 they registered a hit with "Guitar Boogie Shuffle", a revival of Arthur 'Guitar Boogie' Smith's 1940s hit, which made the U.S. Top 10 and sold a couple of million copies.
This compilation is built upon the subsequent 'Guitar Boogie Shuffle' LP, also issued in 1959, plus assorted 45rpms issued between 1955-62, credited variously to The Virtues, Frank Virtuoso, Frank Virtuoso & His Men Of Virtue, and Jimmy Vespe (i.e. the band's lead guitarist).
Tracklisting
Tommy Hunt
Kay Barry / Maureen Evans
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Johnnie Ray
Eddie Cochran
Various Artists
Billie Holiday
Charlie Applewhite
Frank Virtue & The Virtues
