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Have mercy, Uncle Sam! was a phrase heard all around the US during the era of the draft. Young men worried, they trembled, and they tried to forget that soon they may have to leave wives, girlfriends and loved ones behind. A man would have to leave his familiar pool hall or corner bar where he could drop a dime into the jukebox and enjoy the sounds delivered from the likes of King Records, Checker, Fame and Jubilee. Hear my plea Uncle Sam, “I don’t want to join the Army!” Me Neither! This aptly named compilation comes from the deep catalog of original 45’ pressings from Dog House Records out of France.

It is with pleasure I introduce to you the first of what will be many to come of Dog House compilations, “Have Mercy, Uncle Sam!” This is a collection of some very rare, and some often forgotten deep grooved records. Dog House has scoured the earth for these sides in forgotten basements and junk shops of the Continent and America. On “Have Mercy!” they have assembled a collection that lets you hear the original pressings from these rare sides. Again you can drop the needle on some early soul, rock and roll, blues and a rare garage record thrown in for good measure.

The discerning listener gets a plate full of goodness as the collection sets the tone from the fist side, Guitar Red’s “Just you and I.” This is an early sixties jangly grove from the Chess Records subsidiary Checker. A variety of sounds ensue with sweet soul styling from Bobby Bland who once worked as a valet for B.B. King on the road, and now had B.B. back him up on this fine record. More early soul on King records with a crack horn section and sweet vocal from Johnny Guitar Watson on “Broke and Lonely.” Flip to the “B” side and you will be hit smack in the kisser from Big J’s horn with a joyful vocal from Little Sonny Warner on “Psycho Serenade.” Big Jay is still performing and brought the house down last year on the North Side of Chicago. His horn still colliding notes in his unmistakable style. The rare sides continue with garage rocker form the X-cellents, and another hard to find 1965 soul-rocker from the still living, but not performing, June Bateman called, “Possum belly overalls.” My personal favorite on the collection, recorded right here in Chicago in 1965, Koko Taylor’s “Wang dang doodle.” Koko came to Chicago in 1952 with her husband, truck driver Robert “Pops” Taylor from Memphis. Willie Dixon spotted her singing in a club and this led her out of Chicago’s famed West and Southside jukes and to her first recording contract with Chess Records. This side recorded with Willie Dixon and again later with Little Walter is a South Side juke joint stomper! The ultra rare records continue with the title track from Ernest Tucker who also cut some fantastic rocking blues sides for the Fortune label under the name Little Ernest Tucker. Next up is a great black rock and roll side from Billy Bland on Old Town records. The compilation ends with a 1960’s soul side, Louisiana Red’s “Ride on Red, Ride on.”
Red’s southern road trip lament says much about the state of the southern United States in the early 1960’s and for that matter the state of many black musicians. Many of our finest examples of roots and soul music may have never been recorded had musicians from the south not traveled to a northern state to find a bit of peace from the turmoil of the segregated south. We here in our town are so grateful that all roads leading north from the Deep South land in Chicago. Some of the fine Checker sides on this compilation are a testament to that!