“R&B in D.C. 1940-1960” with Marvin Gaye, Don Covay & Billy Stewart [Bear Family]

[Motown Eddie]

Washington, D.C. is associated with a great many things…but R&B? Leave it to German label Bear Family to take the emphasis off politics to uncover a lost chapter of the American capital’s rich story. R&B in D.C. 1940-1960 is the name of the upcoming LP-size, 16-CD box set comprehensively surveying two decades of regional music as only Bear Family can – with 472 tracks [that’s around 20 hours of music] and a 352-page hardcover book. This one-of-a-kind set is due on September 3 and limited to just 1,500 copies worldwide. It spotlights the early days of future marquee artists including Marvin Gaye, Billy Stewart, and Don Covay [all of whom spent their early days on the D.C. scene] as well as dozens of artists who never broke out beyond local stages but are nonetheless worthy of rediscovery. The box is a snapshot of the many sounds percolating in broader American culture during those years – not just “R&B” per se but swing, doo-wop, rock-and-roll, and soul, too.

More Details from Second Disc.com
https://theseconddisc.com/2021/06/22/the-beat-of-our-hearts-bear-family-collects-definitive-survey-of-rb-in-d-c-1940-1960-featuring-early-recordings-of-marvin-gaye-don-covay-billy-stewart/

Tracklist & pre-order info;
https://www.bear-family.com/various-history-r-b-in-dc-1940-1960-rhythm-blues-doo-wop-rockin-rhythm-and-more-16-cd-deluxe-box-set.html [[https://theseconddisc.com/2021/06/22/the-beat-of-our-hearts-bear-family-collects-definitive-survey-of-rb-in-d-c-1940-1960-featuring-early-recordings-of-marvin-gaye-don-covay-billy-stewart/)