Johnnie Mae's strong, blues-toned voice is the one distinctive and common denominator on recordings that span three decades.

"My Little Angel" became her biggest hit after DJ "Frantic Ernie" Durham spun it relentlessly on WJLB and Sue Records in New York picked it up. Recorded at Special, it has - for 1962 - an unusual second vocal overdub. Its success always baffled Johnnie Mae, but the catchy organ-led melody coupled with her workhouse style delivery is haunting.

Her delightfully rasping r 'n' b disc "My Destination" features McKinley Jackson's trombone surfing on the crest of an atmospheric session. Listening to it almost 40 years after it was made, it's remarkably easy to conjure up an image of a smoky nightclub, bursting at the seems with people grooving to Johnnie Mae vehemently bidding so-long to a cheating lover. Her destination is true love, and you instinctively know that she's going to get there.