Johnny And The Hurricanes occupy a unique and distinctive niche in pop music as creators of a very particular strand in the boom in rock ‘n’ roll instrumentals in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. Hailing from Toledo, Ohio, they specialised in adapting traditional tunes into the rock idiom, using their unusual Hammond chord organ sound alongside a saxophone on their hit sides, but also featuring guitar on B sides and albums.
This 51-track 2-CD collection comprises the A&B sides of their singles on the Warwick and Big Top labels, plus the tracks from their Warwick albums “Johnny & The Hurricanes” and “Stormsville”, and their Big Top album “The Big Sound Of Johnny & The Hurricanes”, not otherwise released on singles.
It features their career hits “Crossfire”, “Red River Rock”, “Reveille Rock”, “Beatnik Fly”, “Down Yonder”, “Revival”, “Rocking Goose”, “You Are My Sunshine”, “Ja-Da”, “Old Smokie” and “High Voltage”.
They immediately became hugely popular in Europe, and The Beatles were the support act when they played the Star Club in Hamburg in 1962.
This is a thorough overview of their key early career and a fun showcase for their unmistakable sound.
Tracks
CD 1
1. CROSSFIRE Johnny And The Hurricanes (Warwick 502) 1959
2. LAZY Johnny And The Hurricanes (Warwick 502) 1959
3. RED RIVER ROCK Johnny And The Hurricanes (Warwick 509) 1959
4. BUCKEYE Johnny And The Hurricanes (Warwick 509) 1959
5. REVEILLE ROCK Johnny And The Hurricanes (Warwick 513) 1959
6. TIME BOMB Johnny And The Hurricanes (Warwick 513) 1959
7. BEATNIK FLY Johnny And The Hurricanes (Warwick 520) 1960
8. SAND STORM Johnny And The Hurricanes (Warwick 520) 1960
9. DOWN YONDER Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3036) 1960
10. SHEBA Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3036) 1960
11. ROCKING GOOSE Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3051) 1960
12. REVIVAL Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3051) 1960
13. MOLLY-O Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3056) 1960
14. YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3056) 1960
15. JA-DA Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3063) 1961
16. MR. LONELY Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3063) 1961
17. OLD SMOKIE Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3076) 1961
18. HIGH VOLTAGE Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3076) 1961
19. TRAFFIC JAM Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3090) 1961
20. FAREWELL, FAREWELL Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3090) 1961
21. MISERLOU Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3103) 1962
22. SALVATION Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3103) 1962
23. SAN ANTONIO ROSE Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3113) 1962
24. COME ON TRAIN Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3113) 1962
25. SHEIK OF ARABY Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3125) 1962
26. MINNESOTA FATS Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 3125) 1962
CD 2
1. HAPPY TIME Johnny And The Hurricanes (Warwick W2007) 1959
2. CUT OUT Johnny And The Hurricanes
3. WALKIN' Johnny And The Hurricanes
4. STORM WARNING Johnny And The Hurricanes
5. BAM-BOO Johnny And The Hurricanes
6. THUNDERBOLT Johnny And The Hurricanes
7. JOY RIDE Johnny And The Hurricanes
8. ROCK-CHA Johnny And The Hurricanes
From the album “Johnny And The Hurricanes fest. Red River Rock” Warwick W2007 1959
9. MILK SHAKE Johnny And The Hurricanes (Warwick W2010) 1960
10. CYCLONE Johnny And The Hurricanes
11. TRAVELIN' Johnny And The Hurricanes
12. BEANBAG Johnny And The Hurricanes
13. ROCKIN' "T" Johnny And The Hurricanes
14. THE HUNGRY EYE Johnny And The Hurricanes
15. HOT FUDGE Johnny And The Hurricanes
16. CORN BREAD Johnny And The Hurricanes
17. CATNIP Johnny And The Hurricanes
18. THE "HEP" CANARY (THE HOT CANARY) Johnny And The Hurricanes
From the album “Stormsville” Warwick W2010 1960
19. LIKE...ROCK Johnny And The Hurricanes (Big Top 12 - 1302) 1960
20. THE KID Johnny And The Hurricanes
21. BYE BYE BLACKBIRD Johnny And The Hurricanes
22. TEENSVILLE TONIGHT Johnny And The Hurricanes
23. MISTER IRVING Johnny And The Hurricanes
24. TOM'S TUNE Johnny And The Hurricanes
25. CORN PONE Johnny And The Hurricanes
From the album “The Big Sound Of Johnny And The Hurricanes” Big Top 12 – 1302 1960
