Derek Martin hailed from Detroit, Michigan to become a constant presence on the US recording circuit from the fifties through to the seventies. Martin started out in The Pearls, who later changed their name to the Top Notes, avoiding the controversy over bands paying DJs and stations to play their records. It was during this time that he worked alongside Dionne Warwick and recorded for Phil Spector. Martin finally launched his solo career in 1963 with a cover of Otis Blackwell"s Daddy Rollin" Stone, issued on Juggy Murray"s Crackerjack label. (it was even on Lennon"s personal jukebox!). Martin"s first hit single was You Better Go, which peaked at 25 on the Billboard R&B chart and 32 on the Cashbox chart. This provided the opportunity to tour with some of the biggest music names of the day including Otis Redding, Ray Charles, The Flamingoes, Sam and Dave, Bo Diddley, and Solomon Burke. Following the success of his first single, Roulette recorded a whole album with Martin and went on to release a second single; Your Daddy Wants His Baby Back which didn"t do so well. Roulette kept on with more singles: Bumper to Bumper and Don"t Resist, but none of them graced the charts, so the album was never released. In the meantime, Derek recorded singles for a selection of other labels including Stax, Sue and Buttercup (an imprint of Jubilee). The singles he recorded for Buttercup are also included here as bonus tracks to the original Roulette album. All the tracks are very rare and much sought after by Northern Soul fans, and with the 13 previously unreleased tracks, this is a real Northern Soul collectors piece.