Raven presents for the first time ever on cd the very best of percy mayfield"s recordings for rca in the early 1970s. Renowned as the greatest songwriter the blues has ever known, mayfield essayed a successful recording career that stretched from 1949 to 1971. ú His subtle emoting and impeccably nuanced phrasing elevated him to the pantheon of singing greats: doctor demento suggests he has the subtlety of billie holiday, while billy vera likens his timing to mid-period sinatra. ú Idolized by the likes of bob dylan, mose allison and elvis presley, his songs have been covered by artists as diverse as jimmy scott, fiona apple, bobby "blue" bland, count basie, paul butterfield and of course, ray charles, for whom he penned "hit the road jack" and many others.ú Recorded in new york city with eric gale, david spinozza, chuck rainey, snooky young, bernard purdie, richard tee and other crack musicians, these rca sides compare favourably with the best of his work for the specialty and tangerine labels over the preceding 20 years.ú The sophisticated arrangements subtly update the maestro"s oeuvre, suitably framing these songs of good natured lasciviousness, muted despair and poetic languor. Highlights include "yes, you"ll play", "weakness is a thing called man", "brotherhood week" and "the devil made me do it".ú At 25 tracks and over 77 minutes, "blues laureate: the rca years" is both great value and essential listening for fans of masterful, deep blues songwriting.