The sadly short-lived Curtis Ousley, aka KING CURTIS (he was murdered in 1971, aged just 37), is acknowledged as the most influential saxophonist in the history of rock music. Although his first love was jazz, during the 50s Curtis established himself as a highly-respected bandleader and session musician in the worlds of rhythm & blues and rock & roll, earning a big reputation for his eloquent, lugubriously textured riffs and solos on The Coasters' hits. In the spring of 1962 he registered his own breakthrough solo hit with 'Soul Twist', which topped the U.S. R&B charts and crossed over to the U.S. Pop Top 20, selling more than a million copies. This compilation concentrates on Curtis's Twisting adventures, comprising the subsequent 'Soul Twist' LP (which is unavailable elsewhere on CD) alongside an earlier LP, 'Arthur Murray's Music For Dancing The Twist!' (issued in conjunction with America's most celebrated dance instructor) plus four sides from 'The Shirelles & King Curtis Give A Twist Party'. The 'Arthur Murray' album famously featured Don Covay on lead vocals, and has consequently been a huge collectors' item for many years.
