CHAMPION JACK DUPREE ROCKS (Bear Family) Rockin' and Rollin' 8/10 Champion Jack Dupree did a lot of living and more importantly, surviving during the four year hiatus between his first ten singles, that is if you count two years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp as a 'hiatus'. Before his recording career began in 1940 he'd already fought 107 boxing bouts, winning many picking up his nickname. The music contained with-in the continuing 'Rocks' series is stomping blues and rock'n'roll, with real earthy content, sex, drugs and bad luck, pounded out on a rocking piano, much of which predates the official birth of the medium. In 'Good Old Rock N Roll' released in 1957, Champion laughs that he'd been playing it since 1929 but the kids and the DJ's only just discovered it, he was no doubt glad they had — The real deal. Simon Nott
