In The Key Of Heartbreak: The Complete Tear Drop Singles And More

Mississippi-born Donley released barely a dozen singles in a career that spanned not much more than five years, but almost every one of those singles contains at least one classic of rock 'n' roll, R&B or - primarily - swamp pop.

This extraordinary double CD set brings together nearly every recording that Jimmy made in the last two years of his life. All were either produced by or posthumously acquired by the Texas record producer Huey P Meaux, and all are presented here - some in stereo for the first time - from freshly made transfers of the original tapes, still stored in what was once Meaux's studios in Houston.

The As and Bs of all of Jimmy's Tear Drop singles are here on Disc One, along with several demos that Meaux overdubbed and released after Donley's death. These singles include Think It Over, Please Mr Sandman, Loving Cajun Style, I'm To Blame and other swamp pop standbys that can still be heard regularly in jukeboxes and on the radio throughout South Louisiana.

Disc Two will be a treat for even the most ardent Donley completists - nearly 30 home demos, including songs that Donley never recorded commercially, revivals of Louisiana R&B classics by Cookie and the Cupcakes and Fats Domino and the original versions of several hits that Jimmy wrote for his friend and fan Fats. A few of these have been released before - but the vast majority have not.

The booklet features a plethora of label shots and many rare lyric manuscripts, in Jimmy's own handwriting never seen before.