Welcome to the other Great American Songbook.

It takes nothing away from the towering achievements of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington or Hoagy Carmichael to acknowledge that the rock’n’roll/R&B era produced its own fair share of brilliant songwriters. Ace’s Songwriters series highlights the output of 15 (so far) writers, or teams, who kept us riveted to the radio in the 50s and 60s.

Each CD in this series offers an overview of a a very specific artistic vision and personality, from the tongue-in-cheek playfulness of Leiber & Stoller to the soul stylings of Van McCoy to the earthy street-grounded rockers of Ernie Maresca. And some of the names herein may surprise you. Sure, Randy Newman and Burt Bacharach are widely considered the embodiments of the word songwriter, but Neil Diamond and Jackie DeShannon are so firmly embedded in the public consciousness as star performers that many may be momentarily thrown for a loop to encounter them here as the prolific tunesmiths they actually were. Great songs are all you would expect from a Bacharach set, but perhaps you’ve never stopped to think just how many great songs Bo Diddley wrote. Luckily, Ace did, and now we can enjoy hearing the proof.

The halcyon days of Teen Pan Alley are represented by the five great writing teams (Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman, Carole King & Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich) who so dominated the Hot 100 during that golden era. Those writers in turn influenced the ones who came along in their wake. P.F. Sloan & Steve Barri added a folk slant to the mix. Chip Taylor delved into a more country-flavoured sound. Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson & Joshie Armstead borrowed from the church for their soul epics. All of them made their own tremendous contributions to the Songbook and all more than earned the honour of being anthologised in the usual Ace fashion, with accompanying booklets filled with interviews, essays, rare photos and vintage clippings.

Each CD in this series abounds with sterling examples of great songwriting. And, of course, great songs. You’ll find big hits, interesting interpretations of big hits, fabulous near-misses, obscure LP cuts and rarities, sung by a dazzling array of star performers, living legends, notorious characters, cult favourites and talented also-rans. The real stars here, though, are the songwriters. And, of course, the great songs.

It’s tempting to say that had these writers been the only ones working in the second half of the 20th Century, the 50s and 60s would still be considered rock’s golden age. But one thing is certain: it wouldn’t have been a golden age without them.

Singer-songwriters dominated the late 60s/early 70s music charts and radio playlist, usually with a decided folk slant. Neil Diamond was probably the most pop-oriented and was certainly the most successful, compiling a two-decades-long string of hits and a performing career that finds him still able to fill a large arena today. We meet a young Neil Diamond on this collection, struggling, like countless other New York-born songwriters, to make a name for himself in the crowded corridors of the Brill Building. Early placements with such then-popular acts as the Rocky Fellers and Marcie Blane, as well as British teen idols Cliff Richard and Billy Fury, kept him afloat until he scored his first big chart hit, ‘Sunday And Me’, with Jay & the Americans in 1965. Taken under the wing of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, Diamond flourished, to put it mildly, scoring hits with the Monkees and Ronnie Dove and beginning his own seemingly endless domination of the charts. Several covers of Diamond hits are included here by artists such as the Four Tops, Bobby Womack, Lulu and Deep Purple, as well as Tony Tribe’s influential 1968 recording of ‘Red Red Wine’. By the late 60s, Diamond was off and running and, in the words of the Monkees cut that opens this collection, ‘Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)’.

How deep is the catalogue of Goffin and King? Well, nowhere on either of these collections will you find their most famous works, chart-toppers such as ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’, ‘Take Good Care Of My Baby’ and ‘The Loco-Motion’. Who doesn’t already own those classics? Here’s two opportunities to find some perhaps overlooked treasures from Aldon Music’s royal couple. That’s not to say that there aren’t any mega-hits to be found here. The Drifters, the Monkees, Gene McDaniels, Maxine Brown, Tony Orlando, the Animals and Aretha Franklin all weigh in with tunes that are now standards, but the real eye-openers are the little-heard gems by the Turtles, Freddie Scott, the Everly Brothers, the Chiffons, Jackie DeShannon and Ben E King. Cult favourites Tammy Montgomery, Arlene Smith, Richard “Popcorn” Wylie, Dee Dee Warwick and Bertell Dache rub elbows with boldface names such as Nancy Wilson, the Righteous Brothers, Dusty Springfield and Bobby Rydell. Of particular note are a never-released Satisfactions cut and Bobby Vee’s original version of ‘Go Away Little Girl’, along with several never-been-digitised songs all bearing the unmistakable Goffin & King sound.

A true renaissance woman, as well as a world-class beauty, Jackie DeShannon has enjoyed a multi-faceted career mastering a variety of styles as a 50s rockabilly singer, a 60s pop star and a 70s singer-songwriter, even an occasional movie actress. This collection hones in on her songwriting career, and quite a successful one it has been. Starting in 1961, Jackie began turning out hits for Brenda Lee (‘So Deep’) and the Fleetwoods (the haunting ‘He’s The Great Impostor’) and quickly hit her stride with cuts by Thurston Harris, Duane Eddy, Rick Nelson, Irma Thomas and Bobby Vee. She became a British staple and enjoyed great success with the Searchers (‘When You Walk In The Room’) and Marianne Faithfull (‘Come And Stay With Me’, heard on this set in a beautiful cover by Cher) as well as British pop princess Helen Shapiro and ex-patriot Yank P.J. Proby. Jackie helped pioneer the folk-rock sound with the Byrds (‘Don’t Doubt Yourself Babe’) while simultaneously fashioning soulful gems for Dobie Gray and Barbara Lewis. DeShannon buffs will gravitate to the oft-recorded ‘Daydreamin’ Of You’ (heard here by the Fashionettes) and ‘Spendor In The Grass’ by the Boys, but the real paydirt comes at the end of the CD. Not only did Ms. DeShannon contribute extensive quotes and insights to Mick Patrick’s exhaustive liner notes, but she also proffered a demo of herself singing an unrecorded song from 1967, ‘Only You Can Free My Mind’, making this collection a Jackie DeShannon fan’s dream come true.

It’s hard to imagine a more mismatched pair than Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman, or a more underrated one, but their place in the Brill Building hierarchy is explained quite definitively on this CD. More than 10 years separated the disabled blues shouter Pomus and his teenaged protégé Shuman when they began their collaboration in 1956 with ‘Miss Rip Van Winkle’ by the Tibbs Brothers, one of the more collectable cuts heard here. They delivered career-defining signature songs for Dion & the Belmonts, the Drifters and the Mystics and provided teen idols Fabian, James Darren and Jimmy Clanton with their finest moments in the sun. Pomus & Shuman eventually became go-to guys for Elvis’ movies and the King’s ‘Double Trouble’ is here, as well as Del Shannon’s original version of ‘His Latest Flame’ and Terry Stafford’s Top 5 cover of ‘Suspicion’. Highlights include hits by Andy Williams and Gary U.S. Bonds, rarities from Barrett Strong and Bobbys Darin and Vee, soul sides courtesy of Irma Thomas and Howard Tate, and Mick Patrick’s booklet notes with a touching story that makes ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’ come to life in a new and meaningful way. Pomus & Shuman are no longer with us, but their music will live forever and “Double Trouble: The Pomus & Shuman Story” captures the essence of that music to perfection.

Before they became a superstar performing duo, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson penned a series of classic songs for Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell at Motown, more than securing their enshrinement in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Prior to that Detroit tenure, Nick & Val cut their musical teeth in New York City, writing, in partnership with former Ikette Josephine “Joshie Jo” Armstead, a slew of tremendous soul sides for an impressive array of classic artists. This collection features the cream of the prolific trio’s output performed by a raft of big names such as Aretha Franklin, the Shirelles, B.J. Thomas and the Coasters (the original version of ‘Let’s Go Get Stoned’, a 1966 smash for Ray Charles) as well as soul stalwarts Maxine Brown, the Diplomats, Betty Everett and Chuck Jackson. Of particular note: the Chiffons’ pulsating version of ‘The Real Thing’, an early soul side from 70s country headliner Ronnie Milsap and the thundering ‘Are You Trying To Get Rid Of Me Baby’, a rare post-Spector Crystals track.

Van McCoy’s name is highly revered in R&B circles, and one listen to this CD provides a tuneful, soulful explanation of his top-echelon status in the pantheon of soul. After apprenticing at Scepter Records where he turned out LP cuts and minor hits for the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson (there’s a great one included here), McCoy hit his stride in the mid-60s when some of the era’s greatest names were lining up to tackle his songs. Van particularly excelled at writing for women, and this CD is a virtual diva-fest with high-powered superstar names such as Aretha, Gladys Knight, Nina Simone and Nancy Wilson intermingled with genre favourites Irma Thomas, Esther Phillips, Teri Thornton and Erma Franklin. Male vocalists are represented by heavy hitters Jackie Wilson, Jerry Butler and Donny Hathaway, and there’s Northern Soul gold in cuts by the Spellbinders and the Ad Libs. From early hits such as Barbara Lewis’ ‘Baby I’m Yours’ to the original version of ‘When You’re Young And In Love’ by Ruby & the Romantics to McCoy’s 70s work with Melba Moore and Brenda & the Tabulations, “The Van McCoy Songbook” shimmers with silky soul.

Loaded with hits and loaded with personality, “You Baby: Words & Music by P.F. Sloan & Steve Barri” perfectly captures its authors. The collection is actually the work of the partnership combined with the solo output of the irrepressible Sloan, and the accompanying booklet will leave you feeling like you know them both, and like them. First tasting success with Los Angeles club journeyman Round Robin (backed by the Blossoms) on dance craze workout ‘Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann’, the duo spun out records in the then-current girl group and surf genre, achieving greatness, if not high chart placement, with the irresistible ‘Sh-Down Down Song’ by the Gingersnaps and Bruce & Terry’s ‘Summer Means Fun’. They also recorded themselves under pseudonyms such as Philip & Stephan and the Fantastic Baggies (‘Tell ‘Em I’m Surfin’’, a highlight of this or any CD). They also masqueraded as the Grass Roots on the brilliant ‘Where Were You When I Needed You’, and the success of this song caused them to recruit the Roots who eventually rose to prominence with a series of hits. Highlights include hits the team concocted for Herman’s Hermits, the Searchers, the 5th Dimension and the Turtles, a rare cut by movie goddess Ann-Margret, a ring-a-dinging rendition of ‘Secret Agent Man’ by jazz lounge legend Mel Tormé and Sloan’s incendiary-for-its-time ‘Eve of Destruction’ by Barry McGuire, which helped ignite the folk-rock craze.

Growing up in New York City in the 1960s, Dennis spent his youth attending shows at the Apollo, the Paramount, the Brooklyn Fox and the Fillmore East. In the 80s, he managed Arlene Smith, the Dixie Cups and the comeback of the original Toys. He has interviewed many singers for Goldmine Magazine and wrote scripts for kids TV shows, including Doug, PB&J Otter and Stanley. He has also served as a backup singer for dozens of artists, including LaVern Baker, Little Eva, Jimmy Clanton, Dee Dee Sharp, Lou Christie, Sam the Sham, Freddie Scott, Ben E King, Frankie Ford and Maxine Brown. His favourite hobby is partying with various members of classic girl groups and visting British CD compilers.