When Berl Olswanger joined Pepper Records in the 1950s as the music director, the partners included songwriter Floyd Huddleston, who went on to write for Hollywood, and John Pepper, the former co-owner of WDIA, the first radio station in the United States programmed by and for African Americans. Pepper Records put a substantial financial investment in its future. The studio was remodeled to accommodate elaborate recording equipment, including stereophonic recording facilities, and Olswanger and the partners actively searched for new entertainers, with frequent auditions. Pepper Records became the recording home for several nascent rock-and-roll artists.

Olswanger recorded a number of his own compositions on the Pepper Records label, some as demos, and his orchestra played on all the recordings. "Ooh La La, I Fooled You," written by Jean and Jane Lazenby, became a Top 40 hit, although the label of the disc jockey record did not include the name of the "Berl Olswanger Orchestra.”

Big Round Records is presenting Berl Olswanger at Pepper Records as the second installment in its series of Berl Olswanger archival recordings. A collection of tunes recorded during the late-50’s golden era of the Memphis record business, Berl Olswanger at Pepper Records features 10 songs by William “Pat” Best, Floyd Huddleston, Olswanger himself, and more:

Kitten on the Keys (Edward Elzear "Zev" Confrey and Sam Coslow)
Wrapped Up in a Dream (William "Pat" Best)
Big Mistreatin' Bittersweet'n Blues (Berl Olswanger)
Wondering (Jean and Jane Lazenby)
Juice Harp Rag (Berl Olswanger)
Ooh La La, I Fooled You (Jean and Jane Lazenby)
I'm Gonna Build Me a Mountain (Floyd Huddleston and Al Rinker)
Talk to Me Baby (Floyd Huddleston)
Evergood (Berl Olswanger)
Papa Don't Roll Them Bones (Berl Olswanger)

Now digitized and rereleased on Big Round Records, this second album by “Mr. Music of Memphis” immortalizes the piano great’s legacy and is part of a series that includes Berl Olswanger at the Piano and Berl Olswanger and the Olswanger Beat.