Jimmie Rodgers, not to be confused with the pioneering hillbilly country artist of the early '30s, was a hugely successful artist in the pop charts during the late '50s and early '60s, his work transcending the barriers between pop, country, folk and R&B to give him a succession of major hits on both sides of the Atlantic. He was one of the many successful artists to emerge from the influential Arthur Godfrey Talent Show on radio, and was one of the first artists signed to Maurice Levy's Roulette label in 1957. Working with ace producers Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, he scored a No. 1 with his debut single Honeycomb and followed it up with Kisses Sweeter Than Wine, Oh-Oh, I'm Falling In Love Again and Secretly, benefitting from a supply of fine songs by the top team of Al Hoffman and Dick Manning. This collection comprises the A and B side of all his releases through to 1962, when he enjoyed his last Top 30 success with a UK No. 5 with English Country Garden. It's an enjoyable journey through the most important years of the career of an artist who successfully sat alongside the high-profile exponents of rock 'n' roll appealing to the middle ground of pop in the years before the British invasion.

The French label Barclay Records, with which singer/songwriter Jacques Brel was associated for most of the 1960s and '70s, released a compilation of recordings of his songs in March 2004 that differs significantly from this U.S. edition. The French version of Next Brel has 15 tracks to the American 12, but that doesn't mean simply that three tracks have been deleted. In fact, there are six tracks on the French album not found on the American one: "If We Only Have Love," by Dionne Warwick; "Amsterdam," by Anne Watts; "If You Go Away," by Emiliana Torrini; "Next," by Gavin Friday & the Man Seezer; "The Desperate Ones," by Nina Simone; and "Seasons in the Sun," by Terry Jacks (a number one hit in the U.S.). But there are also three tracks on the American album not contained on the French one: "Les Flamandes," by French chanteuse Barbara; "Ne Me Quitte Pas," by Nina Simone; and "My Death," by Scott Walker. The deletions and substitutions make for less repetition of songs on the American album.

De son vrai nom James Frederick Rodgers, Jimmie Rodgers naît le 18 septembre 1933 à Camas dans l’état de Washington. Il ne présente aucun lien de parenté avec l’autre Jimmie Rodgers, chanteur de country, disparu l'année de sa naissance. Il apprend la musique dès l’âge de cinq ans grâce à sa mère, professeur de piano, avant de se mettre à la guitare. Jeune adulte, hésitant à se consacrer totalement à une carrière musicale, il prend la voie militaire et s’engage dans l’US Air Force durant la Guerre de Corée. Finalement stationné à Nashville entre 1954 et 1956, il découvre le riche patrimoine musical de la ville et notamment la chanson qui allait devenir l’un de ses principaux hits : « Honeycomb ». Il enregistre sa version du tube de Georgie Shaw en 1957 et connaît un succès retentissant en s’installant pour un mois en tête des charts. Il publie alors l’album Jimmie Rodgers et plusieurs autres succès suivent, comme « Kisses Sweeter Than Wine » (n° 7 du Billboard) la même année, « Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again » (n° 7), « Secretly » (n° 3), et « Are You Really Mine? » (n° 10), « Bimbombey » (n° 11) en 1958 ou encore « Ring-a-ling-a-lario » (n° 32) et « Tucumcari » (n° 32) en 1959.