Essential New Orleans piano from Professor Longhair – an artist who was neither a professor, nor a man with much hair! The chrome-domed pianist had a huge influence on the sound of New Orleans R&B and soul to come – as he played in a triplet-heavy way that was rooted in blues, but ... (Soul, Blues)read moreCD
Funky blues instrumentals – with Snooky Pryor on harmonica, Justin Adams on rhythm guitar, John E Moore on lead guitar, George French on bass, and Alonzo Stewart on drums! LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has light surface wear and is a bit wavy on the top right corner.)
Queen Ida & The Bon Temps Band —
On Tour ... CD GNP/Crescendo, 1986. Used ...
$3.99
A great setting for the legendary Jimmy Reed – working here with a tight groove, thanks to the band of Al Smith – who also produced the session! Wayne Bennett is on lead guitar, Lefty Bates on rhythm, and Jimmy Reed handles guitar and harmonica too. LP, Vinyl record album
(Light blue label pressing. Cover has light wear.)
A stone classic from Jimmy Reed – and one of the first few albums on the Vee Jay label! The sound is spare, rootsy, and bluesy – the kind of tunes that made Jimmy an instant favorite, and which were a key force in the Chicago blues sound of the 50s. The set features material recorded ... read moreCD
(1998 digipak pressing. Cover has light wear and a hype sticker on the front.)
A smoking live set from Jimmy Reed – filled with the kind of rocking, rollicking numbers that made his bluesy groove an undeniable influence on the UK scene of the 60s! Most numbers begin with a compelling vamp, then have Jimmy taking the lead on vocals – adding in plenty of charm in ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Mono rainbow label pressing. Cover has light wear, some aging, and small splits in the bottom seam.)
An incredible late 50s set for King by singer Lula Reed – and a pretty unique blend of R&B and bluer and moodier material – but a lot more upbeat than you'd expect from the title! Lula's voice is a genuine vessel for the bluesy material, but it's also light and lovely, and works ... (Soul, Blues)read moreCD
(Lincoln Ave pressing. Cover has light wear and is lightly stained and wrinkled at the opening.)
Otis Rush —
Groanin The Blues ... LP Cobra/P-Vine (Japan), Late 50s. New Copy ...
Just Sold Out!
Some of the most hard-edged, gritty material ever cut by the legendary Otis Rush – work done on the Chicago scene of the 50s for Cobra Records – a company who were even more low-fi than Chess Records at the time! Otis' vocals are as incredible as his guitar – and the groups here ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A funky bit of blues from Otis Rush – the guitarist's debut album, and a surprisingly great batch of tracks recorded at Fame Studios! Production is by Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites, who are clearly going for more of a crossover sound than Rick Hall might have given the set – but ... read moreCD
Titles include "Right Place, Wrong Time", "Tore Up", "Three Times A Fool", "Your Turn To Cry", "I Wonder Why", and "Lonely Man". LP, Vinyl record album
A sharp live set, recorded in 1975 by Trio Records in Tokyo – with Rush on guitar and vocals, Jimmy Johnson on second guitar, Sylvester Boines on bass, and Tyrone Centuray on drums! (Cassettes, Blues)Cassette
One of Jimmy Rushing's last truly great albums – a jazz-tinged session of bluesy material, one that gets at his best work of the 50s! The arrangements are by Al Cohn, and have a fluid swing that pushes Jimmy past cliche – working with players that include Zoot Sims, Budd Johnson, ... (Vocalists, Blues)read moreCD
Jimmy Rushing reprises a nice batch of blues classics from the 20s, all of which were sung by early recording artists like Bessie or Clara Smith. The group that backs him is a nice one, and features Buck Clayton on trumpet, Buster Bailey on clarinet, and Coleman Hawkins on tenor. As with many of ... (Vocalists, Blues)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Mono 6 eye pressing. Cover has light surface wear.)
A great session that features Jimmy Rushing singing in the rootsy style of his early Kansas City recordings, with backing by a group that includes the legendary Pete Johson on piano, plus Rudy Powell on alto, Emmett Berry on trumpet, Buddy Tate on tenor, and Freddie Greene on guitar. Titles ... (Vocalists, Blues)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s Japanese pressing – K20P 6184 – with insert. Cover is lightly bumped at the bottom right corner.)
A nice dose of jazz – as usual for Jimmy – thanks to some arrangements by Oliver Nelson, plus piano from Dave Frishberg and tenor from Buddy Tate! Titles include "You Can't Run Around", "Blues In The Dark", "Tell Me I'm Not To Late", "Berkely Campus ... (Vocalists, Blues)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Early 70s issue. Cover has light wear and a small sticker in back.)
With small combo backing from Zoot Sims and Al Cohn on tenor, plus Budd Johnson on tenor and soprano sax, Ray Nance on cornet, and Dave Frishberg on piano! Titles include "Fine And Mellow", "I Surrender Dear", "Linger Awhile", "My Last Affair", "More ... (Vocalists, Blues)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has a cutout notch and light wear.)
Son Seals —
Bad Axe ... LP Alligator, 1984. Near Mint- ...
$8.99
An Alligator Records classic, and a great showcase for Chicago guitarist Son Seals – who also serves up some great vocals too! Titles include "Cold Blood", "Friday Again", "Don't Pick Me For Your Fool", "Out Of My Way", "Person To Person", ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An album from the 80s, but one that echoes a much older tradition of folk and blues – with a vibe that hardly fits the dated spelling of the duo's name! Serious Bizness is the team of Jaribu and Ngoma Hill – who harmonize together on some very message-oriented music, in a way that was ... read moreCD
(Special limited CD – pressed up for us by the Smithsonian Folkways label. Comes with original cover artwork, and the CD also features a PDF file with the original liner notes and other materials from the original record release.)
Shapeshifter Ensemble —
Mercy Suite ... CD Shapeshifter Ensemble, 2009. Used ...
$9.99
Johnny Shines isn't standing at the crossroads at the same time as Robert Johnson, but he's still sounding pretty darn great here – recording this stripped-down set in Cali in 1970, with just his own guitar alongside his vocals! Shines is maybe best known for his Chicago recordings of the ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Original beige label Testament pressing. Cover has light ring & edge wear.)
George Harmonica Smith —
Of The Blues ... CD Bluesway/BGO (UK), 1969. New Copy ...
Just Sold Out!
A hip little record – produced by Bob Thiele as pre-Flying Dutchman effort, and with some of the great vibe of the blues records on that label! The set's got an unusual lineup – with jazzman Richard Williams on trumpet, plus Ed Davis on tenor, Marshall Hooks on guitar, Curtis Tillman ... read moreCD
George Harmonica Smith —
Of The Blues ... LP Bluesway/ABC, 1969. Very Good+ ...
$14.9919.99
A hip little record – produced by Bob Thiele as pre-Flying Dutchman effort, and with some of the great vibe of the blues records on that label! The set's got an unusual lineup – with jazzman Richard Williams on trumpet, plus Ed Davis on tenor, Marshall Hooks on guitar, Curtis Tillman ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has a cutout hole, light wear, and some light staining on the opening.)
Trixie Smith —
Trixie Smith ... LP Collector's Classics (Denmark), Mid 1920s. Near Mint- ...
$19.99
Includes recordings with Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra and Her Down Home Syncopaters. (Vocalists, Blues)LP, Vinyl record album
(70s issue in a flip-back cover, with light aging and bent bottom flip-back.)
Includes duets with Wallace Bishop on drums and solo recordings from late 1949. (Jazz, Blues)LP, Vinyl record album
Willie 'The Lion' Smith —
Memorial Vol 2 ... LP Vogue (UK), 1949/1950. Sealed ...
$14.99
Includes a session from 1949 with Buck Clayton on trumpet, Claude Luter on clarinet, and Wallace Bishop on drums; plus solo recordings from 1950. (Jazz, Blues)LP, Vinyl record album
A great selection of work from Chicago blues giant Otis Spann – with three unreleased bonus tracks too! First up are five tracks from Spann's contributions to the album Chicago The Blues Today Vol 1 – material that just features Otis on vocals and piano, with some raw drums from SP ... read moreCD
Two cool UK albums from Otis Spann – back to back on a single set! First up is the album Blues Of Otis Spann – a rare UK session, and one that's sometimes got even more grit than some of his hometown recordings back in Chicago! The vibe is very lean and laidback – an early Mike ... read moreCD
A raw soul classic from Otis Spann – one of those great late 60s dates from the time when Bob Thiele was producing the Bluesway label for ABC, and really found a way to bring out the best in artists like Otis! Spann had always been great, but there's a bolder, edgier quality here – ... read moreCD
A French session from harmonica player Sugar Blue – with titles that include "Shed No Tears", "War Zone", "Pontiac", "My Baby Caught The Train", "Another Man Done Gone", and "Begging The Girl To Go". LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has some edge wear.)
A great later date from this legendary pianist and singer – part of the great Delmark revival of his talents! Other players include King Kolax on trumpet, Oett Mallard on tenor, and Robert Lockwood Jr on guitar! CD
An obscure 70s album from the legendary Roosevelt Sykes – but a set that captures the singer and pianist at the height of his powers! The format here is very stripped-down – often just a focus on Sykes himself, with the occasional addition of a bit of guitar from Louisiana Red or ... read moreCD
A killer live set from Eddie Taylor – recorded in Japan, but with a core Chicago combo that really keeps things tight! The vibe here is maybe more like a Delmark live album than you'd expect from any overseas session – with Eddie on great guitar and vocals, and additional vocals from ... read moreCD
A classic early session from Alligator Records – with Hound Dog Taylor on guitar and vocals, plus Brewer Phillips on second guitar and Ted Harvey on drums – all working in a style that's a lot leaner than other work on the label! CD
Probably THE album you truly need to own from Koko Taylor – and a completely great one, recorded way before she'd become a cliched fixture paying the bills on frat boy tourist blues scene! The tracks here were recorded over a few years in mid-to-late 60s Chicago – mostly with ... read moreCD
(Punch through barcode, clear promotional sticker on case.)
Koko Taylor —
Koko Taylor ... LP Chess, 1969. Very Good+ ...
Just Sold Out!
Probably THE album you truly need to own from Koko Taylor – and a completely great one, recorded way before she'd become a cliched fixture paying the bills on the frat boy tourist blues scene! The tracks here were recorded over a few years in mid-to-late 60s Chicago – mostly with ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A great set of 50s recordings by gritty rhythm & blues singer Big Mama Thornton – whose most famous for grittier shouters – but there's some surprisingly easygoing numbers here, too! Her famous "Hound Dog" opens this set, and sets the pace strongly – for a batch of ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Big Mama Thornton —
Sassy Mama! ... LP Vanguard, 1975. Near Mint- ...
$18.99
Big Mama Thornton gets a bit of an update – as her older blues style comes into play with a hip electrified lineup – one that features Paul Griffin on keyboards, Cornell Dupree on guitar, and Bad Bascomb on bass! The vibe is still plenty blues, but has an undercurrent of soul – ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(2014 reissue.)
Big Mama Thornton/Lightning Hopkins/Larry Williams —
Ball N Chain ... CD Arhoolie, Late 60s. Used ...
$6.99
An album that brings together unissued tracks from the Arhoolie catalog by each of the three blues artists on the cover! CD
(Out of print.)
George Thorogood & The Destroyers —
Bad To The Bone ... LP EMI, 1982. Near Mint- ...
$6.99
An essential collection of early work from Ike Turner – done before Tina was in the mix, and with a host of great singers – in lineups that include material recorded under the names of Icky Renrut, Bobby Foster, Timothy Cooper, Sammy Grimes, Chuck Wheeler, and Johnny Wright! Lots of ... (Soul, Blues)read moreCD
Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm —
I'm Tore Up ... CD Red Lightnin/Good Time Records (UK), Mid 50s. New Copy ...
$13.9914.99
Fantastic early work from the great Ike Turner – most of it with his sharp 50s group, during the years they were recording for King/Federal Records! These are the years before Tina joined Ike – and the group have a raw, romping vibe that's at the top of the R&B spectrum from the ... (Soul, Blues)read moreCD
Recorded with a hip group that includes Lloyd Glenn on piano, Pee Wee Crayton on guitar, Joe Banks on trumpet, and Hollis Gilmore and Bill Clark on tenor. LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s issue. Cover has a cut corner.)
Joe Turner —
I Don't Dig It ... LP Jukebox Lil (Sweden), 1940s. Very Good+ Gatefold ...
$4.99
Excellent work from this lost time in the career of the great Joe Turner – material after his early work with Count Basie in the 30s, but before his rock and roll revival on Atlantic in the 50s! LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has light wear and a rip on the back with a strip of clear tape.)
Joe Turner —
Texas Style ... LP Black & Blue (France), 1971. Near Mint- ...
$9.99
A landmark 80s record in the return of blues to the mainstream, right back in front of a rock audience with work like this – as the young Stevie Ray Vaughn cooks things up here on cuts that include "Couldn't Stand The Weather", "Stang's Swang", "Cold Shot", " ... read moreCD
A landmark 80s record in the return of blues to the mainstream, right back in front of a rock audience with work like this – as the young Stevie Ray Vaughn cooks things up here on cuts that include "Couldn't Stand The Weather", "Stang's Swang", "Cold Shot", " ... read moreCD
Vinson plays alto and sings – in a group that features Art Hillery on piano and organ, Rashid Jamal Ali on tenor, Martin Banks on trumpet, and Cal Green on guitar. CD
(Out of print.)
Joe Louis Walker —
Gift ... LP Hightone, 1988. Near Mint- ...
$7.99
A sweet funky set from the mighty T-Bone Walker – a record that still includes loads of his wickedly sharp guitar lines, but which also gives him a tight groove with electric bass and great drums from the legendary Paul Humphrey! The bottom end here kicks as much as Walker's work on the top ... read moreCD
T Bone Walker —
Good Feelin' ... CD Verve/Polydor (France), 1968. Used ...
$7.99
A rare gem from T Bone Walker – one of the few hip sides he cut in Europe at the end of the 60s – and very different than his more traditional work! The set was put together by Robin Hemmingway – who also handled the hip Hal Singer record from the same time – and the ... read moreCD
(Out of print and sealed with a mark through the barcode.)
A really unusual setting for the legendary T Bone Walker – one of those fantastic records he made while hanging out on the French scene in the late 60s and early 70s – a time when he was able to work in a crossroads of styles that really opened up his sound! That's definitely the case ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Later work from guitar genius T-Bone Walker, but still very much in the style of his best R&B work! The album features small group backings that do the best to bring out the jazzier side of T-Bone's style – one that was a direct influence on countless jazz funk guitarists in later years ... read moreCD
An excellent 2LP set that brings together 28 early 50s recordings by T-Bone Walker – crucial sides that link together jazz and blues traditions, with incredible work on guitar that would go onto influence both genres tremendously. The fact that Walker became a huge influence on soul jazz ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album