Blues — In Stock  

Smoking early work from the legendary Freddie King – most of it recorded during years he had a strong connection to the Chicago electric blues scene, where he really honed his craft to perfection! The work here is definitely blues, but King's vocals bring a soulful inflection to the songs... read more

Hardly the surf album you might expect from the title – although the set is a killer batch of guitar instrumentals – with more than enough power to blow any west coast groups right off the beach! At this early point in his career, Freddie King is way more than just a blues guitarist,... read more

Tight and soulful blues from Little Milton – just the sort of record that helped him cross over to bigger audiences back in the day, and a set that still sounds plenty great all these many years later! The set was done in Chicago – arranged by James Mack, with backing vocals from Kitty... read more

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No waiting here – as Little Milton's guitar is plenty sweet throughout – making the album a key cooker from his classic years on Stax! The album's an essential effort in the shift between grittier urban blues and some of the tighter, more warmed up sounds that played big in the 70s... read more

A comprehensive look at some great recordings from Little Walter – sides recorded for Chess Records from 1953 to 1963 – offering up a decade's worth of evolution in his style! But even at the start, Walter was better than most of his generation – a heck of a great harmonica... read more

Killer 50s work from the great Little Walter – tracks that show that he was of the greatest blues acts working for Chess Records at the time! Many of the numbers here are heavy on Walter's classic harmonica style, but they also feature plenty of rough-edged vocals with a nicely soulful... read more

The mighty James Cotton is on the cover, blowing up a storm – in an issue that also features big articles on Big Daddy Stallings and John Dee Holeman! The issue also features a very handy guide to blues festivals in 2013 – as well as a huge number of reviews, and key blues news too!... read more

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Rough-edged blues from the west side of Chicago – a stone classic from the mighty Magic Sam – a player who was taken from us all too soon! On the west side, they mix plenty of soul in with their blues – and you can definitely hear that on this stone smoker – a record that... read more

A classic bit of indie blues from the Chicago scene – featuring some great players from the second generation after Chess Records stopped picking up the younger local talents! Magic Sam leads the group on vocals and guitar, and he's working here with Mighty Joe Young on guitar, Odie Payne on... read more

A well-titled album – given that Taj Mahal's music is always pretty darn rootsy – and this time around, he's also adding in a bit of Jamaican roots too, thanks to production help from Bob Marley and Aston Barrett of The Wailers! The pair help Taj out on a few numbers, mixing in some... read more

An amazing collection of work from Toussaint McCall – a set that finally gives this classic soul singer his due! McCall stands as one of the best southern soul singers of his time – and one who's often painfully overshadowed by the better known singers on Atlantic and the larger labels.... read more

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The raw and riveting mid 60s recordings of singer and guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell with blues harpist Johnny Woods! It was recorded by George Mitchell with a relaxed, press record and stay out of their way approach – and man is this some exhilarating stuff! McDowell brings a lot of... read more

A 70s album, but one that features very early sides from Atlantic Records – raw acoustic blues from Willie McTell, recorded on a 12 string guitar down in Atlanta! The album's not just a great example of McTell at his best – witty vocals, and really sharp lines on the acoustic guitar... read more

Pivotal work from one of the first bluesmen to ever use "blind" in his name – sides recorded by the legendary Willie McTell when he was at the height of his powers! Most tracks here feature well-recorded vocals from Willie – especially for the time – a haunting... read more

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Brilliant early recordings from Blind Willie McTell – easily one of the most distinctive bluesmen of his generation! McTell's guitar is subtle, but effective – often used in these strummed passages that seem to let his vocals do most of the work on the tunes – save for some key... read more

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Blues, but with an undercurrent of New Orleans jazz – no surprise, given the Louisiana roots of Eurreal "Little Brother" Montgomery! The album's a classic set recorded in Chicago in the early 60s – featuring both Montgomery in a spare solo setting, and with help from a small... read more

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Amazing sounds from Ram Jam Holder – an artist unlike anyone else we can think of! Black London Blues is a brilliant British set from Holder – not really blues at all, but a cool kind of crossbreeding of styles in the 60s London scene – almost the same mad mix of modes you might... read more

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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 more

Not just Jimmy Reed – as the album features work by Phil Upchurch on bass and Al Duncan on drums, plus some great uncredited organ too – but the album's still a great chance to hear the great one at all his stripped-down best! Jimmy really dominates on vocals and guitar, and some... read more

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A key album of 80s southern blues from Bobby – done in the slightly electrified, slightly modern style that was coming out of the Jackson scene at the time – in a way that helped find a home for so many artists after the decline of southern soul in the 70s! Material like this made... read more

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The complete Columbia recordings by vocalist Bessie Smith – an insane amount of material recorded in the decade between 1923 and 1933 – all music that went on to have a huge impact on the growth of jazz and blues for decades to come! This comprehensive package brings together all the... read more

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One of the late 50s Jazz Archive LPs on Riverside – in which they dig through older sides, and issue the material in LP format with nice notes. Most of the material here is from the pivotal late 20s years, milestones in the formation of the American female blues singer! Also features work... read more

A rich document of the talents of Huey Piano Smith – a set that not only features some of his classic work for Ace Records in the US, but which also includes some key performances on other folks' records too! Huey's piano is at the forefront of most of the tracks here, even when the vocals... read more

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Late 70s dancefloor soul from Soiree – a rare disco set featuring clubby revisions of huge hits of the day and earlier, with massive talent in the group! The sound is bright and grooving, and heck of a lot more endearing than so many of the disco era remake projects, and most impressively,... read more

Vintage blues from Memphis – a whole host of rare 78s from Frank Stokes, Furry Lewis, Will Weldon, Pearl Dickson, and others – presented here on a great album from Yazoo! The music has a surprisingly clear sound at times – clearly recorded with minimal studio effort, but still... read more

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Includes the tracks "Boot It Boy", "How Long Blues", "It's Tight Like That", "Mess Katie Mess", "Sho Is Hot", and "My Daddy Rocks Me".... read more

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Rootsy sounds from Henry Thomas – some great vintage recordings from the late 20s, with a feel that's quite different than more conventional blues from the time! Thomas definitely has a bluesy approach, but his use of the guitar is more strummy, almost folksy – as is his occasional... read more

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 more

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Joe Turner rides again – but in a style that's a bit more like his Kansas City roots than some of the R&B he was cutting for Atlantic Records in the 50s! There's a nice jazz vibe to the record – thanks to sharp arrangements from Ernie Wilkins, who's really coming into his own here... read more

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A great early slice of Eddie Vinson – material that features him playing alto and singing, in a mode that's almost more jump and jive than later R&B!... read more

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Later work from T-Bone, but 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 – and players include... read more

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The funk-tinged, pyschedelic soul album from Muddy Waters – one that irritated many a blues purist in its day – but it's finally reaching its earned status as a leftfield gem! You know, in the immediate years after this one (and similar funky blues albums on Chess/Cadet) was released,... read more

A classic full album that brings together some of Muddy Waters' earliest recordings for Chess – a great collection of early singles recorded in Chicago between 1950 and 1954 – most originally issued on 78rpm singles, and beautifully presented in this set! The work's relatively spare... read more

A rich collection of Muddy Waters' famous work for Chess Records – put together in the 70s, but featuring tracks from his earliest days in the studio, up through the key electric years of the 60s! The package pulls together some real gems – including work with Little Walter and James... read more

A legendary night at Chicago's Checkerboard Lounge – when The Stones, in town for some shows out in Rosemont, sat in with their hero Muddy Waters! First and foremost – we're in Muddy's wheelhouse here – it's his show, and he sounds great, even this late in the game! The Stones,... read more

Muddy Waters' band meets the vocals and guitar of Luther Snake Johnson – in a sweet little set that's almost a double-header, given the talent on deck! The material's got a gritty feel that's right up there with Muddy's best for Chess – and the group features Mojo Buford on harmonica,... read more

A great document of an amazing blues tradition – bottleneck guitar, offered up here in a host of original 78s from the 30s! The style is one that was co-opted often in later years, but is presented here at its roots – with a nice, gritty feel overall – and use of the mode that's... read more

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An incredible slice of Chicago blues – and maybe one of the most important contributions Delmark ever made to the Windy City scene! The album captures Junior Wells in all his rough and raw brilliance – working in territory that's quite similar to the Chess Records vibe of the early 60s... read more

A bluesy smoker from Mike Wheeler – a Chicago guitarist who's been working the city for almost 30 years – working with some of the biggest names in the business, and sounding pretty great here on his own! Mike's got a groove that's right up there with the best contemporary version of... read more

A bluesy smoker from Mike Wheeler – a Chicago guitarist who's been working the city for almost 30 years – working with some of the biggest names in the business, and sounding pretty great here on his own! Mike's got a groove that's right up there with the best contemporary version of... read more

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Raw blues from Sonny Boy Williamson – harmonica, guitar, and some rough drumming underneath the vocals – all in a mode that has plenty of early Chess Records grit! And despite the "down and out" title and cover image, Sonny's got a heck of a lot of punch here – an... read more

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Later work from trombonist Albert Wynn – sides cut after a 33 year absence from the recording studio – as part of the excellent Chicago Living Legends series on Riverside! The work has a tight trad jazz feel – but with a bit more space than you might find for solo expression in... read more

Later work from trombonist Albert Wynn – sides cut after a 33 year absence from the recording studio – as part of the excellent Chicago Living Legends series on Riverside! The work has a tight trad jazz feel – but with a bit more space than you might find for solo expression in... read more

Bluesy piano, but with plenty of jazz roots too – vintage material recorded in Chicago during the early years of Atlantic Records, at a time when the label was almost more dedicated to preserving old styles than pushing new ones! Yancey's piano is sublime – recorded better here than on... read more