(Funky 45's, Blues) 7-inch, Vinyl record

(Cassettes, Blues) Cassette

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(78 RPM, Blues) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

The cover's a striking one – and it definitely supports the music inside, given that most of these Bo Carter tunes are vintage blues tunes with a decidedly erotic bent! The metaphors are obvious, but they're put together beautifully – without any of the heavy-handed schlock that later copycats would never get quite right – and set to spare acoustic lines that complement Carter's vocals wonderfully. And in a case where a title is definitely more than enough to get you started – let us say simply that the tracks include "Pig Meat Is What I Crave", "What Kind Of Scent Is This", "Mashin That Thing", "Pin In Your Cushion", "Ram Rod Daddy", "Ants In My Pants", "Pussy Cat Blues", and "My Pencil Won't Write No More". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary night at Chicago's Checkerboard Lounge – a set recorded at a time when the Rolling Stones were in town, and decided to pop down to the south side, and visit the home turf of their blues hero, Muddy Waters! You'll notice that the record bills the performance as Muddy Waters & The Rolling stones – and that's definitely the case here, as the Stones step in almost as Muddy's backing band – allowing Waters to really step out in the lead, while the group remind us that way back in the day, they got their start as a blues-based group first, before finding a style of their own! The set's also filled with guest appearances – including work from Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Lefty Dizz – and titles include "Mannish Boy", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Long Distance Call", "Next Time You See Me", "Champagne & Reefer", "Clouds In My Heart", "One Eyed Woman", and "You Don't Have To Go". LP, Vinyl record album

There's no suffering here – as the record's a real delight, and one of the more unique sessions in the career of the great John Lee Hooker! The record was done for Impulse Records, mostly known for its jazz recordings at the time – and the session has the vocals and guitar of John Lee next to a trio of more jazz-based players, one that features Barry Galbraith on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Panama Francis on drums – who somehow do a fantastic job of backing Hooker up! The set has a beautiful recording quality – very crisp and clear, yet never polished – and the work of the other players is incredible, as they really move into John Lee's mode, and somehow have him shining even more strongly than on some of his other albums from the time. This isn't a folk blues set done by a jazz label – and instead, the best of Impulse is used to give Hooker a fantastic showcase – on titles that include "Bottle Up & Go", "Sugar Mama", "Decoration Day", "You're Wrong", and a good cover of "Money". LP, Vinyl record album

(Rock, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

Really great early work from guitarist Earl Hooker – and a set that also feature some soulful sides by Jody Williams too! The bulk of the album features Hooker laying down that amazing guitar sound that always made him so distinct, and such a key precursor to funk as well – working in combos with organ and piano from Big Moose, tenor from AC Reed, and more piano from Pinetop Perkins – on titles that include "How Long Can This Go On", "Bright Sounds", "Off The Hook", "Nothing But Poison", "Nothing But Good", and "Leading Brand" – plus cuts with vocals from Ricky Allen and Lillian Offitt. Jody Williams plays guitar, but he also sings too – and brings a nicely soulful vibe to tunes that include "You May", "Hideout", "Morning For Molasses", "Looking For My Baby", and "Lucky You". CD

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 rare singles – and great notes too! (Soul, Blues) CD

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 time – definitely with echoes of the soul and funk that Turner would help pioneer in the 60s, but with a much grittier postwar vibe overall! A fair bit of cuts feature vocals from Billy Gayles, and other titles include work from Clayton Love, Tommy Hodge, Jackie Brenston, and The Sly Fox – on titles that include "I'm Tore Up", "I'm Sad As A Man Can Be", "Take Your Fine Frame Home", "Just One More Time", "The Big Question", "She Made My Blood Run Cold", "Do You Mean It", "Hoo Doo Say", and "Rock A Bucket". (Soul, Blues) CD

Great material originally done for the small Cuca Records label – with titles that include "Hooker Special", "Something You Are", "Off The Hook", "Two Bugs In A Rug", "Hot & Heavy", and "The Screwdriver". LP, Vinyl record album

Not sure about the giant chicken on the front – but the album features loads of great blues harp work from Billy Boy Arnold – set up in a small combo with Tony McPhee on guitar! Titles include "Riding The El", "Sweet Miss Bera", "Ahw Baby", and "Dirty Mother F*cker". LP, Vinyl record album

Late 60s recordings from the Chicago scene – with nicely raw work from these up and coming giants! LP, Vinyl record album

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Includes work with the orchestras of Red Norvo, Eddie Sauter, Teddy Wilson, and Benny Goodman. (Vocalists, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

We know it's hard to think of anyone named Mildred as hip, but take it from us, the lady's actually a great singer with a deep capacity for jazzy blues and mellow R&B. These rare Savoy sides were cut during the years 1946 and 1947, and they feature great backing by pianist Ellis Larkin on nearly every cut, set up in either small combo or large group settings. Titles include "At Sundown", "Love In Vain", "It's A Woman's Prerogative", "You Started Something", and "Born To Be Blue". (Vocalists, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

(Funky 45's, Blues) 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great collection of Maybelle's big early hits for Savoy – all featuring backings directed by Ernie Wilkins, with a nice jazzy undercurrent. Maybelle's got a robust voice that was one of the first key attempts to bridge gospel, R&B, and jazz – and the album features 10 tracks that include "Rock House", "I Don't Want To Cry", "Jim", "All Of Me", and "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie". (Soul, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

Four fantastic albums from Bobby Bland – all brought together in a single package for the first time! First up is Come Fly With Me – great work from Bobby Blue Bland – one of the few artists to rise up at the end of the 50s, and still find a way to chart their own path forward in soul with fresh material like this! Bobby's voice is still incredible here, and he works with production from Al Bell and Monk Higgins, the latter of whom arranged – in this cool style that's a bit like some of the territory that Tyrone Davis was taking on at Columbia Records during the second half of the 70s – fuller arrangements that bring some sophisticated soul touches to the music, but in ways that never lose the core of Bobby's genius! Titles include "Lady Lonely", "Night Games", "You Can Count On Me", "Love To See You Smile", "Come Fly With Me", and "To Be Friends". The next album is I Feel Good I Feel Fine – and Bobby Bland sounds pretty good too – thanks to arrangements from the great Monk Higgins, who does a perfect job of mixing Bland's trademark vocals with some sweet late 70s arrangements! The sound is upbeat, but never in a cliched disco mode – more in the territory that you'd hear Johnnie Taylor using over at Columbia Records – maybe a good comparison, given the Memphis roots that both artists shared – as both also evolved a lot to shift their sound with the changing modes of the time. And as with Johnnie, Bobby never loses the core that makes him great – as you'll hear on titles that include "Tit For Tat", "Soon As The Weather Breaks", "In His Eyes", "Someone To Belong To", "I Feel Good I Feel Fine", and "Little Mama". Sweet Vibrations is a real gem from the start of the 80s – arranged by Monk Higgins, who co-produced the set with Al Bell – a duo who'd already given Bobby some great records before, but who really knock it out of the park with this one. There's an extra-special quality going on here – maybe a slight reintroduction of blues roots, but still with a very contemporary spirit – set up to superb backings throughout. Titles include "Soul With A Flavor", "Hollywood Woman", "You'd Be A Millionaire", "Sweet Vibrator", "Special Kind Of Fool", and "A Real Woman Is What It Takes". Try Me I'm Real is record with a title that certainly fits the bill – as the amazing voice of Bobby Bland is as real here as it ever was, and blended with superbly soulful backings that take the singer's sound forward for a whole new generation! Some of Bobby's contemporaries were content to just stick in a straight blues mode – but Bland really grew and developed a lot as an artist, thanks in part to Monk Higgins and Al Bell – who are both at the production helm of the record, and balance the bluesy roots of Bobby with some richer soul backings that really knock the whole thing out of the park! We love Bobby Blue Bland during his early Duke Records years – but we love him equally as much for music like this, on titles that include "But I Do", "What A Difference A Day Makes", "Givin Up The Streets For Love", "A Song For You My Son", "Just You Just Me", and "Love Is Where It's At". CD

A later gem from Bobby Blue Bland – done in a smooth style that fits the later approach of the Malaco label, but with a vocal style that hasn't dimmed a bit over the years! Bobby's still got that incredible rasp in his voice – that approach that easily made him one of the most soulful bluesmen of his generation – with a sense of sophistication and understanding of the music that holds true throughout the entire record. The vibe's a bit like some of Bland's late work for ABC – and titles include "Members Only", "In The Ghetto", "Heart Open Again", "I Need Your Love So Bad", "Straight From The Shoulder", and "Sweet Woman's Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible record from Bobby Blue Bland – and quite possibly the greatest one he ever made! The set's got an amazing something special that's unlike most other material of the time – a bit blues, but a lot of soul too – still with some echoes of R&B in the jazzier charts used for the backdrop, but presented with a rock-solid style that definitely points the way towards many sounds and styles to come in the 60s. And although Bland recorded many of these tracks as separate singles, there's a way they're put together here that makes the whole thing sound completely marvelous together – a really well-conceived track list that shows that Bobby's an even greater artist in the space of a full record. The arrangements are perfect, and Bobby's rough soulful voice is blended in this amazing way with killer horn arrangements that are far more sophisticated than most stuff that ever came after this, and which never get in the way, but only back up his deep emotion. The album's a motherlode of classics by the man, with gems that include "Two Steps From The Blues", "Cry Cry Cry", "I Don't Want No Woman", "I'm Not Ashamed", "Don't Cry No More", "Lead Me On", and "I Pity The Fool". And hell, even his version of "St James Infirmary" is pretty wonderful – something we never thought we'd say about that song. CD

A raw cooker from the Chicago scene of the 70s – the best kind of gritty electric blues that was being recorded by the indie labels, even at a time when other bigger companies were trying to turn it into cliche! Eddie Campbell is great here – with raw vocals that captivate instantly, which are then followed by some really nice guitar solos too – lean, and with a quality that's both bold and fragile on the strings at the same time. The group also features a young Carey Bell on harmonica – getting plenty of solos in too – plus piano from Lafayette Leake and bass from Lurrie Bell, on titles that include "She's Nineteen Years Old", "Weary Blues", "Cheaper To Keep Her", "Smokin Potatoes", "King Of The Jungle", "We Both Must Cry", and "The Red Rooster". LP, Vinyl record album

If you ever doubted the blues chops of Canned Heat, take a listen to this album – as the group are joined by the great John Lee Hooker, who they let stand strongly in the spotlight and almost make the album his own! Previous sets by Canned Heat were already pretty darn great – a huge cut above blues-inspired rock groups of the late 60s years – but with Hooker in the lineup here, the sound gets even more raw and sensitive – so much so that a number of these cuts almost feel like some of the early Detroit 78rpm recordings the older blues musician recorded at the start of his career – hardly the watered-down blues rock you might expect. Titles include "Burning Hell", "Send Me Your Pillow", "Messin With The Hook", "Boogie Chillen No 2", "Peavine", "Just You & Me", "Whiskey & Wimmen", and "I Got My Eyes On You". (Rock, Blues) CD