An incredible collection of early material from the mighty Lightnin Hopkins – just the kind of sounds that made him an earthshaker right from the start! Hopkins hardly needs anyone but himself to put over the message here – as his guitar work is mindblowing, and his vocals have a raw ... read moreCD
2 blues classics from the great Howlin Wolf – back to back on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Howlin Wolf – a record that has Wolf tightening it up a bit from his earliest years at Chess, and moving into a groove that would forever make him one of the key artists to record for ... read moreCD
Howlin Wolf sings the blues, and comes across in a way that influences an entire generation too – with that raw, raspy sound that made the singer a perfect blend of delta roots and contemporary sounds that were bubbling up in the postwar years! These tracks have a spare, simple, stark style ... read moreCD
Funky blues work from Howlin Wolf – his key entry into the funked-up genre that Chess Records was cutting at the end of the 60s with other blues artists like Etta James, Bo Diddley, and Muddy Waters! As on records with those artists, Wolf's older modes are updated here for a hipper, younger ... read moreCD
Classic work from Howlin Wolf – tunes recorded with incredibly raspy vocals, set to a folksy electric guitar sound – one that instantly conjures up images of the south side blues scene that Chess documented so well during the 50s and 60! The work here was recorded over a number of ... read moreCD
An amazing step forward for the young Etta James – a singer who was delivering a raw, shouting form of R&B just a few years before – but who here ascends into soul music heaven with her famous work on the album! The title cut is the stuff of legend – played and played, again ... (Soul, Blues)read moreCD
The most complete collection of pre-Chess work by Etta James ever offered – a huge 2CD package that's filled with rare album tracks, key singles, and even some previously unissued material! Etta's fame at Chess in the 60s is a well-known fact of classic soul music – but in the years ... (Soul, Blues)read moreCD
An updated and superior version of the great Robert Johnson – The Complete Recordings, first issued as a 2CD set in the early 90s – featuring The San Antonio Recordings on disc one and the Dallas Recordings on disc two – eaching with alternate versions of many numbers. The ... read moreCD
An early album on John Fahey's Takoma label – and a set that maybe feels more like a Folkways record overall – given that it features street recordings of the enigmatic Eddie "One-String" Jones! Jones is a musician who really lives up to his name – by playing blues on ... read moreCD
The vintage years are some of the best years for the legendary BB King – served up here in a package that focuses strongly on the music he made during his first 15 years in the studio, with lots of rare tracks for the RPM, Crown, and Kent Records labels – including a few titles that ... read moreCD
A 60s set from Memphis bluesman BB King – but one put together with a very distinct Chicago touch as well! The set's produced by Johnny Pate, and recorded live with a vibe that's similar to King's classic recording at The Regal – but it's almost got even more of a soulful punch, thanks ... read moreCD
BB King not just live, but well-recorded in the studio too – in this classic ABC set that showcases both sides of his talents! Side one is the live set – and it's arguably better than any of the previous other concert recordings he did for the label – with a tighter, moodier feel ... read moreCD
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 moreCD
A posthumous collection of work from Freddie King – material recorded in a variety of different sources, but all of it with Freddie's well-honed guitar sound in the lead! Some tracks were done down at Criteria Studios in Miami, and have a warmly southern sort of glow – others were done ... read moreCD
Sweet electric blues from Freddie King – and a record that features a surprising set of arrangements from Donny Hathaway! The album's more Freddie's than Donny's, but it's a great meeting of the two talents under the Atlantic-endorsed Cotillion banner – served up with an unusual studio ... read moreCD
A really great collection of Chess Records work by JB Lenoir – one of the more unusual singers on the Chicago scene at the time – and one with a sound that's pretty darn great all the way through! Lenoir's tone is a pitch or two up from most of his contemporaries – not as gritty ... read moreCD
Lazy Lester's a lover, not a fighter – and a hell of a bluesman too, as you'll hear on these excellent sides cut for the Excello Records label at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s! Some numbers are instrumental, and focus strongly on Lester's incredible harmonica lines – blues ... read moreCD
Sharon Lewis & Texas Fire —
Grown Ass Woman ... CD Delmark, 2016. New Copy ...
$11.9915.99
Sharon Lewis has plenty of Texas fire here – but she's also got a good Chicago mix of blues and soul – almost a west side vibe, but with a contemporary approach – and a level of grit that makes her one of the strongest blues talent in the current Delmark Records roster! Lewis can ... read moreCD
A pair of Excello blues classics from the great Lightnin Slim – brought together on a single CD! First up is Rooster Blues – gritty blues, with a romping, almost rocking groove right from the start – the kind of back/forth energy we might expect to hear more from Jimmy Reed at ... read moreCD
Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials —
Roughhousin' ... CD Alligator, 1986. Used ...
$6.99
... CD
Lil' Ed And The Blues Imperials —
Rattleshake ... CD Alligator, 2006. Used ...
$7.99
Little Walter —
Boom Boom ... CD Black Knight (Poland), 1950s. New Copy ...
$8.9913.98
Classic early work from Little Walter – the kind of tight, sharp, Chicago cuts that first got him notice – served up with plenty of raw guitar in the grooves, and lots of Walter's amazing harmonica over the top! The collection presents a very well-chosen array of titles – not ... read moreCD
A pair of late 60s gems from the bluesy singer Junior Parker – back to back on a single CD! Like It Is features standout soul from the great Junior Parker – a singer who started out in blues, and already had a big legacy of music for Sun and Duke Records by the time of this Mercury set ... read moreCD
The world-changing late 20s and 1930s recordings of the great Charley Patton – grainy, soul shaking delta blues that's as pivotal and stirring as ever, if not even more so post-millenium, given that weary, old world lost beauty of it! 24 tracks including "Mississippi Boll Weavil ... read moreCD
Our Chicago roots run deep here, with plenty of postwar Chicago blues -- plus delta blues, folk blues, electric blues, pre-war blues, and more!
