With 30 tracks including "Mother's Children Have A Hard Time", "Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying", "Bye and Bye I'm Goin' To See The King", "Take Your Stand", "Soul Of A Man", and "John The Revelator". CD
Features Jimmy Johnson on guitar and vocals, plus a bit of harmonica on one track too – and the set features an unusual take on Dave Brubeck's "Take Five"! CD
Lonnie Johnson with Victoria Spivey —
Idle Hours ... CD Prestige/Bluesville, 1961. Used ...
$4.99
Beautiful late work from Lonnie Johnson – recorded decades after his bigger years on record, but handled with great care by Prestige Records, during the brief run of its Bluesville imprint! Like most of the rest of the sides at the time, the approach here is to make an older mode live again ... read moreCD
Collects b-sides, alternate takes, plus unissued cuts from Albert King's run at Stax and features Isaac Hayes, Booker T, Steve Cropper, and others! 13 tracks total. CD
Classic Stax blues by the king of the Memphis blues scene of the late 60's. Production's handled by Stax, even though the LP was released on Atlantic, and the set includes "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Overall Junction", "Laundromat Blues", "Cold Feet", and ... read moreCD
An excellent collection of rare work from the legendary BB King – a selection of 25 tracks from the vaults of RPM and Kent Records, 23 of which appear here for the first time ever! Some cuts are alternates, some are different versions of other recordings – and all are pretty darn ... read moreCD
An excellent set by BB King – one of his best from the 60s, and a smoking live set recorded at Chicago's legendary Regal Theatre! The enthusiasm at the venue shows that BB's Memphis-honed style is a perfect fit for the electrified Chicago sound of the 60s – and the recording really ... read moreCD
If you only know BB King from later years, you'll really be stunned at the sound of this great set from the start of the 60s – a record that's much more R&B than the straighter blues of King's bigger label work – and which has a jumping groove nearly all the way through! The mix of ... read moreCD
Two years might be a short time for any artist to be in their "prime" – but the quality of these sides is so strong, they've supported the reputation of Furry Lewis for many many years! The set features wonderful low-key material recorded for 78s in the years 1927 and 1928 – ... read moreCD
Little Milton —
Friend Of Mine ... CD Glades/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1976. New Copy ...
$18.9923.99
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 moreCD
Little Milton's always been as much of a soul singer as a bluesman – and this overlooked gem from the 70s has him hitting equally well on both fronts! The set's a great precursor to Milton's 80s revival on Malaco – but has the singer working in Chicago, with these deep soul ... read moreCD
With 48 tracks including "Sneaking Around", "She Put A Spell On Me", "Blind Man", "Country Style", "Let Me Down Easy", "Twenty-Three Hours", "Moanin' For Your Girl", and "Grits Ain't Groceries". CD
Never-issued material from the sessions for two classic Magic Sam albums – Black Magic and West Side Soul – not alternate tracks or demos, but really great material that stands strongly here as an album on its own! If you know those records, you'll now the raw power here – that ... read moreCD
Magic Sam —
West Side Soul ... CD Delmark/P-Vine (Japan), 1967. New Copy ...
$14.9924.99
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 moreCD
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 moreCD
At the time of this set, Magic Slim called Chicago his home – but the title may well be apt, as the set was recorded overseas in the Barclay Studios in Paris, at a time when Slim was hitting the highway to reach a wide global audience with his music! Despite that displacement, though, there's ... read moreCD
An incredible record from Mississippi Fred McDowell – a set that was issued on a big label, but which has a wonderfully rootsy feel throughout – in a way that almost out-does any work from the indie blues labels of the time! The package was put together by Tommy Couch as an early ... read moreCD
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 moreCD
Raw soul from the second Piano Slim – Willard Burton of Houston, who's heard here on some killer tracks from the start of the 60s! Slim's definitely got some blues in the way he approaches the piano, but the productions here are more soul-based and R&B-styled overall – often in ... (Soul, Blues)read moreCD
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
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.)
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
Fenton Robinson —
Special Road ... CD Evidence, 1993. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
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
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
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
George Harmonica Smith —
Of The Blues ... CD Bluesway/BGO (UK), 1969. New Copy ...
$7.9918.99
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 moreCD
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 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.)
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/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
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
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
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.)