... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A side each of these two important talents in blues – presented here in a format that makes the record a real double-header! Side one features Big Bill Broonzy in the lead – working with sweet electric lines on guitar alongside acoustic and his own really rich vocals – plus this very cool rhythm accompaniment from Washboard Sam, whose instrument has a way of coming across like some quickly snapped snare drum! Sam takes the lead on side two – singing and playing his instrument – and is joined on a few tracks by Broonzy's guitar and some piano from Memphis Slim. Big Bill titles include "Lonesome", "Little City Woman", "Romance Without Finance", and "By Myself" – and Washboard Sam numbers include "Never Never", "Minding My Own Business", "I'm A Lonely Man", and "Horseshoe Over My Door". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Two vocal group classics by the Corsairs – an excellent group graced by the unique lead vocals of Jay Bird Uzzel! "Smoky Places" is a sad and dreamy ode to the places two secret lovers have to meet – but "Thinkin" is the real winner here. At the first listen, the track's got a Platters-esque sound, but as it goes on, there's lots of weird sound effects and vocal tricks – almost in a Jive Bombers mode, with Jay Bird's voice making plenty of odd noises, beeps, grunts, and things like that under the lyrics! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A real lost chapter in the career of the great Don Covay – material done after his original funky soul on 60s Atlantic Records, and before his return to fame in the early 70s on Mercury – done in a raw vibe that has a lot more grit than you might expect! There's touches of psychedelic blues in the instrumentation, which was recorded both in Memphis and Muscle Shoals – even though the record comes across with a vibe that's unlike any of the big hits recorded in those scenes at the time! Definitely a standout in the world of soul in the early 70s – with titles that include "Standing In the Grits Line", "Sweet Thang", "Stop By", "Bad Luck", "Hitching a Ride", and "What's In the Headlines". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of tracks recorded during the late 60s and early 70s – when the Dells were at their peak, recording at Cadet with arrangers and producers like Charles Stepney, Bobby Miller, and Don Davis. Titles include "Love Is Blue (I Can Sing A Rainbow)", "There Is", "Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation", "The Love We Had Stays On My Mind", and "My Pretending Days Are Over". 11 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Funky Bo Diddley – one of Bo's key early 70s sessions for Chess Records – all of which have him stepping out in a much harder groove than years past! The sound here is relatively tight – with Diddley guitar and vocals on top of some larger arrangements from Bob Gallo – backings that mix together sounds from contemporary rock and soul, but always with an ear for the roots that Bo inspired in the first place – put forward towards a new generation with nicely kicking rhythms and really fuzzy guitars! The standout number here is the break classic "Go For Broke" – a drum-heavy instrumental that's worth the price of the record alone – and other titles include the great original "Pollution", plus versions of "The Shape I'm In", "Down On The Corner", "Lodi", "Bad Side Of the Moon", and "Bad Moon Rising". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little collection of Bo Diddley's earlier work for Chess – put together in the early 70s, when Bo was in his Black Gladiator phase, as pictured on the cover – but featuring the rawer, rougher grooves of his initial recordings in the late 50s and early 60s! The Bo Diddley groove hardly needs an introduction from us – and the 24 tracks on the set are a perfect illustration of his blinding mix of fast rhythms, choppy guitar, and comical vocals – a sound that made Bo's work some of the most striking R&B of the time! Titles include "I'm Man", "Pretty Thing", "Before You Accuse Me", "Who Do You Love", "Hey Bo Diddley", "Say Man", "I'm Looking For A Woman", "Road Runner", "Cops & Robbers", "Story Of Bo Diddley", and "Hush Your Mouth". LP, Vinyl record album

Nasty nasty funk from the great Bo Diddley – one of his rare funky 70s classics for Chess – produced by Johnny Otis with a really tripped-out groove! The album's got an edge that seems to go even farther than some of Bo's other Chess work at the time – and picks up the full-on Otis funky mode by leaning hard on the drums, pulling up the bass, and bringing in a trio of female lovelies to back up Bo on vocals! Gloria Scott's one of the vocalists on the album, and Shuggie Otis even joins in on the funky party with some sweet guitar! But even with all this help, Bo's still the star of the story – and his massive chugging approach to guitar is moving full steam ahead on the set – really ripping a groove through a great batch of original tracks that include "Take It All Off", "I've Had It Hard", "Good Thing", "Bad Trip", "Infatuation", "Bo Diddley-Itis", "Woman", and "Look At Grandma". LP, Vinyl record album

A Chicago blues trifecta – and the first time ever that Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, and Little Waters ever worked together! The set's got a raw power that definitely lives up to the title – a wicked mix of raw guitars, rough rhythms, and some wonderfully soulful vocals – all served up in a style that has the modes of each different player stepping forth into the limelight from track to track, but with the others shouldering forth themselves to challenge the lead! The mix of Bo's twang and Muddy's grit is mighty nice – and Little Walter helps bring a soulful focus that really holds the whole thing together. Titles include "I'm A Man", "Who Do You Love", "Bo Diddley", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "My Baby", "Long Distance Call", and "You Don't Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Not the Bay Area effort you might guess from the title – and instead a sweet Chicago session that's easily one of the funkiest records that Buddy Guy ever cut! There's a great mix of funk and soul mixed in with the blues – thanks to arrangements from Charles Stepney and Gene Barge, who groove Buddy up in the same new funky mode that Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters got from Chess Records at the same time. A few cuts are more stripped-down and classic – but most have this great tight groove, with instrumentation by Stepney on some surprisingly funky drums, plus Matt Murphy on guitar, Phil Upchurch on bass, and Gene Barge on tenor sax. Titles include "Goin Home", "Buddy's Groove", "She Suits Me To A Tee", "Every Girl I See", "Too Many Ways", "Crazy Love", "Keep It To Myself", and "When My Left Eye Jumps". LP, Vinyl record album

Buddy Guy reached much bigger fame on later labels, but he sounds pretty darn great here in a set of early recordings done for Chess – all sides recorded in the first half of the 60s, when Buddy represented one of the best talents in a new generation of bluesmen rising up in Chicago! The style here is tighter and a bit more urban than some of the Chess work of the 50s – less rootsy overall, with saxophone often sliding next to the guitar – in a wickedly soulful mode that's got elements of R&B in the mix. Titles include "My Time After A While", "Ten Years Ago", "Watch Yourself", "Stone Crazy", "I Found A True Love", "First Time I Met The Blues", and "No Lie". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A rootsy cover, and some rootsy blues to match – a fairly stripped down session from John Lee Hooker –- and one that mostly just features vocals and guitar, plus some occasional added guitar and piano! Most of the recordings here are from the early 50s, pulled together in a full LP at the end of that decade – and they represent the formative roots of the Chess Records sound – a key bridge between Chicago blues and work from earlier scenes. Titles include "Ramblin By Myself", "Ground Hog Blues", "Women & Money", "High Priced Woman", "Sugar Mama", "Walkin The Boogie", "Love Blues", and "Union Station Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A really well done collection of work recorded by Howlin Wolf for Chess – put together in the early 70s, but featuring sides from the 50s and 60s. The album's got a good set of notes by Pete Welding, and tracks that include "Down In The Bottom", "Forty Four', "My Country Sugar Mama", "Spoonful", "Red Rooster", "Moanin For My Baby", "I Asked For Water", "Wang Dang Doodle", "Who's Been Talkin", "Built For Comfort", "Ooh Baby Hold Me", "Baby How Long", "Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy", and "Killing Floor". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A fantastic lost harmony cut on Chess! "Lonely Baby" has a post doo wop sound that's wonderful – with Ty's vocal out in the lead on a sad lyric, while tenor blows in the background, and a group comes in on the chorus to punch things up a bit. "Gladness" has a great sound too – kind of a stepping groove that's almost in an "Elephant Walk" mode, with cool piano triplets in the background. 7-inch, Vinyl record

A 70s 2-fer that collects 2 live sides originally issued by Argo, then subsequently by Chess under the Cadet label. Classic Chicago piano jazz – featuring the very popular pianist Ahmad Jamal, recorded at the legendary Pershing Lounge, down at 63rd and Cottage Grove and at the equally legendary Blackhawk Lounge in San Francisco. For many years we didn't get these earlier sides by Jamal, prefering the later electric stuff, but you can see the blueprint of both those later sounds and the piano style that had such a huge impact on Miles here, in sets that cover lots jazz standards, including 'But Not For Me", "Moonlight In Vermont", "poinciana", "Woody'N You", "All The Things You Are", "Cherokee", "It Might As Well Be Spring" and quite a few more. LP, Vinyl record album

A great entry in the Chess Heritage Series at the end of the 60s – one that features rare 50s Chicago recordings by Elmore James, plus some even more obscure sides by lesser-known singer John Brim! James' style is well known, and well-executed here – rough and raw, but with a good sense of focus – on tracks that include "Whose Muddy Shoes", "I See My Baby", "My Best Friend", "The Sun Is Shining", "Madison Blues", and "Talk To Me Baby". Brim is great too – a singer we didn't know before this record, with an all-out kind of quality in his voice that's almost a bit like some of the rougher soul of the 60s at times. Brim sings "Lifetime Baby", "Ice Cream Man", "You Got Me", and "Rattlesnake". LP, Vinyl record album

A great entry in the Chess Heritage Series at the end of the 60s – one that features rare 50s Chicago recordings by Elmore James, plus some even more obscure sides by lesser-known singer John Brim! James' style is well known, and well-executed here – rough and raw, but with a good sense of focus – on tracks that include "Whose Muddy Shoes", "I See My Baby", "My Best Friend", "The Sun Is Shining", "Madison Blues", and "Talk To Me Baby". Brim is great too – a singer we didn't know before this record, with an all-out kind of quality in his voice that's almost a bit like some of the rougher soul of the 60s at times. Brim sings "Ice Cream Man", "You Got Me", and "Rattlesnake". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Heavy funk from the great Etta James – one of her standout classics from the later Chess years, done with a style that's completely different than her work of the 60s! The set was recorded in LA with a super-dope sound that's almost in a funky soundtrack mode – full horns, bits of strings, wah wah guitar, and a core tight rhythm combo that features keyboards from William D Smith, percussion from King Errison, and lots of stepping bass from Chuck Rainey! And while funky, the style isn't as rough and ready as some of the other Chess funky blues from the late 60s Chicago years – showing instead a bit more of a soul influence in the mix, at a level that Etta matches beautifully with her vocals. Titles include "All The Way Down", "Only A Fool", "Down So Low", "Lay Back Daddy", "Just One More Day", and a version of "Leave Your Hat On" with a great funky keyboard break! LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A split album of early recordings by Otis Rush and Albert King – both featured here in early Chicago sides done for Chess Records in the years before their bigger late 60s fame! The style here is mostly stripped down, but still pretty tight – not as rough-edged as some of their Chess contemporaries, and with a fair bit of electric guitar driving most tunes along with a nice little groove. Albert King titles include "Searchin For A Woman", "Bad Luck", "Won't Be Hangin Around", and "Merry Way" – and Otis Rush titles include "So Close", "I Can't Stop", "I'm Satisfied", "So Many Roads", and "All Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Deep deep deep soul from The Knight Brothers – a wonderful duo who cut some fantastic sides for Chess Records in the 60s! The Brothers originally hailed from Washington DC, and came to Chicago by way of New York – somehow managing to pick up all the best bits of these geographic influences in the meantime! At one level, the Knights have a sound that's got lots of touches of southern soul – a pre-Sam & Dave approach to vocals that usually has one singer out front, and the other egging him on. But as they grew – and for a brief while adapted into the vocal group The Carltons – they also started to harmonize a lot more, and moved into a realm that was a lot like The Impressions at their best – sweet harmonies sung with a lot of depth, and often done with a heartbreaking quality that was really wonderful! This Japanese-only album is the closest thing the group ever came to having a full length set on Chess. LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work by Laura Lee – a singer who's best known for her 70s hits on the Hot Wax label, but who sounds equally great here on her earlier sides for Chess! Lee's deep soul approach was a perfect match for Chess at the end of the 60s – and the work here often has her coming across with a hard and heavy approach that rivaled the best female soul coming out of Stax or Atlantic during the same era – no surprise, considering that most of the material here was recorded down in Muscle Shoals, far from the Chicago studios and sweeter production styles of most other artists on Chess! Rick Hall handled the Muscle Shoals material – in a real Fame Records mode – and other cuts were put together by Gene Barge and Cash McCall. The sound is great throughout – with a deeper soul groove than in her early 70s recordings, and vocal power that she hardly ever matched again! Titles include "Mama's Got A Good Thing", "That's How It Is", "Dirty Old Man", "She Don't Love You", "Another Man's Woman", "I Need to Belong To Someone", and "Love More Than Pride". LP, Vinyl record album

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 and deep, and with inflections that almost point the way towards soul singers in the generation to come. Yet the backings are definitely in the best Windy City modes of the time – as Lenoir plays some great electric guitar, alongside Alex Atkins on alto, Ernest Cotton on tenor, Joe Montgomery on piano, and Willie Dixon on bass. The set mixes vintage singles with a few unreleased tracks – and titles include "Natural Man", "Don't Dog Your Woman", "Don't Touch My Head", "Five Years", "Mama What About Your Daughter", "Korea Blues", "Let Me Die With The One I Love", "I'm In Korea", and "Carrie Lee". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-titled set – as the album features some of the best early sides that Little Walter recorded for Chess – records that went on to set a whole new standard both in blues vocals and harmonica! There's tightness here that's a bit different from some of the other Chess blues at the time – a quality that's almost a be pre-soul at moments, despite the obvious blues bent of the set. The album features some great liner notes from Studs Terkel – really getting at the scene of which Walter was a part – and titles include "My Babe", "Sad Hours", "Can't Hold Out Much Longer", "Blues With A Feeling", "Juke", "Mean Old World", "Blue Lights", "You Better Watch Yourself", and "Tell Me Mamma". CD features 3 bonus tracks – alternates of "Last Night", "Juke", and "Off The Wall". LP, Vinyl record album

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 player with a lean, clean sound that roared out with a nice sort of edge, and could almost be called a precursor to funk. His vocals are great too – bluesy, but with some slight gospel inflections too – a bit wider vocal range than some other bluesmen of the 50s, and almost a precursor to soul to come in the 60s. The album was done after Walter's untimely early death, and features some great notes on his career – plus titles that include "It Ain't Right", "Rocker", "Confessin The Blues", "I Got To Go", "Crazy Mixed Up World", "Temperature", "Crazy Legs", "Lights Out", "One More Chance With You", and "Rock Bottom". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

No, Moms isn't storming the United Nations – but she is caught live here, in a 1960 performance at the Uptown Theatre in Philly. The material isn't has hard and heavy as later stuff, but her spirit and fire is still there, and the album's noteworthy in that it's an early attempt by Chess to move into the live comedy market. LP, Vinyl record album

A great album that mixes funky music and comedy routines by Pigmeat! The set features 2 great funky 45 tracks – the hilarious "My Wife I Ain't Seen Her", plus a remake of "Open The Door Richard", done with some heavy Gene Barge backings. The album also features longer routines without music – "How To Make Love" and "The Bachelor Apartment" – recorded live at the Regal Theater. LP, Vinyl record album

Memphis Slim's installment in this excellent LP series from Chess – 60s packagings of earlier recordings done by key bluesmen in the Chicago scene, with slightly improved fidelity but enough of the "real folk blues" sound to warrant the title! Instrumentation here is a bit more augmented than some of the others in the series, as some tunes feature a bit of sax alongside Slim's bluesy piano and light percussion backing – but the overall feel is still quite rootsy. Titles include "For A Day", "Mother Earth", "Blues For My Baby", "Marack", "Having Fun", "Tijuana", and "Trouble Trouble". LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Two nice cuts of trippy Chicago soul by this great group that never really made an album, and who don't ever get reissued as much as we'd like. Charles Stepney arranged, Bobby Miller produced, and the material is similar to some of The Dells' weirder stuff on Cadet! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Great work by The Radiants – arranged here by Charles Stepney, with a tripped-out sound that's like the best late 60s work by The Dells! "Ida Mae Foster" is a real bit of psychedelic soul, with guitars coming down on the beat, fuzzing things up along with a really loud cello, while the group works Bobby Miller's lyrics with some raw harmonies that are almost perfect! "Choo Choo" is a bit poppier, and like their earlier work – but the cut has one monster hook that's totally worth it! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The title's an apt one here, as Jimmy Rogers was one of the many bluesmen who started out in the south, but headed to Chicago for greater fame – which was a good thing for Chess Records, who managed to come some of these great sides in the 50s! Rogers both sings and plays guitar – the later of which has a sometimes snakey quality that almost echoes a slight bit of jazz – a mode that recalls some of the inventions T Bone Walker was putting down at the time, but a little bit rootsier overall. Players on these sessions include Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Spann, and Willie Dixon – and tracks include "Money Marbles & Chalk", "Ludella", "You're The One", "Back Door Friend", "I Used To Have A Woman", "Sloppy Drunk", "Blues Leave Me Alone", and "Walking By Myself". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet soul from one of Chicago's sweetest! "Honey Dear" has Jackie singing with a bit of a sad and wispy tone – almost quiet, but also sad and dreamy. "We Can Do It" is the better track, though – and has this introspective approach at the beginning, then builds with a proud stepping sound that's a much better illustration of the depth of Jackie at the height of her powers! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great bit of funky blues from Chicago! "Lilly Mae" burns with a nice heavy bottom – horns and bass blaring together underneath Johnny's great vocals – hard, rough, and with a west side groove produced by Monk Higgins and Cash McCall. "I'm Just" is a sad sweet blusey number, almost in the vein of Toussaint McCall – with fantastic deep soul lead from Johnny! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A full-blown, very righteous offering from Chess to the political cause of Operation Breadbasket! Tenorist Ben Branch leads the large gospel-tinged group – and sax player Gene Barge produces and plays, with a style that's very much in the Chess/Checker bag of the late 60s soul era. Most cuts have chorus vocals, but there are are a few instrumentals on the record. Titles include "Country Preacher", "We Shall Overcome", "I Wish I Knew", and "Nobody Knows". LP, Vinyl record album

2 early hits by The Sensations – an early Chess vocal group that featured one female and three male singers! The style made for a playful interchange of vocals that was almost pop, but still retained enough R&B touches to be soul – and the tunes on the single are catchy enough that they should have been bigger hits. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Obscure girl group soul from Chicago – with Charles Stepney arrangements on both sides! "Loving You" is a loping midtempo number, with a sing-song sound that you'd probably guess from the title. "My Baby's Real" is deeper – slower and with a sad sound that reminds us of early work by The Emotions. We don't know who the lead singer is, but she's got a great sound! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the most incredible pop tracks of the 60s! Billy Stewart's reading of "Summertime" sounds nothing like you've ever heard! The cut has these rolling popping vocals, and a triple-time groove that turns the cut into a dark stormer filled with raw energy. 7-inch, Vinyl record