Music from Jimmy Reed, Mississippi John Hurt, Dave 'Snaker' Ray, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Son House, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Otis Spann, Slim Harpo, Sonny Boy Williamson, John Mayall's Blues Beakers, Albert King, Canned Heat and BB King. CD

Otis Blackwell takes back his songs – providing his own new versions of tunes that were recorded famously by a host of rock, pop, and R&B artists back in the 50s! The 70s session is definitely done as part of the generation that was "giving back" to the roots of rock and roll – and Blackwell's performance here is possibly more tilted towards the rockers in the room than the R&B fans, given the used of heavy guitar on the record, and the cleaner style of production. Still, as a revivalist set, it's got plenty to offer – and Blackwell working with a small combo for backing, and sounding a bit Elvis-like at times – no surprise, given that Otis was supposedly a big influence on Presley. Titles include "All Shook Up", "Fever", "Daddy Rollin Stone", "Great Balls Of Fire", "Don't Be Cruel", "Searchin", "Hey Little Girl", and "Handy Man". CD

Rare work from the legendary Honeyboy Edwards – a blues guitarist who was a key force in helping the music make the transition to an electric mode in the 40s – but an artist whose talents were eclipsed by so many others he worked with at the time! This set's got a real back-to-basics vibe – Edwards captured in a spare setting, in a series of revival recordings done by Adelphi – with a focus on his vocals and guitar that take us right back to his early years working street corners and juke joints. Titles include "Bull Cow Blues 2", "Little Boy Blue", "Love Honeyboy Slow", "Don't Mistreat A Fool", "Howlin Wind", "Meet The Mornin Train", and "Hot Springs Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Sleepy John Estes was rediscovered in 1962, and made a key journey to Europe a few years later – captured here with a lean sound that's maybe even more haunting than some of his famous early records! The set just features Estes on guitar and vocals, with Hammie Nixon on harmonica and jug – and the sound of Nixon's harmonica is completely fantastic – very eerie and spooky, as if the wind is howling through the backdrop behind Estes while he performs – furthering the edge of the whole thing with a really wonderful sound! A tremendous example of 60s rural blues revival work at its best – on titles that include "Airplane Blues", "Who's Been Tellin You", "Denmark Blues", "I'm A Tearing Little Daddy", "Drop Down Mama", "Easin Back To Tennessee", and "Needmore Blues". CD features two bonus tracks – "Blues For JFK", and an alternate of "I'm A Tearing Little Daddy" CD

A great return to recording for Son House – a musician who'd stopped playing the guitar in the postwar years, but rose again to fame during the great folk blues revival of the 60s! The style here is every bit as classic as some of Son's earliest music – just recorded a lot better, too – with beautiful focus on the subtle inflections he brings to the strings of his acoustic guitar, and vocals that ring out a lot stronger than they might have on a 78. Titles include "John The Revelator", "Empire State Express", "Preachin Blues", "Sundown", and "Grinnin In Your Face". CD

A great return to recording for Son House – a musician who'd stopped playing the guitar in the postwar years, but rose again to fame during the great folk blues revival of the 60s! The style here is every bit as classic as some of Son's earliest music – just recorded a lot better, too – with beautiful focus on the subtle inflections he brings to the strings of his acoustic guitar, and vocals that ring out a lot stronger than they might have on a 78. Titles include "John The Revelator", "Empire State Express", "Preachin Blues", "Sundown", and "Grinnin In Your Face". LP, Vinyl record album

A great return to recording for Son House – a musician who'd stopped playing the guitar in the postwar years, but rose again to fame during the great folk blues revival of the 60s! The style here is every bit as classic as some of Son's earliest music – just recorded a lot better, too – with beautiful focus on the subtle inflections he brings to the strings of his acoustic guitar, and vocals that ring out a lot stronger than they might have on a 78. Titles include "John The Revelator", "Empire State Express", "Preachin Blues", "Sundown", and "Grinnin In Your Face". LP, Vinyl record album

Mississippi John Hurt and his guitar – captured beautifully on this mid 60s set for Vanguard! Today was the first studio recordings made by Hurt since his rediscovery by the 60s folk revival generation, and it's wonderful stuff – with timeless solo blues, warm and good natured and kind of upbeat numbers indicitive of his years playing dances and parties, and all around excellent peformances very well recorded and effectionately presented. LP, Vinyl record album

A great overview of the work of Abner Jay – as much of a blues singer as the folk artist promised on the cover – working here in a stunning array of styles, pulled from a variety of recordings he made in the late 60s and early 70s! It's clear that Jay is one of those talents who was rising up during the initial folk revival years, but was also able to find a groove that was very much his own when that moment faded – and the tunes here feature some very unusual phrasing on vocals, supported by acoustic guitar and a bit of percussion – on titles that include "Depression", "Lord Randal", "I Wanna Job", "St James Infirmary", "I'm Georgia Bound", "Bring It With You When You Come", "The Thresher", "Cotton Fields", "Starving To Death On My Government Claim", "Shenandoah", "99 Years In Jail", and "Swing Low Sweet Chariot". LP, Vinyl record album

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 arrangements by James Mack – who also brings in the excellent Kitty & The Haywoods for backing vocals! Little Milton's not trying too hard to overstate himself – and some cuts have this laidback, slow-burning feel that's nicely southern soul – mixed with a few funky moments that are equally nice. Titles include "Just One Step", "Me For You You For Me", "Loving You (Is The Best Thing To Happen To Me)", and "My Thing Is You". CD

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

A rootsy blues 2-fer – with two rare Prestige Blues sessions on a single CD! First up is Blues & Folk – a set with a very appropriate title, given the earthy feel of the music – mostly just guitar from Brownie McGhee and harmonica from Sonny Terry – plus vocals by both! There's a really laidback, back-to-the-delta sort of sound here – all acoustic, and a real change from the electric blues that was coming out in the mainstream at the time. Titles include "Gone Gal", "Red River Blues", "Sonny's Squall", "Tryin To Win", "Too Nicey Mama", and "Meet Me Down The Bottom". Next is Blues All Around My Head – very stripped down material from the team of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee – recorded during the pair's big revival with the folk blues crowds of the 60s! The sound is all acoustic – mostly just vocals, guitar, and harmonica – played with a timeless quality on titles that include "Muddy Water", "My Plan", "Trying To Destroy Me", "Jealous Man", "Understand Me", and "Blues Of Happiness". CD

Excellent work from this lost time in the career of the great Joe Turner – material after his early work with Count Basie in the 30s, but before his rock and roll revival on Atlantic in the 50s! LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever full length album from Big Joe Williams, despite a much longer legacy as a blues singer in the south – captured in a few different intimate settings in St Louis by the then-fledgling Delmark Records! The approach is very lean, of the sort that made the record a key statement in the folk blues revival at the end of the 50s – with Joe playing this really unique nine string guitar from two different instruments put together, and singing with this really compelling trill in his voice that marks the singer as very distinct from so many others in his generation. JD Short adds harmonica and a bit of guitar – and titles include "Mellow Peaches", "No More Whiskey", "Tailor Made Babe", "Omaha Blues", "Juanita", "Tailor Made Babe", and the interesting "Big Joe Talking" – which has Williams speaking a bit on his life! CD

The first-ever full length album from Big Joe Williams, despite a much longer legacy as a blues singer in the south – captured in a few different intimate settings in St Louis by the then-fledgling Delmark Records! The approach is very lean, of the sort that made the record a key statement in the folk blues revival at the end of the 50s – with Joe playing this really unique nine string guitar from two different instruments put together, and singing with this really compelling trill in his voice that marks the singer as very distinct from so many others in his generation. JD Short adds harmonica and a bit of guitar – and titles include "Mellow Peaches", "No More Whiskey", "Tailor Made Babe", "Omaha Blues", "Juanita", "Tailor Made Babe", and the interesting "Big Joe Talking" – which has Williams speaking a bit on his life! LP, Vinyl record album

A deep look at a blues scene that doesn't always get its due – music not from Chicago, Memphis, or various points south – but some nicely gritty tracks that were cut in New York during the postwar years! Despite New York's fame as a hub of jazz, soul, and other styles – the city also had a surprisingly strong blues scene in the 50s and 60s, which is when most of these tracks were recorded – music that's both in the electric modes that were showing up in other urban centers at the time, and also in some more traditional modes that were sometimes left behind in other cities – but which got a nice revival in New York, thanks to an interest in folk blues from the underground! Material here was originally recorded by a range of different labels – Old Town, Atlantic, Mercury, Prestige, Fire, Apollo, King, and Chess – and as you'd expect from Ace, there's also some unreleased material on the set, all presented with a great assortment of notes and details on every single track. 26 titles in all – with cuts that include "Bad Blood" by Champion Jack Dupree, "Step It Up & Go" by Blind Boy Fuller, "The Guy With A 45" by Allen Bunn & His Trio, "Stormy Monday Blues" by Bob Gaddy, "Kansas City March" by Wild Jimmy Spruill, "Four Women Blues" by Larry Johnson & Hank Adkins, "Idle Hours" by Lonnie Johnson with Victory Spivey, "Hard Times" by Noble Thin Man Watts, "Believe Me Darling" by June Bateman, "Security" by Tarheel Slim & Little Ann, "Jack That Cat Was Clean" by Dr Horse, and "Goodbye Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison. CD

An unusual double-length album of tracks recorded by this bluesy soul singer in the years after she recorded for Savoy, and cut her big hit "Candy". This LP's got a harder rockin' bluesy feel to it, with the sort of R&B revival sound of the late 60/early 70. Maybelle's still great, though, and really manages to belt out tracks like "Cold, Cold Heart", "Your Turn To Cry", "Winnie Widow Brown", "Big Sweet Daddy", "Long Long Journey", and "Blame It On Your Love". (Soul, Blues) CD

Bo Diddley we already love you – but this set gives us another reason why! Although Bo's probably best known for his classic R&B work of the late 50s and early 60s, but during the 70s he also managed to cut some massively funky albums for Chess – working in the blues revival/funk turnover sound that was pioneered in the Cadet Concept studios with some of the label's classic artists of earlier years. The grooves on this set are amazing – heavy funk all the way, and filled with a ripplingly strong guitar sound over heavy drums and bass – still handled with the same offbeat sense of humor that we love in Bo's older work, but retuned nicely for the hip heavy sound of the 70s! The CD features 20 tracks in all – pulled from 4 albums on Chess from the early 70s – and titles include "I Don't Like You", "Funky Fly", "Shut Up Woman", "Elephant Man", "Down On The Corner", "The Shape I'm In", "Bad Trip", "Hey Jerome", "Infatuation", "Take It All Off", "Bo Diddley-It Is", "Stop The Pusher", and "Hit Or Miss". CD

A bit later than some of Lowell Fulsom's funk work for Kent Records – but a set that's almost more vintage overall! The album's recorded for the short-lived Big Town imprint – a late 70s venue that took older R&B artists back to the sounds of a few decades before – never too rootsy, thanks to the style of production – but with less attempt to crossover to a contemporary audience than the artists might have used on another label. There is a fair bit of heavy guitar in the 70s – a kind of post-blues revival feel that comes on loud and clear, and which sounds especially great on the title track "Lovemaker", which almost has a funky "Tramp" groove at the bottom! Other cuts include "Bending Like A Willow Tree", "Get The Cash & Let The Credit Go", "My Mind Is Trying To Leave Me Too", "When Things Go Wrong", and "I Am Not Worried". LP, Vinyl record album

Gritty revival blues from RL Burnside – and a record that really broke his music into a wider audience! Of course, it helps that the set features guest appearances from Kid Rock and Lyrics Born – the latter we enjoy more than the former – but the overall vibe is still very much in the best spirit of Burnside's other music – on titles that include "Detroit Boogie (parts 1 & 2)", "Someday Baby", "Goin Down South", "Go To Jail", "Bird Without A Feather", "Glory Be", "Goin Away Baby", "Rollin & Tumblin", and "Stole My Check". LP, Vinyl record album