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

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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 fierce guitar of Sam's, that often has this sinister snakey quality – mixed with his undeniably soulful vocals, which are a perfect bridge between deep soul and Chicago blues! Players on the sessions include Eddie Shaw on tenor, Mighty Joe Young on second guitar, Shakey Jake on on harmonica, and Lafayette Leake on piano – and titles include "Lookin Good", "I Feel So Good", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Keep On Doin What You're Doin", "Blues For Odie Payne", "Keep On Lovin Me Baby", and "That's All I Need". CD

A great collection of early R&B by one of the genre's best – the mighty Amos Milburn, a singer who brought a new level of hardcore to the genre! The set features recordings taken from the vaults of Aladdin Records – issued here for the first time! (Soul, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

The title's not right – as there's plenty of soul and plenty of blues throughout – just the sort of thing we'd expect from Stan Mosley's long legacy of indie recordings from the contemporary underground! We first started hearing Stan's music on the Malaco label at the end of the 90s – a great continuation of that company's way of keeping southern soul alive by mixing it with a bit of blues – a quality that definitely comes through on some of these cuts, with a bit of blues guitar solo in the lineup – while Stan soars out as more of a deep soul singer on others! The vocals are wonderful throughout – nicely unbridled, and very much up to Mosley's legacy – on titles that include "You Need Love", "Blues Man", "I Can't Get Next To You", "This Train", "Losing Hand", "Stomp", "Right Next Door", and "I'm Back To Collect". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the first recordings ever from Chicago legend Junior Wells – made for the small States label in the Windy City, many years before Wells exploded out with much greater national fame! The music here has Junior stepping into the same early electric space that Chess Records was cutting at the time – and given the presence of Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, and Willie Dixon on some of these sides – the group's also not far off either! Wells is the main star throughout, though – alternating bold young vocals and razor-sharp harmonica lines – in the company of players who include Louis Myers, Elmore James, and Muddy Waters on guitar, Johnnie Jones and Otis Spann on piano, Willie Dixon on bass, and Odie Payne on drums. Titles include "Hoodoo Man", "Tomorrow Night", "Eagle Rock", "Junior's Wail", "Throw This Poor Dog A Bone", "So All Alone", "Blues Hit Big Town", and "Lovin Blues". CD features six previously unissued tracks! CD

Junior Wells was already a rising star when he cut this album for Delmark in the mid 70s – but the session's got a great back to basics vibe, one that's dedicated to Junior's home turf at Theresa's Tavern on the south side! The groove is great – with twin guitar work, by Sammy Lawhorn in one channel, and Phillip Guy in another – creating this feel as if you're sitting in the small club, hearing the guitarists trade licks back and forth while Junior sings and really wails on harmonica! Other players are great Chicago talents too – and include AC Reed on tenor, Charles Miles on alto, and Johnny Walker on organ and piano. Titles include "The Train I Ride", "What My Mama Told Me", "Key To The Highway", "Watch Me Move", "Someday Baby", "You Gotta Love Her With Feeling", and "Junior's Thing". CD features the unissued bonus track "Goin Down Slow". CD

Blues recorded in St Louis, but with a sound that's much more rural overall – maybe no surprise, given the countless travel by Big Joe Williams on the highways of the south! The setting is lean enough to be recorded out in the field – Big Joe on these wonderfully expressive vocals and his unique nine string guitar – with support from Ransom Knowling on bass, but at a level that really just helps the tunes get this subtle groove – really letting be the shining star up front! In keeping with the title of the record, many of the tunes have themes of travel in the south – titles that include "Overhaul Your Machine", "45 Blues", "Arkansas Woman", "Four Corners Of The World", "Down In The Bottom", and "Blues Left Texas". 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! CD

Some of the most hard-edged, gritty material ever cut by the legendary Otis Rush – work done on the Chicago scene of the 50s for Cobra Records – a company who were even more low-fi than Chess Records at the time! Otis' vocals are as incredible as his guitar – and the groups here are often nicely full – not large ensembles, but well-crafted combos that feature plenty of work from key contemporaries on the scene – including Walter Horton on harmonica, Lafayette Leake and Little Brother Montgomery on piano, Harold Ashby and Red Holloway on tenors, and Willie Dixon on bass. All these cuts were originally only issued as rare singles back in the day – and the set features 16 tracks that include "Groaning The Blues", "Violent Love", "Sit Down Baby", "I Can't Quit You Baby", "Checking On My Baby", "She's A Good Un", "Three Times A Fool", and "Love That Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

A famous 70s session from the great Muddy Waters – one that has him heading over to London, and rubbing shoulders in the studio with some key musicians whose work he'd helped inspire! Chess Records first tried this mode out with Howlin Wolf in 1970 – but the Waters session is maybe even more cohesive and uplifting – thanks in part to Muddy's ability to really reach out and welcome in fans and supporters from the outside! There's still some Chicago help at the core, thanks to a young Carey Bell on harmonica – working here alongside UK rock superstars who include Rory Gallagher on guitar, Rick Grech on bass, and Steve Winwood on piano and organ – plus some work on organ from Georgie Fame (billed as Georgie Fortune), and guest vocals from the great Rosetta Hightower. Back in Chicago, Johnny Pate added a few touches with his arrangements – and titles include "Key To The Highway", "Walkin Blues", "I Don't Know Why", "Sad Sad Day", "Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man When I'm Gone", "Blind Man Blues", and "Young Fashioned Ways". LP, Vinyl record album

Piano blues from the legendary Curtis Jones – a Texas player who first rose to fame in the late 30s, and who here still has a way with the keys and a vocal style that nobody else can touch! It's a bit hard to put the distinctness of Jones in words, but it definitely comes through on the record – piano lines that often feel as if two different musicians are playing the instrument at the same time, mixed with these casual and confident vocals that almost feel like Curtis is also standing off to the side, making commentary on the proceedings! There's no other instrumentation on the record at all – none is needed, either – and titles include "Evil Curse Blues", "Highway 51", "Curtis Jones Boogie Woogie", "Tin Pan Alley", "Black Magic Blues", and "Lonesome Bedroom Blues". CD features two different alternate takes, too! CD

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

Lurrie Bell just seems to get better and better with age – taking on a depth of tone in his guitar work that definitely marks his long years on the Chicago scene! This set's got Lurrie in mostly a small combo mode – singing and playing guitar with just a bit of organ, bass, and drums – plus additional horns and harmonica on a few other cuts. Titles include "Blues In My Soul", "My Little Machine", "South Side To Riverside", "If It's Too Late", and "Blues Never Die". CD

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One of the funkiest records ever recorded for Impulse – and the debut set by guitarist Mel Brown! Mel has a really down-and-dirty style that's quite unusual for the label at the time – a rootsy approach to guitar that's steeped in equal parts jazz, soul, and R&B – and which comes across with a raw power and tasty feel that's perfectly summed up by titles like "Chicken Fat", "Greasy Spoon", "Home James", "Slalom", and "Shanty"! The album features some rare organ work by Gerald Wiggins, drums by Paul Humphrey, and outta-site soul arrangements by Oliver Nelson on a few tracks – but through the whole thing, Brown's the main focus – laying down some deeply funky work on guitar! (Jazz, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

Raw funky blues from the Cleveland scene – unreleased recordings from the obscure singer Fred Davis, who hardly ever set his music to wax back in the day! The album's got a gritty blend of blues inflections and soulful expressions – similar to some of the hippest west side work from Chicago around the same time, but maybe even grittier and more stripped down – as the whole thing wasn't done by a bigger, professional label! Titles include "Express Train", "Midnight Is Falling", "Euclid Avenue", "Five Long Years", "Piano Boogie", "Time When You Say You Love Me", "Express Train", and "Wine Hop". CD