One of the funkiest albums ever cut by Little Milton – done at the end of the 60s with some hard Chicago soul arrangements from Gene Barge, and an overall style that mixes electric blues with some of the hard soul coming from the city's west side scene at the time! The album's much more of a soul album than a blues one – especially in comparison to some of Milton's other work – and titles include "Twenty Three Hours", "Just A Little Bit", "I Can't Quit You Baby", "I'll Always Love You", "Did You Ever Love A Woman", "Spring", "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "You're The One". LP, Vinyl record album

Have guitar, will travel – and back in the day, Bo Diddley was going pretty darn far with great material like this! The album's a real standout, even in the classic Chess catalog of the early years –no filler, no covers, just all original material by Bo Diddley – done in that unique Diddley blend of fast riffing guitar, playful vocals, and odd rhythms that often chug along at a really frenetic pace, especially in these pre-funk years! A key influence on funky music for many years to come, and a record that explodes from the very first note – on a set of original tracks that include "Run Diddley Diddley", "Mumblin Guitar", "Say Man, Back Again", "Come On Baby", "Dancing Girl", "She's Alright", and "Cops & Robbers". LP, Vinyl record album

(Funky 45's, Blues) 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great example of why Little Milton was always one of the few Chicago blues artists who could also break strongly in the soul camp at the time – and a beautifully balanced set that perfectly shows both sides of the Chicago scene of the time! Production is by old Vee Jay maestro Calvin Carter, and arrangements by Gene Barge, who manages to slide effortlessly between blues and soul on the set – almost pushing Milton into Tyrone Davis territory, but keeping things a bit more rougher and down home on some of the other numbers. The sound is wonderful – very deep and rich, and with a sound that's head and shoulders above most other albums of this type in the late 60s. Titles include "Baby I Love You", "If Walls Could Talk", "Things That I Used to Do", "Let's Get Together", "I Play Dirty", "Blues Get Off My Shoulder", "I Don't Know", and "Poor Man". LP, Vinyl record album

(Funky 45's, Blues) 7-inch, Vinyl record

A wicked reinvention of the sound of Bo Diddley – a set that electrifies his groove even more than before – and takes him into the same mix of funk and blues that Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf were exploring at the time! This album's right up there with the two Cadet/Chess classics by both of those artists – and is possibly even more messed-up too – with lots of jagged edges that push past the usual Bo Diddley groove – even though that classic sense of rhythm is still at the core to drive things along! We don't know who's playing drums, but they've got a nice heavy handed approach that makes these tracks really boom – and the set's in a massively funky style that's taken far too many years to be acknowledged for in the mainstream! Lots of nice ones, including "Shut Up Woman", "Funky Fly", "Power House", "Black Soul", "Elephant Man", and "I've Got A Feeling". CD

Man, with a square guitar and a badass style of presentation, it's hard to imagine how Bo could manage to NOT be in the spotlight! The album, like all his early Chess sides, is a real cut above the usual R&B set – with all original tracks, a really self-contained approach, and a no-nonsense approach to the groove that makes for no-filler, all unique Bo Diddley all the way through! Titles include "Craw Dad", "Love Me", "Limber", "Scuttle Bug", "Road Runner", "Story Of Bo Diddley", and "Live My Life". CD

Big blues from Little Milton, recorded with a mighty big sound as well – thanks to the cool criss-crossing of soul and blues that was going down at Chess Records in the 60s! Milton's got this raw, raspy style in his voice – a nasty edge that mixes perfectly with his own sharp guitar lines – and which gets an extra kick from the production and arrangements of Gene Barge, who still knows how to keep the core combo sound that makes the album cook! Sonny Thompson plays piano on most tracks, and Phil Upchurch adds in a second guitar at times – but the real star of the show is always Milton – shining more brightly here than on most of his later records! The album includes versions of "Please Please Please", "Have Mercy Baby", "Fever", "Sneakin Around", and "Reconsider Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

(Funky 45's, Blues) 7-inch, Vinyl record

(Funky 45's, Blues) 7-inch, Vinyl record

(78 RPM, Blues) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A group that definitely lives up to its name – given that the lineup features the Chess Records stalwarts Bo Diddley, Howlin Wolf, and Muddy Waters! The set's maybe a bit more in the mode of Wolf or Waters than some of Bo's own records – although there's a bit of that riffing spark of his at times – and the tracks are often nice and long, with more than enough room to make you feel like Phil Chess gave these guys plenty of space in the studio to hang out, and find the right way to interact. As much as we love Chess albums with short songs and a soulful punch, we really appreciate it when they can break format and open up on a session like this – which really helps create a unique moment on record! Titles include "Goin Down Slow", "Long Distance Call", "Sweet Little Angel", "Ooh Baby & Wrecking My Love Life", and "Spoonful". LP, Vinyl record album

A group that definitely lives up to its name – given that the lineup features the Chess Records stalwarts Bo Diddley, Howlin Wolf, and Muddy Waters! The set's maybe a bit more in the mode of Wolf or Waters than some of Bo's own records – although there's a bit of that riffing spark of his at times – and the tracks are often nice and long, with more than enough room to make you feel like Phil Chess gave these guys plenty of space in the studio to hang out, and find the right way to interact. As much as we love Chess albums with short songs and a soulful punch, we really appreciate it when they can break format and open up on a session like this – which really helps create a unique moment on record! Titles include "Goin Down Slow", "Long Distance Call", "Sweet Little Angel", "Ooh Baby & Wrecking My Love Life", and "Spoonful". LP, Vinyl record album

(78 RPM, Blues) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A wicked reinvention of the sound of Bo Diddley – a set that electrifies his groove even more than before – and takes him into the same mix of funk and blues that Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf were exploring at the time! This album's right up there with the two Cadet/Chess classics by both of those artists – and is possibly even more messed-up too – with lots of jagged edges that push past the usual Bo Diddley groove – even though that classic sense of rhythm is still at the core to drive things along! We don't know who's playing drums, but they've got a nice heavy handed approach that makes these tracks really boom – and the set's in a massively funky style that's taken far too many years to be acknowledged for in the mainstream! Lots of nice ones, including "Shut Up Woman", "Funky Fly", "Power House", "Black Soul", "Elephant Man", and "I've Got A Feeling". CD

A wicked reinvention of the sound of Bo Diddley – a set that electrifies his groove even more than before – and takes him into the same mix of funk and blues that Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf were exploring at the time! This album's right up there with the two Cadet/Chess classics by both of those artists – and is possibly even more messed-up too – with lots of jagged edges that push past the usual Bo Diddley groove – even though that classic sense of rhythm is still at the core to drive things along! We don't know who's playing drums, but they've got a nice heavy handed approach that makes these tracks really boom – and the set's in a massively funky style that's taken far too many years to be acknowledged for in the mainstream! Lots of nice ones, including "Shut Up Woman", "Funky Fly", "Power House", "Black Soul", "Elephant Man", and "I've Got A Feeling". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the silly cowboy costume on the front cover – because this is a heck of a great album! Bo might have gotten saddled (no pun intended!) with a silly gimmick for the title and image of the set – but the album's one of his best from the early Chess years, and features a rip-roaring batch of tracks that really cut it up in his classic scratchy guitar mode of the time! Lyrics are great – nearly all originals by Bo himself, with that hip swinging, and hard-wailing approach that was always a lot of fun – and cuts include "Gunslinger", "Diddling", "Cheyenne", "Cadillac", and "Doing The Craw-Daddy". LP, Vinyl record album

A second pressing of the first Bo Diddley album – and a set that's fantastically twangy! We never tire of Bo Diddley's incredible guitar work – and you'll get plenty of it in this early album he cut for Chess, a tasty batch of 12 tracks, all original tunes with a stripped-down gutbuckety sound – rough, raw rhythms that feature plenty of Bo's gritty guitar over the top! The cover's got a picture of Bo holding a conventional hollow-body – nice and echoey, and a bit different than his later trademark square guitar – but the sound is still loud and proud throughout. Titles include "Bo Diddley", "I'm A Man", "Hey Bo Diddley", "Bring It To Jerome", "Say Bossman", "Diddley Daddy", "Hush Your Mouth", and "Who Do You Love". LP, Vinyl record album

(78 RPM, Blues) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A legendary night at Chicago's Checkerboard Lounge – a set recorded at a time when the Rolling Stones were in town, and decided to pop down to the south side, and visit the home turf of their blues hero, Muddy Waters! You'll notice that the record bills the performance as Muddy Waters & The Rolling stones – and that's definitely the case here, as the Stones step in almost as Muddy's backing band – allowing Waters to really step out in the lead, while the group remind us that way back in the day, they got their start as a blues-based group first, before finding a style of their own! The set's also filled with guest appearances – including work from Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Lefty Dizz – and titles include "Mannish Boy", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Long Distance Call", "Next Time You See Me", "Champagne & Reefer", "Clouds In My Heart", "One Eyed Woman", and "You Don't Have To Go". LP, Vinyl record album

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