Music from Jimmy Reed, Gene Chandler, the Spaniels, the Capiers, the Dells, Dee Clark, the Staple Singers, the Kool Gents, the Lyrics, Donnie Elbert, Jerry Butler and more. (Soul, Blues) CD

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 for Vee Jay in 1958 and 1957, with Jimmy on vocals, acoustic guitar, and harmonica. Benchmark late 50s Chicago blues! Titles include "Honest, I Do", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Can't Stand To See You Go", "Boogie In The Dark", "You Got Me Crying", "Little Rain", "Roll & Rhumba", his classic "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" and more – plus 4 bonus tracks! CD

Rollicking country-tinged blues from Jimmy Reed and an incredible group of backing musicians – actually not captured in the opulent grandeur of Carnegie Hall – and probably all the better for it! Prior to the original double LP release of Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall, Reed headlined a Blues At Carnegie Hall event, and though the performance was not recorded for a live album release he went on the cut a similar set list with varying players that included Lonnie Brooks, Phil Upchurch and Eddie Tayor on guitar, Willie Dixon on bass, Earl Phillips and Albert King on tracks. It's really wonderful stuff, obvious epiphany material for loads of rockers and young players on both the US and British blues scenes to come! 23 tracks in all: "Bright Lights Big City", "I'm Mr Luck", "Found Joy", "Kind Of Lonesome", "Tell Me You Love Me", "Hold Me Close", "Baby What You Want Me To Do", "Blue Blue Water", "Hush Hush", "Found Love", "Honest I Do", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Boogie In The Dark", "Take Out Some Insurance", "The Sun Is Shining" and lots more! CD

A great live session from the glory days of the Chicago electric blues scene, originally released on Vee Jay, and lovingly repackaged here by Charly. Tracks include "Wish Me Well", "Messin Around", "Slim's Blues", "Steppin' Out", "Rockin The House", and "The Come Back". Plus, the CD's got 4 non-LP bonus cuts: "Guitar Cha Cha", "Stroll On Little Girl", "What's The Matter", and "This Time I'm Through". CD

Rollicking country-tinged blues from Jimmy Reed and an incredible group of backing musicians – actually not captured in the opulent grandeur of Carnegie Hall – and probably all the better for it! Prior to the original double LP release of Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall, Reed headlined a Blues At Carnegie Hall event, and though the performance was not recorded for a live album release he went on the cut a similar set list with varying players that included Lonnie Brooks, Phil Upchurch and Eddie Tayor on guitar, Willie Dixon on bass, Earl Phillips and Albert King on tracks. It's really wonderful stuff, obvious epiphany material for loads of rockers and young players on both the US and British blues scenes to come! 23 tracks in all: "Bright Lights Big City", "I'm Mr Luck", "Found Joy", "Kind Of Lonesome", "Tell Me You Love Me", "Hold Me Close", "Baby What You Want Me To Do", "Blue Blue Water", "Hush Hush", "Found Love", "Honest I Do", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Boogie In The Dark", "Take Out Some Insurance", "The Sun Is Shining" and lots more! CD

A set that's maybe not the first record from the great John Lee Hooker – but one that definitely helped push him over the top, and forever cement his place in the legend of 20th Century blues! The vibe here is a bit different than some of Hooker's earlier, rawer material – as he gets some soulful backing from members of The Funk Brothers – an early current of Detroit punch, yet still delivered with a sound that's nice and lean – so that Hooker's vocals and raw guitar completely dominate the set! The mix of sharp rhythms and Hooker's lead is heard to great effect on the classic cut "Boom Boom" – a number that may well have set fire to a whole generation of British and American rockers – and other tracks are equally great, and every bit as gritty – with titles that include "Process", "Blues Before Sunrise", "I Got A Letter", and "What Do You Say". CD features an alternate take of "Thelma" – plus the whole album in mono and stereo! CD

Classic Chicago blues issued on Vee Jay – recorded by John Lee Hooker in a handful of sessions over the second half of the 50s – an incredible document of Hooker's lonely roots as well as a benchmark for the band based live blues scenes in the years to come! I'm John Lee Hooker was released at the end of the 50s by Vee-Jay – and in features some tunes with Hooker stamping it out solo, and others with rollicking group setting. Wonderful, legendary work! All the songs are Hooker originals and they include his classic crossover track "Boogie Chillun", plus "Dimples", "Baby Lee", "Crawlin King Snake", "I'm So Excited", "Everynight", "Time Is Marching", "I Love You Honey" and more! CD

The legendary John Lee Hooker, heard here in one of his more obscure recordings from the late 50s – at least in contrast to his famous sides for Vee Jay Records! This set's an unusual date – recorded in Detroit, despite the claim of the title – and featuring Hooker on acoustic guitar and vocals, without any other instrumentation at all – pitched much more towards the growing folk blues scene than some of his more familiar Chicago recordings. Tracks are short, but pack plenty of punch – and titles include "Black Snake", "I Rowed A Little Boat", "Bundle Up & Go", "Behind The Plow", "Water Boy", "Tupelo Blues", and "Pea Vine Special". CD

A mighty tribute to the music of John Lee Hooker – a set that's got a nice batch of work from his important early years, and is especially heavy on Vee Jay Records material – and one that also includes tracks from his later recordings too! The first three CDs here are the meat of the package – as they feature studio work from the early Detroit years onwards, including some tracks recorded with Texas Slim and Delta John, and many more under Hooker's own name too. CD 4 is all live material, and includes a number of unissued tracks – and the final CD features collaborations with The Groundhogs, Canned Heat, Eddie Kirkland, BB King, and others. The whole thing's packaged in a beautiful book-style design – with 54 pages of rare photos and new liner notes – and even if you've got other John Lee Hooker material in your collection, there's still plenty here to love! 100 tracks in all – 8 previously unissued. CD