Great work from this Chicago group – material recorded in France, but which wails with the best sound of the small blues clubs on the south side at the time! The core group features Louis Myers on guitar and harmonica, Dave Myers on bass, and Fred Below on drums – joined by Eddie ... read moreCD
(Part of the "True Blue Masters – Black & Blue" series!)
Titles include "Love Is A Gamble", "You Are My Trophy", "That's The Way It Is", "Somebody Messed Up (parts 1 & 2)", and "Drifting Apart". LP, Vinyl record album
Two decades' of work by Elder Charles Beck – a really important force in the early years of gospel music, and an artist who really helped link the music to more secular styles too! Beck plays both piano and trumpet – the latter quite a surprise, and is used here on early cuts to ... (Gospel, Blues)read moreCD
A bit blues, a bit jazz – and a singer with a style unto her own – the amazing Big Maybelle, one of the greatest artists to record for Okeh Records in the 50s! This well-done collection pulls together every single Maybelle recorded for the R&B powerhouse back in the day – a ... (Soul, Blues)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A well-titled album from the great Big Maybelle – as the set evolves her past the bluesy jazz currents of her earlier work on the Savoy label – and finds a wonderful new setting for her mighty voice in uptown soul! The backings are a mix of strings and tight New York charts – ... (Soul, Blues)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Original stereo pressing, SRM-522. Cover has a cutout hole, some peeled spots in front, and some edge wear.)
A great set of funky blues – put together by the enigmatic Buck DD Black, an artist who we kind of have a feeling is someone else more famous – given the way that the cover and notes seem to set him up! The set's got a nice funky soul feel – lots of earthy arrangements that kind ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Vinyl has a short click in one spot, and corner has one slightly bumped corner – but this is a nice copy overall!)
One of the earliest albums on Arhoolie Records – an amazing document of steel guitar bluesman Black Ace! Ace plays just like he sits on the cover – really leaning into the instrument in ways that bring out all these cool, deep inflections – completely hypnotizing on their own, ... read moreCD
A nice little record from Bobby Blue Bland – quite different from his 60s sides for Duke/Peacock, and recorded in California (as you might guess from the title!) with a smoother more soulful approach that comes off surprisingly well! The style works well for Bobby – and kind of gave ... read moreCD
Wonderful live work from RL Burnside – done in that instantly-timeless style that he brought to recordings right from the start – maybe even more so here, as the acoustics are fantastic, and really capture the spirit of the man and his guitar! As most folks know, Burnside was a bit ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Smoke colored vinyl pressing. Includes download!)
An album recorded in the Netherlands, but a set that hits right to the heart of RL Burnside's Mississippi roots – thanks to a beautifully spare, careful presentation of the music! Most numbers feature just Burnside on vocals and guitar – with a vibe that's similar to the field ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(First time on vinyl – includes download! Limited edition Fat Possum Records 25th Anniversary pressing!)
An archetypal album from the legendary Paul Butterfield – and a set that would shape the sound of countless blues rock records to come! Despite what you might think of the genre or its many later incarnations, there's a raw power here that's really amazing – the young Butterfield and ... (Rock, Blues)read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Butterfield Blues Band —
East West ... CD Elektra, 1966. Used ...
$3.99
Titles include "Walkin Blues", "Get Out Of My Life Woman", "Mary Mary", "East West", "Two Trains Running", and "Work Song". (Rock, Blues)CD
Massive lost work from the Butterfield Blues Band – recorded in 1964, quite early in the group's career – but a set that already has them hitting hard with a really powerful sound! The recording quality and overall sound is nice and rough – a gritty groove that's more closely ... (Rock, Blues)read moreCD
Carolina Chocolate Drops —
Leaving Eden ... CD Nonesuch, 2012. Used Gatefold ...
Just Sold Out!
Possibly the best yet from the Carolina Chocolate Drops! The Chocolate Drops are a group that can (and do) make a banjo and beatbox go together like pork and beans – they're that damn good. On this set, they're working with producer Buddy Miller, who seems a perfect choice. On his own ... (Folk/Country, Blues)read moreCD
An Arhoolie set, but on Blue Thumb records – with titles that include "Black Gal", "Frog Legs", "Jole Blonde", "Wrap It Up", "Long Toes", and "Keep On Scratching". LP, Vinyl record album
Great early work from Albert Collins – the kind of mean, lean music that Collins specialized in before his later years of cliche – served up here in a style that's almost more funk than blues overall! The tracks are all instrumentals, with lots of raw guitar and soulful saxophone ... read moreCD
Maybe one of the most unique artists to be recorded in George Mitchell's field sessions of southern blues – as Dewey Corley plays a one-string bass, sings, and sometimes throws in a kazoo solo too! Here, he's accompanied by Walter Miller on guitar – whose work helps ground Dewey's ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Titles include "River's Invitation","Honest I Do", "Cut You Loose", "Slippin & Slidin", "Set A Date", and "Coast Blues". Wayne Talbert plays piano and organ, and did the arrangements. CD
A cool little record with vintage sounds to match its cover image from Robert Crumb – performed here by a combo with Crumb on banjo and vocals, in kind of an offbeat take on early styles from jazz and string band music! The rest of the group plays a number of different instruments – ... (Jazz, Blues)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has lightly bent corners and some aging.)
Rev Gary Davis —
At Newport ... LP Vanguard, Mid 60s. Sealed ...
$29.99
Titles include "M&O Blues", "That You Sell Ain't No Good", "Howling Wind Blues", "Travellin' This Lonesome Road", "Sweet Sixteen", "Root Man Blues", "Ashes In My Whiskey", and more. LP, Vinyl record album
Features Jimmy Dawkins on guitar and vocals – with Jimmy Johnson on guitar, Sylvester Boines on bass, and Tyrone Centuray on drums! Sonny Thompson plays a bit of guest piano too. CD
(Punch through barcode.)
Jimmy Dawkins —
Fast Fingers ... CD Delmark, Late 60s. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
Guitarist Jimmy Dawkins definitely lives up to his "fast fingers" name, and also sings as well – in a combo that also has guitar from Mighty Joe Young, plus tenor from Eddie Shaw and piano from Lafayette Leake! CD
A killer set – one that not only features vocals from Jimmy Dawkins on one half, and vocals from Big Voice Odom on the other – but which also includes some great guitar from the mighty Otis Rush! Rush is fantastic, twisting around Jimmy's own guitar, which is pretty darn great too ... read moreCD
(Part of the "True Blue Masters – Black & Blue" series!)
Bo Diddley —
Big Bad Bo ... CD Chess/Get On Down, 1974. New Copy ...
$6.9914.99
Heavy funk from the legendary Bo Diddley – one of his amazing comeback albums from the early 70s for Chess, all of which are plenty darn great! For this set, Bo's traded in the scratchy guitar mode of his classic work for a sweeter, tighter funk-based sound – a groove that's supported ... read moreCD
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 ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(80s Original Chess Masters pressing. Cover has a promo stamp.)
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 ... read moreCD
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 ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A pair of amazing all-star albums from Chess Records – back to back on a single CD! First up is Two Great Guitars – in which Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry come together in a really unique album for Chess Records in the 60s – and that's saying a lot, given all the groundbreaking ... read moreCD
Dirty Blues Band —
Stone Dirt ... LP Bluesway, 1968. Near Mint- ...
$29.99
A pretty sweet blues rock combo from the glory days of the Bluesway label – featuring Rod Gingerman Piazza on vocal and harmonica – with Pat Maloney on organ and piano, Jimmy Forrest on tenor, Rick Lunetta on guitar, Freddie Hill on trumpet, and Willie Green on baritone! (Rock, Blues)LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has marker on the front, light wear, and a small cutout hole.)
A long-overdue recognition of the blues contributions of Willie Dixon – a set that pulls him out of the indie ghetto and pushes him firmly into the mainstream with this key release on Columbia Records! Yet despite that placement, the style is nicely down home – a strong recreation of ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
36 tracks on 2CDs – a rich collection of work from this legendary Chicago bluesman! CD
(Includes book & box!)
Downchild Blues Band —
We Deliver ... LP Attic (Canada), 1980. Sealed Gatefold ...
$8.99
Features Tony Flaim on vocals and Don Walsh on guitar and harmonica – on titles that include "Oh Oh", "Kissy Face", "I'm Alone", "A Woman's Ways", "I've Been A Fool", and "It's A Matter Of Time". (Rock, Blues)LP, Vinyl record album
Champion Jack Dupree —
Sings The Blues ... CD King/Gusto, Early 50s. New Copy ...
$3.999.99
Early King Records material by Champion Jack Dupree – a hell of a pianist, and a heck of a great singer too – working almost as a raconteur on some of the best songs on this collection! The music has deep roots in New Orleans, where Jack must have really honed his piano skills – ... read moreCD
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 ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Not the kind of calypso that was issued by the big American labels in the 50s – and instead, sounds that have a sound, style, and overall approach that's maybe a lot more similar to American blues from the rural scene! The tracks here are all pulled from the personal archive of Walter Gavitt ... (Global Grooves, Blues)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Very nice work from Lowell Fulsom – strongly in the mode of his Tramp album for Kent, with a mix of blues and 60s soul, coming together in a sock-hard style that's much better than a lot of Fulsom's other work for other labels! Arrangements are by Rene Hall and Maxwell Davis – the ... read moreCD
The title gets it right here – as the album's as much a soul effort as a blues one – and is a nice change from the sound of Lowell's earlier years! There's still plenty of grit in the grooves here – and even with the front cover proclamation, the album's still one that's best ... read moreCD
One of THE all time classics of funky blues – a record built around Lowell's huge single "Tramp" – a massive tune that spawned a whole generation of answer tunes! "Tramp" kicks off the set with a stone break that's worth the price of the album – then Lowell ... read moreCD
Lowell Fulson —
Back Home Blues ... CD Night Train International, Late 40s/Early 50s. Used ...
$1.99
Includes the previously unissued track "Day Is Passing On (Instrumental)" and two alternate takes. CD
(Out of print, booklet has some small light stains.)
Features Taft Jordan on tracks including "You're An Angel", "High Society", "Who Broke The Lock Of The Hen House Door", "Limehouse Blues", and "Chinatown, My Chinatown". (Jazz, Blues)CD
A great UK collection – featuring rare and unissued tracks recorded for Sun Records – by Rosco Gordon, Guitar Red, Junior Parker, and the duo of Eddie Snow and Elven Parr. The set features a few tracks by each artist! (Soul, Blues)LP, Vinyl record album
Beautiful blues from Guitar Slim – west coast material from the mid-50s, recorded with some very hip backings! Slim's got a lean, mean edge – a style that's a bit similar to Johnny Watson in his early years, touched with some of the class of the R&B scene that was bubbling up in ... read moreCD
Guitar Slim & Jelly Belly Hayes —
Back Porch Boys ... CD Delmark, Late 50s. Used ...
$7.99
Plus tracks with Blind Willie McTell, Champion Jack Dupree and Dennis McMillon. CD
An overlooked gem from the equally-overlooked Clay Hammond – a sweet 70s groover that offers up a great mix of modern and deep soul modes! Clay's vocals are still every bit as great as on some of his earlier soul singles, but the arrangements push things into tighter territory that's mighty ... (Soul, Blues)read moreCD
Jessie Mae Hemphill —
Run Get My Shotgun ... LP Fat Possum/Big Legal Mess, 1989. New Copy ...
$11.9915.99
Jessie Mae Hemphill might look like an 80s blues artist on the cover, but the record's got a much more vintage vibe – as the set features field recordings done on New Years Eve in 1989, with Jessie Mae singing in a style that seems geared to ring in the year with the ghosts of the past! The ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A brilliant British set from Ram John Holder – not really blues at all, but a cool kind of crossbreeding of styles in the 60s London scene – almost the same mad mix of modes you might hear in The Equals! There's plenty of funk on the record – some great drums, bouncing basslines, ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album