Blues — Recently Added

A killer collection of rare blues material – and one that's pretty darn funky at times too! The set dives deep into the very underground world of the blues 45 – not the previous scene of rare 78rpm recordings that have been documented heavily for decades – but the later ... CD

A great mix of vintage and later work from Abner Jay – a unique one man band in the best rural blues tradition of the south – and who, like some of the best, doesn't ever use his multi-instrument talent as a gimmick! Instead, Jay works here in a mode that's like a stripped-down combo, ... LP, Vinyl record album

Well-recorded material from Louisiana Red – a blues musician who really hit his stride in the 70s, but with a style that feels a lot more vintage overall! Red works here with just vocals and guitar – and a bit of harmonica – in a mode that's like the 60s albums on Arhoolie, but ... CD

A pair of ABC Records classics from Bobby Blue Bland – back to back on a single CD! First up is Get On Down – brilliant later work by Bobby Blue Bland – done with backings that are much fuller than on his earlier albums – a mixture of strings and horns that really expand ... CD

One of the funkiest albums ever from Junior Parker – a great little set that shows he had a lot more to offer than just the average bluesman! The album's got a nice little soul sound in the backings – tight rhythms from Horace Ott, who nicely avoids a lot of the cliches that the blues ... CD

A late 50s collection of earlier 78rpm singles issued by Aladdin Records – material that's far rawer than the "strums" in the title might imply! At a time when other blues musicians were fleshing things out a bit – sometimes adding in larger backings, horns, and a bit of ... LP, Vinyl record album

Great gritty sides from the mighty John Lee Hooker – material with a slightly obscure origin, but recorded in the late 50s, right in a stretch when he was cutting some of his classics! Hooker's guitar and vocals are center stage – both growling with a hell of a lot of soulful power ... LP, Vinyl record album

Otis Spann made some great records over the years, but he sounds especially nice on the handful of sessions he did for the Bluesway label – which seem to take a Chess Records approach, then give the whole thing an extra-added punch! Otis is in the lead on piano and vocals, but the group's ... CD

A raw soul classic from Otis Spann – one of those great late 60s dates from the time when Bob Thiele was producing the Bluesway label for ABC, and really found a way to bring out the best in artists like Otis! Spann had always been great, but there's a bolder, edgier quality here – ... CD

A massive collection of late work from Elmore James – a 3CD set that brings together all of his famous material for Bobby Robinson's Fire Records, plus rare alternate takes, and some unusual bonus material as well! James passed away right after this work was recorded, but he's really on fire ... CD

The legendary Jimmy Rogers works here with a whole host of famous guest stars – or "all-stars", as they're listed on the label – a lineup that includes Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Taj Mahal, Stephen Stills, Jeff Healey, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and Lowell ... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more obscure Lightning Hopkins albums of the 60s – a very spare session recorded in Los Angeles for the Vault label – but done with a vibe that's like some of Hopkin's earliest material from the 78rpm generation! The only difference is that the recording quality is superb ... LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic document of the first-ever Ann Arbor Blues Festival – the start of a great event that would blossom into other styles of music in the 70s, but which stood as a strong blues-based event in its initial year of 1969! In some ways, the three day series of concerts is a roots answer ... LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic document of the first-ever Ann Arbor Blues Festival – the start of a great event that would blossom into other styles of music in the 70s, but which stood as a strong blues-based event in its initial year of 1969! In some ways, the three day series of concerts is a roots answer ... LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic document of the first-ever Ann Arbor Blues Festival – the start of a great event that would blossom into other styles of music in the 70s, but which stood as a strong blues-based event in its initial year of 1969! In some ways, the three day series of concerts is a roots answer ... 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 ... LP, Vinyl record album

Vintage work from Mississippi John Hurt, but somehow amazingly clear and crisp in this classic LP presentation! The tunes are wonderfully earthy – just vocals and guitar from Hurt, in a style that's definitely blues, but which has some surprisingly jazzy inflections at times – at least ... LP, Vinyl record album

Really raw work by Reverend Charlie Jackson – gospel in subject, but delivered in a style that's much more blues overall – thanks to a stripped-down presentation, and lots of electric guitar from the man himself! The Rev comes across here like some cat recorded out at a juke joint in ... 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 ... LP, Vinyl record album

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 ... LP, Vinyl record album