Blues — Recently Added

One of the rootsiest albums ever recorded by Taj Mahal – a set that begins with a song by Lightnin Hopkins, then seems to have Taj echoing a lot of the spareness of that work! The film's set in the 30s, and the music is very rootsy rural blues – with just Taj Mahal on vocals, steel-bodi ... CD

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

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

We love our Buddy Guy here in Chicago – and this set cut for Vanguard, one of his first full solo albums with his own band will always be a favorite! Buddy's late 60s sound was as charismatic as he'd always be, but there's an understated approach to his lead that's really wonderful, and hits ... LP, Vinyl record album

The title definitely gets it right – as this 70s collection brings together most of the best Chess Records material by Howlin Wolf from the late 50s and early 60s – almost all of them small combo sides that present the man in all of his raspy, growling glory! The tracks span a space ... 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 ... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most legendary bluesmen of the early 78rpm generation – heard here in a wonderfully-recorded set from 1964! The session came at a time when Skip James was hardly getting any mainstream attention, but had been rediscovered by a younger generation – which led to the fledgling ... LP, Vinyl record album

A fitting title to this one – as it virtually describes the standard that the blues business was operating on during the early 70s – as artists came out of the shadows and found big audiences on college campuses, rock clubs, and other crossover scenes! The concept is carried to the Nth ... CD

A mid-60s smoker from the great Bo Diddley – a set that's maybe more obscure than some of his initial classics, but equally great! Bo's completely on fire right from the start – fast-riffing his guitar with that rhythm he invented, and which bore his name for decades to come – ... CD

About as pure as you can get for John Lee Hooker – a classic set of cuts for Chess, recorded with a feel that's almost folksy at times! The guitar has a raw edge that goes way back to the delta – and the overall approach is much more gritty than even some of Hooker's labelmates at the ... LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from the legendary Jimmy Reed – spare and bluesy numbers that were some of the best work coming out of Chicago at the time! There's a snapping quality to the rhythms here that was a keen inspiration to generations of better-known artists – and in a way, it's amazing to go ... LP, Vinyl record album

Rough-edged blues from the west side of Chicago – a stone classic from the mighty Magic Sam – a player who was taken from us all too soon! On the west side, they mix plenty of soul in with their blues – and you can definitely hear that on this stone smoker – a record that ... LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic little package – one that presents a key look at the farther reaches of Mississippi in the 60s, 70s, and 80s – served up in rare photographs, essays, readings, films, and a great batch of music all collected by William Ferris! Starting in the mid 60s, Ferris sought ... CD

One of the most expensive box sets you'll ever hope to own – but a package that's totally worth it, too – as a huge document of the sublime early years of the great BB King! King hit the mainstream big in the late 60s with his classic recordings for ABC, and a lot more in the 70s for ... CD

Muddy's grooving hard and funky – with help from Cadet studio funksters like Charles Stepney, Phil Upchurch, Louis Satterfield, and Morris Jennings – one of the best ever of the once oft-maligned, now oft-beloved funk era Chess/Cadet albums! After The Rain has more of Muddy's classic ... LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic little package – one that presents a key look at the farther reaches of Mississippi in the 60s, 70s, and 80s – served up in a great batch of music all collected by William Ferris! Starting in the mid 60s, Ferris sought to document the disappearing scene around him ... LP, Vinyl record album

Raw, intimate Junior Kimbrough recordings, mostly from the early 90s, a number of which were recorded at home – and for the all hiss and murk of the recording quality, the intimacy and realness of the voice, guitar and the man's presence alone make up for it! Spare, lonely blues from Junior ... LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from Jesse Mae Hemphill – a female blues talent who lay undiscovered for many years in Mississippi, then burst forth late in her life with a fantastic run of sounds like this! Most of the tunes are relatively spare – with Jessie Mae playing electric guitar in these ... LP, Vinyl record album

They're not lying with the title of this one – as the set's a killer collection of rural blues, with a legacy that goes way beyond the glory days of the genre in the 20s and 30s! The collection's a great one from Mississippi – exactly the kind of pre-LP material that the label's been ... LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing blues from the Georgia scene of the 70s – music that hardly feels like other versions of the genre coming out at the time – partly thanks to the raw recording quality of these tracks! Most of the music features just a singer and guitar – sometimes just one or the other ... LP, Vinyl record album