Blues — Recently Added

Gritty revival blues from RL Burnside – and a record that really broke his music into a wider audience! Of course, it helps that the set features guest appearances from Kid Rock and Lyrics Born – the latter we enjoy more than the former – but the overall vibe is still very much ... 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

The title gets it right – and the grooves do too – nothing but funky blues from the 60s and 70s, the kind of gritty, hard-edged tunes that are way better than the sort of blues you might be used to hearing at frat boy bars! All of the work here was originally issued on west coast indie ... CD

A rare one from TX blues great Melvin "Lil Son" Jackson – massively influential, though! Lil Son has a kind of relaxed vocal style, not as gritty as some of the other southern acoustic blues figures of the period, be they fellow Texans or from elsewhere – but that voice ... LP, Vinyl record album

Jimmy Reed rocks, there's no doubt about that – and classic work like the cuts in this set had a key impact on all the new styles brewing up at the end of the 50s – in a moment that made Jimmy Reed way more than just another urban blues singer at the time! The key to Reed's groove is ... CD

Tremendous work from Clarence Gatemouth Brown – a postwar guitarist who was big on the Texas scene, but who had the modern flair and jazzy swinging groove of some of his contemporaries who'd left for the west coast! All the work here is from the early years of the Peacock Records label, and ... CD

A great overview of the work of Abner Jay – as much of a blues singer as the folk artist promised on the cover – working here in a stunning array of styles, pulled from a variety of recordings he made in the late 60s and early 70s! It's clear that Jay is one of those talents who was ... LP, Vinyl record album

A great split set of recordings – one that brings together a good deal of rare material from both the artists on the cover! The set begins with important Chicago recordings from Homesick James – great electrified work, but often with a quality that still echoes some of the rural roots ... CD

A pair of albums from the legendary Shakey Jake – with bonus tracks too! First up is Good Times – a stunner from Shakey Jake – and a set that's got a surprising jazz element as well – given that the singer/harmonicist works here with Jack McDuff on Hammond and Bill Jennings ... CD

A really well-done dip into the New York City blues scene of the 50s – one that presents a wealth of work we might not have heard otherwise, pulled from labels that include Old Town, Harlem, Jax, Wing, Dog, and Groove! There's a nice mix of material here that really shows the way the city ... CD

Not really famous, but gritty & grooving bluesy gospel soul from Famous L Renfroe – and artist who might even be more mysterious to us after hearing the record! The Flying Sweet Angel Of Joy is kind of a dreamlike mix of impassioned vocals, electric guitar and bass, with some drums. ... CD

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 ... CD

Very rare, indeed – a late set from the legendary T Bone Walker, and one that brings in some great currents of soul, jazz, and funk that really help push his music forward! The album's maybe a bit like some of the funkier albums on Chess/Cadet at the same time – in that an older talent ... CD

One of the grooviest records ever cut by the legendary Joe Turner – a set that takes him far from his Kansas City roots, and his 50s R&B for Atlantic Records – into a mode that's maybe even more soul-based overall! The great Gene Page handles the backings here – with a ... CD

A late 60s album on Chess Records – but one that serves to bring together all the best early work that Muddy Waters did for the label – including lots of original 45s and 78s! The range of music is really wonderful – the kind of tracks that first got Waters noticed in the first ... CD

Muddy Waters can't get no grinding – but that's hardly a problem, given the strength of this sweet early 70s set! The album marks Muddy's return to more basic Chicago blues after his funky electric period on Chess – but the set's still got some of the trippier touches of a few years ... CD

A deep look at a blues scene that doesn't always get its due – music not from Chicago, Memphis, or various points south – but some nicely gritty tracks that were cut in New York during the postwar years! Despite New York's fame as a hub of jazz, soul, and other styles – the city ... CD

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Slim may have "Memphis" in his name, but the set's a reunion with southside Chicago players Buddy Guy & Junior Wells – recorded in France in 1970, when the players were backing up the Rolling Stones on tour! The album also features AC Reed and Jimmy Conley on saxes – and ... LP, Vinyl record album

Not the Candid album with a similar title, but a great set of 50s material that Memphis Slim cut for the United Records label in Chicago – many previously unissued – in a small group with Matt Murphy on guitar! Titles include "Slim Was Just Kiddin", "She's Allright" ... LP, Vinyl record album

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A nice collection of Percy's classic work for Specialty Records from the 50s – issued here in a full LP package from 1970, when Percy was enjoying a bit of a revival. The work's a strong batch of tunes with a sophisticated smooth and bluesy feel – clearly a strong percursor to soul ... LP, Vinyl record album

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Sure it's not his Duke recordings, and sure, the sound's a bit 70s-ish – but Bobby's voice is always fantastic, and he still sounds great in this smooth batch of tracks recorded in LA. Backings were arranged and conducted by Michael Omartian – but it's Bobby's vocals that really make ... LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set by BB King – one of his best from the 60s, and a smoking live set recorded at Chicago's legendary Regal Theatre! The enthusiasm at the venue shows that BB's Memphis-honed style is a perfect fit for the electrified Chicago sound of the 60s – and the recording really ... LP, Vinyl record album

Includes work by Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Lowell Fulsom, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Elmore James, and Memphis Slim. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of early work from Buster Brown – with titles that "Madison Shuffle", "John Henry", "Sincerely", "Going On A Picnic", "Corena", "Don't Dog Your Woman", and "I'm Going But I'll Be Back". LP, Vinyl record album