Blues — Recently Added
Our Chicago roots run deep here, with plenty of postwar Chicago blues -- plus delta blues, folk blues, electric blues, pre-war blues, and more!
CDs (235) new/used, Vinyl (172) new/used, LPs (164) new/used, 7-inch (7 used), 78 RPM (1), All (407)
Freddy King
Let's Hide Away & Dance Away With Freddy KingKing, Early 60s. New Copy
CD...$3.99
9.99
Killer early material from Freddy King – a blues album, but one that's also got a strong resonance with instrumental soul and early funk! The record is "Strictly Instrumental" – as the cover says – and a nice batch of short bluesy groovers that feature Freddy's great ... CD
Champion Jack Dupree
Sings The BluesKing/Gusto, Early 50s. New Copy
CD...$3.99
9.99
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 – ... CD
Jimmy Dawkins & Big Voice Odom
Jimmy Dawkins/Black & Blue/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1974. New Copy
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 ... CD
Third Man, 1969. New Copy 2LP Gatefold
LP...$22.99
27.98
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
Third Man, 1969. New Copy 2LP Gatefold
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
Bo Diddley
Big Bad BoChess/Get On Down, 1974. New Copy
CD...$6.99
14.99
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 ... CD
John Lee Hooker
Documenting The Sensation Recordings 1948 to 1952 (3CD set)Ace (UK), Late 40s/Early 50s. New Copy 3CD
CD...$32.99
34.99
A really amazing package – not just for fans of John Lee Hooker, but for anyone who loves postwar blues in general! The work here is all from the tiny Sensation Records label in Detroit – the label to first record John Lee Hooker in the late 40s, and who continued to do sessions with ... CD
Various
Guitar Wizards 1926 to 1935Yazoo, Late 20s/Early 30s. New Copy (reissue)
LP...$21.99
24.98
A fantastic look at early guitar genius – pulled from old blues recordings of the 78rpm years – decades before folks plugged in and started showing off in arenas with their rock and roll skills! The amazing things about these recordings is the way that these guys do so much with such ... LP, Vinyl record album
Various
Ann Arbor Blues Festival 1969Third Man, 1969. New Copy 2 CDs
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
Jessie Mae Hemphill
Run Get My ShotgunFat Possum/Big Legal Mess, 1989. New Copy
LP...$11.99
15.99
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 ... LP, Vinyl record album
George Smith & The Chicago Blues Band
Blues With A Feeling – A Tribute To Little Walter (plus bonus tracks)World Pacific/BGO (UK), 1969. New Copy
CD...$10.99
14.99
A smoking little set from George Harmonica Smith – an album recorded in late 60s LA, but done with plenty of Chicago blues touches! The players here are all top-shelf – and include Muddy Waters on guitar and Otis Spann on piano – who definitely help keep a Windy City vibe going ... CD
Lonnie Johnson
Portraits In Blues (180 gram pressing)Storyville/Pure Pleasure (UK), 1963. New Copy (reissue)
LP...$9.99
44.99
An overseas recording from Lonnie Johnson – done during that great stretch when his music was being revived by a younger generation of blues listeners who brought him out of retirement! Here, Johnson records in a mode that's very faithful to his classic recordings of the late 30s and early ... LP, Vinyl record album
Bobby Blue Bland
His California AlbumABC/BGO (UK), 1973. New Copy
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 ... CD
Bo Diddley & Chuck Berry/
Two Great Guitars/Chess/BGO (UK), 1964/1968. New Copy
CD...$8.99
14.99
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
Black & Blue/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1970/1973. New Copy
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 ... CD
Groove Merchant/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1970. New Copy
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
Fat Possum, 1964. New Copy
LP...$11.99
17.98
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
Honeyboy Edwards
Worried Blues (180 gram pressing – with download)Fat Possum, 1969/1971. New Copy
LP...$11.99
17.98
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
Arhoolie/P-Vine (Japan), 1960. New Copy
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, ... CD
Kent/P-Vine (Japan), 1967. New Copy
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 ... CD
Kent/P-Vine (Japan), 1969. New Copy
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 ... CD
Lowell Fulsom
Soul (Japanese paper sleeve edition – with bonus tracks)Kent/P-Vine (Japan), 1966. New Copy
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 ... CD
Joe Turner
Complete Boss Of The Blues Sings Kansas City Jazz – The Complete Mono & Stereo RecordingsAtlantic/Bear Family (Germany), 1956. New Copy 2CD
CD...$19.99
22.99
A real classic from blues giant Joe Turner – a singer who burst back to the mainstream on 50s Atlantic Records, thanks to a host of R&B singles that burned up the charts – but who here returns to his roots, and lays down a great set of jazzy tunes that get back to his roots in the ... CD
Shakey Jake with Bill Jennings & Jack McDuff
Good Times (180 gram pressing)Prestige/4 Men With Beards, 1960. New Copy (reissue)
LP...$18.99
22.98
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 on guitar! Jack and Bill were working together on other soul jazz sessions for Prestige Records during the ... LP, Vinyl record album
T Bone Walker
TruthBrunswick/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1968. New Copy
An overlooked gem from blues legend T Bone Walker – recorded for the Brunswick Records label in Chicago, but cooked up with some gritty swamp production from the great Huey P Meux – who steeps Walker's guitar in lots of Texas and Louisiana elements, which makes for a much heavier record ... CD
Kent/Ace (UK), Late 60s. New Copy
CD...$12.99
18.99
Fantastic west coast blues from the 60s, none of issued at the time – collected together here in a set that really shows the continuing evolution of the sound of LA! During the 60s, the city's blues took on some of the transformations that were happing in Chicago – with similar roots ... CD
Bob Kirkpatrick
Feeling The BluesFolkways, 1973. New Copy
CD...$12.99
16.99
A great little 70s album of electric blues – a set that begins with a song about Watergate – then moves off into a whole other great range of themes too! Bob Kirkpatrick's got a vibe here that's in the better style of the small club scene of Detroit or Chicago at the time – lean, ... CD
Bo Diddley
Where It All BeganChess, 1972. New Copy (reissue)
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 ... LP, Vinyl record album
Junior Kimbrough
You Better Run – The Essential Junior KimbroughFat Possum, 1990s. New Copy
CD...$9.99
15.99
A strong collection of (mostly) early-to-mid 90s recordings by Mississippi blues legend Junior Kimbrough – compiling his Fat Possum recordings and as a set that really is essential! It includes recordings captured Junior's Juke Joint in Chulahoma, MS, home recordings and more – raw and ... CD
Junior Kimbrough
First RecordingsBig Legal Mess/Fat Possum, 1966. New Copy
CD...$9.99
14.99
Wicked early work from Junior Kimbrough – sides that are quite different than some of his better-known recordings over the years! The material was cut in Memphis in 1966 by producer Quinton Claunch – and it's got a spare, rootsy quality that's totally great – slow moving drums ... CD
Tony McPhee & Friends
Me & The Devil/Liberty/BGO (UK), 1968/1969. New Copy 2CD
CD...$8.99
16.99
Two early solo albums from Tony McPhee – one of which is more of a mixed group affair overall! First up is Me & The Devil – fantastic acoustic blues from Tony McPhee – maybe best known as a member of The Groundhogs, but working here in a looser, more stripped-down mode – ... CD
Joe Turner
Real Boss Of The Blues (with bonus tracks)Flying Dutchman/Ace (UK), 1969. New Copy
CD...$8.99
14.99
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
Willie Dixon
I Am The BluesColumbia, 1970. Very Good
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 ... LP, Vinyl record album
Howlin Wolf
London SessionsChess, 1970. Very Good
A famous date that showcases the Chess Records influence on the sound of the Brit rock scene – one that has a number of key players "giving back" to the label, and working on a special date with Howlin Wolf! Wolf's rough vocals are in the lead on all tracks, and he also plays a bit ... LP, Vinyl record album
Charley Patton
Remaning Titles – 1929 to 1934Wolf (Austria), Late 20s-Mid 30s. Near Mint-
... LP, Vinyl record album
BB King
Live In Cook County JailABC, 1971. Near Mint-
BB King live at the Cook County Jail in Chicago – and given the amount of great live shows going on in the institution during the early 70s, the jail must have been one hell of a place to be incarcerated! This classic features BB King entertaining the prisoners with a wickedly sharp blues ... LP, Vinyl record album
Big Mama Thornton
Sassy Mama!Vanguard, 1975. Near Mint-
Big Mama Thornton gets a bit of an update – as her older blues style comes into play with a hip electrified lineup – one that features Paul Griffin on keyboards, Cornell Dupree on guitar, and Bad Bascomb on bass! The vibe is still plenty blues, but has an undercurrent of soul – ... LP, Vinyl record album
Big Joe Williams
Nine String Guitar BluesDelmark, 1961. Very Good+
Mostly Joe on vocals and guitar – with some additional bass from Ransom Knowling on a few tracks. LP, Vinyl record album
Buck DD Black
Mississippi Bluze MassGreene Bottle, 1972. Very Good+ Gatefold
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 ... LP, Vinyl record album
Various
Down Home Blues (Malaco)Malaco, 1988. Very Good+ 2LP
Featuring Johnnie Taylor, ZZ Hill, Denise LaSalle, Latimore, Bobby Bland, Little Richard, BB King, Robert Cray, Shirley Brown, Slim Harpo, Little Milton, Luther Ingram, and more! LP, Vinyl record album
Various
Jewel Spotlights The Blues Vol 1Jewel, 1960s/1970s. Very Good+
Featuring selections by The Carter Brothers, Frank Frost, Elmo James, Lightnin' Hopkins, Little Joe Blue, George Butler, Lowell Fulsom, Joe Turner, and Big Mac. LP, Vinyl record album
Mercy Dee Walton
Mercy DeeArhoolie, 1961. Very Good+
A great early session on Arhoolie, one of the first on the label – early 60s work from Mercy Dee Walton on piano and vocals, with help from Sidney Maiden on harmonica and KC Douglas on electric guitar! LP, Vinyl record album
Buddy Moss
Red River Blues (I933 to 1941)Travelin Man (UK), 1930s/Early 40s. Near Mint-
... LP, Vinyl record album
Robert Cray
Don't Be Afraid Of The DarkHightone/Mercury, 1988. Very Good+
... LP, Vinyl record album
Buddy Guy
Man & The Blues (180 gram pressing)Vanguard/Craft, 1968. New Copy (reissue)
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
Jimmy Rogers
That's All Right (plus bonus tracks)Black & Blue/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1973. New Copy
The great Jimmy Rogers was a key figure on the Chicago blues scene in the 60s – yet apart from a few recordings for Chess, it always seemed that some of his best recordings were done overseas – as is the case with this great French session from the early 70s! Despite the overseas ... CD
Elmore James
Resurrection Of Elmore JamesCrown/Kent, 1950s. Near Mint- Gatefold
Titles include "Elmo's Shuffle", "Hawaiian Boogie (parts 1 & 2)", "Quarter Past Nine", "Sho Nuff I Do", "Late Hours At Midnight", and "Strange Kinda Feeling". LP, Vinyl record album
