Smithsonian Folkways, 1950s/1960s/Early 70s. New Copy 3CDs/Book
A stunning document of culture in and around the Texas scene of the postwar years – never-heard recordings done by blues enthusiast Robert Mack McCormick, who also photographed most of his subjects as well – a lost legacy that finally gets exposure to the world at large here in a big ...
Big Town/P-Vine (Japan), Late 70s. New Copy (reissue)
Great work from Smokey Wilson – a southern bluesman by birth, but one who relocated to the LA scene in the postwar years, where he really started to groove! This 70s album is a great example of the way that Wilson merged his roots with some of the soulful currents of the Cali scene – ...
Kent/P-Vine (Japan), 1967. New Copy (reissue)
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 ...
Chess/Elemental (Spain), 1972. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)
A famous 70s session from the great Muddy Waters – one that has him heading over to London, and rubbing shoulders in the studio with some key musicians whose work he'd helped inspire! Chess Records first tried this mode out with Howlin Wolf in 1970 – but the Waters session is maybe ...
Crown/P-Vine (Japan), 1960. New Copy (reissue)
The definitely got the title right here – as BB King is plenty great, and already a powerhouse in these early years of his career! King sprung forth from the Memphis scene almost fully-formed – and in addition to his famous guitar work, he was also a hell of a singer who could bring a ...
Crown/P-Vine (Japan), 1957. New Copy (reissue)
The very first full length album from BB King – a killer collection of previous singles for the RPM Records label, served up as a bold statement of King's early genius! The record announces its presence right from the very first note – that brilliant blend of effortless electric guitar ...
Ace (UK), Late 40s/Early 50s. New Copy 3CD
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 ...
Antone's/New West, 1998. New Copy (reissue)
A later performance from blues harmonica great Lazy Lester, but one that's got all the same great energy as his famous early work for the Excello label! There's plenty of grit in the grooves here – a set that's nicely under-produced, with a great backroom vibe – Lester blowing harp and ...
Stax/Craft, 1967. New Copy (reissue)
One of THE electric blues records of the 60s – a seminal set by Albert King that was probably blasted out of more college dorm rooms than southside juke joints, but which still more than deserves its due! The set was recorded by Stax with a nice raw sound – guitar very much upfront, ...
Ovation/Night Train, 1976. New Copy (reissue)
One of the greatest albums ever made by Willie Dixon as a leader – a really cooking set done after years backing other folks up in the Chess Records studio – and a date recorded for the Chicago-based Ovation Records label, who really let Willie do his thing! Given that Dixon plays bass ...
Verve/BMG, 1965. New Copy (reissue)
A really great, but very unusual John Lee Hooker album – one that was recorded in London with backing from later blues rock heroes The Groundhogs – a group who do a really great job here of hanging back, and letting Hook really take the lead! All those raw, gritty charms of Hooker's ...
Score/Third Man, Early 50s. New Copy (reissue)
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 ...
Chess/Jackpot, Late 50s/Early 60s. New Copy (reissue)
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 ...
P-Vine (Japan), 2022. New Copy
The title's not right – as there's plenty of soul and plenty of blues throughout – just the sort of thing we'd expect from Stan Mosley's long legacy of indie recordings from the contemporary underground! We first started hearing Stan's music on the Malaco label at the end of the 90s ...
Third 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 ...
Herald/P-Vine (Japan), 1954. New Copy
Lightnin Hopkins at his best – a set that rings out with all his bold electric tones on the guitar, yet which also has the moody, stripped-down feel of a blues recording from a few decades before! The electricity really does a lot to deepen the tone – both in the echo from Hopkins' ...
Fat Possum, Early 80s. New Copy (reissue)
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 ...
Fat Possum, 1969/1971. New Copy
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 ...
Ace (UK), Early 50s. New Copy 3 CDs
A massive 3CD look at the key early years of Elmore James – a package that's overflowing with great work by one of the greatest blues guitarists of the 50s! The set starts way back at James' roots in Mississippi, with some sweetly rough-edged recordings that still sparkle with incredible ...
Fat Possum/Big Legal Mess, 1989. New Copy
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 ...
Red Lightnin/Good Time Records (UK), Late 50s/Early 60s. New Copy
Really great early work from guitarist Earl Hooker – and a set that also feature some soulful sides by Jody Williams too! The bulk of the album features Hooker laying down that amazing guitar sound that always made him so distinct, and such a key precursor to funk as well – working in ...
Ace (UK), Late 50s/Early 60s. New Copy
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 ...
Jewel, 1969. New Copy (reissue)
Classic blues from Lightnin Hopkins – a set that's far rootsier than you might expect from the "electric show" in the title! Hopkins plays mostly acoustic guitar here – and sings with very spare backing overall – just a bit of keyboards, bass, and drums, plus some ...
Checker, 1960. New Copy (reissue)
Have guitar, will travel – and back in the day, Bo Diddley was going pretty darn far with great material like this! The album's a real standout, even in the classic Chess catalog of the early years –no filler, no covers, just all original material by Bo Diddley – done in that ...
Muse, Late 50s. New Copy (reissue)
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 ...
Blue Labor/Fat Possum, 1975. New Copy
An obscure 70s album from the legendary Roosevelt Sykes – but a set that captures the singer and pianist at the height of his powers! The format here is very stripped-down – often just a focus on Sykes himself, with the occasional addition of a bit of guitar from Louisiana Red or ...
Bluesway/BGO (UK), 1967. New Copy
A fantastic late 60s set from John Lee Hooker – one that has the legend working in a mode that echoes some of the funkier soul styles of the time, but with a vibe that's still very much in the best spirit of his classic work! The groove is slightly amped up by the electric bass of Eddie ...
Kent/BGP (UK), 1970. New Copy
A blues album, but one with a difference – thanks to some tremendous help from the legendary Johnny Otis and his young son Shuggie! Despite the fact that the leader is billed as Guitar Slim Green, Shuggie actually plays some lead guitar on the record too – adding in some cool, ...
MCA/BGO (UK), Late 60s. New Copy
BB King at his late 60s best – working here in the company of producers Johnny Pate and Quincy Jones, and serving up a great blend of blues and soul in the process! The set's less a "best of", than a collection of ABC work that doesn't seem to be on the other full albums of the ...
Chess/Traffic, Early 50s. New Copy
A classic full album that brings together some of Muddy Waters' earliest recordings for Chess – a great collection of early singles recorded in Chicago between 1950 and 1954 – most originally issued on 78rpm singles, and beautifully presented in this set! The work's relatively spare ...