Rootsy blues from the team of Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon – recorded in Paris in the early 60s at the Trois Mailletz nightclub! The style here is much earthier than you'd guess from the date – the return to tradition mode that some players often experienced while working in the ... read moreCD
The mighty Alan Lomax has maybe done more to document rural American music in the 20th century than anyone else – most famously for a midcentury series of recordings for the Library Of Congress and Folkways Records, which established Lomax as having an incredible ear for lesser-heard sounds ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Great heavy vinyl and cover, with a nice booklet of notes too!)
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, ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Also includes a great booklet of notes!)
John Lee Hooker —
Burning Hell ... CD Original Blues Classics, 1959. Used ...
$9.99
Rootsy blues from the brief stretch when Prestige Records was experimenting with non-jazz material – a back-to-basics session that features Johnson on electric guitar and vocals, Snowden on acoustic guitar, and only Wendell Marshall's jazz-trained bass to back the pair up. The work's in a ... read moreCD
Jimmy Witherspoon —
Evenin' Blues ... CD Prestige/Original Blues Classics, 1964. Used ...
$7.99
A great batch of raw R&B vocals from Jimmy Witherspoon – along with backing by an excellent group that includes the great Clifford Scott on tenor, the always-great T-Bone Walker on guitar, and the little-known Bert Kendrix on organ. Tracks are short, and have a bit more fire than some of ... (Vocalists, Blues)read moreCD
(Out of print, CRC pressing.)
Albert King & Otis Rush —
Door To Door ... CD Chess/Vogue (France), 1950s/Early 60s. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
A split album of early recordings by Otis Rush and Albert King – both featured here in early Chicago sides done for Chess Records in the years before their bigger late 60s fame! The style here is mostly stripped down, but still pretty tight – not as rough-edged as some of their Chess ... read moreCD
A really great collection of Chess Records work by JB Lenoir – one of the more unusual singers on the Chicago scene at the time – and one with a sound that's pretty darn great all the way through! Lenoir's tone is a pitch or two up from most of his contemporaries – not as gritty ... read moreCD
Great early work from Lowell Fulson – tracks recorded in the 50s for Chess Records – all in Chicago, and a fair bit more obscure than some of Lowell's better-known sides from the 60s! There's still a nicely gritty groove going on here – a style that's rooted in blues, but which ... read moreCD
A rootsy cover, and some rootsy blues to match – a fairly stripped down session from John Lee Hooker –- and one that mostly just features vocals and guitar, plus some occasional added guitar and piano! Most of the recordings here are from the early 50s, pulled together in a full LP at ... read moreCD
A great entry in the Chess Heritage Series at the end of the 60s – one that features rare 50s Chicago recordings by Elmore James, plus some even more obscure sides by lesser-known singer John Brim! James' style is well known, and well-executed here – rough and raw, but with a good ... read moreCD
Damn great music from the LA scene of the postwar years – jump blues, R&B, jiving jazz, and more – all the right kind of platters that spun big during the era of the late 78s! The collection's every bit as ear-tickling as the first two volumes – a real treasure trove of music ... (Soul, Blues)read moreCD
Unreleased live material from the legendary Paul Butterfield Blues Band – heard here at a time when the mighty Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield were in the group on guitar! The set was recorded in a coffee house in Boston in 1966, but the recording vibe makes the whole thing feel a lot more ... (Rock, Blues)read moreCD
Produced by Johnny Winter – with cuts that include "The Blues Had A Baby & They Named It Rock & Roll #2", "Little Girl", "Deep Down In Florida", "Jealous Hearted Man", and "Mannish Boy". CD
(Out of print, 2004 remastered edition. BMG Direct pressing.)
An incredible collection – one no home should be without! This isn't blues, this is T Bone Walker – a guitar pioneer, and a musician who's got just as much jazz in his style too. Fantastic recordings throughout – 52 tracks in all. CD
Titles include "Sugar Hill", "My Baby", "Bald Eagle Train", "Georgia Skin Game", "Mixed Water", and "Jesus Died On The Cross To Save The World". LP, Vinyl record album
A smoking live performance from these two Chicago blues legends – recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, but with a gritty electric vibe that's very much like the duo's best work back home! The approach is very stripped-down and unadorned – just vocals by both Guy and ... read moreCD
Rare early work from both singers – including pre-Vee Jay material that Betty Everett recorded for the Coba label, with backing from either Ike Turner or Little Brother Montgomery on piano! Lillian Offitt sings on some sides done for the Chief label – with work from Earl Hooker on ... (Soul, Blues)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A great overview of the early career of Eddie Burns – a Detroit guitarist who also plays harmonica on a fair bit of these sides – coming across with the gritty blend of urban and rural modes that made Burns a key contemporary of John Lee Hooker in the city! Hooker's actually on a few ... read moreCD
Matt Murphy is a hell of a guitarist – one with roots in Memphis, and many years of work on the Chicago electric scene – where he recorded as a key session man during the 50s, on a range of classic tracks you'll hear on this set! In truth, Murphy maybe never got his full due a as a ... read moreCD
Rare 78s on Victor, Columbia, and Bluebird – with work from Bobby Hackett on cornet, Floyd Turham and Benny Carter on alto, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, and Buddy Banks on tenor! (Vocalists, Blues)CD
(Out of print.)
Otis Spann —
Blues Never Die ... CD Prestige/Original Blues Classics, 1964. Used ...
$4.99
Great small combo blues from Chicago – with Spann on piano and vocals – plus James Cotton on harmonica and additioanl vocals, and both James Madison and "Dirty Rivers" (aka Muddy Waters) on guitar! CD
Music from Buster Benton, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Lightnin' Hopkins, Ike Turner, Willie Dixon, Little Joe Blue, Lowell Fulson, John Lee Hooker, Magic Sam, and Earl Hooker. CD
Live At Mister Kelly's find's Muddy doing his thing at that Chicago joint in 1971 backed by group that includes Calvin Jones, James Madison, Samuel Lawhorn, Joe Perkins, Paul Oschera nd Willie Smith. Titles include "What Is That She Got", "You Don't Have To Go", "Strange ... read moreCD
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 ... read moreCD
Amos Milburn & His Chickenshackers —
Rock Rock Rock ... LP Route 66 (Sweden), Late 40s/1950s. Near Mint- ...
$9.99
... LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s issue. Cover has some ring and edge wear and is lightly bent at the top right corner.)
Nick Moss & the Flip Tops —
Sadie Mae ... CD Blue Bella, 2005. Used ...
$9.99
Various —
Blues Vol 4 ... LP Argo/Chess, 1950s/1960s. Near Mint- ...
$9.99
A great collection of vintage Chess Records blues – with performance by Billy Stewart, Lowell Fulson, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Willie Mabon, John Lee Hooker, and others! LP, Vinyl record album
(Late 80s Original Chess Masters pressing in a blue cover, with a cut corner and a 1/2 inch wide peeled strip across the bottom.)
Some of the earliest work ever recorded by Muddy Waters – in Mississippi, before he moved to Chicago – captured by the Library Of Congress recordings, and featuring some tracks with Muddy on his own, and some with the Son Sims Four! LP, Vinyl record album
(80s gold label pressing. Vinyl has just a few minor cosmetic sleeve marks. Cover has minimal wear.)
A set that was actually recorded in France, many years before the start of the Chicago Blues Festival – but with a great Windy City group that includes Eddie Taylor and Louis Myers on guitars, David Myers on bass, and Fred Bellow on drums – all of whom ensure that there's a great ... read moreCD
(Part of the "True Blue Masters – Black & Blue" series!)
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 ... read moreCD
(Part of the "True Blue Masters – Black & Blue" series!)
Tracks include "My Back Scratcher", "Never Leave Me At Home", "Harpin' On It", "Things You Do", "Feel Good Babe", "Pocket Full Of Money", "Ride With Your Daddy", "Got My Mojo Working", "Harp & Soul", " ... read moreCD
A nice dose of jazz – as usual for Jimmy – thanks to some arrangements by Oliver Nelson, plus piano from Dave Frishberg and tenor from Buddy Tate! Titles include "You Can't Run Around", "Blues In The Dark", "Tell Me I'm Not To Late", "Berkely Campus ... (Vocalists, Blues)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Includes selections by Ray Charles, Jimmy Witherspoon, Charles Brown, Jimmy Reed, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry, BB King, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Earl Hooker, and Jimmy Rushing. LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the ABC/Dunhill inner sleeve and Bluesway pamphlet!)
Tracks include "Morning Air", "Rippling Waters", "What Is There To Say?", "Tea For Two", "Sneakaway", and "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" – 16 cuts in all. (Jazz, Blues)CD
A classic early tune from Muddy Waters – one that might not have changed the world when it was released at the start of the 50s – but later gave the famous group their name! The tune's a wonderful mix of raw rural and early electric Chicago blues modes – spare, but extremely ... (Funky 45's, Blues)read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(Recent Third Man reissue on black vinyl, in the vintage style Chess sleeve.)