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Two Chicago blues legends, coming together on stage at the Montreux festival – but with the sort of raw energy you might expect to hear when the pair were working together at a west side club! The guitar genius of Buddy Guy is no secret to anyone – but here, it's got a raw sense of urgency that's often missing from so many later records – and Junior Wells brings in some equally strong harmonica lines, often without the easier flourishes from later in his career. Both artists sing – trading leads on the set – and the combo also features Jimmy Johnson on guitar, Dave Myers on bass, and Odie Payne on drums. Titles include "Driving Wheel", "Help Me", "One Room Country Shack", "Hide Away", and "Come On In This House". CD features bonus tracks, some with vocals by Big Odom – 6 more titles added to the album! CD

We're not normally ones to rave about electric blues albums, but this one's a lot nicer than you might think – recorded with plenty of deep soul touches, and even a dose of funk in the right places! We hate to admit it, but a big part of the credit here goes to Eric Clapton – who produced most of the record and gives Buddy and Junior a tightness that's missing from some of their other records of the time. There's almost a post-Cream sort of groove to the record – that "hipper than rock" sensibility that colored many of Clapton's old group members' projects for Atlantic in the years after Cream disbanded. But of course, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells are the real stars of the set – and the record's good enough to make even jaded Chicago residents like us appreciate their talents here! Titles include "A Poor Man's Plea", "My Baby She Left Me", "A Man Of Many Words", "I Don't Know", and "This Old Fool". CD

The incredible mid 60s album from blues singer and harp blower Junior Wells and his Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy! This is a most pivotal set in which Junior & his players don't sound as if they're trying to imbue blues tradition with urban grit and electricity – it simply seems to happen naturally, and you can really imagine when you hear this how it blue the minds of so many Brit and American rock & blues fellows who would come the recast the style with their own life and experiences, and pretty much take over popular music with it. Titles include "Snatch It Back & Hold It", "In The Wee Wee Hours", "Hey Lawdy Mama", "Hoodoo Man Blues", "Yonder Wall", and "Chitlin Con Carne". CD

Includes the songs "7-11", "Little Dab-A-Doo", "Someone Else Is Steppin' In (Slippin' Out, Slippin' In)", "Trouble Blues", "Don't Tell Me About The Blues", "Cities Need Help", "Damn Right I've Got The Blues", "Five Long Years", "Rememberin' Stevie", and "Man Of Many Words". 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 us much deeper than the showy, guitar solo heavy stuff that the blues club tourists want to hear! He's got the great Otis Spann playing piano, Wayne Bennett on rhythm, Jack Myers on bass, Lonny Taylor and Fred Below on drums, and Donald Hankins, Aaron Corthen and Bobby Fields on saxes. Titles include "A Man And His Blues", "I Can't Quit The Blues", "One Room Country Shack", "Just Playing My Axe", "Worry, Worry", "Jam On A Monday Morning" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

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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 Wells – with Buddy on guitar and Junior on harmonica – plus additional piano from Pinetop Perkins, and even the mighty Bill Wyman on bass. Wyman produced the set – very faithfully too – and titles include "How Can One Woman Be So Mean", "Hoodoo Man Blues", "My Younger Days", "Messin With The Kid", and "Ten Years Ago". LP, Vinyl record album

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Includes the songs "First Time I Met The Blues", "The Way You Been Treating Me", "Sit And Cry (The Blues)", "This Is The End", "Stone Crazy", "When My Left Eye Jumps", "My Time After While", "Hold That Plane", "Hello San Francisco", "Five Long Years", "First Time I Met The Blues", "A Man Of Many Words", "T-Bone Shuffle", "When You See The Tears From My Eyes", "Ten Years Ago", "Blues At My Baby's House", "She Suits Me To A T", and "Just Teasin'". CD

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Buddy Guy reached much bigger fame on later labels, but he sounds pretty darn great here in a set of early recordings done for Chess – all sides recorded in the first half of the 60s, when Buddy represented one of the best talents in a new generation of bluesmen rising up in Chicago! The style here is tighter and a bit more urban than some of the Chess work of the 50s – less rootsy overall, with saxophone often sliding next to the guitar – in a wickedly soulful mode that's got elements of R&B in the mix. Titles include "My Time After A While", "Ten Years Ago", "Watch Yourself", "Stone Crazy", "I Found A True Love", "First Time I Met The Blues", and "No Lie". CD

A classic killer from Buddy Guy – the kind of electrified Chicago sounds that made him a legend, right out of the box! The album features work from AC Reed on tenor, plus trumpet, baritone, and more guitar – all arranged with a soulful kind of groove by Ed Bogas! Titles include "I Got My Eyes On You", "The Things I Used To Do", "Knock On Wood", "I'm Not The Best", and "You Were Wrong". LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible mid 60s album from blues singer and harp blower Junior Wells and his Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy! This is a most pivotal set in which Junior & his players don't sound as if they're trying to imbue blues tradition with urban grit and electricity – it simply seems to happen naturally, and you can really imagine when you hear this how it blue the minds of so many Brit and American rock & blues fellows who would come the recast the style with their own life and experiences, and pretty much take over popular music with it. Titles include "Snatch It Back & Hold It", "In The Wee Wee Hours", "Hey Lawdy Mama", "Hoodoo Man Blues", "Yonder Wall", and "Chitlin Con Carne". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare small group sides from the Harlem scene of the pre-War years, with early appearances by Thelonious Monk and Kenny Clarke! LP, Vinyl record album

An early trio session by Lester Young – recorded with Buddy Rich on drums! The record also features an obscure pianist named "Aye Guy" – Nat King Cole under another name! Guy and Young trade lines in a very nicely relaxed format, and even though the record's mostly all standards, the group works well with the material. The one original track – "Back To The Land" – is a live improvised one, recorded in the studio with no overdubs – and other titles include "I've Found A New Baby", "I Cover The Waterfront", and "Somebody Loves Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Although we were never big fans of Buddy, we can endure him for this nice relaxed Verve session, because it offers some great playing by Prez in a very stripped down setting. The record also features an obscure pianist named "Aye Guy", who is actually Nat King Cole – not named on the cover because of contractual reasons! Cole and Young trade lines in a very nicely relaxed format, and even though the record's mostly all standards ("The Man I Love", "Mean To Me", "I've Found A New Baby", etc), the group works well with the material. The one original track – "Back To The Land" – is a live improvised one, recorded in the studio with no overdubs, and with great results! LP, Vinyl record album

As the title indicates, the session features Buddy DeFranco and Oscar Peterson – but the real guy we wanna thank here is arranger Russ Garcia! Unlike some of the other Verve "soloist with the Peterson Trio" albums of the 50s, this one is more of a shared effort that has Buddy and Oscar both acting as soloists over larger backings directed by Garcia. Russ takes a lot of cues from Ralph Burns on the session – and like Burns on earlier Verve recordings, he sets things up so that the orchestrations never overwhelm the players – and instead simply augment their moods and shade in the colors of the tunes. We especially like Peterson in this format – as he was so often recorded heavily in trio format – but DeFranco is great too, snaking out over the top of the strings with a lean and angular tone on clarinet. Titles include "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "I Got Rhythm", and "It Ain't Necessarily So". LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of classic New Orleans-styled soul tracks from Dr John – all the early singles for Atlantic Records that helped him forge his legendary sound – served up here with some surprising non-LP moments as well! If you don't know Dr John's groove, this is a great place to start – and even if you already dig his messed-up blend of funk, soul, and trippier currents, you'll love the way these shorter singles focuses his energy in ways that are different than some of the longer LP tracks – still very groovy, but packing even more punch! The set's got 26 tracks in all – including "A Man Of Many Words", done with Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton – plus "I Walk On Guilded Splinters (parts 1 & 2)", "Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya", "Let The Good Times Roll", "Cold Cold Cold", "Traveling Mood", "Mos Scocious", "Let's Make A Better World", "Me - You = Loneliness", "Rite Away", "Such A Night", "Right Place Wrong Time", "Loop Garoo", "Jump Sturdy", "The Patriotic Flag Waver (mono short version)", and "Mama Roux". CD

Beautiful images from the legendary Ann Arbor Blues Festival – a long-running even that's pulled together an amazing range of talent over the years – a good number of whom are featured here! The festival probably hit its biggest fame in the early 70s – when recordings documented work by Sun Ra, Art Ensemble, and many blues musicians – and most of the images here even predate those years, as almost all the photographs appear to be from 1969 and 1970 – huge appearances for still-living blues legends! The quality of the images is great – and the book features images of John Lee Hooker, Son House, Sippie Wallace, Sunnyland Slim, Roosevelt Sykes, Fred McDowell, Little Brother Montgomery, Willie Dixon, Robert Lockwood, Buddy Guy, Lowell Fulson, and many others – all in crisp, vintage black and white. 128 pages, softcover, with images throughout. Book

Includes 19 tracks from the Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet, Otis Spann's South Side Piano, Buddy Guy, Hutto & his Hawks, Junior Wells, and Johnny Young's South Side Blues Band. CD

Includes performances by Sonny Boy Williamson, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Little Walter, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Lowell Fulson, Howlin' Wolf, and Jimmy Witherspoon! CD

Featuring artists Elmore Jones, Buddy Guy, T Bone Walker, Joe Turner, Tampa red and others. 25 tracks total! CD

14 songs from John Lee Hooker, Big Bill Broonzy, Mickey Baker, Otis Spann, Champion Jack Dupree, Curtis Jones, T-Bone Walker, and Memphis Slim & Buddy Guy. CD

Includes music by Jimmy Reed, Snooky Pryor, Sonny Boy Williamson, JB Lenoir, Ted Taylor, Junior Wells, Magic Sam, Buddy Guy, and Charles Brown. CD

An early trio session by Lester Young – recorded with Buddy Rich on drums! The record also features an obscure pianist named "Aye Guy" – Nat King Cole under another name! Guy and Young trade lines in a very nicely relaxed format, and even though the record's mostly all standards, the group works well with the material. The one original track – "Back To The Land" – is a live improvised one, recorded in the studio with no overdubs – and other titles include "I've Found A New Baby", "I Cover The Waterfront", and "Somebody Loves Me". CD

Music from Albert Collins, Lightnin' Sam Hopkins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan & Tilt-A-whirl Band, Lavelle White, Keb' Mo', Gatemouth Brown, Dr. John, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, the Neville Brothers, Rory Block, WC Clark & Friends, BB King, and Delbert McClinton. CD

Big Mama Thornton may well be best-remembered as the woman who gave the world "Hound Dog" – which later catapulted Elvis to fame – but over the years she continued to be a hell of a singer, with a rich legacy of music that more than stands on its own! Witness this mid 60s performance from London – with the singer backed by small group instrumentation that includes Shakey Horton on harmonica, Eddie Boyd on piano and organ, and a young Buddy Guy on guitar – players who are definitely blues, but who often bring some slight funky soul currents to the music, too – which seems to give Thornton one of her best showcases ever on record. The album's a gem – maybe one of her best – and titles include "Down Home Shake Down", "Sweet Little Angel", "The Place", "Little Red Rooster", "Swing It On home", and "Session Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Little Milton and Koko Taylor. CD

With a record like this, it's clear that Shakey Horton's the soul of blues harmonica – if not the king as well! The album's filled with wonderful instrumentals that really focus Horton's talents strongly – not used just as flavoring or an occasional solo to spice up a tune – but as an amazingly powerful lead instrument with a really great range, and a punch that's packed as tight as any electric guitar on a Chess Record at the time! The set features a great group with Buddy Guy on guitar and Bobby Buster on Hammond – and titles include "Wee Baby Blues", "Wrinkles", "It's Alright", "Hard Hearted Woman", "Friday Night Stomp", and "Gonna Bring It On Home". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album by Muddy – recorded in a style that's rootsier, and more down to earth than a lot of his other chess sides! Muddy's playing acoustic guitar, and the rest of the group features Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon, and Clifton James. The sound is really spare, and very moody – and tracks include "You Gonna Need My Help", "Cold Weather Blues", "Feel Like Going Home", and "My Home Is In The Delta". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary night at Chicago's Checkerboard Lounge – a set recorded at a time when the Rolling Stones were in town, and decided to pop down to the south side, and visit the home turf of their blues hero, Muddy Waters! You'll notice that the record bills the performance as Muddy Waters & The Rolling stones – and that's definitely the case here, as the Stones step in almost as Muddy's backing band – allowing Waters to really step out in the lead, while the group remind us that way back in the day, they got their start as a blues-based group first, before finding a style of their own! The set's also filled with guest appearances – including work from Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Lefty Dizz – and titles include "Mannish Boy", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Long Distance Call", "Next Time You See Me", "Champagne & Reefer", "Clouds In My Heart", "One Eyed Woman", and "You Don't Have To Go". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set of Chicago blues – the first volume in a series of classic recordings done by Vanguard Records in an effort to show the rest of the world all the hip new sounds that were coming out of the Windy City in the 60s! The approach here is a bit like some of the rural blues sets from years past – in that Samuel Charters headed to Chicago, booked studio time, and managed to get some key groups at their best – all at a level that would soon be picked up by the Delmark label as they helped to document the scene! Junior Wells sings and plays harmonica in a quartet with Buddy Guy on guitar, on titles that include "Messin With The Kid", "Vietcong Blues", "All Night Long", and "It Hurts Me So". JB Hutto plays guitar and sings in his Hawks trio – on titles that include "Too Much Alcohol", "That's The Truth", "Going Ahead", and "Please Help". And Otis Spann plays piano and sings, with help from SP Leary on drums – on titles that include "Spann's Stomp", "Marie", "Burning Fire", and "SP Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Johnny Jones, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, Freddie King, Otis Rush, Howlin' Wolf, Koko Taylor, Johnny Shines, Luther Allison, Luther Johnson, and JB Hutto. CD

A very cool collection of rare soul material – one that brings together obscure tracks from a variety of different sources – then packages them together in a heavy, hardcover book – with a presentation that's a bit like the Motown Singles sets from a few years ago! The book alone is plenty cool – over 100 pages with loads of color images, especially of the rare labels of the originals – plus track-by-track notes on every selection, a surprising amount of detail throughout! CDs are divided up into thematic territory – Urban Soul, Group Soul, Southern Soul, and Funky Soul – but things are pretty unified throughout, and all these numbers share a fair amount of grit in the grooves. The set features a whopping 110 tracks in all – and titles include "Funky Bandwgon" by The Essene Brotherhood Band, "FLA" by Noble Watts, "Can You Handle It" by Pep Brown, "I'll Pay You Back" by Magic Sam, "Hep Squeeze" by Mad Dog & The Pups, "The James Brown Bougeloo" by Little Genie Broosk, "I Can't Stop Crying" by Sam Hutchins, "I'm Telling You" by Buddy Grubbs, "Every Ounce Of Strength" by Carla Thomas, "Understanding" by Jackie Avery, "You're Good Enough For Me" by The Versatiles, "She's The One I Love" by The Delacardos, "Got To Be Your Lover" by The Profiles, "But Then You Left Me" by Shades Of Sensation, "Peace Of Mind" by The Vontastics, "My Baby's Gone" by Donald Height, "Do You Know What Life Is All About" by Hoagy Lands, "Love That Guy" by Jackye Owens, and "Love On A Two Way Street" by Lezli Valentine. CD