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Vintage work from Mississippi John Hurt, but somehow amazingly clear and crisp in this classic LP presentation! The tunes are wonderfully earthy – just vocals and guitar from Hurt, in a style that's definitely blues, but which has some surprisingly jazzy inflections at times – at least from the perspective of older-style jazz. Titles include "Candy Man Blues", "Spike Driver Blues", "Big Leg Blues", "Ain't No Tellin", "Frankie", "Nobody's Dirty Business", and "Louis Collins". LP, Vinyl record album

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An incredible record from Mississippi Fred McDowell – a set that was issued on a big label, but which has a wonderfully rootsy feel throughout – in a way that almost out-does any work from the indie blues labels of the time! The package was put together by Tommy Couch as an early Malaco production – but it's even more stripped-down than later blues work from those studios – as it features mostly just Fred on vocals and guitar, introducing himself and his music – then working through these incredible inflections on electric guitar, which are as far from the rockish sound of all the crossover blues that McDowell promises he won't provide in the title! Really timeless stuff, brilliantly recorded – with cuts that include "Red Cross Store", "61 Highway", "Jesus Is On The Mainline", "Kokomo Me Baby", and "Good Morning Little School Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Vintage work from Mississippi Fred McDowell – an album recorded in the mid 60s, but with a feel that's pretty darn timeless overall! Fred sings and plays guitar – the latter often with a cool bottleneck style that slides up and down in a very cool way – matching the energy of Fred's vocals, and underscoring the performance with a hell of a lot of personality too. Anne Mae McDowell joins Fred on side two – which features more spiritual numbers – and titles include "The Girl I'm Loving", "I'm In Jail Again", "Waiting For My Baby", "The Lord Will Make A Way", "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed & Burning", and "Get Right Church". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare recordings of delta blues legend Mississippi John Hurt – captured solo and beautifully well on 3 dates in late 1964, recorded by Gene Rosenthal – with Hurt's distinctive way of a somehow gentle melodic acoustic blues guitar sound, coming from hard-strummed and plucked strings as unvarnished and amazing as can be – and a way with vocals that's just as unique and wonderful! It's got the intimacy of the best field recordings, but the sound quality and John's voice and guitar are in such fine form here, it feels "big" despite being as raw and real as can be. Includes "Slidin' Delta", "Louis Collins", "Staggerlee", "Monday Mornin' Blues", "Comin' Home", "Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor", "You Can't Come In", "Joe Turner", "Lonesome Am I", "Trouble Blues", "Nobody's Dirty Business", "Lovin' Spoonful", "Worried Blues" and "Avalon Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Delta blues, recorded right near their source – an early southern recording by Arhoolie Records – one that captures Mississippi Fred McDowell at his best! Fred's mostly on acoustic guitar, alongside his tremendous vocals – really stretched-out, well-inflected lyrics that could well stand enough on their own – but a few tracks feature a spare electric, sounding almost equally rootsy! Mrs McDowell sings on one track – and titles include "Black Minnie", "Fred's Worried Life Blues", "61 Highway", "I Heard Somebody Call", "My Trouble Blues", and "That's Alright". LP, Vinyl record album

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Rough-edged blues from the Chicago scene – recorded at the end of the 70s, but with a sound that's gritty enough to be from years past! The group's a small one – with Hayes Ware on guitar and vocals, Billy Branch on harmonica, and additional bass and drums – and the tunes are short and to the point, with a small club sort of approach. Titles include "Ghetto Woman", "Blues Rock", "Sound Of The Clock", "Searching For Love", "Gold Mine", and "Fishing". LP, Vinyl record album

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Rare work from Bukka White, Son House, Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Rare 60s field recordings, done in Mississippi by David Evans – with work by Isaac Youngblood, Myrt Holmes, OD Jones, Babe Stovall, Dink Brister, Esau Weary, Roosevelt Holts, and Eli Owens – the last of whom plays a very cool instrument that's like a berimbau! LP, Vinyl record album

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 recordings that first introduced the world to his talents – those delta-raised styles that have an immediate tie back to the early years of blues on 78rpm discs, especially in this session – where RL seems to almost be reaching back further than the style of some of his other recordings of the same period. Titles include "Skinny Woman", "See What My Buddy Done", "Shake Em On Down", "Don't Care How Long You're Gone", "Jumper On The Line", "Long Haired Doney", and "Greyhound Bus Station". LP, Vinyl record album

A crucial slice of work from Jean Bosco Mwenda – a South African singer and guitarist that most folks know from famous Hugh Tracey recordings of the 50s, but who's represented here on a range of early 78rpm singles done for his nation's Gallotone label! The style is very stripped-down on most numbers – just Jean's fantastically melodic guitar playing, wrapped around a rhythmic impulse that's gently emphasized by light percussion, often on a bottle – then matched with the sing-song style of his vocalizations, which have a lyrical power that goes way beyond language. Titles include "Mwami", "Mukabe", "Bibi Mulevi", "Twafurahi Mwaka Mupia", "Kwa Leza", "Kubisha Na Bakubwa", "Ku Budongo", "Kijana Moja", and "Mama Kilio E". LP, Vinyl record album

A great chapter in the career of mighty Portland music force Fred Cole – a group that featured Cole on guitar and vocals in his years between Lollipop Shoppe and Dead Moon! The sound is very much in keeping with the best punk work of the period – particularly that of the Northwest, which really seemed to be working in a special space away from LA and New York touches – both more tuneful and personal on most of the tracks here, which also benefit from great vocals from female singer Toody, who also plays bass. Louis Samora is on drums – and tracks include "Just A Man", "I Want You", "Broken Wire Telephone", "Working Class", "Deterioration", "It's Still You", "Burnside", "Never Coming Home", and "My Tragedy Behind". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from this enigmatic Ethiopian guitarist – a musician whose sound is an important part of the same golden years covered by the Ethiopiques series! Tewolde Redda plays both conventional electric guitar, and an electrified version of the more traditional krar (kirar), which is used here with all of these wonderful lines and sounds – really a much more flexible range than a more conventional guitar – or maybe a bit like a conventional guitar in which someone's really working the whammy bar too! The set brings together some of his most important tracks from the early 70s – singles originally issued on Philips and other labels – with titles that include "Wuba", "Ab Tequai Kerebi", "Kab Nab", "Telsemki", "Gamey", "Monona", "Hidri", and "Kirar Mistequane". Comes with a nice booklet of notes, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Surprisingly beautiful sounds from Space Lady – a long-running street performer from the San Francisco scene – one who's almost to that city what Moondog was to New York in the 50s! Like Moondog, the Space Lady has this under-tapped genius – this spare, simple way of putting together a tune that's partly due to her lack of expanded lineup in the streets – but which also is her way of stripping things down, and reworking them at her own level. In this situation, many of the tunes are familiar rock or soul tracks from years back – re-conceived by the spacey lady with her airy vocals, light rhythms, and trippy work on keyboards – which makes for some mighty weird versions of "Be Thankful For What You Got", "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night", "Across The Universe", "Radar Love", and "The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys". LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful sounds from the enigmatic Space Lady – an artist who mostly performed on the streets of Boston and San Francisco in the 70s, but who also managed to make the handful of recordings featured in this set! The tunes are wonderfully spare, and surprisingly beautiful – often just Casio keyboards with bits of electronic processing, which is also extended to the vocals as well – which links the keys and lyrics in this spacey style that's completely sublime! At some level, Space Lady feels a bit like a street corner version of Laurie Anderson (who herself played many corners in the early years) – but there's also a more tuneful and naive approach to the music as well, which gives the whole thing a really unique approach. LP, Vinyl record album

The largest set so far in this excellent series of American soul releases from Mississippi Records – and like the previous volumes, an expansive set that really digs deep into the most soulful corners of the 60s and 70s! The work here is a mix of obscure tracks and overlooked gems from bigger names in soul – heavy on the kinds of vocals we love from the deep soul generation, but with maybe a few funky touches along the way! As with other volumes, there's a great booklet that's a huge addition to the package – filled with detailed notes – and the 3LP set features 30 tracks that include "Don't Be Surprised" by The Diamonettes, "I'm Lonely For You" by Bettye Swann, "Somewhere Crying" by Irma Thomas, "My Heart Cries For You" by The Invincibles, "Send Her Home To Me" by Johnny Moffett, "Tell Her" by Fred Williams & The Jewel Band, "Get In A Hurry" by Ben E King, "Like A Fish" by George Freeman, "A Woman Will Do Wrong" by Helene Smith, "22nd Century" by Nina Simone, "I'm Hurted" by Mamie Perry, "Can't Go On" by Johnny Steele, "Darling Don't Come Back" by Bobby Thomas & The Afros, "White On Rice" by Clarence Reid, "Louisiana" by Percy Mayfield, "I Submit To You" by Slim & Ann, and "Baby Please Don't Go" by Rose Mitchell. LP, Vinyl record album

Raw sounds from the American underground – a great set of twang-heavy tracks from obscure 45s – most of them with a unique blend of rock and country styles! There's lots of the spirit here of Johnny Burnette – and a few artists actually seem to pay him tribute with their work – but most of the recordings have a rougher style too, with some especially great echoey production on the guitars! Titles include "Willie Joe" by Mystery Trio, "Dark Mood" by Bartlett Brothers & The Country Paupers, "Still As The Night" by Clint Blacklaw, "Kentucky Fandango" by JP Dunn, "Misery" by Jacky Lee, "A Woman's Mind" by Jimmy Merrill, "Ghost Train" by Electro Tones, and "If You Love Me" by Johnny Fortune. LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from one of the greatest Pacific Northwest underground rock bands ever – the raucous and timeless Dead Moon! Raw and rumbling garage, psych and even frayed and ferocious takes plain ol' hard rock get stomped out on Unknown Passage. It was probably all too loose and primitive to get them any kind of mainstream exposure, but man, it's as gratifying as just about any underground rock of the time that comes to mind. Includes "Dead Moon Night", "My Escape", "A Miss Of You", "I'm Wise", "Evil Eye", "I Tried", "Demona", "On My Own" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Folk soul guitar player, singer, songwriter, storyteller and genuine character Abner Jay's brilliant home recordings – the first release of his "terrible comedy blues" in far too long – courtesy of the always deep digging Mississippi label! Abner takes on the topical issues of the days with a skewed sensibility that's brilliant, and his singing, the performances and the recording quality aren't really as rough and raw as you might expect, though nowhere even close to manicured and clean sound – it's just right really for the material. Great stuff! Titles include "I'm So Depressed", "Cocaine", "Vietnam", "St James Infirmary Blues", "Cleo", "Woke Up This Morning", "Don't Mess With My Baby", "I'm Georgia Bound" and "The Reason Young People Use Drugs". LP, Vinyl record album

Haunting Tuareg guitar from Mdou Moctar – an artist who's got a really fuzzy, freaky sort of vibe – a lot more psychedelic than some of his contemporaries on the West African scene! This recent recording has a really timeless feel – with the guitar right out front, in a relatively spare mix that allows the instrument's hypnotic passages to really dominate the record – even at the few points when vocals come into the mix. The low-fi production values make the whole thing feel like some lost late psych album from the US underground – and titles include "Tahoultine", "Mahegega Assouf Igan", "Chet Boghassa", "A Fleur Tamgak", and "Nikali Talit". LP, Vinyl record album

Fred & Toody Cole's long lost country punk album – raw, rollicking and fun stuff from folks responsible for Weeds, Lollipop Shoppe, Rats, Dead Moon, Pierced Arrows and more! A fearless blend of country and punk, not unprecedented in the 80s, but certainly a pregenitor to cowpunk & insurgent country to come – and unreleased until now! Titles include "The Two Of Us", "Thunder Road", "Lonely", "Prison Train", "Honky Tonkin", "Range Rats Theme", "Blues Coming Down", "Vaya Con Dios" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful between-the-wars recordings from the American underground – a mix of blues and gospel sides with a tremendously haunting feel! The set's something of a counterpart to the excellent Life Is A Problem record on Mississippi – and like that one, it's pulled from a range of rare singles that mostly feature spare guitar and vocals – surprisingly powerful stuff, given the recording techniques – and often delivered with a freshness that goes way beyond familiar conceptions you might have about the music. Titles include "Great Reaping Day" by Bessie Johnson, "Promised True & Grand" by Bukka White, "Where The Sun Never Goes Down" by Willie Williams, "Wouldn't Mind Dying" by Blind Mamie Forehand, "Won't That Be A Happy Time" by Louise & Joseph, "Take A Stand" by McIntorsh & Edwards, and "Fight On Your Time Ain't Long" by Bo Weavil Jackson. LP, Vinyl record album

Haunting work from the hillbilly underground at the end of the 50s – music that's a bit rock, a bit country, and often has the haunting feel you'd expect from the title! The tracks are very well-chosen – pulled from a range of indie label singles that we never would have stumbled upon otherwise – all in territory that feels even more deeply-dug than the music we love on a good Bear Family compilation! Titles include "Walking The Streets After Dark" by Willie Hays, "Ghost Memories" by Gene McKown, "Fool Fool Fool" by Bill Whitley, "Cravin" by Bobby Roberts, "Sunset Blues" by Tony & Jackie Lamie, "Waiting For A Train" by Blankenship Brothers, and "Three Years" by Harold L & The Offbeats. LP, Vinyl record album

Dead Moon's third album – bursting into the 90s with Defiance – a record that arrived when some fellow Pacific Northwest underground rockers were getting ready to be flung head first into the mainstream, but DM remained defiantly underground! Even though this third album, they were garage veterans with root in the late 60s. It's amazing who raw, primordial and true to their own style. It's like they got gnarlier as they went on rather then going pop. Includes "Not The Only One", "Dagger Moon", "Revenge", "Johnny's Got A Gun", "Unknown Passage" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Kind of silly – but also pretty darn hip! Nancy Dupree was one of the most righteous music teachers you could ever have – and here, she's working with some young kids from the rough side of Rochester, in an album of simple tunes that have a surprisingly soulful edge to them. Nancy plays piano, and the kids sing either solo or in ensemble format. The record's got a starkness that's extremely compelling, and it's a lot stronger than we expected, even if it's not like some of the funky stuff on the Folkways label. Includes a song called "James Brown" that has all the kids making grunts and groans ala 60s James, then singing about his shift from a process to an afro! Other titles include "I Want", "What Do I Have?", "Bag Snatchin", and "Docta King". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful set of solo piano work by Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou – pulled from one of the CDs in the Ethiopiques series of compilations, and probably the most delicately melodic material in the series! Pianist-composer Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou has an extraordinary personal history – she is a daughter of the heralded Ethiopian intellectual the Kentiba Guebrou, and lived many years as a nun who recorded rarely, and then only as a means to serve the poor. The solo piano compositions in this set were culled from rare albums recorded in the early 60s and 70s, plus a few later recordings from the early 90s. The music is gorgeous and difficult to describe – sweetly somber, melancholy, and befitting the solo performances. Titles include "Presentiment", "The Homeless Wanderer", "The Last Tears Of The Deceased", "Mad Man's Laughter", and "A Young Girl's Complaint". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful set of solo piano work by Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou – probably the most delicately melodic material to date in the wonderful Ethiopiques series! Pianist-composer Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou has an extraordinary personal history. She is a daughter of the heralded Ethiopian intellectual the Kentiba Guebrou, and lived many years as a nun who recorded rarely, and then only as a means to serve the poor. The solo piano compositions in this set were culled from rare albums recorded in the early 60s and 70s, plus a few later recordings from the early 90s. The music is gorgeous and difficult to describe – sweetly somber, melancholy, and befitting the solo performances. It's another wholly unique, timeless collection of music in this essential series! Tracks include "Mother's Love", "Golgotha", "The Jordan River Song", "The Song Of Abayi", "The Garden Of Gethesemanie", and "Tenkoyu Why Feel Sorry". (LP features most of the material on the CD Ethiopiques Vol 21.) LP, Vinyl record album

Astonishing work from Alexis Zoumbas – a Greek musician from the early days of the 78rpm recording, and one who plays violin with the dexterity of Paganini, but in ways that are much more rootsy and fokloric overall! Zoumbas' classic 78s have recently gotten new attention on an excellent compilation – but this set brings together unissued material from the same time – a huge undertaking, given that the recordings are almost 100 years old, but come through with a surprising amount of life here – as Alexis' deft solos on his instrument blend with a bit of percussion, piano, or other instrumentation – depending on the track – all with a timeless vibe that's expanded on nicely in the detailed booklet of notes and photos. Titles include "Selfo", "Arvanitikos", "Skizo Rizo Mor Panaghio", "Epirotiko Moiroloi", "Tsamiko Makedonias", and "Rast Taxim". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual slice of music from the southern African scene of the postwar years – sounds from a strange wave of cowboy-inspired music in Zimbabwe and South Africa – but with results that are completely unique! Many of these guys actually wore cowboy hats and played acoustic guitar – but the sounds are very different than American hillbilly records from the period – in part because the presentation and production are different, as is the language – but also because the guitar is used in ways that would evolve into more familiar African styles in later decades – echoes of Malian blues, highlife rhythms, and other modes. But at the same time, there actually is a bit of yodel on some of the songs, as indicated by the title – an undeniable Jimmie Rogers influence – in a set of tracks that includes work by Sammy Nagaku, Clarkson Sithole, Josaya Hadebe, Petrus Mntambo, Mathew Jeffries, George Sibanda, Sabelo Mathe, and Michael Majozi. LP, Vinyl record album

Late 80s garage-psych-punk from Dead Moon – their first album ever and a record that fuses decades of trashy rock into a unique frenzy that's beloved to the privileged and relative few who know it and love it! It's important to consider what underground music sounded like in the late 80s in general to fully appreciate the prescience of Dead Moon and the past history of the players – who are more akin the late 60s TX psych than most things bubbling under the surface in the 80s. Includes "Graveyard", "Out On A Wire", "Where Did I Go Wrong", "I Hate The Blues", "Don't Burn The Fires" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Early work from Ted Nugent – working here as the searing lead guitarist of the mighty Amboy Dukes! The Nuge doesn't sing on the set, but his guitar is definitely in the spotlight on most numbers – ripping out with a rawness that beats his later superstar work, and which is free to freak out nicely in this set of psyche-heavy sounds from the Mainstream label at the height of their late 60s greatness. Side one features a number of shorter Nugent-penned tunes, and side two is a slightly more complicated offering – a bit of a concept piece, with tracks that form a story over the side of the record. Titles include "Flight Of The Byrd", "Mississippi Murderer", "Dr Slingshot", "Scottish Tea", "I'll Prove I'm Right", "Conclusion", "Why Is A Carrot More Orange Than An Orange", and "Ivory Castles". LP, Vinyl record album

Compelling work from Andreus – an underground Chicago singer with a very unique approach! Andreus is really trying for the "street" in the title of this one – blending a smoother NuSoul mode with some heavier and more political influences. The result is a mixture of R&B, hip hop, and some classic styles that help situate the album in a Chicago soul trajectory that stretches back to the early days of Curtom. Titles include "Who Am I", "Daddy Please", "Child Of Life", "Hey Young World", "Mary Ann", "Ghetto Music", and "For The Love Of Money". The US version of the CD also includes the bonus UK mix of "Mississippi". CD

Astoundingly strong early recordings by Mississippi blues hero RL Burnside – with violence-tinged songs performed with a clearer, though no less tough voice than we heard on the songs that made him a bit more famous in 1990s! Includes RL's takes on traditionals played on acoustic guitar and accompanied by little more than foot stomps and handclaps! Really vital stuff, whether you're hearing RL Burnside for the first time, and finding this after more famous later recordings. Includes "Just Like A Bird Without A Feather", "Goin' Down South", "Come On In", "Rollin' And Tumblin'", "Jumper On The Line", "Hobo Blues", "Sat Down On My Bnd And Cried" and more, LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning standout from Ray Charles' years on ABC Records – and a set that brings in a bit of hard-swinging jazz to the country-styled groove Ray was hitting at the time! Backings are by Ralph Burns, who keeps things pretty hip – not as modern as some of his 50s charts for other singers, but with some great horns that cascade beautifully alongside Ray's raspy vocals in the lead. The "road" title leads to a bunch of travel-themed tunes – but that approach also yields one of Charles' biggest classics – his version of "Georgia On My Mind" – heard here amidst other tracks that include "New York's My Home", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Deep In The Heart Of Texas", "Blue Hawaii", "Carry Me Back To Old Virginny", "Alabamy Bound", and "Mississippi Mud". LP, Vinyl record album

A second fantastic set from this Mississippi gospel trio – and one that mixes their heavenly vocals with a bit of Daptone Records funk! The set's produced by Bosco Mann, who also plays bass in the quartet that backs up the singers – and the groove is raw and gritty, with a vibe that almost makes you feel like you stumbled upon some unreleased master tapes from the 70s in the vaults of Excello Records! There's few folks we could ever trust to get a gospel funk record this right – and the use of the vocals is tremendous along with the grooves – really stepping out on cuts that include "Move Upstairs", "Out Of The Wilderness", "99 & A Half Won't Do", "I Can't Thank Him Enough", "He's Mine", and "So Good To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Another pretty great set from Dobie, and actually with a bit less of a country soul feel and a bigger, more freewheeling sound overall – some big horn section- backed tunes, to grittier soul, to more laidback numbers. Includes "Hey Dixie", "How Can You Live All Alone", "Watch Out For Lucy", "Roll On Sweet Mississippi", Allen Toussaint's "Performance" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Rare late recordings from the great Son House – a key figure in the early blues scene in the Mississippi Delta, but heard here during some at-home sessions recorded during his rediscovery in the 60s! House has lost none of his power over the years – and, if anything, the passage of time has really sharpened the sense of humanity in his music, and improved his work on guitar – to a point where even the spare choices of notes seem to be right on the money to illuminate the words of the songs. Most tracks are originals – and titles include "Pony Blues", "A Down The Staff", "The DT Moan", "Trouble Blue", "Lake Cormorant Blues", "Milkcow's Calf Blues", "Rochester Blues", and "Hobo". LP, Vinyl record album

A real change for Chuck Jackson! This album is the singer's first on Motown – and it's a striking departure from his earlier work on the Wand label, which was often done in a classier, more polished soul style that was more in keeping with the uptown mode of Wand's New York production. This one's in a much deeper soul style – with elements of southern production, and more of a hard soul sound that brings out a raspy edge in Chuck's vocals, and makes him sound a bit like Tyrone Davis. He covers tracks like "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever", "Can I Change My Mind", and "The Chokin Kind" – very much in the manner of the original rougher soul versions. In fact, the "Goin' Back to Jackson" tag seems to be a reference to the south – or at least to the "Jackson", Mississippi that was often referenced in that 60s song. Other tracks include "You Keep Running Away", "Are You Lonely For Me", "Can You Feel It, Babe", and "The Day My World Stood Still". LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing set from Little Richard – a stunning comeback session from the start of the 70s – recorded at Muscle Shoals with a heavy funk component in the mix! Richard arranged and produced the record himself – and it's a beautiful illustration of his genius – hardly dimmed at this point in his career, and if anything, really redefined for a new generation – with some razor-sharp grooves that are perfect for his hard-wailing vocals! The title cut – "The Rill Thing" – is a monster 10 minute instrumental jam, with a heavy funk sound that you can't even begin to imagine – and the rest of the set is pretty amazing too, with tracks that include "Spreadin' Natta What's The Matter", "Freedom Blues", "Two Time Loser", "Somebody Saw You", "Lovesick Blues", and "Greenwood Mississippi". LP, Vinyl record album

A stellar collective from Chicago's folk and roots community comes together as On Big Shoulders – leaning on the city's underacknowledged roots music legacy on one shoulder and nudging the door open to the scene's future with the other – and distill a near century of diverse musical history into a fresh and timeless batch of tunes! The songbook they pull from is by Chicago songwriters past and present and southern roots pioneers who recorded in the city back in the day. Chicago's blues, soul and R&B bonafides might be set in stone, but not everyone knows that country and bluegrass trailblazers The Delmore Brothers, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and many more recorded songs in Chicago that came to personify country music. On Big Shoulders does a great job of putting a fresh spin on it all – folk, country, bluegrass and blues together – in a cohesive way thanks to a core band and guests who can really do it all with heart and soul! Includes timeless takes on old school tunes like "Heavy Traffic Ahead", "I'm Mississippi Bound" and "Long Tall Mama", contemporary songs penned by John Stirratt of Uncle Tupelo & Wilco, Robbie Fulks others, including "It's Just That Simple" and "How Lonely Can You Be" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Key proof that great songs never get old – and maybe even more, that the political messages of yesterday still have plenty of power today! Drummer Ulysses Owens mines the righteous territory of the 60s and 70s here – bringing together songs originally performed by Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln, and Joni Mitchell – all with a fresher, more contemporary approach that resonates surprisingly strongly – especially given the superb vocals on the album by Rene Marie, Theo Bleckmann, Alicia Olatuja, and Joanna Majoko! You'll no doubt know some of these songs – and most of the originals have been inspiring us for many years – but Owens finds a great way to open them up and make them sound even more vibrant, working with a group that also includes Allyn Johnson on Fender Rhodes and Hammond, David Rosenthal on guitars, and Reuben Rogers on bass. Titles include "Balm In Gilead", "Borderline", "Driva Man", "Baltimore", "Everything Must Change", "Freedom Day", "Be My Husband", "Mississippi Goddamn", and "Both Sides Now". CD

Classic collection of Jimmy's hard rockin' R&B with a 10 great numbers from Reed: "Baby What You Want Me To Do", "Honest I Do", "Take Out Some Insurance", "Big Boss Man", "Caress Me Baby", "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby", "The Sun Is Shining", "Down In Mississippi", "Bright Lights Big City", "Outskirts Of Town" and "Mary, Mary". LP, Vinyl record album

A contemporary group, but one who play with a definite old school vibe – both in the style of their gritty blues, and even in the instruments and studio equipment they use! The vintage gear makes for a nicely raspy approach to the music – one that really helps give the record an edge you might not expect. Studebaker John sings, plays guitar and harmonica, and titles include "Cold Black Night", "Wicked Soul", "Shake It Down Now", "She's All Right", "Mississippi To Chicago", and "Mojo Hand". CD

One of the best Rufus Thomas albums from the 70s – a key record from his comeback years, and one that has him trading in his older R&B mode for a harder, funkier Memphis groove! Rufus was 52 at the time, but thanks to a never-dying fire, and some great youthful arrangements, the set crackles with a raw intensity that put him at the top of the funky Stax for the time! The set includes the massive comeback hit "Funky Chicken", plus a sublime remake of "Sixty Minute Man" – done in a slow and funky mode that rolls on for lover 7 minutes in all! Other tracks include "Soul Food", "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown", "Turn Your Damper Down", and remakes of "The Preacher & The Bear" and "Bearcat". And dang! There's a huuuuuge amount of bonus tracks here too – funky Stax singles from the early 70s – including "Funky Mississippi", "So Hard To Get Along With", "Funky Way", "I Want To Hold You", "Itch & Scratch (parts 1 & 2)", and "Boogie Ain't Nuttin (parts 1 & 2)". CD

The funkiest man? Could well be – and this set will more than support that case! By the time of these recordings, Rufus Thomas was already a legendary figure in the Memphis scene – an aging R&B star that also worked on radio and did a fair bit of promotion for other artists, including daughter Carla. At the end of the 60s, Stax brought him into the studio with the idea of pumping up his sound a bit – adding in some of the newer funky styles, which proved to be a perfect fit for Rufus' rough-hewn style of vocals. Tracks on the set feature a number of classic singles from these years, plus a few unissued numbers – with an all funky track list that includes "Funkiest Man Alive", "Give Me The Green Light", "Itch & Scratch", "Turn Your Damper Down", "Funky Hot Grits", "I'm Getting Better", "Sophisticated Sissy", "Funky Mississippi", "Git On Up & Do It", "The Breakdown (part 1)", "Push & Pull (part 1)", "Do The Double Bump", "Funky Robot (part 1)", "Memphis Train 75", and "Funky Bird". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of classic CTI Records albums from tenorist Stanley Turrentine – with bonus tracks too! First up is Cherry – one of the best CTI albums from the early 70s – and one of Stanley Turrentine's funkiest records as well! The album's got a sharper edge than most other Turrentine albums of the time – a quality that goes beyond Stan's already soulful approach to the tenor, and which brings in some tight changes and more pronounced rhythms that really give the best cuts a great groove! The group's a sextet – with Bob James on electric piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Cornell Dupree on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums – and titles include a monster version of Weldon Irvine's "Sister Sanctified" – a great funk tune that's probably best known as the sample for "My Philosophy" by BDP! Other tracks include "Speedball", "Cherry", and "The Revs". On Don't Mess With Mister T, Stanley Turrentine meets Bob James – on a record that's one of the 70s classics on CTI! Bob James handles the arrangements – with that laidback, mellowfunky approach to jazz that he helped pioneer at the time – lots of modal chords in the rhythms, and these wonderfully soulful solos by the great Stan himself! James plays keyboards on the set – and Harold Mabern adds some piano too – and the lineup also includes the mighty Eric Gale on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums. Titles include the great title cut – a remake of Marvin Gaye's "Don't Mess With Mister T", plus "Too Blue", "Two For T", and "I Could Never Repay Your Love". Sugar Man is a classic set from Stanley "Sugar Man" Turrentine – a nickname the reedman had at the time, given the success of his famous CTI Records version of "Sugar"! This set follows in that same great mode – jazzy, but a bit funky too – although couched with this gentle sense of soul that's perfect for that spacious style of soloing that Turrentine perfected over the years – a way of blowing openly, and without too much fuss – but managing to hit all the right notes along the way! There's a great glow to the whole record – an excellent easygoing sense of soul – and titles include an incredible reading of "Vera Cruz", done with Deodato on piano, and at a breakaway speed that's just great, and worth the price of the record alone! Other tracks feature piano by Harold Mabern or organ by Butch Cornell – and titles include "The Stretch", "Just As I Am", and "Pieces Of Dreams". Bonus tracks include "The More I See You", "Don't Mess With Mister T (alt)", "Mississippi City", and "Harlem Dawn". CD

Sonny Boy Williamson on vocals and harmonica – in a set of small group recordings done in Mississippi! CD

Sonny Boy Williamson on vocals and harmonica – in a set of small group recordings done in Mississippi! LP, Vinyl record album

Rare material from the early 78rpm blues years – work by Mississippi John Hurt, Mr Freddie Spruell, Ki Ki Johnson, Blind Bobby Baker, Willie Reed, Sluefoot Joe, and Frenchy's String Band! LP, Vinyl record album

A key late 60s country crossover set, but one that also inspired a fair bit of funk as well! The title cut's a well-known gem – one that's been covered instrumentally in some break-heavy versions, but which sounds even more amazing here in Bobbie's original version – one of the moodiest pop tunes we've ever heard, with lyrics, and a way of presenting them, that still leaves us breathless all these many years later. There's also some other funky bits here too – Gentry's raspy "Mississippi Delta" – an original number that almost seems to unseat Tina Turner for down-home soul – and the groovy "Sunday Best", "Niki Hoeky", "Papa Won't You Let Me Go To Town With You", and "Chickasaw Country Child", all numbers that echo the same lilting acoustic guitar grooves of "Billie Joe". LP, Vinyl record album