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BLUES & GOSPEL
Big Walter Horton -> Mark Hummell

BIG WALTER HORTON
SON HOUSE
THE HOUSE ROCKERS
BEE HOUSTON
FRANK HOVINGTON
CAMILLE HOWARD
ROSETTA HOWARD
PEG LEG HOWELL & EDDIE ANTHONY
HOWLIN' WOLF
JOE "GUITAR" HUGHES
HELEN HUMES
MARK HUMMEL
 

 

BIG WALTER HORTON Ace CDCH 252 Mouth Harp Maestro ● CD $18.98
A superb collection featuring all the recordings made by this giant of post-war blues harmonica at Memphis' Sun studios in 1951, including previously unissued songs and alternate takes. Accompaniment is provided by down home southerners Joe Hill Louis (gtr & drms), Calvin Newbern (gtr), Phineas Newborn (pno), Willie Nix (drms) and Howlin' Wolf's guitarist Willie Johnson. The CD is rounded out with 3 rare Memphis recordings of Jim Lockhart and Alfred Harris. (FS)
WALTER HORTON: Black Gal/ Blues In The Morning/ Boogie Woogie Boogie/ Cotton Patch Hot Foot/ Go Long Woman/ Hard Hearted Woman/ Jumpin' Blues/ Little Boy Blue/ Little Boy Blue/ Miss Darling/ Now Tell Me Baby/ Sufficient Clothes/ Walter's Blues/ Walter's Blues/ What's The Matter With You/ What's The Matter With You

 
BIG WALTER HORTON Alligator 4702 Big Walter Horton ● CD $17.98
One of his best solo albums with second harp by Carey Bell on some tracks plus accompaniments by Eddie Taylor, Joe Harper and Frank Swan.
WALTER HORTON: Can't Hold Out Much Longer/ Christine/ Have A Good Time/ Have Mercy/ Little Boy Blue/ Lovin' My Baby/ Tell Me Baby/ Temptation Blues/ That Ain't It/ Trouble In Mind/ Under The Sun

 
BIG WALTER HORTON Blind Pig 70678 Fine Cuts ● CD $16.98
Excellent sides.

 
BIG WALTER HORTON Blind Pig 71484 Can't Keep Lovin' You ● CD $16.98
An outstanding set of recordings. All cuts feature John Nicholas on guitar - some feature a tough full band, one features added drummer only and three feature duets with Walter & John. These recordings along with his Alligator album are probably his best 70s recordings.
WALTER HORTON: Can't Keep Lovin' You/ Careless Love/ Gettin' Outta Town/ Hard Hearted Woman/ Honeydripper/ Skip It/ Sugar Mama/ Tin Pan Alley/ Walter's Boogie/ West Wind

 
BIG WALTER HORTON JSP JSPCD 2305 Blues Harmonica Giant ● CD $25.98
Fabulous three CD set devoted to one of the greatest postwar blues harmonica players and one of the few rivals to Little Walter in playing ability though, unfortunately, he wasn't the singer that Little Walter was. The first disc and part of the second features all the recordings made between 1951 and 1956 under his own name including many tunes and alternate takes not originally issued. The rest of the second disc features his work as an accompanying musician - first in Memphis behind performers like Joe Hill Louis, Mose Vinson and Willie Nix and subsequently in Chicago where he accompanies Johnny Shines, Tampa Red and Sunnyland Slim. The third CD is the first CD release of JSP 1071 featuring a live set from 1973 with Carey Bell on harmonica and some vocals and John Nicholas on guitar.

 
BIG WALTER HORTON & ALFRED "BLUES KING" HARRIS Delmark 712 Harmonica Blues Kings ● CD $11.98
16 tracks, 47 mins, highly recommended Reissue of Pearl 12 with 3 bonus unissued alternate takes. A marvelous collection of harmonica blues recorded for the States and United labels of Chicago in 1954. 8 tracks feature the brilliant Walter Horton in his prime - two songs under his name (plus alternate takes of each song) and four accompanying urban blues singer Tommy Brown including the classic Southern Woman which features some of Walter's best playing. There are two previously unissued cuts from the Brown session. The other 8 sides featuring the brilliant but mysterious Alfred Harris - a fine rural sounding harmonica player accompanied by a lovely down home group .Only two tracks from this session were ever issued - the superb Gold Digger and Blues & Trouble featuring vocals by drummer James Bannister. The other five tracks (plus one alternate) feature vocals by Harris - an excellent and very country blues sounding singer. Sound is excellent and there are informative notes by the always reliable Jim O'Neal. (FS)

 
BIG WALTER HORTON & FRIENDS Topcat 7082 Bocce Boogie ● CD $14.98
15 tracks, highly recommended
Superb live set recorded at the Bocce club in Rhode Island in 1978. Big Walter was one of the greatest blues harmonica players of all time and here he is joined by his frequent playing companions at the time - Johnny Nicholas/ vocals & guitar, Ronnie Earl/ guitar, Ted Harvey/ drums and others. Walter takes the vocal or instrumental lead on nine of the tracks featuring his rich and distinctive horn like harmonica work and show why his playing is idolized by generations of harmonica players. He also provides fine accompaniments to Sugar Ray Norcia and Johnny Nicholas on their solo outings. Tunes include Every Day I have The Blues/ Trouble In Mind/ My Babe (I think this is the only recording of Horton performing the theme song of his leading rival Little Walter)/ That's Why I'm Cryin'/ La Cucaracha/ Baby Please Don't Go/ Little Bitty Girl and others. These recordings were made on a portable tape recorder with one mike so sound quality is not outstanding but the music more than makes up for it. Horton was so good you just can't have too much of him. (FS)

 
SON HOUSE Biograph BCD 118 Delta Blues - Original Library Of Congress Sessions ● CD $15.98
This set features 15 of the superb sides Son recorded for the Library Of Congress in 1941 and '42. All these tracks plus four more were previously reissued on Travelin' Man CD 02  and although the sound here is somewhat improved it's not enough to warrant replacing that with this reissue. (FS)
SON HOUSE: Am I Right Or Wrong/ American Defense/ Country Farm Blues/ Delta Blues/ Depot Blues/ Government Fleet Blues/ Levee Camp Blues/ Low Down Dirty Dog Blues/ Shetland Pony Blues/ Special Rider Blues/ The Jinx Blues/ The Jinx Blues/ The Pony Blues/ Walking Blues/ Walking Blues

 
SON HOUSE Columbia C2K 48867 Father Of The Delta Blues : The Complete 1965 Sessions ● CD $21.98
Son House's 1965 Columbia recordings  have been one of our most requested blues items. The essential 9-song set is reissued here with a second CD of 7 unissued songs and 5 alternate takes from this monumental three-day session! Featured on the first disc is a remake of the classic Preachin' Blues (Paramount 13013 - 1930), along with songs not previously recorded by him until he returned to touring in the 60's. Also included are the chugging Empire State Express accompanied on second guitar by the late Al Wilson, a visceral acapella performance of Grinning In Your Face, the gritty gospel of John The Revelator and the beautiful Sundown/ Louise McGhee. Death Letter/ Levee Camp Moan reprise lyrical ideas from his original Paramount and Library Of Congress recordings of the 30's and 40's. Dick Waterman's liner notes are left off, but Lawrence Cohn's narratives substitute nicely. The rarities on the second disc are more of a mixed bag, but there are many which no serious blues lover should be without. The alternates of Death Letter/ Levee Camp Moan/ Grinnin'/ John The Revelator/ Preachin' Blues sound very good to me, and certainly aren't lacking for expression or inspiration. A couple of the unreleased songs are letdowns - President Kennedy is a tentative topical song, and fatigue is setting in on Shake It And Break It. A Down The Staff contains no new revelations, but is a passionate blues with unusual lyrics and anguished vocals. Motherless Children is done in stark, archaic Delta style with ghostly slide, while Yonder Comes My Mother is pure rural gospel, with Wilson's guitar reinforcing a quavering theme. Pony Blues was done by Son in 1942 - this rendition is strong vocally, and the guitar drives it hard. There must have been some reason why it was withheld, but I can't hear it! And Downhearted Blues is a triumph of spine-chilling vocal intensity, reprising some strains of Louise McGhee. Sound quality is more than just clear, it's nearly lifelike. The guitar sounds close enough to touch, and every detail of the voice which inspired Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters (and their many imitators) is preserved with uncanny realism. If you have the Johnson box, or any pre-war Delta blues record for that matter, you owe it to yourself to get this priceless slice of history. (MB)
SON HOUSE: A Down The Staff/ Death Letter/ Death Letter/ Downhearted Blues/ Empire State Express/ Grinnin' In Your Face/ Grinnin' In Your Face/ John The Revelator/ John The Revelator/ Levee Camp Moan/ Levee Camp Moan/ Louise McGhee/ Motherless Children/ Pearline/ Pony Blues/ Preachin' Blues/ Preachin' Blues/ President Kennedy/ Shake It And Break It/ Sundown/ Yonder Comes My Mother

 
SON HOUSE Document DOCD 5148 At Home - The Legendary 1969 Rochester Sessions ● CD $15.98
13 tracks, 79 min., good
Toward the end of his rediscovery period Son House made these home recordings for Steve Lobb. The guitar-accompanied songs are clearly inferior to his 1965 Columbia session, as time had taken its toll, slowing down his once-nimble fingers. And the guitar isn't too well recorded either. I was impressed by the five vocal solos; stark Delta echoes that are equally hypnotic and melancholy. Son's voice trembles and mumbles a bit, but can still send a chill up the spine, especially on the favorite Grinnin' In Your Face, accompanied by tambourine. The 20-minute Son's Blues will interest hard-core fans. (MB)

 
SON HOUSE Document DOCD 5663 Live At The Gaslight Cafe ● CD $15.98
12 tracks, 58 mins, recommended
The master of Mississippi Delta blues recorded live at the Gaslight Cafe in New York on January 3, 1965 not too long after his rediscovery. Son is in good, if not great, form on a collection of mostly familiar pieces - Pony Blues/ Preachin' The Blues/ Son's Blues/ Death Letter Blues/ I Shall Not Be Moved/ Empire State Express/ Louise McGhee and others. Son's performances on the first set seem a little tentative but are stronger and more assured on the second. A couple of the songs are cut short (presumably recorder ran out of tape) and there is noticeable tape hiss on the quieter moments but this is a worthwhile if not essential addition to recordings available of this great artist. (FS)
SON HOUSE: Death Letter Blues./ Empire State Express/ I Shall Not Be Moved/ Levee Camp Moan/ Louise McGhee/ Motherless Children/ Pearline/ Pony Blues/ Preachin' The Blues/ Son's Blues/ This Little Light Of Mine/ Yonder Comes My Mother (When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder)

 
SON HOUSE Shout Factory 30251 Heroes Of The Blues - The Very Best Of Son House ● CD $12.98
16 tracks, 50 minutes, recommended
Son House was easily one of the most impassioned performers in the long history of blues. Whether listening to his few Paramount sides waxed in 1930, his Library Of Congress recordings from 1941 and '42, or sessions from his comeback in the 1960s, he could captivate with little more than a word, phrase, or slashing burst of slide guitar. My Black Mama Part 1/ Walking Blues/ Dry Spell Blues date from 1930, while the middle ten tracks are Library Of Congress recordings including the harrowing County Farm Blues plus Shetland Pony Blues/ Depot Blues/ Am I Right Or Wrong and others (some with a small string band), and the final three from 1965 shortly after his rediscovery including the brilliant Empire State Express. The power in Son House's voice is next to impossible to describe, but suffice it to say it has enthralled listeners for decades, and will for many more. (CR)
SON HOUSE: Am I Right Or Wrong/ American Defense/ Country Farm Blues/ Delta Blues/ Depot Blues/ Dry Spell Blues/ Empire State Express/ Grinnin' In Your Face/ John The Revelator/ Levee Camp Blues/ My Black Mama Part 1/ Shetland Pony Blues/ Special Rider Blues/ Walking Blues/ Walking Blues (death Letter)/ Walking Blues (unissued Test)

 
SON HOUSE Travelin' Man 02 The Complete Library Of Congress Sessions ● CD $18.98
Re-release of CD originally issued in 1997. These recordings are truly magnificent. Eddie "Son" House was one of the greatest Mississippi Delta bluesmen - a ferocious singer and a stirring slide guitarist. He was at his prime when these recordings were collected by Alan Lomax in 1941 and 1942 for the Library Of Congress. Most of them were previously issued on Folklyric 9002 and the rest on Flyright 541 but this CD collects them all in chronological order. The first 7 tracks are with a wonderful string band featuring Willie Brown/ gtr, Fiddlin' Joe Martin/ mandolin & Leroy Williams/ harmonica who urge Son along with joyous shouts and additional vocalising. The other 12 are just Son alone with his steel bodied National guitar. Although the CD reissue doesn't improve too much on the sound of the deteriorated acetates used it is wonderful to have all this classic material in one place. (FS)

 
THE HOUSE ROCKERS Wolf 120.300 Have Some Fun ● CD $15.98

 
BEE HOUSTON Arhoolie 9008 The Hustler ● CD $9.98
CD issue of Arhoolie 1050 with bonus unissued cuts including one where Bee accompanies Big Mama Thornton.
BEE HOUSTON: Any Time/ Any Time/ Be Proud To Be A Black Man/ Blues For Rupez (D Flat Blues)/ Break Away/ Busy Bee/ Charlie's Bag/ Do It Easy/ Don't Take Your Love From Me*/ Freddy's Bag/ Lovesick Man/ Lovesick Man*/ Never/ The Hustler/ Things Gonna Get Better/ Things Gonna Get Better/ When I Go Out/ Woke Up This Morning (Vocal/ You Think I'm Your Good Thing

 
FRANK HOVINGTON Flyright 66 Gone With The Wind ● CD $16.98
19 tracks, 73 mins, highly recommended
Delaware is not usually thought of as a home of country bluesmen but Frank Hovington was a wonderful exception. Frank was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1919 but he and his family moved to Frederica, Delaware when he was young and, except for several years in Washington, DC, he lived most of his life in Delaware (he died in 1982). When he was young he came under the influence of several local musicians who were originally from North Carolina and Virginia and developed into a fine musician. Although he played regularly he never made music his career and was reluctant to appear in public and only made a handful of recordings, most of them are featured here. Many of these recordings were issued on long out of print albums on Flyright, Rounder & Library Of Congress so this CD issue, which includes some previously unissued material, is most welcome. Frank was a superb singer with a warm engaging style and an outstanding guitarist whose playing is strongly influenced by the Piedmont style but has lots of individualistic touches. His material is mostly traditional (Lonesome Road Blues/ Diggin' My Potatoes/ John Henry/ Mean Old Frisco, etc) along with original songs (Gone With The Wind/ Sing Sing Blues, etc) with strong traditional elements. A couple of tracks feature Frank playing some banjo. Frank was a signcant discovery and well worth a listen - particularly for fans of Piedmont guitar styles. (FS)

 
CAMILLE HOWARD Specialty 7062 Vol. 2 : X-Temporaneous Boogie ● CD $14.98
25 tracks, 63 min., recommended
With this volume 2 we have nearly the complete Specialty sides of singer/ pianist Camille Howard (b. 1914) available on CD. Her piano is featured on all tracks except two where Willard McDaniel sits in on Everything He Lacks and Nobody Else - both previously unissued and sounding very much like a Ruth Brown session. Those of us who are fans of Roy Milton know exactly what a great player she is, especially playing boogie woogie. At least 6 of the titles here were recorded during Roy Milton sessions, including the famous X-Temporaneous Boogie, said to be recorded just 5 minutes before the January 1/1949 record ban. Highlights from the 20 previously unissued tracks include guitarist Roy Rogers' solo on Ivory & Pick Boogie, and the slow blues instrumental, Sutherland Blues. (EL)

 
ROSETTA HOWARD RST Records JPCD 1514 Complete Recorded Works, 1939-1947 ● CD $15.98
21 tracks, 61 mins, very good
Rosetta Howard was a powerful and expressive vocalist who recorded in the late 30s and mid 40s with several jazz flavored groups. Her 20 sides from 1937 and '38 with the Harlem Hamfats are avilable on three of the Harlem Hamfats reissues on Document (5272, 5273 & 5274). This set focusses on her later recordings from 1939 and '47. There are two 1937 sessions - one with the Harlem Blues Serenaders (Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Lil ARmstrong, etc) and one with a group including Henry "Red" Allen, Barney Bigard, etc. In 1947 she cut three sessions - two with the excellent BIg Three Trio (Willie Dixon, Leonard Caston, etc) who provide very effective vocal group accompaniment as well as instrumental on cuts like I Keep On Worrying/ When I Been Drinking/ Help Me Baby and other. Her last session from December 1947 features a larger group of Chicago stalwarts Big Bill Broonzy, Bob Call, Sax Mallard and others. Songs include Come Easy Go Easy/ My Downfall/ Men Are Like Street Cars/ Ebony Rhapsody/ Help Me Baby/ Too Many Drivers/ Plough Hand Blues, etc. Good sound and decent notes from Victor Pearlin. (FS)

 
HOWLIN' WOLF Bear Family BCD 15460 Memphis Days : The Definitive Edition, Vol 1 ● CD $21.98
Fantastic collection of 21 tracks recorded in Sam Phillips' studios in Memphis in 1951 and 1952. It's amazing when listening to these performances to realize that not a single one was originally issued! Most of them resurfaced some years ago on various Charly albums but this CD issue also features previously unissued versions of six songs including Oh Red/ Come Back Home/How Many More Years, etc. These early recordings feature Wolf at his most ferocious with a great collection of songs featuring Wolf's vocals accompanied by a hard driving band with the shattering guitar of Willie Johnson and the knocked out piano of Albert Williams or William Johnson plus drums and occasional horn. With the exception of two tracks drawn from a rather worn acetate the sound on this collection is stunning with a great presence that brings out all the force of Wolf's vocals and Johnson's over amplified guitar. The set has full discographical information, informative notes by Colin Escott and a startling early photo of Wolf in a grocery store dwarfing the electric guitar he is holding! Absolutely essential!  (FS)

 
HOWLIN' WOLF Bear Family BCD 15500 Memphis Days ● CD $21.98
This 19 track collection features the remaining sides cut by the Wolf at Sam Phillips Memphis Recording Studios in 1951 and 1952. It includes the first sides that Phillips sold to Chess including such classics as How Many More Years/ Saddle My Pony/ My Last Affair/ Gettin' Old And Grey and his version of the old blues favorite Oh Red with unexpected but very effective trombone and tenor sax added. There are more great tracks not originally issued plus some previously unissued alternate takes. More tremendously exciting and essential blues recordings. (FS)

 
HOWLIN' WOLF Chess CHD 9297 The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions ● CD $10.98
Well worth picking up to hear the Wolf (and Hubert Sumlin) teaching the kiddies all 'bout those evil blues. Rockin' Daddy/ I Ain't Superstitious/ Sittin' On Top Of The World/ The Red Rooster , etc. 12 in all. (AE)
HOWLIN' WOLF: Built For Comfort/ Do the Do/ Goin' Down Slow/ Highway 49/ I Ain't Superstitious/ I Want To Have A Word With You/ Killing Floor/ Poor Boy/ Red Rooster, The/ Rockin' Daddy/ Sittin' On Top of the World/ Wang Dang Doodle/ What A Woman!/ Who's Been Talking?/ Worried About My Baby

 
HOWLIN' WOLF Chess CHD 12026 His Best, Vol. 2 ● CD $15.98
20 track collection - no surprises but lots of great music if you don't already have much by Wolf - Howlin' Wolf Boogie/ All Night Boogie/ I'm The Wolf/ Who Will Be Next/ Tell Me/ Down In The Bottom/ Just Like I Treat You/ My Country Sugar Mama/ Don't Laugh At Me/ New Crawlin' King Snake, etc.

 
HOWLIN' WOLF Chess 112 820 Real Folk Blues/ More Real Folk Blues ● CD $18.98
Two albums formerly on individual CDs combined on one. Lots of classic Wolf material from throughout his Chess career.
HOWLIN' WOLF: Built For Comfort/ I Have A Little Girl/ I Love My Baby/ I'll Be Around/ I'm The Wolf/ I've Got A Woman/ Just My Kind/ Killing Floor/ Louise/ My Country Sugar Mama/ Natchez Burnin'/ Nature/ Neighbors/ No Place To Go (you Gonna Wreck My Life)/ Ooh Baby, Hold Me/ Poor Boy/ Rockin' Daddy/ Sittin' On Top Of The World/ Tail Dragger/ Tell Me What I've Don/ Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy/ Who Will Be Next/ Work For Your Money/ You Can't Be Beat

 
HOWLIN' WOLF Sundown 907 Live in Europe, 1964 ● CD $17.98
CD issue of Sundown 709-07. Recorded live in Bremen, Germany in November, 1964 with Hubert Sumlin, Sunnyland Slim, Willie Dixon & Clifton James. 7 long performances - enjoyable though not among Wolf's most exciting and the sound is not exceptional but a rare chance to hear this great artist live and it includes a couple of songs Wolf had not recorded elsewhere. Includes Shake It For Me/ Dust My Broom/ Rockin' The Blues/ Going Down Slow/ Forty Four, etc. (FS)

 
HOWLIN' WOLF & THE WOLF GANG Wolf 120.100 "Live" At Joe's Place 1973 ● CD $12.98
This is the second Wolf release featuring live recordings of the great Howling Wolf and is a bit of an improvement over the previous release which featured recordings cut only a few months before his death. These recordings were made at Cambridge, Mass blues hangout Joe's Place in 1973 shortly after Wolf's recovery from a near fatal car accident. Wolf does only four songs - the rest of the disc featuring instrumentals or vocals by members of the band which included Hubert Sumlin/ gtr, Eddie Shaw/ sax, S.P. Leary/drums, Andrew McMahon/ bass and Detroit Jr./ pno. Wolf sings familiar songs Little Red Rooster/ Going Down Slow/ Evil and the unfamiliar Blind Love. His performances are OK though he sounds pretty weak and his voice is somewhat down in the mix. The band is good enough with nice guitar from Sumlin and sax by Shaw. An interesting but, by no stretch of the imagination, a significant one. (FS)

 
MARK HUMMEL Electro-Fi 3375 Golden State Blues ● CD $14.98
12 tracks, 54 minutes, very good Harp master Mark Hummel returns with a solid workout and is joined by an equally potent cast of sidemen. Charles Wheal turns in excellent guitar on nine tracks while Rusty Zinn and Anson Funderburgh make cameo appearances on a few. Randy Bermudes' upright bass adds great and traditional sounding bottom to an offering laced with driving grooves and thick harp and Hummel's voice is pleasing if unspectacular. The slow Right Back Where I Started is a standout along with solid readings of Little Walter's Too Late Brother and Ray Sharpe's Linda Lu. No grandstanding, just working class blues by one of the better harp players today. (CR)

 
MARK HUMMEL Electro-Fi 3386 Blowin' My Horn ● CD $14.98
13 tracks, 76 minutes, highly recommended
It's about time Mark Hummel added a 'live' CD to his catalog. Compiled from two shows in Canada in late 2003, the band roars through a smoldering set of jump, rock 'n' roll, stripped-down Excello grinders, and rocking blues. My Back Scratcher/ I'm Wise, and The Creeper are solid covers and Hummel shows his skills as a songwriter by adding a handful of originals. The band consists of Charles Wheal (guitar), Steve Wolf (bass), and Marty Dodson (drums), along with Mel Brown's keyboard prowess on half. As much as this is Mark Hummel's disc, he offers plenty of room for his sidekicks to step forward and shine. A superb recording from beginning to end displaying one of today's finest blues harp players hard at work. (CR)

 
MARK HUMMEL Electro-Fi 3398 Ain't Easy No More ● CD $14.98
13 tracks, 48 mins, excellent
From the jumping Ray Charles opener Get On The Right Track to the old school stop-time groove in Muddy Waters' She's Got It, Mark Hummel proves once again that he can stand with the best of them as a harp player and songwriter. His vocals have perhaps never been his strongest suit but he's becoming more confident with each recording and he's potent and enjoyable here. B.B. King's Jump With You Baby and Eddie Boyd's Blues Is Here To Stay overflow with tradition and Hummel continues to serve up a vintage approach on his own cuts Harpoventilating and I Didn't Need Another Heartache. Charles Wheal's guitar work shines and the rhythm section of Steve Wolf and Marty Dodson provide the muscular underpinning throughout the baker's dozen. Another fine showing. (CR)

 

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