Blues & Gospel - Newsletter 146 - Carey & Lurrie Bell -> Big Pete Pearson + Calendar, Books & DVDS
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NEWSLETTER #146
Blues & Gospel
 Carey & Lurrie Bell -> Big Pete Pearson + Calendar, Books & DVDS
 
 

 
 

CALENDAR
   
CLASSIC BLUES ARTWORK FROM THE 1920S Blues Images 208 2008 Calendar ● CD $15.98
Calendar - ESSENTIAL!
John Tefteller does it again with another sensational calendar and CD drawn from his phenomenal collection. The calendar (the fifth of 15) features reproductions of original artwork for advertisements printed in African-American newspapers in the late 20s and early 30s, mostly by the Paramount Record Company advertising their latest blues releases. This calendar features ads for records by artists like Texas Alexander, Rube Lacy, Ma Rainey, Blind Joe Reynolds, Banjo Joe (Gus Cannon), The Mississippi Sheiks, Ida Cox and others. The calendar also includes sample song lyrics, brief biographies and birth and death dates for many blues artists. The calendar itself would be easily worth $15.98 but in addition you get a 16 track CD featuring at least one side of all the records advertised along with an amazing bonus - two never before reissued sides featuring the great Georgia singer and guitarist Blind Willie McTell. This is an OKeh 78 by Mary Willis (aka Ruth Willis), a singer who appeared on several records with McTell. Tefteller found the 78 ten years ago but only recently found out that it is the only copy ever found and what a gem it is. Talkin' To You Wimmen About The Blues is a duet between McTell and Willis with gorgeous 12 string guitar by McTell. The flip Merciful Blues features only Willis on vocal with McTell on guitar who is joined by a second 12 string guitarist with one of them (or perhaps both of them) playing slide! A truly stunning discovery. Furthermore the 78 was in mint condition and sound quality is spectacular. The other 78s here have been reissued before but most have never been heard in this kind of sound quality. Also included are full color inserts to enable you to make your own Classic Blues Artwork CD with a jewel case (jewel case not included)
Since these would make such a great gift if you buy five or more calendars you can get them for $13.98 each!
Calendar/ CD set counts as four CDs for shipping purposes.
Lots of collectors hoard their collections but John Tefteller shares his treasures with the world and, for that, he should be awarded some kind of medal. (FS)

 

NEW BOOKS
 
STAGOLEE SHOT BILLY by Cecil Brown ● BOOK $15.98
Paperback, 296 pages essential
Counts as three CDs for shipping
Now in paperback. Cecil Brown goes searching for Stagger Lee (Stack `o Lee, Stag o Lee, Lee Stack etc.) the man, mythology and music. Taking late 1890's St' Louis apart brick by brick, Brown finds ol' Stack everywhere, but he's not just in St. Louis. He's in New Orleans, New York, Oakland and just about everywhere in America, woven into the very fabric of the nation. He finds him in Bob Dylan's basement and clenched in Bigger Thomas' fist, on the pop charts and in the prisons. He finds him in every juke joint, pool hall and red light district as well as on the folklorist's coffee table. Stagolee is as American as mock apple pie, a colt .44 and a bottle of Night Train and I'd vote for him for President. Cecil Brown has written a meticulously researched, thoroughly engrossing book that is a new high water mark for musical literature. (JM)

 
HAND ME MY TRAVELIN' SHOE SHOES  In Search Of Blind Willie McTell by Michael Gray ● BOOK $59.95
British Import. Hardbound, 432 pages, counts as 7 CDS for shipping
Blind Willie McTell was one of the most gifted musical artists of his generation, with an exquisite voice and a sublime talent for the twelve-string guitar. As Bob Dylan wrote, "nobody can sing the blues like Blind Willie McTell"--yet his repertoire was infinity wider than that. Why, then, did he drift in and out of the public eye, being `rediscovered' time and again through chance meetings; and why, until now, has so little been written about the life of this extraordinary man? In this personal and moving odyssey into a lost world of early blues music, a vulnerable black population and more, Michael Gray peels back the many layers of a tragic, occasionally shocking but ultimately uplifting story. He gives us an intimate portrait of a remarkable man, showing how his life connects to the tumultuous sweep of history. Getting the story is part of the story itself, and Gray's quest for facts and details reveals that little may have changed in the Deep South, even today. Part biography, part travelogue, part social history, this is an atmospheric, unforgettable tale.

 

NEW DVDs
   
CAREY & LURRIE BELL Delmark DVD 1791 Gettin' Up - Live ● DVD $22.98
Father and son performing live with a band at Buddy Guy's Legends Club and Rosa's Club in Chicago and just the two of them performing in Lurrie's home. Includes What My Mama Told Me/ Baby Please Don't Go/ Hard To Leave You Alone/ One Day/ Last Night/ Broke & Hungry/ Short Dress Woman, etc. Includes an interview and discography.
 
CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN Idem 1143 In New Orleans ● DVD $16.98
11 tracks, 59 mins, color, stereo, highly recommended
An hour long performance from this brilliantly talented and versatile performer filmed at a live show at the Maple Leaf Club in New Orleans in 1984. Accompanied by a top notch and empathetic band with a terrific horn section he performs a selection of songs from throughout his lengthy career. "Gate" is in great form and appears to really be enjoying himself. His singing and guitar playing are superb and he brings out his electric fiddle for five numbers including the jazzy Cajun tune Sunrise Cajun Style, the bluegrass flavored Six Levels Below Plant Life and Up Jumped The Devil and the mesmerizing blues instrumental Catfish. Also includes I Feel Alright Again/ Gate Walks To Board/ Song For Renee/ Frosty/ Pressure Cooker/ Up Jumped The Devil and more. Excellently filmed with lots of opportunity to marvel at "Gate's" dazzling fretwork and recorded in fine stereo sound. A master at the top of his game. (FS)

 
SHARRIE WILLIAMS & THE WISEGUYS Crosscut DVD 5002 Live At The Bay-Car Blues Festival ● DVD $22.98
8 tracks, 65 minutes (color), excellent
Shot with multiple cameras from a variety of angles, both onstage and off, the electricity is high for this DVD offering. The set list is the same (although recorded on different nights) as the CD minus Just You And Me while How Much Can A Woman Take, a solid slow blues is stretched to over eleven minutes. Williams has plenty of stage presence in front of a large and appreciative French gathering and definitely gives the fans what they want. The flashing stage lights can prove to be a distraction at times and Lars Kutschke's guitar work goes into over-the-top excess, but it's still a well-produced video for fans who have yet to see Williams perform here or abroad (much of her time is spent in Europe). A fine companion to the CD. (CR)

 

NEW COMPACT DISCS
 
 
CAREY & LURRIE BELL Delmark 791 Gettin' Up - Live ● CD $14.98
Essentially the same as the DVD less two songs, presumably for space reasons.
 
BIG MAYBELLE Rev-Ola CRBAND 20 I've Got A Feelin' ● CD $15.98
27 tracks recorded for Savoy and OKeh between 1952 and 1956 by this superb singer ranging from soulful blues to pop-oriented ballads plus bonus live performances of Ring Dang Dilly and Candy. from 1956 Also features Gabbin' Blues/ Just Want Your Love/ My Country Man/ You'll Never Know/ Don't Leave Poor Me/ One Monkey Don't Stop No Show/ New Kind Of Mambo/ That's A Pretty Good Love/ Ring Dang Dilly, etc.

 
JAMES BOOKER DJM 10010 The Lost Paramount Tapes ● CD $12.98
11 mins, 45 mins, highly recommended
Available again at a lower price. Originally recorded in 1973 this would have been Booker's first full length album but the original 16 track tapes were lost but in 1995 a two track mixdown turned up which forms the basis of this exceptional disc. Recorded at the Paramount studios in Hollywood it features Booker accompanied by some great New Orleans musicians like Alvin Robinson/ guitar, John Boudreuax/ drums, David Lastie/ sax and others. The material is mostly Booker favorites like Goodnight Irene/ Junco Partner and So Swell When You're Well but it doesn't matter since Booker never played the same song the same way twice. Booker's eccentric genius was in great form both vocally and instrumentally and in addition to the above does a great medley of Stormy Monday and Hound Dog, Chuck Willis's Feel So Bad and a couple of dynamite instrumentals African Gumbo and Tico Tico. Even if you already have all of Booker's discs you'll want to add this one to your collection. (FS)

 
JAMES BOOKER Document 32-20-13 Live At The Lake Side Hotel ● CD $16.98
Previously unissued live show from Manchester, England in 1977 by this New Orleans genius. Booker was fine, as always, but, unfortunately recording quality leaves quite a bit to be desired which makes listening to these performances less of a p[leasure than they might be. Mostly solo plus two tracks with a small group. Includes Let The Good Times Roll/ Junko Partner/ Tipitina/ Pixie/ Send Me Some Loving/ Let Them Talk/ Every Day I Have The Blues, etc.

 
JACKIE BRENSTON Rev-Ola CRBAND 25 The Mistreater ● CD $15.98
24 tracks, 62 mins, recommended
Jackie Brenston was a minor figure in the history of R&B and Rock n' Roll, but an important one, who had a lot more great tunes that most people realize. This collection gathers all of his best recordings from the `50s, recorded in Memphis or Chicago for the Chess and Federal labels. The early tracks feature Jackie taking the lead position in what was essentially Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm under the name of Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats; later tracks after a split with Turner, Jackie formed his own "Delta Cats" with the Newborn family: Calvin on Guitar, Phineas jr. on piano and Phineas Sr. on drums. For the last four tracks we have Jackie re-united with Ike Turner and his Kings in 1956. On this you get (arguably the first) rock n' roll track Rocket 88 as well as a whole host of great R&R, jump blues and Boogie mostly written by Brenston, with a few Turner compositions to round it out. Not essential outside of a couple of tracks, but certainly great stuff. (JM)

 
BIG GEORGE BROCK Cat Head 1004 Live At Seventy Five ● CD $14.98
Fine Mississippi singer and harmonica player recorded live at the Ground Zero Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi a few days before his 75th birthday. A mix of originals and covers - Cut You Loose/ Fourty-Four Blues/ No No Baby/ Bring The Blues Back Home/ Jody, etc.
 
BIG BILL BROONZY Rev-Ola CRBAND 16 Rockin' In Chicago, 1949-1953 ● CD $15.98
27 tracks, highly recommended
Fine collection of 27 sides featuring this great bluesman recorded in Chicago between 1949 and 1953. During this period he was becoming known to a white audience in Europe where he performed in a somewhat folky vein but most of these tracks were recorded for the African-American audience that had elevated him to blues royalty over the previous 20 years. Most of these sides find him with small groups, some with sax creating an urban but down-home feel that were fine performances but couldn't compete with the more aggressive electric down home sounds that were pervading the Chicao club scene. The last 12 tracks are from a 1953 session which he shared with his old associate Washboard Sam joined by Big Crawford on bass and Lee Cooper on guitar - four of these features vocals by Broonzy and the rest are by Sam. Fine performances though somewhat dated by that time. Many of these sides have been out before but it's nice to have them in one place in a conceptual framework. Excellent sound and notes by the ubiquitous Dave Penny. (FS)

 
THE ROBERT CRAY BAND Nozzle 79815 Live From Across The Pond ● CD $18.98
2 CDs, 14 tracks, 89 min., highly recommended
The first time I saw The Robert Cray Band they were opening for George Thorogood and the (then) Delaware Destroyers, and even then Cray's talents were obvious. His guitar work is fiery and lyrical, his singing soulful, and he can write a decent song as well. In the 1980s Cray did much to popularize the blues and widen the definition of the term. This live release is taken from a week of shows TRCB played in May 2006 at the Royal Albert Hall while opening for Eric Clapton, another important blues popularizer. Nothing too surprising here, just solid, consistently pleasing blues. The playlist features a nice mix of older and newer material, including the classic Bad Influence, Phone Booth, I Was Warned,I Guess I Showed Her, Right Next Door (Because Of Me), Twenty, BackDoor Slam, Poor Johnny and more. (JC)

 
ARTHUR "BIG BOY" CRUDUP Blues Archive 222064 Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup ● CD $13.98
Two CD, 40 tracks, highly recommended An excellent collection of this brilliant, popular and influential performer featuring all his recordings made for Bluebird and RCA between 1941 and 1947. Crudup was a lovely singer with a distinctive high and very expressive voice. Although a somewhat limited guitarist his accompaniments are highly appropriate to the songs and on these recordings he is usually accompanied by string bass or drums. As a songwriter he was outstanding with interesting lyrics and infectious melodies. Songs like Death Valley Blues/ Mean Ol' Frisco/ Rock Me Mama/ Keep Your Arms Around Me/ So Glad You're Mine/ That's All Right & Train Fare Blues (all here) have become blues standards and among others were a big influences on the young Elvis Presley. Other songs includes Black Pony Blues/ Standing At My Window/32-20 Blues (very different to the usual version)/ Cool Disposition/ That's Your Red Wagon/ Ethel Mae/ I Want My Lovin'/ Crudup's Vicksburg Blues. There's a tad too much digital noise reduction on some of the earlier tracks but sound is generally excellent and set is in 10"x5" book form and includs 20 page booklet with detailed notes, photos and discographical data. If you missed some of the earlier reissues of this great artist this is an indispensible collection. (FS)

 
GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH ROCKIN' BOOGIE Times Square 9063 Le Cowboy Creole ● CD $15.98
Newest from one of the top Zydeco bands in the country - Everybody's Having Fun/ Baby, Baby, Baby/ There's No Getting Over Me/ Bee De La Mache/ Gave You My Love/ The Back Door/ Domino/ Somebody Show Me, etc.

 
DAVID "HONEYBOY" EDWARDS Blue Suit 102 White Windows ● CD $15.98
Originally issued on a 1989 LP on Blue Suit and reissued on CD on Evidence with one bonus track in 1991. This newly remastered package features three additional bonus cuts including two live performances from 1987. The venerable Mississippi bluesman is recorded on a selection of mostly blues standards along with new recordings of songs he had recorded for ARC and The Library Of Congress. He is featured on acoustic and electric guitar and harmonica and sides include West Helena Blues/ Build Myself A cave/ 61 Highway/ Shake 'Em On Down/ The War Is Over/ Goin' Down Slow/ Been So Long Since I Laughed And Taked With You/ Things I Used To Do, etc. Pleasing performances though not especially compelling.

 
SLEEPY JOHN ESTES Delmark 619 On The Chicago Blues Scene ● CD $14.98
13 tracks, very good
Originally issued on LP and CD as "Electric Sleep" as a dig at Muddy's "Electric Mud" this album has been remixed and remastered from the original mastertapes and given a new name. I'm not sure that they should have bothered. Whatever way you look at it this is a fairly dull album featuring the great country bluesman with a small electric band with Sunnyland Slim on piano, Jimmy Dawkins on guitar, Carey Bell on harp and others. Sleepy John has no problem fitting in the band framework but the band sounds underrehearsed and Sunnyland's piano and Dawkins' guitar are too busy for John's basic style. It was an interesting concept which John was all in favor of `and it certainly doesn't harm John's legacy and with the right musicians and arrangements might have been a real gem. As it stands it's a flawed experiment. (FS)
SLEEPY JOHN ESTES: Airplane/ Drop Down Mama - Let Your Papa See/ Easin' Back To Tennessee/ Everybody's Got To Change Sometime/ How To Sing The Blues/ I Ain't Gonna Sell It/ If The River Was Whiskey/ Laura Had A Dream/ May West/ Needmore Has Harmed Many A Man/ Newport Blues/ Sweet Little Flower/ Walking Down Beale Street

 
SLEEPY JOHN ESTES WITH YANK RACHELL & OTHERS JSP JSPCD 7779 Legendary Country Blues Artists ● CD $28.98
4 CDs, 104 tracks, essential
Despite his limitations as a musician, John Estes produced some of the most memorable pre war blues. His high, thin voice with its strained, edge of despair quality, and the rhythms produced as band members like Jab Jones and Yank Rachel tried to accommodate his strummed guitar, turned simple songs like Milk Cow Blues and Whatcha Doin? into classics. Lyrically Estes was adept at making traditional material his own, but most of his songs were centred on his Brownsville world, encompassing social commentary (Down South Blues) and personal experience (as in Floating Bridge). (His fondness for beginning lines with "Now" can though become a little wearing.) After covering Estes' pre war work disc two closes with two bonus tracks from 1947 not issued on Document, including the autobiographical Stone Blind. Estes' early sessions were greatly enhanced by Yank Rachel's mandolin, as in the lovely opening to Expressman Blues, and it is fitting that the third disc features Rachel's solo career.
Yank was a less interesting vocalist than Estes but a better musician, at his best on tracks like the beautiful Lake Michigan Blues. (Compared to the earlier reissue of his work on Wolf this disc omits Rachel's accompaniments to "Jackson" Joe Williams and Elijah Jones, but these tracks are reissued on JSP 7797, Sonny Boy Williamson Volume 1). The final disc starts with Rachel's last four titles and is then dedicated to Estes' associates "Brownsville" Son Bonds and Charlie Pickett, replicating the tracks on Wolf WBCD 003. It is a mixed bag, the blues and uptempo party songs separated by a gospel session with some nice jug, but there is plenty to enjoy. Highlights include Weary Worried Blues with its soundbite philosophy "once ain't for ever, and two times ain't but twice" accompanied by Hammie Nixon's honking harmonica, and Charlie Pickett's tremulous Down The Highway, which surely inspired the young Bob Dylan's song of the same title. Sound quality of the first two discs is excellent, with at least some of the transfers sounding like the work of the great John R T Davies. The sound of the third and fourth discs cannot match what has gone before but is generally still good, and a significant advance on previous reissues. All round this set represents a worthwhile upgrade for established collectors and a real treat for those new to the music. Neal Slaven's comprehensive biographical notes complete a reissue which is close to definitive. (DPR)

 
FILLMORE SLIM Mountain Top 777 The Legend Of Fillmore Slim ● CD $12.98
14 tracks, recommended Fillmore Slim started his career as a blues singer in the early/ mid 50s but subsequently turned to the more lucrative career of pimping and became one of the leading pimps in San Francisco, a career he followed for some forty years until the Federal Government stepped in and Slim ended up in jail on tax evasion. His legendary career was featured in the 1999 documentary "American Pimp." After leaving jail he returned to blues singing and this is the second full CD under his own name. He sings a selection of original songs, some drawing on his life on the street accompanied by a group of local musicians including Paris Slim, Rick Estrin, Bobby Webb and others plus Joe Louis Walker guesting on guitar on a number of songs. His son Frank Sticks provides a rap vocal on Slims commentary on gun violence Hey Little Brothers (FS)

 
THE FIVE BLIND BOYS OF MISSISSIPPI Shout 34 Something To Shout About ... From The Golden Age Of Gos ● CD $17.98
23 tracks, 66 mins, essential
Two classic albums ("Precious Memories" - Peacock 102 and "Father I Stretch My Hands To Thee" - Peacock 113) by one of the greatest of all gospel groups combined on this CD. "Precious Memories" was issued in 1959 as tribute to the group's recently deceased lead singer Archie Brownlee. Brownlee was one of the greatest if not THE greatest hard gospel quartet singer - an utterly superb vocalist with a high, emotion drenched style who could wail to bring the church down but whose versatile pipes could articulate the whole range of human emotions. The four tracks from the January 1959 sessions, Brownlee's last for Peacock, have such an intensity that it's likely to leave you drained by the time you finish listened. After Brownlee's death the group underwent some personal changes and lead roles were handled by Henry Johnson, a superb tenor singer - not in Brownlee's league but certainly the equal of many of the other quartet leaders out there. Their 1964 session here featured 11 fine performances with the standouts being Time Is Winding Up/ Oh Why and, particularly, Father I Stretch My hands To Thee with Johnson switching between preaching and singing with an intensity that rivals Brownlee. Includes 12 page booklet. (FS)

 
JIMMY "DUCK" HOLMES Broke & Hungry 13004 Done Got Tired Of Tryin' ● CD $14.98
10 tracks, 51 minutes, highly recommended
Following on the heels of the highly-acclaimed CD from 2006 ("Back To Bentonia" - $14.98), Jimmy "Duck" Holmes returns with another disc bound to satisfy. If you thought blues records weren't this pure and down-home these days, you're mistaken. Recorded at the Blue Front Cafe (Bentonia's longest-running juke joint) over two sessions, Holmes is little more than a bluesman and gentleman, and a gifted one at that. With Lightnin' Malcolm on drums for a few and Bud Spires adding harp to Catfish Blues, "Duck" delivers Junior Parker's ]Train I Ride and Skip's Cherry Ball along with his own Biscuit Roller/ Pencil And Paper/ Could've Been Married and the rollicking instrumental, Blue Front Breakdown. Jimmy's timing is wonderfully archaic and his voice flat-out convinces anyone that he's the real deal - without doubt. Buy all four discs on the Broke & Hungry label - you'll thank me later. (CR)

 
RICK HOLMSTROM M.C. Records 57 Late In The Night ● CD $15.98
13 tracks, 49 minutes, excellent
Depending on whether you liked Rick Holmstrom's last effort or not might factor into how you receive his newest offering... I've been called a master of the obvious before now. The West Coast guitarist pulls out all the stops here with the frenzied jump of On The Vine, the slow and moody In The Night, the rocking I'm Leaving and the brilliant and atmospheric Tutwiler (which borders on Santana territory) for a varied mix of vocal and instrumental tracks. As expected with Holmstrom's bizarre sense of humor, you also get the wacky [Wham-O and Peculiar Hop plus an interesting take on Bob Dylan's Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 plus the traditional Dig Myself A Hole. With Jeff Turmes and Stephen Hodges in support, Rick Holmstrom's "Late In The Night" disc is a gritty and varied (and sometimes downright odd) blues outing minus the knob twiddling and sampling of his last. (CR)
 
HOWLIN' WOLF Charly CD RED BOX 7 The Complete Recordings, 1951-1969 ● CD $99.98
Well, here's one we never expected to see again. One of our suppliers found a handful of copies of this seven CD box set in the corner of their warehouse and we snapped up what we could. Originally issued in 1993 and withdrawn a couple of years after it featured every studio recording made by the great Howlin' Wolf that was known of at the time with the exception of his 1967 collaboration on the "Super Super Blues Band" and the 1968 Cadet album (affectionately known as the "dogshit" album from Wolf's description of it) - 151 tracks in all. Since that time a number of additional recordings and alternate takes have come to light but, at the time, it was the most complete collection of his recordings and with so many of his albums now out of print is, again, the most comprehensive. Sound quality is decent though subsequent reissues have had superior sound. Includes 32 page booklet with notes, photos and discographical info. Supplies are very, very limited so if you want it, get it now 'cos once it's gone you'll be paying a lot more than $99.98 to get it on E-Bay!

 
ELMORE JAMES Ace ABOXCD 4 The Classic Early Recordings ● CD $31.98
3 CD set, 71 tracks, 3 hrs 12 mins, essential
Back in print but without the handsome box. I consider that Elmore James was one of the greatest bluesmen to ever record - a powerful and intense singer and a masterful guitarist. His slide guitar techniques were to inspire and influence a generation of blues guitarists though none had the skill, sensitivity or imagination Elmore brought to the instrument. His early death in 1963 at the age of 45 robbed the world of a major talent. This beautiful package culminates years of combing the Modern/ Flair/ Meteor vaults. Because the owners of the labels had little sense of history there is much Elmore material that is probably lost forever but this set presents every available recording he made for these labels between 1952 and '56 including up to six takes of some songs. The alternates are sometimes very different and sometimes very close but with enough lyric differences to make them essential for the devoted Elmore fan. The set opens with his very first recording of Dust My Broom for Trumpet in 1951 where he first introduced his "broomdusting" riff that he used on many of recordings and has subsequently appeared on probably thousands of other blues recordings. Elmore was much more than a one riff man as the spacey guitar playing on Hand In hand or the raucous instrumental Hawaiian Boogie shows. He was also a fine guitarist without the slide as many tracks here show. The sessions here were recorded in a number of locations including Elmore's home town of Canton, Missississpii, Chicago, Los Angeles and New Orleans with different sidemen including Ike Turner, Johnny Jones, J.T. Brown, Ranson Knowling, Maxwell Davis, Eddie Taylor, Earl Palmer and others. In addition to the recordings under his own numbers it also features accompaniments to fellow band members J.T. Brown and Johnny Jones. The 71 tracks have been digitally remastered by Bob Jones and have never sounded better. The 40 page booklet features notes by the sets compiler Ray Topping who has unearthed new information about the somewhat enigmatic Elmore, terrific photos, pictures of labels, ads, discography and more. Did I say this was essential? (FS)
BEP BROWN ORCHESTRA: Dumb Woman Blues/ Round House Boogie (Aka Sax Symphonic Boogie)/ ELMORE JAMES: 1839 Blues/ Baby What's Wrong/ Blues Before Sunrise/ Can't Stop Lovin'/ Canton Mississippi Breakdown (Instrumental)/ Dark And Dreary (Take 1)/ Dark And Dreary (Take 2)/ Dark And Dreary (Take 4)/ Dust My Blues/ Dust My Broom/ Early In The Morning/ Elmo's Shuffle (Take 3)/ Elmo's Shuffle (Take 4)/ Elmo's Shuffle (Take 5)/ Good Bye (Baby)/ Hand In Hand/ Happy Home/ Hawaiian Boogie (Take 1)/ Hawaiian Boogie (Take 2)/ I Believe/ I Got A Strange Baby (False Start & Chat)/ I Held My Baby Last Night/ I Was A Fool/ Kicking The Blues Around (Aka Flaming Blues - featuring J.T. Brown)/ Late Hours At Midnight/ Long Tall Woman/ Long Tall Woman/ Long Tall Woman/ Lost Woman Blues (Aka Please Find My Bay - Version 3)/ Make A Little Love/ Make My Dreams Come True (Take 2)/ Make My Dreams Come True (Take 3)/ Make My Dreams Come True (Take 4)/ Make My Dreams Come True (Take 7)/ My Baby's Gone/ My Best Friend (Take 1)/ No Love In My Heart/ One More Drink (Take 1)/ One More Drink (Take 2)/ Please Come Back To Me (Sho' Nuff I Do)/ Please Find My Baby (Take 1)/ Please Find My Baby (Take 2)/ Quarter Past Nine/ Rock My Baby Right/ Sax-Ony Boogie (Inst. featuring J.T. Brown)/ Sho' Nuff I Do/ Sho' Nuff I Do (Alternate Take)/ Sho' Nuff I Do (Session Talk & False Start)/ Sinful Woman/ So Mean To Me (Take 2)/ So Mean To Me (Take 3)/ So Mean To Me (Take 4)/ Standing At The Crossroads/ Strange Kinda Feeling (Take 1)/ Strange Kinda Feeling (Take 2)/ Strange Kinda Feeling (Take 3)/ Strange Kinda Feeling (Take 4)/ Strange Kinda Feeling (Take 5)/ Strange Kinda Feeling (Take 6)/ Sunny Land/ The Way You Treat Me (Aka Mean And Evil)/ Where Can My Baby Be (Take 1)/ Where Can My Baby Be (Take 8)/ Where Can My Baby Be (Take 9)/ Wild About You/ Wild About You (Baby)/ Wild About You Baby (Chat & False Start)/ LITTLE JOHNNY JONES & THE HOUND DOGS: I May Be Wrong/ Sweet Little Woman
 
CARLOS JOHNSON/ LEFTY DIZZ Wolf 120.814 The Healer ● CD $16.98
15 tracks, recommended
Two left handed Chicago singer/ guitarists recorded in Argentina. The six tracks by up-and-comer Carlos Johnson are outtakes from a 2000 session for his first album for Argentinian label Blues Special. A nice blend of originals along with some covers. The nine sides by Dizz are from 1992 just a few months before his premature death where he is accompanied by a small group - some tracks sound like they were recorded live. Though not as sophisticated a musician as Johnson (he was an influence on the younger man) his performances are more intense and exciting. His songs include Woke Up This Morning/ Chips Flying Everywhere/ Caldonia/ Sure Had A Wonderful Time/ I Found Out, etc. (FS)

 
CANDYE KANE RUF 1127 Guitar'd And Feathered ● CD $16.98
13 tracks, 37 minutes, excellent
Like it or not, her album covers aren't likely to garner any awards for their artistic integrity but Candye Kane does offer some good and listenable blues. While this project does fall into the dismally short category with its woeful 37-minute spin time, it's hard to go wrong with Candye's heartfelt vocal delivery and a cast including Junior Watson, Bob Margolin, Ana Popovic, Sue Foley, Kid Ramos and Bob Brozman on guitars. Add more help in the form of Thomas Yearsley (the Paladins) or Bill Stuve (ex-Mighty Flyer) in the bass department plus Evan Caleb's in-the-pocket drumming and it's a winner. Guitar Slim's Done Got Over It gets a fine reading and Kane dedicates I'm My Own Worst Enemy to her numerous friends and few adversaries on the Blues-List. While heavy on the guitar slingers this is not an over-the-top guitar shootout, it's nicely done with a hefty dose of good times.(CR)

 
E.G. KIGHT Blue South 606 EG Live And Naked ● CD $15.98
17 tracks, 47 min., highly recommended
"Naked" apparently refers to the fact that this live album finds the Georgia Songbird alone with an acoustic guitar rather than to any notable absence of clothing, but I wasn't there. Six of the 17 tracks are Kight's stage patter, which is relaxed and fairly charming, revealing a Georgia accent three feet thick. Kight is an accomplished guitarist and a singer of remarkable stylistic range. How many people can sing Stormy Weather, At Last, and What A Wonderful World, and sound absolutely at home and still pull off Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean, Son Of A Preacher Man, and Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues , making it all seem as natural and easy as walking into a room? Although at heart, Kight bleeds blue, this sharp live set recorded at Jeremiah's in Williamsport, PA, in 2005 offers a number of different hues. (JC)

 
ALBERT KING Stax 30296 The Very Best Of Albert King ● CD $11.98
20 tracks, 66 mins, highly recommended
Easily one of the biggest names in electric blues guitar, the late, great Albert King has influenced countless other six-stringers; Eric Clapton, Michael Bloomfield, Peter Green, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, to name a few. His recordings for the Stax label are treasured by many for their sheer power as well as the trademark razor-sharp guitar tone that King achieved from his Gibson Flying V, played upside-down (left-handed). The famed Stax house band is on board, making for powerhouse performances. Musically, some tracks lean towards a Rock, R&B, or Funk style, but Albert has no problem fitting in. As with other Stax reissues, informative liner notes and excellent sound quality make this CD from an iconic bluesman a must-have. (BC)
ALBERT KING: (i Love) Lucy/ Angel Of Mercy/ Blues Power/ Born Under A Bad Sign/ Breaking Up Somebody's Home/ Can't You See What You're Doing To Me/ Cold Feet/ Crosscut Saw/ Crosscut Saw/ Drowning On Dry Land/ Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven/ Flat Tire/ I'll Play The Blues For You, Pt. 1/ Laundromat Blues/ Oh, Pretty Woman/ Playing On Me/ That's What The Blues Is All About/ Tupelo, Pt.1/ Water/ Wrapped Up In Love Again

 
B.B. KING Ace CDCHD 1151 Best Of The Blues Guitar King, 1951-1966 ● CD $10.98
Budget priced introduction to the classic RPM and Kent recording of one of the most important bluesmen of the 20th Century with 18 classic tracks.
B.B. KING: 3 O'Clock Blues/ Blue Shadows/ Catfish Blues aka Fishin' After Me/ Confessin' The Blues/ Days of Old/ Every Day I Have the Blues/ Eyesight to the Blind/ Five Long Years/ I Need You So Bad/ I'll Survive/ Please Love Me/ Rock Me Baby/ Sugar Mama/ Sweet Little Angel/ Sweet Sixteen PT 1/ Ten Long Years/ When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer/ You Upset Me Baby
 
SMILEY LEWIS Rev-Ola CRBAND 24 Mama Don't Like It, 1950-1956 ● CD $15.98
33 Tracks, 77 mins, essential
Smiley Lewis was one the great unsung talents of the 50's who never got his due in his relatively brief lifetime, but has come to be revered in the ensuing decades. The sides he cut for Imperial during the 50s, under the direction of Dave Bartholomew, are as seminal as anything recorded by Fats Domino or Little Richard. Until now, the gold standard for Lewis compilations has been Collectables' "The Best Of Smiley Lewis: I Hear You Knocking," but this collection from Rev-Ola has become the new benchmark; with its' whopping 33 tracks, this set has almost everything the Collectables one does (with the exception of Come On) and more. His entire Imperial discography is represented, including all the "hits" he should have had (that others did) I Hear You Knocking/ One Night, and Blue Monday, as well as classic numbers like The Bells Are Ringing/ I Ain't Gonna Do It, and Big Mamou. The detailed liner notes, attractive packaging, and crisp sound are enough reason to purchase this CD, but the clincher is the inclusion of the re-cut version of Shame, Shame, Shame that was used in the 1956 movie "Baby Doll." All in all, a must-own for anyone who loves down-n-dirty R&B. (GMC)

 
JIMMY MCCRACKLIN Classics 5180 The Chronological Jimmy McCracklin, 1951-1954 ● CD $14.98
Third volume of this fabulous and underrated West Coast singer, songwriter and piano player. 25 tracks recorded between 1951 and 1954 - many of them making their first appearance on CD. Jimmy is accompanied by a superb band including the great Lafayette Thomas on guitar and Johnny Parker and Wild Willie Moore on saxes.
 
BIG PETE PEARSON Blue Witch 102 I'm Here Baby ● CD $15.98
12 tracks, 53 min., recommended
Pearson's follow up to his 2001 Blue Witch release, "One More Drink", finds him pouring out more traditional blues, this time with a host of guest talent. Although Pearson has been shouting the blues for 50 years, his recording career has not exactly caught fire. Here, Ike Turner, Kid Ramos, and W.C. Clark add their guitars at various points to good effect. Such songs as Too Many Drivers, Natural Ball, My Baby Is A Jockey and others betray a blues sensibility firmly rooted in the past. He's got his name "Big Pete" embroidered on his cuffs too, although perhaps he's just starting his own line of clothing. A sure-throated, blues-shouting throwback worth hearing. (JC)

 

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