This week, Friday Blues Fix will take a look at several different items that blues fans should definitely check out. FBF will be looking at a couple of great new albums, a cool new single that's an appropriate fit for the current season, an excellent release from last year that you might have missed (I certainly did!), and a wonderful new book, all of which are worth any self-respecting blues fan's time.
Way back in late 1986, nearly 40 years ago, yours truly attended his first blues concert.....The Fabulous Thunderbirds at Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson, MS. I was a fan because I'd heard them on Carlos Santana's wonderful album Havana Moon when I was in college and that led me to pick up their most recent album at the time, the outstanding T-Bird Rhythm. However, once I saw them perform in person, I was hooked. Kim Wilson was such a charismatic front man and masterful harmonica player, and drummer Fran Christina and bassist Preston Hubbard were a rock solid rhythm section, but guitarist Jimmie Vaughan was the epitome of cool and I got to hear so much more of his guitar work live than I did on their recordings. It was still one of my favorite performances.
In recent years, The Last Music Company has been reissuing a lot of Vaughan's solo work and all of The Fabulous Thunderbirds' catalog, but a few months back they released a performance that took place just before their breakthrough release Tuff Enuff, which earned them plenty of radio play and MTV appearances (back when the "M" stood for "Music"). The band was in England working with producer Dave Edmonds on the album and in April of 1985, they performed at London's Camden Palace Theatre. The show was professionally filmed and recorded and is now available as a CD/DVD combo. I have recently discovered that the show was available on VHS or DVD years ago, but I've never seen it anywhere until now.....this is the first time it's been available on CD.
Live in London 1985 is very similar to the show I heard a little over a year and a half later, with several songs that eventually appeared on Tuff Enuff, including the title track, "Two Time My Lovin'," "I Don't Care," "True Love," and an instrumental, "Jimmie's Song," that was retitled "Down at Antone's." on the finished album. There are also several favorites that the band still plays in their current incarnation, such as "Can't Tear It Up Enuff," "My Babe," "She's Tuff," and "Full Time Lover" (a slow burner which I remember from the Jackson show, thanks to Vaughan's fabulous guitar work).
The CD and DVD have the same song list and both sound amazingly clear considering they were done over 40 years ago. The DVD camera work is excellent, unlike many concert videos, there's plenty of focus on the artists playing their instruments. If you were a fan of The Fabulous Thunderbirds back in the day, or even now....Kim Wilson continues to lead the band, most recently with Johnny Moeller in the guitar seat, then you definitely need to pick up this CD/DVD set. (Note......the video on the DVD is much clearer than the video below, which was put on YouTube 13 years ago, probably off the original release)
Albert Castiglia has been one of the brightest stars on the blues rock scene for a number of years. He started out in Florida as singer/guitarist for Miami Blues Authority before serving as guitarist for Junior Wells until the blues man's death in 1998. Since 2002, he's been turning out quality releases one after the other, whether as a solo artist or teaming with fellow guitarist Mike Zito as the Blood Brothers on several successful collaborations.
Castiglia's latest release is Grits & Glory (Gulf Coast Records) and it may be his most powerful release yet. The album was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. He grew listening to British blues rockers like John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck, moving in that direcction after he heard The Beatles' Rubber Soul on 8-track (remember those?). Based on that background, making an album where the Fab Four made most of their recordings seemed like a natural move for the guitarist.
One thing I've always liked about Castiglia's releases is that his musical approach is pretty diverse and each track makes you pay attention....there are no lulls to speak of, or musical ruts. His songwriting is rock solid, too. He takes a pointed look at current affairs, but he also focuses on familiar blues topics like relationships and determination to achieve a goal. There are bits of funk and even a touch of jazz interspersed. He covers Albert King, Mongo Santamaria, and The Beatles....now that's diverse! Blues fans for sure need to check out Castiglia on this release, then backtrack because he has some excellent releases in his catalog.
Alan Arena has issued what might be considered a perfect summer blues anthem with his single "Cape Cod Girl" (Alan Arena Records), which will have blues fans longing to dig their toes in the summer beach sand and maybe even do the Watusi while they're at it. It's a great feel-good track with support from Monster Mike Welch on guitar, Brad Hallen on bass, Marty Richards on drums, Brooks Milgate on piano and "Sax" Gordon Beadle providing, well, tenor and baritone sax of course. I know summer will be over soon, hopefully.....but this fun tune just might make the higher temperatures a little more bearable for the rest of the season. There's no video on YouTube for the song, but here's a promo from Alan with details about how to grab the single.
For our Blast From The Past, it's the not-too-distant past this week.....I happened across Mike Farris' new release, The Sound of Muscle Shoals (Malaco/FAME Records), a couple of weeks back when someone shared one of the songs on Facebook. Farris developed addiction issues as a youngster, was sent to reform school and nearly overdosed before turning to the guitar and songwriting, which helped him get back on track. He formed the Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies back in the early 90's, a hard-driving, hard-living, hard rock band with a bit of blues and soul mixed in, thanks to Farris' powerful vocals.
Enjoying success with SCW and later the band Peaceful Knievel, and serving as vocalist for the Double Trouble rhythm section, Farris eventually fell off the wagon until 2004 when, at the funeral of a friend, he decided to give up drugs and alcohol and embrace Christianity. He's released several solo albums since 2002, all of which put his wonderful mix of blues, country, and soul on display.
The Sound of Muscle Shoals, released in 2025, is his first release since 2018 and it's just fantastic. Farris' music has always reminded listeners of Muscle Shoals, so why not go directly to the source. Rodney Hall (FAME Records founder Rick Hall's son) served as Executive Producer and several musicians from the area contributed, including guitarist Will McFarlane and Kelvin Holly, and keyboardist Clayton Ivey, to name a few. Farris wrote or co-wrote most of the tunes, with a couple of nice covers from Tom Petty and William Bell/Steve Cropper included.
This is an album that should be in any music fan's collection...the songs are well-crafted, the musicianship is first-rate, and Ferris' vocals are awesome. Can you tell I really dig this one????
Finally, your humble fellow blues fan has been reading a lot over the past few months and one book that I've really enjoyed reading isAustin Blues: The Austin Blues Monthly & Lone Star Interviews, by Randy "Tex" Hill. Hill is a professional musician of over 40 years and he's hosted Roadhouse Revival Radio Show and the Lone Star Revival Radio Show in Austin. He was also a graphic designer and began publishing the Austin Blues Monthly in 1994 to bring attention to the burgeoning blues scene in Austin. Part of the magazine was an interview with some of movers and shakers of that scene.
What Hill did, intentionally or not, was provide a vivid picture of the Austin blues scene of the mid-90's. The magazine only lasted a few years, but Hill was able to interview many inportant figures, nineteen interviews are included here - Clifford Antone, T.D. Bell, Marc Benno, W.C. Clark, Sue Foley, Billy Gibbons, Omar Dykes, Gary Primich, Tommy Shannon, Kim Wilson, and B.B. King are just a few of the interviewees.
The interviews are pretty informative, most are four to five pages, and readers will gain a lot of insight as to how these musicians work and think. Since Hill himself was a musician, he does a fine job with the questions and the artists really seem at ease with him. I have to say that I learned a few things about some of these musicians that I didn't know and it was really interesting to read some of their thoughts. Most of them came to Austin from other places, so they describe how they came to love the music and how they ended up in Austin. For blues fans, especially fans of the Austin blues scene, this is a fascinating read and I'm glad that Hill compiled these interviews for us to read and enjoy.
More blues to come, so be sure to come back next week!
Once again, Friday Blues Fix looks at a few new releases that will be well worth any blues fan's time. This has been a good summer for new blues releases and these should be on any blues fan's radar.
I have to apologize, sort of, for the banner I created to signal new releases to your left. I have somewhat mixed feelings about AI…..I do see where it can be very useful and beneficial and I have used it a few times just playing around with it, asking general questions about blues artists and styles and songs. It does provide me with links to where it gathers its information, so that's what I refer to instead of just what AI is telling me. It actually misled me on a couple of blues songs, but fortunately, I was able to catch the mistake and I gave ChatGPT a good scolding. 😉
I also started playing around with logos and such, just goofing off, but I really love the Bill Steber picture that's featured here with his permission and really didn't want to change it, so I won't. However, I figured it would be nice to have a logo just for Friday Blues Picks week, so we'll go with this one right now until I find something better.
One day, I plan to do a post on the frequently awful AI blues music that's being generated out there, but I just really don't like having to listen to it that much for a number of reasons. My daughter was telling me that some of the most popular blues tunes on whatever platform she listened to were AI-generated. I don't like anything that takes money or credit away from the real past or present blues artists, but more about that later.....
Every couple of years, blues fans are treated to a new release from The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra, which is led by Bay Area-based guitarist/bandleader Paule. The band is always great and fronted by a top notch singer, beginning with Frank Bey and later Wee Willie Walker. Sadly, both have passed away and the last two albums have featured singer Willy Jordan, who fills the bill nicely, thank you very much.
Jordan's second album with the band, What Can We Do?(Nola Blue Records) offers the usual superb original tunes written by Paule, Christine Vitale, Jordan, and Larry Batiste, with contributions from Marcel Smith and Tony Lufrano. This is a fun set of blues that really puts the versatility of the band on full display as well as Jordan's powerful, soulful vocals. Paule gets ample time in the spotlight to showcase his fretwork as well....check out the instrumental "Bigger Guitar."
Batiste duets with Jordan on one song and The Sons of the Soul Revivers provide backing vocals on the topical title track. There's also another instrumental, "Blue Mood Indica," that to allow listeners to hear how good this band really is. The lone cover on the disc is the pop standard "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You," which is given a nice blues coating with Jordan's vocal. There's really not a bad album as far as any releases from The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra, but the excellent What Can We Do? is certainly near the top of the heap.
The last few releases by GA-20 have been very exciting to hear and the band manages to top itself with each subsequent release. The band (Matthew Stubbs - guitar, Cody Nilsen - guitar/vocals, Josh Kiggans - drums, with Marty Ballou playing bass on several tracks) invited harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite on board and the results are as explosive as anything they've released so far. Blues Now (New West Records) is an appropriate title because the ten songs are sizzling, updated version of classic blues tunes, bringing the songs from the 20th Century to the 21st.
This is a raw, ragged, and raucous set that will satisfy any blues fan. The band is truly inspired on this set of tunes originally recorded by Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Tampa Red, Earl Hooker, Otis Spann, Jimmy Reed, Eddie Taylor, and Muddy Waters, plus two tracks originally recorded by Musselwhite on his 1968 debut, Stand Back, including a wonderful reading of "Christo Redentor."
The twin guitar attack of Stubbs and Nilsen is a marvel, while Musselwhite is spectacular on harmonica and vocals throughout as well....this certainly appears to be a match made in Blues Heaven. Stubbs played guitar on tour with Musselwhite for years and so there's definitely a rapport there, but the whole album sounds like it was a blast to make and it serves as both a tribute to the great Musselwhite and as notice that the 82-year-old still has plenty left in the tank!! Fans of blues with a modern edge need to grab Blues Now at once!!
Several years ago, I met Tim Lothar, a drummer from Denmark, on the old Blues Access message board, where we were discussing the legendary drummer Fred Below. We struck up a long-distance friendship and I found out that he was the drummer in a band called Lightning Moe. Tim eventually stepped away from the band and did something remarkable, at least to me.....he learned to play guitar.
Tim has released several fine albums of acoustic blues over the years and he's also collaborated with several other European musicians, too, for some wonderful recordings. About ten years ago, he joined up with Hungarian harmonica player Tomas Szabo and his band, The Mojo for a live album called Traveling Blues Nights, and later on the group, now called Traveling Blues Nights, recorded a great studio album called Old Cinema Sessions in 2019. They also added Danish guitarist/singer/songwriter Jesper Theis to their ranks in 2018.
Their latest release, Crossing Borders, is taken from a 2024 performance in Denmark with one song recorded earlier in Szolnok, Hungary, where Lothar and Szabo first met at a festival. The set includes nine tracks, seven originals and two tasty covers. The band shares vocals throughout and the instrumentation is intriguing as well, with acoustic, electric, and resonator guitars, diddley bow, electric mandolin, drums, harmonica, and tuba. Tim has never ceased to amaze me over the years with his uncanny grasp of this American music called the blues and his bandmates are equally impressive. If you like acoustic blues with a vintage feel, I highly recommend this marvelous set.
Our Blast From The Past review this week is a volume of the 1986 four-volume box set Atlantic Blues (Atlantic Records). When I first started listening to the blues, I picked up various anthology collections to hear as much music by as many artists as I could. The Atlantic Blues volumes were also sold separately, which was great for blues fans like me with a limited budget at the time. I picked up a couple of the volumes on cassette back in the late 80's, including Atlantic Blues: Guitar, which I finally tracked down a few weeks ago on CD.
The set covers a lot of ground from a late 40's recording by pre-war guitar legend Blind Willie McTell and Texas Johnny Brown, 50's recordings from Mississippi Fred McDowell, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim, Big Joe Turner (with Elmore James playing guitar), and Mickey Baker, plus later recordings from Cornell Dupree, Albert King, B.B. King, Ike Turner (with Tina), John Hammond (with Duane Allman), and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
The main reason I wanted to track down this set was because I became a fan of Texas Johnny Brown via his late 90's recordings, his first in nearly 50 years. While he wasn't a great singer, he hailed from Ackerman, MS (despite his nickname), which is not far from where I live and he was a great guitarist. I had never been able to track these Atlantic recordings of his on CD anywhere....they were only released previously as singles, and one of the three tracks had never been released prior to this collection. Brown played guitar in Amos Milburn's band and Milburn backed him on piano on these songs. "There Go The Blues" was his signature tune. Anyway, Atlantic Blues: Guitar is an outstanding collection of blues guitar that covers a lot of ground from Blind Willie McTell to SRV with some fascinating stops in-between, so it's definitely worth a listen.
We'll be looking at more new blues releases soon, so please stay tuned.
In late 2018, the Mississippi Blues Trail installed a blues marker in Newton, MS at the old railroad depot. The Newton County Blues Marker was the 202nd marker placed and it really hit home for me because I call Newton County my home. Sadly, I don't really think a lot of local residents realize that this county has a pretty cool background in the development of the blues....actually, I'm pretty sure that 90% of Newton County residents are not even aware of this blog. Today, we are going to look at some of the people, places, and events that inspired the placement of this marker.
The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, development, and influence of the blues in the state of Mississippi and beyond. There are over 200 markers already placed, most within the state, but there are markers in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Wisconsin, and New York as well as Memphis, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and even several spread throughout Europe.
The marker lists musicians and influencers from the area including Andrew Brown (1937-1985), who was born in Newton County, even though he claimed Jackson as his hometown. I've been told he was born outside of Decatur by a few people and in Newton from others. I know he was related to one of my high school classmates in Decatur. Brown was a talented musician and singer with a strong, resonant voice that was a solid fit in the blues and soul genres. He moved to Chicago as a pre-teen and learned some guitar from Earl Hooker. He was able to wax a few tracks in the 60's for labels like U.S.A. (check out "You Better Stop" below) and 4 Brothers.
I first heard Brown when I picked up Volume 4 of the Living Chicago Blues anthology set, which was released in 1980. That exposure allowed him to make two albums, both released on European labels and produced by Dick Shurman. They are both excellent and Brown seemed ready to earn some well-deserved recognition. Sadly, he passed away from lung cancer shortly after the second album was released. The majority of Brown's recordings (minus the 3 Alligator sides) are available in the box set Big Brown's Blues, also released in Europe by Black Magic Records. It is well worth a listen. Andrew Brown is one of my favorite blues artists and it's a shame he never got the attention he deserved. Hopefully, he will someday.
Another Chicago-based blues man from Newton County was bass player and singer Kenneth “Prez Kenneth” Kidd, who was born Kennis Kidd in Decatur in 1933. He began playing music, first trying to play guitar but soon switching to bass. He recorded a few very good 45's in the 60's (as Prez Kenneth), including "Devil Dealing," which was later retitled "I Am The Man Downstairs," and served as a prototype of sorts for G.L. Crockett's "It's A Man Down There." Those are considered to be collector's items in blues circles today. He later formed his own label, Kenneth Records, but only recorded sporadically, once in the mid-70's with another Mississippi/Chicago transplant, Hip Linkchain, and a few sides of his own, one of which later appeared on the compilation Chicago Blues: Rockin' After Midnighton St. George Records in the late 90's. He passed away in 1995. He continued throughout his life playing the various clubs in Chicago, backing many of the blues greats who came through town.
Drummer Willie Nix (his legal last name was Nicks) was born in Union, MS in 1918, though he always claimed he was born in Memphis....census records indicate otherwise. He began performing as a tap dancer at age 12 and toured with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels as a dancing comedian in the late 30's, performing on streets and parks around Memphis throughout the 40's. He later performed with Robert Lockwood Jr on a radio show in Little Rock, AR and later worked with Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Love, and Willie Wilkins as the Four Aces around the south. He also worked with B.B. King and Joe Hill Louis on Memphis radio stations and made his first recordings for RPM in Memphis and Checker (a Chess Records subsidiary), subsequently signing with Sun Records in 1953 and later for Chance Records and Sabre Records in Chicago. He worked with Elmore James, Big Walter Horton, Ike Turner, Johnny Shines, and Memphis Slim before heading back to Memphis, where he ended up serving time in prison. As his health declined once released from prison, his behavior became erratic, so he didn't record any more and performed only occasionally. He settled down in Leland, MS and passed away there in 1991. Though he didn't record very much, what he did record was very good, even though he didn't enjoy much success.
Lamar Williams was born in Decatur in 1949. He grew up around Gulfport and sang with his father's gospel group before teaming up with his friend Johnnie Lee Johnson (A.K.A. Jaimoe) to play in various soul bands on the Gulf Coast. He later joined Jaimoe in the Allman Brothers as bass player after Berry Oakley's death in 1972, playing on most of the tracks of their album Brothers and Sistersand all of Win, Lose or Draw, and the live album Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas. His bass playing was different from Gordy's, with more of a funky feel. After the group disbanded temporarily in the mid 70's, Williams joined fellow Allman Brothers Chuck Leavell formed the band Sea Level, where he stayed until 1980. Williams and Jaimoe joined their longtime friend Wayne Sharp in his band The SharpShooter Band, but Williams died from cancer in 1983. He had served in Vietnam and believed that exposure to Agent Orange caused his illness. His son, Lamar Williams, Jr. is a singer in the Allman tribute band Trouble No More, and has appeared on a couple of North Mississippi Allstars albums.
There's also a photo on the back side of the marker about Leamon Boler. He was a trumpet player with Earl Bostic in the 1940's and Cousin Joe on some blues recordings, and later led his own group, Leamon Boler and His Lemon Drops, recording sides like "Boler's Boogie" and "Just Plain Blues" for Bermar Records. There's not many details about his life other than he was born in Newton County in 1923 and died in Detroit in 2007. Sorry, I wasn't able to find a video on YouTube of any of his songs or a picture of him.
Also mentioned on the marker were several other contributors to the blues born in Newton County. Charles Evers was born in Decatur in 1922. The brother of Medgar Evers, he enjoyed a wide-ranging career as a politician (longtime mayor of Fayette, MS), civil rights figure (field director for the NAACP), and a businessman. He worked as a DJ at WHOC in Philadelphia, MS, the first black DJ in the state and later served as station manager for WMPR in Jackson, MS. He died in Brandon, MS in 2020 at the age of 97.
Henry C. Spier owned a record store in Jackson, MS and served as a "talent scout" for several record companies in the 1920's and 1930's, helping launch the careers of Tommy Johnson, Charlie Patton, Son House, Skip James, Robert Johnson, Bo Carter, Willie Brown, the Mississippi Sheiks, Ishmon Bracey, and many others. Spier was born in the Prospect community in 1895 and died in Pearl, MS in 1972.
Photo by Craig Baird
The marker also acknowledges the much-missed Chunky Rhythm & Blues Festival, which ran for about six or seven years, beginning in 1985. This was the first blues festival that your humble correspondent ever attended, back in 1987. The setting was a big field a few miles north of Chunky, MS. It served as a natural amphitheater and was held on the third weekend in July. It was, in part, funded by the University of Mississippi, which also funds Living Blues magazine. It was a great event, always attracted a big crowd, and you could take a lawn chair and buy the beverage of your choice, multiple food items, and just sit back and enjoy the blues. There were a number of great acts that played there during its brief lifetime.....some of the ones I got to see were Chick Willis, the Kinsey Report, Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets with Sam Myers, Koko Taylor, Lonnie Mack, Lucky Peterson, Tinsley Ellis, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Omar and the Howlers, Lonnie Brooks, and Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials. As you can see, Alligator Records sent quite a few bands to Chunky. It was a great experience every year that I attended.
I'm not sure what happened to the festival.....I heard that the university withdrew its funding and so it was unable to carry on, but I never got that verified by anyone. It actually moved to nearby Meridian, MS for at least one year, but I think it was sparsely attended, out in the sun near a lake and the heat was brutal. Anyway, the key figure behind the festival was Ted Richardson (it was held on his property in Chunky) and he was recognized by the Newton County Board of Supervisors for his contributions to the local economy. I sure wish it was still there. The sign stood at the edge of the road until a few years ago.
Newton County, MS produced quite a few blues artists and contributors and while they may not be names that are on every blues fan's lips, all of these people did their part to help keep these blues alive for us fans to enjoy today.
Back when I started reading Living Blues magazine in the late 80's, one of my favorite sections was the "Blues Rare and Well Done" section, where they discussed older tracks and albums that didn't deserve to fade away into oblivion. I managed to learn a lot about the early history of the blues and track down some great stuff that I might have missed, thanks to LB's efforts.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've managed to find some exciting vintage blues tunes from some unexpected sources. For those blues fans who like the classic blues, but are looking for something a bit different, Friday Blues Fix may have just what you're looking for......
This release, Super Rare Electric Blues 60's Era (Rockbeat Records) has been out for several years. Actually, I've had it on my Amazon Wish List for maybe ten years and just never got around to purchasing it. I finally did so a couple of weeks ago and let me tell you, blues fans, it's one of the wildest and wooliest collections that I've found.
This set focuses on blues artists that recorded on smaller labels in the late 50's and early 60's, some of which would probably not be heard by newer listeners because the artists simply didn't record enough sides to make up an album, so a collection like this one would be the only way anyone ever heard them. Most of the tracks are guitar-driven, but there are other instruments featured as well
There are some familiar names here, such as Ike Turner (recording as Icky Renrut), Guitar Shorty, Earl Hooker, Lonnie Brooks, and even two tracks from Buddy Guy, and a few lesser known artists like Juke Boy Bonner, Lafayette "Thing" Thomas, Wild Jimmy Spruill, and Homesick James. There are also some great artists that maybe you've never heard of, like Flash Terry, Piano Slim, Johnny Morrisette, Muvva "Guitar" Hubbard and the Stompers, Johnny Jones & the King Casuals, Sly Williams, The Poor Boys, and Bobo Jenkins.
These tracks were recorded for relatively obscure labels (all are listed in the liner notes, but make sure you have your reading glasses on....pretty small print), but it's amazing at how good the quality is on each song. Truthfully, there's not a bad track in the 50 tracks collected here. If you are a fan of classic blues....this is a dynamite set to own. It's pretty easily found on Amazon or Discogs for a nice price and well worth the hunt!
Another cool set that I'd never even heard of until a couple of weeks ago was released in 2007 by Fuel 2000 Records, which produced some excellent blues and rock collections over the past 20-30 years, collecting recordings by specific artists as well as anthology-type collections. The most recent one that I found was called Rare Blues and it features 18 rare tracks from Jewel Records, Paula Records, USA Records and Mel-Lon Records. This set also features tracks from some familiar faces like Elmore James, Robert Lockwood Jr., John Lee Hooker, Guitar Shorty, and Little Walter and also a few sides that I'd always wanted to hear, along with some really cool surprises.
Lockwood's contribution is an alternate take of his 1951 version of "Dust My Broom," the song that Elmore James made famous a few months later. J.O.B. Records decided not to release Lockwood's version, which he learned directly from his "stepfather" Robert Johnson. James' version for Trumpet Records follows Lockwood's blueprint pretty closely. Chicago-based singer Ricky Allen recorded several fine sides in the 60's and paved the way for the soul-blues sound of the 1970's. "Cut You A-Loose" was his big song, but "Little By Little," the Junior Wells standard, is included here and will make you wonder why he didn't record more often, dropping off the scene for nearly 30 years.
Elmore James' "Knocking At Your Door" was a new track for me, released on Chief Records in 1957, and another great slide guitarist, J.B. Hutto, has a track here as well ("Combination Boogie"), as well as John Lee Hooker (recording as John Lee Booker to get around his recording contract), who cut "I Love To Boogie" for Chance Records. Probably the neatest find on this album is Little Walter's debut on wax on harmonica and vocals, a 1948 session for the Tempo-Tone label released under Sunnyland Slim's name with Muddy Waters on guitar ("Blue Baby").
That's just a few of the excellent offerings on Rare Blues, but not to be dismissed are the outstanding liner notes from Bill Dahl, who always provides outstanding information. He really outdoes himself on these notes, which gives yet another reason for buying physical product whenever possible, indispensable liner notes with musician credits. A lot of younger fans who don't buy physical copies of recordings don't realize what they're missing out on, but you can learn a lot by reading the liner notes, especially Bill Dahl's.
Anyway, anybody who calls themselves a blues fan would definitely love either one of these sets, or both.....head to Amazon or Discogs and go for it!!!
Alan Arena has issued what might be considered a perfect summer blues anthem with his single "Cape Cod Girl" (Alan Arena Records), which will have blues fans longing to dig their toes in the summer beach sand and maybe even do the Watusi while they're at it. It's a great feel-good track with support from Monster Mike Welch on guitar, Brad Hallen on bass, Marty Richards on drums, Brooks Milgate on piano and "Sax" Gordon Beadle providing, well, tenor and baritone sax of course. I know summer will be over soon, hopefully.....but this fun tune just might make the higher temperatures a little more bearable for the rest of the season. There's no video on YouTube for the song, but here's a promo from Alan with details about how to grab the single.
