Freddie was our first royal, he dipped into Elmore's back catalogue for the leading cut on a rare album done for the Cotillion imprint. Albert was King #2; his debut session had john brim on guitar, Johnny Jones on piano with Odie Payne and Willie Dixon in the engine room. there's a fantasy blues league next door to. priceless on that team sheet.
bobby Rush has the 2013 Star Blues album award on his shelf, he's now got the matching gong from the BMA committee. the title track off the album showed why they agreed with our choice. Our other winner triumphed in the horn category . Eddie Shaw is a redoubtable figure on the Chicago blues scene, just as he has for decades. Delmark is his home, where you'll also find our birthday boy Quintus McCormick: the Hey Jodie project has the track Fifty/Fifty.
John Mayall is by my count 81 and is like Michael Caine for reliability, if you like him you'll like his new album called Special Life, no surprises. At the other end of the age scale Selwyn Birchwood's debut for Alligator is on just about every other blues jock's radar at the moment, mostly to feature the 9 minute slow blues guitar opus Paper Bag; we favoured the more authentic take of Overwork. We hope he'll resist the axe hero push.
Our blues ladies had Ruth Brown and Faye Adams, the ultra rare and little recorded Cleo Gibson - and the Empress Bessie Smith. Just as we had dream team on offer with Albert K, Bessie had Louis Armstrong on cornet. This collection has some of the cleanest sounding cuts from Smith - this piece was done in 1929 Lonnie Johnson was masterful on Careless Love and Lightnin Hopkins effortlessly proved Texas blues guitar is ohso much more than Joe Bo. Guitar dexterity was there in other guises like Little Hudson, Eddie Kirkland and the peerless Memphis Minnie. We went to the Excello cupboard for our gospel spot and our piano spot from Mercy Dee Walton was remarkable for Sydney Maiden's crisp harp work.
The Chicago Blues Festival is two weeks away and to set the scene our Star Blues on Sunday at 10pm will have the Windy City and all its blues players as a theme. Until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you.
track.title | track.artistsort | index | album.title | album.artistsort | label |
Yonder Wall | Freddie King | 1 | My Feeling For The Blues | Freddie King | REPERTOIRE |
Goodbye Baby | Elmore James | 18 | Lets Cut It | Elmore James | CLASSIC BLUES |
That's All Right | John Mayall | 1 | A Special Life | John Mayall | |
Overworked And Underpaid | Selwyn Birchwood | 7 | Don't Call No Ambulance | Selwyn Birchwood | Alligator |
Take a Chance on Me, Baby | Michael Burks | 2 | Show Of Strength | Michael Burks | Alligator Records & Artist Management, Inc. |
Go Ahead on | Guitar Red | 23 | Sun Records - Ultimate Blues Collection | Various Artists | VARESE |
Step By Step | Eric Bibb | 11 | Get Onboard | Eric Bibb | TELARC |
Too Many Hungry Mouths Around the Table | Denise La Salle | 13 | Crossroads : Southern Routes | Various Artists | SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS |
Down in Louisiana | Bobby Rush | 1 | Down In Louisiana | Bobby Rush | DEEP Rush |
What a Fool I've Been | Little Buster | 20 | Looking For A Home | Little Buster | SEQUEL |
fifty fifty | quintus mc cormick | 5 | 60 years of blues | various artists | delmark |
sun is shining | eddie shaw | 9 | it ain't over | various artists | delmark |
You Give Me Nothing But the Blues | Snooks Eaglin | 1 | Baby, You Can Get Your Gun! | Snooks Eaglin | BLACK TOP |
Keep Your Hands Off Her | Little Joe Ayers | 8 | Backatchya | Little Joe Ayers | DEVIL DOWN |
Linin' Track | Taj Mahal | 10 | Giant Steps // De Old Folks At Home | Taj Mahal | SONY |
lonesome dog blues | Lightnin hopkins | 2-6 | Rpm Blues Story | Various Artists | one day |
It's Time For Lovin' To Be Done | Little Eddie Kirkland | 1-7 | Rpm Blues Story | Various Artists | one day |
oh what a dream | Ruth Brown | 2-3 | greatest hits - Teardrops From My Eyes | Ruth Brown | sequel |
Witness to the Crime (Herald 470) | Faye Adams | 3 | R&b Humdingers Volume 11 | Various Artists | Vee-Tone Records |
I've Got Ford Movements in My Hips | Cleo Gibson | 10 | Bedspring Poker - Meat In Motion 1926/1951 | Various Artists | INDIGO |
Didn't it Rain Children | Sons Of The South | 16 | The Best Of Excello Gospel | Various Artists | ACE |
sweet old woman blues | goree carter | 5 | great unsung | goree carter | collectables |
five card hand | mercy dee walton | 4 | in the key of blues | various artists | bluesville |
Kissing in the Dark | Memphis Minnie | 15 | Blues Is Killin' Me | Various Artists | FLYRIGHT |
I Ain't Goin' to Play No Second Fiddle (Feat. Louis Armstrong) | Bessie Smith | 15 | Blues Queen. The Definitive Collection | Bessie Smith | Phoenix Records |
Careless Love | Lonnie Johnson | 6 | The Original Guitar Wizard | Lonnie Johnson | PROPER |
Be on Your Merry Way | Albert King | 1 | Ultimate Collection | Albert King | RHINO |
rough treatment | little hudson | 11 | Blues Is Killin' Me | Various Artists | FLYRIGHT |
boogie in the dark | jimmy reed | 1-4 | anthology | jimmy reed | not |
Dream | John Littlejohn | 6 | Chicago Blues Stars | John Littlejohn | Arhoolie Records |