Otis Grand is for many a Marmite kinda blues player but there's no denying he's back to peak form with projects like Blues 65 where the lengthy solos have given way to concise crispness that recalls B. B. King in his hey day. His birthday on Valentine's Day has been shared with Magic Sam Maghett whose brief career produced such intense singing and playing which continues to be massively influential. Just last year Delmark put out some "lost" recordings Sam did in Milwaukee at the Avant Garde club, quite possibly the only essential live blues project. Our look at his work also went to an informal project Sam recorded at home - though the fidelity wasn't studio quality it was a terrific example of a master playing for himself with the same tone and presence as those early Cobra singles.
In the week there'd been birthdates for Little Johnny Taylor and Phillip Walker so we dipped into their finest for the playlist. The other major feature marked the death of Little Walter in 1968 reportedly following a fight outside a club. He played harp like Louis Jordan played sax with a flowing melodic grace and just about anything he did set the benchmark for other mortals.
Blues and Rhythm magazine has just put out issue #297 and is regularly producing top-notch research and opinion ten times each year. Not sure what the 300 plans are yet but for around 40 of the recent issues, Ray Templeton has written his "Rudiments" which survey the most significant recordings of the artists central to blues. This time out he has gone to the work of R.L. Burnside, considered as the architect of "Mississippi Hill Country" style blues. RL blends elements of Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker but in a very different setting - his cover of "Wish I was In Heaven Sittin' Down" is credited to Mr. Traditional in the booklet but it's darn close to the song Mississippi Fred McDowell did for Alan Lomax in 1959.
It was a nice treat to hear the partnership of Mickey Champions vocals and guitarist/band leader Zac Harmon who put a new spin on an old chestnut; Carl Weathersby is one of the consistent current players who is somewhat under appreciated. Willie Brown is mentioned by name in the lyrics of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads Blues" and we paired him with James "Boodle-It" Wiggins for our pre-war spot.
Being deliberately different for a reason allows us the licence to play Saunders King and RL Burnside within an hour or so, just don't ask anyone to choose a favourite between them. In a trice we were packing up the tin trunk ready to regroup next Sunday at 10pm (GMT) round your place if you'll have us - 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 |
| It Hurts Me Too | Zac HarmonMickey Champion | 7 | The Blues According To Zacariah | Zac Harmon | BLUESTONE RECORDS |
| In Your Backyard | Otis Grand | 9 | Blues '65 | Otis Grand | MAINgate |
| You Don't Love Me Baby | Luther Allison | 26 | 100 Blues Gems | Various Artists | CHESS |
| Singing Side | Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials | 6 | Blues And Soul Sessions | Various Artists | UNION SQUARE MUSIC |
| wish i was in heaven | r. l. burnside | 4 | wish i was in heaven | r. l. burnside | fat possum |
| Walking By Myself | Jimmy Rogers | 12 | Chicago Bound: Chess Blues, R&b And Rock 'N' Roll | Various Artists | Fantastic Voyage |
| Future Blues | Willie Brown | 4 | Guitar Blues | Various Artists | ABM |
| Corrine Corrina Blues | James 'Boodle-It' Wiggins | 12 | Pure Vintage Blues Vol. 3 : Future Blues | Various Artists | EMPRESS |
| C C Rider | Henry Butler | 12 | Blues After Sunset | Henry Butler | BLACK TOP / C.R.S |
| Bad Luck Blues | Magic Sam | 7 | Live At The Avant Garde 1968 | Magic Sam | DELMARK |
| love me with a feeling | Magic Sam | 4 | west side guitar | magic sam | flyright |
| sweet little angel | Magic Sam | 7 | give me time | Magic Sam | DELMARK |
| all your love | Magic Sam | 5 | west side guitar | magic sam | flyright |
| Everything I Do | Carl Weathersby | 9 | Best Of Carl Weathersby | Carl Weathersby | EVIDENCE |
| I Can't Hold Out | Elmore James | 5 | Chicago Bound: Chess Blues, R&b And Rock 'N' Roll | Various Artists | Fantastic Voyage |
| As The Years Go Passing By | Fenton Robinson | 5 | I Pity The Fool - The Duke Records Story | Various Artists | One Day Music |
| mean old world | little walter | 3 | at his best | little walter | chess |
| Roller Coaster | Little Walter | 13 | Chicago Bound: Chess Blues, R&b And Rock 'N' Roll | Various Artists | Fantastic Voyage |
| mellow down easy | little walter | 11 | at his best | little walter | chess |
| First Class Love | Little Johnny Taylor | 7 | The Galaxy Years | Little Johnny Taylor | ACE |
| Further On Up The Road | Bobby 'Blue' Bland | 26 | It's My Life, Baby: The Singles - As & Bs, 1951-1960 | Bobby 'Blue' Bland | Jasmine |
| Someday You'll Have These Blues | Phillip Walker | 11 | The Best Of Phillip Walker | Phillip Walker | HIGH TONE |
| You'll Need Another Favor | W. C. Clark | 9 | Texas Soul | W. C. Clark | BLACK TOP |
| get your hands out of my pocket | Otis Spann | 1 | otis spann's chicago blues | Otis Spann | Testament |
| Can't Last Too Long | Henry Gray | 5 | Swamp Blues | Various Artists | ACE |
| Love Me Mama | Lightnin' Slim | 20 | I'm A Rolling Stone Lightnin' Slim | Lightnin' Slim | Jasmine |
| Fool For You | Billy Boy Arnold | 3 | Sweet And Tough - The Blues From Chicago | Various Artists | MUSIC CLUB |
| write me a letter blues | Saunders King | 2 | Blues Around Midnight | Various Artists | ACE |
| good mornin little schoolgirl | Buddy Guy and junior wells | 1 | chicago blues bash | various artists | DELMARK |
| My Baby's A Good'Un | Otis Rush | 2 | Deep Feeling | Various Artists | Fantatsic Voyage |
| Trying To Get To You | Henry Oden | 6 | You're Wrong For That ! | Henry Oden |
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