STAR BLUES on 5th May 2013 at 22:00

Last nights STAR BLUES had tracks from the new albums from Guy Davis, James Cotton, Hans Theesink, Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa, Larry Miller and Steve Hooker.  Hans has a gentle understated vocal style and is a strong advocate of all forms of roots music, "Wishing Well" is a fine addition to his canon. Guy Davis reworks the "Statesboro Blues" motif in a new way that is neither Blind Willie McTell nor Duane Allman. Beth Hart as been joined by Joe Bonamassa again to show-off her amazing vocal chops: we chose a Randy Weeks composition first done by Lucinda Williams on here "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" album. nice accordion playing set it off. Steve Hooker's music can't easily be categorised, the instrumental "Wicked Blues" is probably the closest to blues on his new album "Smokin' Guitar". He's also in Linton, Cambridge on 18th.

As for James Cotton, the blues purists will note the rock arrangements on a couple of tracks on his new album "Cotton Mouth Man" - however James is on good form throughout, he continues to astound with his supple technique and in a few weeks he'll be 78.

Plenty of other instrumental prowess on offer from two sizes of Walter: the smaller one cut loose on the instrumental "Off the Wall" and the big one was part of a stellar lineup backing Floyd Jones in 1966 for a session at Testament. (Otis Spann and Eddie Taylor to name but two of the other players).  The earliest work from Little Johnny Christian and Kid Thomas were featured in our Vinyl Hour; as was T-Bone Walker taking a Vacation for the Black & White label in 1946. Electric blues guitar never gets better than T-Bone Walker and his effortless playing meant he never played one note too few, nor ever one too many.  Albert Collins was another man whose solos were finely placed and his "Fake Id" was our third instrumental last night. Christian's song first came out on the Leric label, the brainchild of the already much missed Jimmy Dawkins.

We didn't forget the ladies, the "Bad Bad Girl" collection gave us Julia Lee and Ella Mae Morse whose rolling piano backing from Freddie Slack qualified here for the piano spot. Denise LaSalle broke through from the start of the genre we now call "soul-blues", her "man Size Job" has been covered dozens of times though never with the same brio as her original on Westbound - all the sides she did for them are out now on a Kent cd. There's also a double disc survey of Johnny Copeland's "Texas Soul" period - the more I hear the more I realise how much we miss him, both in vocal and guitar departments.  Ollie Nightingale was over in the gospel tent and we found a place for Robert Johnson's Vocalion debut from 1936. STAR BLUES also had one of the very first recordings "Down On The Farm" from 1958 by Big Al Downing - no-one told the Billboard judging committee in 1974 when they gave him a best new comer award.

Then in a trice we were done, that vinyl hour goes so quickly I'm planning a whole show in the very near future. Until next Sunday at 10pm (BST) you were magnificent and i was Gary Blue: take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you

Track.Title	Track.ArtistSort	Index	Album.Title	Album.ArtistSort	Label
Lake City, Fla	Jay Owens	5	The Blues Soul Of	Jay Owens	INDIGO
Fake I.D.	Albert Collins	9	Cold Snap	Albert Collins	Alligator
I Pity The Fool	Luther 'Guitar Junior' Johnson	9	From Matrimony To Alimony: Blues For Good Love Gone Bad	Various Artists	TELARC
Wicked Blues (No Filter)	Steve Hooker	8	Smokin' Guitar	Steve Hooker	PUmphouse Records
outlaw blues	larry miller	2-1	live and outlawed	larry miller	provogue
Statesboro Blues	Guy Davis	13	Juba Dance	Guy Davis (Featuring Fabrizio Poggi)	Dixiefrog
Make Me Down A Pallet On Your Floor	Hans Theessink	6	Wishing Well	Hans Theessink	BLUE GROOVE
Every Night In The Week	Mike Sanchez And His BandImelda May	7	Almost Grown	Mike Sanchez And His BandImelda May	DOOPIN
Mad Man	Byther Smith	4	I'm A Mad Man	Byther Smith	Rounder Records Manufactured and Distributed By Co
Hard Sometimes	James Cotton feat. Delbert McClinton	8	Cotton Mouth Man	James Cotton	Alligator Records & Artist Management, Inc.
Can't Let Go	Beth Hart And Joe Bonamassa	5	See Saw	Beth Hart And Joe Bonamassa	PROVOGUE
man size job	denise lasalle	7	making a good thing better	denise lasalle	kent
something up your sleeve	johnny clyde copeland	1-14	it's me - classic texas soul	johnny copeland	kent
Baby Let's Play House	Arthur Gunter	14	The Real Excello R'n'b	Various Artists	ACE
Baby Please Set A Date	Elmore James	12	Dust My Broom	Elmore James	ORBIS BLUES COLLECTION
Baby Lee	John Lee Hooker	10	John Lee Hooker	John Lee Hooker	EUK
smokestack lightnin	Howlin' Wolf	1	woke up this mornin	Various Artists	CHESS
King Size Papa	Julia Lee	6	I'm A Bad Bad Girl	Various Artists	INDIGO
house of blue lights	ella mae morse	23	I'm A Bad Bad Girl	Various Artists	INDIGO
living for my jesus	ollie and the nightingales	2-3	gospel celebrities	Various Artists	fantastic voyage
Vacation Blues	T-Bone Walker	22	The Complete Capitol/Black And White Recordings	T-Bone Walker	Capitol
Kind Hearted Woman Blues	Robert Johnson	10	Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues [Robert Johnson]	Robert Johnson	Columbia Legacy
Off The Wall	Little Walter (Aka Marion Walter Jacobs)	14	An Introduction To	Little Walter (Aka Marion Walter Jacobs)	PROPER
New Life	Little Johnny Christian	1	Jimmy Dawkins Presents: The Leric Story	Various Artists	DELMARK
You're Fine	Kid Thomas	4	Chicago Blues From Federal Records	Various Artists	ACE
Stockyard Blues	Floyd JonesEddie Taylor	3	Masters Of Modern Blues	Floyd JonesEddie Taylor	Shout
Down On The Farm	Big Al Downing	2	Honky Tonk Charlie Gillett's Radio Picks	Various Artists	ACE
suzie q	dale hawkins	12	Honky Tonk Charlie Gillett's Radio Picks	Various Artists	ACE

Created: 05/05/2013 23:58:12

STAR BLUES on 28th April 2013 at 22:00

STAR BLUES was on the spot last night with a new studio setup, some brand new bits and bobs unearthed on Record Store Day, a couple of passings to mark, and a swing outside the strictest definition of blues - you can chalk another one up as truly "different".

Big George Brock, JB Hutto and Mississippi Heat were found on RS Day and have proved to be nice additions to my collection; especially really liking those early sides with Deitra Farr's voice and Billy Flynn and Bob Stroeger added support to "I Love My Baby". The Buddy Guy live version of "Can't Be Satisfied" was done at Radio City in New York in 2003 and was on the soundtrack to the Scorsese film "Lightnin In a Bottle" - a 2 disc set.

A good night for the ladies too: Edith Johnson is featured in the new issue of Blues & Rhythm magazine and we had her her Eight Hour marathon time (or perhaps she was talking about some other physical exertion?). Hadda Brooks was a very stylish player and her 1946 instrumental outing for the Modern label closed the Vinyl Hour. Mahalia did our gospel duty and Betty James' classic single for Chess was an unexpected late addition to the running order.

Hugh Laurie excites much comment with everything he touches, his new album garnered six out of ten in Classic Rock magazine, I'd score it one or two more because he has never claimed to be an authentic bluesman (whatever that is). He celebrates and is able to bring outside interest to some lesser known artists and the project is a labour of love - as long as he stays away from the hoary old chestnuts we should wish him well. The singer on his version of "Didn't It Rain" is I think Jean McCain and she aquit herself admirably last night.

Similarly Bob Brozman never called himself a blues artist, he believed music to be the universal language. His songs would just as likely include Hawaiian or India influences as anything heard in the Delta cotton fields. At just 59 he died this week and we will miss his mastery of National Steel playing, as well as his knowledge and influence.

Artie "Blues Boy" White died last Saturday - blessed with an engaging voice and a keen eye for song writing, he always seemed to be on the edge of being lauded in the same way as Z Z Hill. We went to his first album he put out on Ronn Records in 1985, he later did projects for Ichiban and Waldoxy as well as four albums on his own label. With last years loss of Lou Pride, this style of singing is getting hard to find.

Pre-war gems from King Solomon Hill (who only cut 8 titles) and Charlie Patton (aka Charley Patton) who died this date in 1934. Neither were in the highest of fidelity but the power of the performances cut across the intervening years. Regular listeners will know the high regard I hold Johnny Shines - he'd have had a birthday this week so I was able to include his 1972 version of "Dyna Flow Blues".

Django Reinhard and Stephan Grapelli were regulars at the Hot Club of Paris and that same beautiful, elegant playing was here on "Swing Gitane" as we tried to usher in something summery - not blues by the strictest meaning but lovely skills nonetheless.

You were great company on STAR BLUES, many thanks for the many kind words about the Vinyl Hour - I was Gary Blue. I will be again next Sunday at 10pm (BST) if you'll have me - 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
My Heart Is Achin' To Love You	J. B. Hutto	5	Slideslinger	J. B. Hutto	EVIDENCE
I Love My Baby	Mississippi Heat	1	Learned The Hard Way	Mississippi Heat	Van Der Linden
I Wouldn't-A Done That	Duke Robillard Band, The	1	Independently Blue	Duke Robillard Band, The	STONY PLAIN
Rockin' Chair	Big George Brock	5	Round Two	Big George Brock	CAT Head
warm room	Artie 'Bluesboy' White	1	Blues Boy	Artie 'Bluesboy' White	RONN
the leaning tree	john primer and bob corritore	5	knockin around the blues	john primer and bob corritore	delta groove
Swing Gitane	Swing Gitane	1	Swing Gitane	Swing Gitane	Blau
I Can't Be Satisfied	Buddy Guy	9	Lightning In A Bottle. A Salute To The Blues [Disc 1]	Various Artists	Columbia / Legacy
Cypress Grove Blues	Bob Brozman	7	Blues Reflex	Bob Brozman	Ruf
Didn't It Rain	Hugh Laurie	2	Didn't It Rain	Hugh Laurie	WARNER BROS
i wanna do it to you	Smokey Wilson	1	Round Like An Apple: Big Town Sessions 1977-1978	Smokey Wilson	ACE
stop lyin	Tail Dragger	9	Stop Lyin'	Tail Dragger	DELMARK
Dynaflow Blues	Johnny Shines	3	Ramblin' Blues	Johnny Shines	ORBIS BLUES COLLECTION
pony blues	charlie patton	7	pony Blues	charlie patton	orbis publications
Gone Dead Train	King Solomon Hill	7	Blues Images Presents 1920's Blues Classics Cd - Volume 3	Various Artists	BLUES IMAGES
Gonna Tell Your Mother	Jimmy McCracklin	1	Modern Recordings, Vol. 2: Blues Blastin'	Jimmy McCracklin	ACE
Eight Hour Woman	Edith Johnson	37	Bedspring Poker - Meat In Motion 1926/1951	Various Artists	INDIGO
lorraine	Johnny Young	10	The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions	Johnny Young	BLUE HORIZON
Early Morning	Floyd Jones	2-17	Down Home Blues Classics - Chicago (1946-1954)	Various Artists	BOULEVARD VINTAGE
my real gone rocket	jackie brenston	1-8	rockin memphis	Various Artists	proper
baker street boogie	willie nix	1-14	rockin memphis	Various Artists	proper
salt in my coffee	betty james	2	misc	Various Artists	various
Dig A Little Deeper	Mahalia Jackson	10	As Good As It Gets	Various Artists	DISKY
bluesin the boogie	hadda brooks	2	1946 modern years	various artists	ace

STAR BLUES on 21st April 2013 at 22:00

Spot the guitarist - at least two tracks on STAR BLUES have identity problems regarding the axe-man. Our closing Bobby Bland song "Further On Up The Road" is covered by the Ripley Old Sock brigade but in its original form featured some fine guitar playing. was it Wayne Bennett? was it Clarence Holliman? The discographer's bible shows it as Pat Hare. It's almost irrelevant given its power and impact.

The other question concerns Kevin Selfe's new project on Delta Groove - there's no other player credited with guitar on the track "Too Much Voodoo" but it really sounds to me like Robert Cray has added some of his magic. We could be doing Kevin a big disservice with such idle speculation but the song was a nice addition to last night's show. Jimmy Dawkins was one of the very best artists working in Chicago - though he made his album debut late, he had a solid rep as session player and he went on to issue some good records of his own, though to find him at his best he was most at home on stage.

The Arthur Crudup project on Delmark includes Dawkins and wasn't released at the time (1969), its out now on cd and is the Album of the Month in the new Living Blues. The magazine also talks to Carolina guitarist John Dee Holeman and harp maestro James Cotton who also had their music on our playlist. Anyday now there'll be James' new project on Alligator called "Cotton Mouth". For Delta Groove the Mighty Mojo Prophets project is out the same week as the great album from John Primer and Bob Corritore, it would be a shame if it gets missed.

Leading live band the Mustangs are coming to the Elme Hall Rock'n'Blues club on 5th May so we had a nice chance to go to their brand new album.

At long last the committee of the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame has seen sense to include Albert King for induction and we showed them what they've been missing so far. The single "Landromat Blues" came from his seminal album "Born Under A Bad Sign" - the one essential album *every* blues fan must have. It has Albert standing front and centre of Booker T & MGs, with Al Jackson in immaculate form. I urge anyone thinking of putting together a band to play blues to listen to Jackson's touch on this album - if your drummer can't play like that you should go off to do German OOmpah music instead.  JB Lenoir was worried you'd mess up his new haircut and Lloyd Price gave a shout out to Creole who this week has joined Lawdy Miss Clawdy and gone on ahead. Piano from Little Brother Montgomery's 1936 session for Bluebird and Champion Jack Dupree's London album he cut in 1959 with Alexis Korner. We missed our gospel spot last night and I promise to do it next week.

STAR BLUES is Britain's Other Blues Show: different for a reason yesterday with Pee Wee Hughes, Wright Holmes and Harvey Hill who don't often get played elsewhere. There is so much great stuff around its unreal - we hope you found something new on Record Store Day assuming you could still find one. Next Sunday at 10pm (BST) I'll be back with some of the gems I was lucky enough to get, white tee-shirt is ready and raring to go. 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
Rock Your Town	Carl Weathersby	1	Don't Lay The Blues On Me	Carl Weathersby	EVIDENCE
Bad Luck Card	Kenny Neal	12	Walking On Fire	Kenny Neal	Alligator
She's Gone	Mighty Mojo Prophets, The	11	Flyin' Home From Memphis	Mighty Mojo Prophets, The	Delta Groove Productions
T. V. Mama	Big George Jackson	2	Nothing Like The Rest	Big George Jackson	COLD WIND
aint't never had nothin'	jimmy dawkins	3	tribute to orange	jimmy dawkins	EVIDENCE
110 Woodland	Jimmy Dawkins	1	Oldies But Goodies - Northern Soul	Various Artists
Mistake I Made in L.A.	Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup	5	Sunny Road	Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup	DELMARK
Mojo Hand	John Dee Holeman & The Waifs Band	3	John Dee Holeman & The Waifs Band	John Dee Holeman & The Waifs Band	MUSIC MAKER
Boot Knockin' Boogie	James Cotton	4	Fire Down Under The Hill	James Cotton	TELARC
Too Much Voodoo	Kevin Selfe (with possibly Robert Cray?)	8	Long Walk Home	Kevin Selfe	Delta Groove Productions
when god met the devil	mustangs	3	speed of love	mustangs	raging horse
Sliced Apples	Ernest Lane	19	Trouble Up The Road	Ike Turner	SECRET RECORDS
Don't Throw Your Love on Me So	Albert King	20	Trouble Up The Road	Ike Turner	SECRET RECORDS
laundromat blues	albert king	1-8	ultimate collection	albert king	rhino
Country Boy Blues	Pee Wee Hughes	57	Down Home Blues Classics	Various Artists	BOULEVARD VINTAGE
Good Road Blues	Wright Holmes	1	Alley Special	Various Artists	COLLECTABLES
She Fool Me	Harvey Hill Jr.	49	Down Home Blues Classics	Various Artists	BOULEVARD VINTAGE
Good Rockin' Man	Roy Brown	2	The R'n'b Years 1952: 100 Hot Rhythm And Blues Tunes From 1952	Various Artists	BOULEVARD VINTAGE
Boot ‘em Up	Du-Droppers, The	25	We’re Gonna Rock, We’re Gonna Roll	Various Artists	PROPER
lawdy mis clawdy	lloyd price	25	we're gonna rock	various artists	proper
Farish Street Jive	Little Brother Montgomery	19	The Best Of Boogie Woogie	Various Artists	DOCUMENTS
Bad Luck Bound To Change	Champion Jack Dupree	20	Two Classic Albums Plus Singles	Champion Jack Dupree	AVID
T Model Blues	Ligtnin' Hopkins	36	The R'n'b Hits Of 1949	Various Artists	INDIGO
Don't Touch My Head	J.B. Lenoir	11	The Best Of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour	Various Artists	CHROME
Farther Up The Road	Bobby ‘blue’ Bland	12	The Rough Guide To Blues Legends: B.B. King: Birth Of A Legend (Cd2)	Various Artists	ROUGH GUIDES

Created: 21/04/2013 23:54:42

STAR BLUES on 14th April 2013

No show - sorry

STAR BLUES on 7th April 2013 at 22:00

John Primer played lead guitar for Muddy Waters - just consider the significance of that for a moment, lead player for the greatest of them all. John is still in cracking form and he's with Bob Corritore (who we chose as our artist of 2012) for a brand new project on Delta Groove: "Knockin Around These Blues". We were proud to premier it last night on STAR BLUES. Bob is great player with a knack for bringing out the very best in his partners and "Man or Mouse" is just one of the gems on offer.

Hugh Laurie doesn't claim to be an authentic bluesman and his mannered vocals aren't easy listening; he is a neat piano player with an obvious enthusiasm for the form. We had the radio edit of his new single last night - the song was co-written by Dr John and the late (and underappreciated) Bobby Charles. We hope Laurie's celebrity status can point a few new fans in the right direction (which I'm sure he'd regard as a decent outcome). Brad Vickers and his Vestapolitans do old-timey stuff using fiddles and an upright bass and it was nice to show there's more to the current scene than screaming white-hot guitar wizardry.

I almost passed over the new EP from the Atomic Road Kill - the press release mentions rockabilly, hard rock and punk as influences. Lucky I read further and found the names Little Walter, Paul Butterfield and Jerry Portnoy - a far better indication of the nimble harp skills on offer. As a nice balance we went back to 1930 for "Coffee Grinder Blues" on Columbia by Jaybird Coleman to showcase one of the very first stars of blues harp. Coleman got a name for playing harp to the US Armed Forces and Cecil Gant was known as the GI Sing-Sation for his urbane vocal style on sides such as "I Wonder". He also had a muscular piano boogie style that he brought along to STAR BLUES.

The recent drama-documentary on Richard Feynmann solving the Challenger disaster included his refusal to work on the atomic bomb project in World War 2 - I went to the shelf for Pete Johnson's "Atomic Boogie" as another piano blues offering. Lafayette Leake did a fair number of sessions for blues and rock'n'roll records but very little under his own name (his first single came out in 1967). It was long thought to be his first work until the guys at MCA put together the Chess Blues box set - they found a December 1956 session with his name on: the loping instrumental with Willie Dixon and Odie Payne got the title of "Slow Leake" but no-one thought to make a note of the guitarists name. For tracks like this you wonder why there was no second track to create a single for the label, and if they didn't intend a single release what then? Nice skills in any case.


Nice guitar skills too at either end of our Vinyl Hour: Johnny Guitar Watson and Larry Dale. The former was a b-side to "Looking Back" on a local Los Angeles label miraculously picked up by John Mayall for his live set - and later into that of Dr. Feelgood, who also covered Solomon Burke's "Stupidity" on Atlantic. Lavern Baker was one of Atlatic's earliest female stars and in 1959 she was joined by the Alex Bradford Quartet for a gospel album, we chose her version of Mahalia Jackson's "In the Upper Room" for our sacred spot.

Mark Lamarr insists there is a law which says if you play Chuck Berry you must also play Bo Diddley - and rather than cause an international legal incident, we were more than happy to comply. Our Muddy Waters show was oh so brief (many thanks for the kind feedback: we will certainly plan to do more) and we didn't get time to include anything by either of his sons Big Bill Morganfield or Mud Morganfield. Put that right last night, the apple don't fall far from the tree is all we can say.

We're up for some more STAR BLUES next Sunday at 10pm (BST), you were absolutely magnificent last night and I was Gary Blue. Until next week take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you

Track.Title	Track.ArtistSort	Index	Album.Title	Album.ArtistSort	Label
Attitude	Johnny Heartsman	5	Touch	Johnny Heartsman	Alligator
She's A Burglar	Freddie King	7	Burglar	Freddie King	POLYDOR
sugar sweet	freddie king	8	burglar	freddie king	rso
Look What You Done	Big Bill Morganfield	1	Blues With A Mood	Big Bill Morganfield	101 Distribution
Dallas Blues-Bonus	Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans	15	Great Day In The Morning	Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans	manhattones
man or mouse	john primer w. bob corritore	9	knocking around the blues	john primer w. bob corritore	delta groove
automatic	atomic road kings	2	a r k	atomic road kings	rip cat
coffee grinder blues	jaybird coleman	16	harmonica blues	various artists	indigo
wild honey	hugh laurie	1	wild honey	hugh laurie	warner bros
I Feel So Bad	Mike Eldred Trio, The	2	Elvis Unleaded	Mike Eldred Trio, The	RIP CAT
elevate me mama	mannish boys w. mud morganfield	1-6	atomic blues	mannish boys	delta groove
just got to hold you tight	Billy Boy Arnold	15	Billy Boy Arnold Sings: Big Bill Broonzy	Billy Boy Arnold	Electro-Fi
The Eagle Is Back	Johnny 'Guitar' Watson	4	Untouchable! The Classic 1959-1966 Recordings	Johnny 'Guitar' Watson	ACE
Zig Zig Lightning	Little Johnny Taylor	20	The Galaxy Years	Little Johnny Taylor	ACE
Wise Man's Blues	Bobby 'Blue' Bland	2	The 3B Blues Boy. The Blues Years : 1952-1958	Bobby 'Blue' Bland	ACE
Bullet Boogie	Cecil Gant	20	Let Me Tell You About The Blues: Nashville	Various Artists	Fantastic Voyage
Atomic Boogie	Pete Johnson	1	Jump 'N' Jive	Various Artists	METRO
Slow Leake	Lafayette Leake	18	Chess Blues	Various Artists	CHESS
Stupidity	Solomon Burke	9	Home Is In Your Heart	Solomon Burke	RHINO
You Never Can Tell	Chuck Berry	14	His Best Volume 2	Chuck Berry	MCA/CHESS
Road Runner	Bo Diddley	3	White Lightning	Various Artists	INSTANT
T Model Boogie	Rosco Gordon	17	No More Doggin' : Introduction To Rosco Gordon	Rosco Gordon	PROPER
That Ain't Right	Jimmy McCracklin	7	Modern Recordings, Vol. 2: Blues Blastin'	Jimmy McCracklin	ACE
in the upper room	lavern baker	2-8	gospel celebrities	various artists	fantastic voyage
Sad Life Blues	Jimmy Witherspoon	11	Sings The Blues Sessions	Jimmy Witherspoon	ACE
Look What You've Done To Me	Little Willie John	19	Mule Milk And Fire Water	Various Artists	WESTSIDE
midnight hour blues	larry dale	3-16	Let Me Tell You About The Blues: New York	Various Artists	Fantastic Voyage

Created: 07/04/2013 23:53:37 

STAR BLUES on 31st March 2013 at 22:00 (Muddy Waters special)

I expected to see more in the mainstream press on the imminent centenary of the birth of McKinley Morganfield (4th April 2013). For many years his birth year was shown as 1915 (a date given out in a Chess press release circa 1954) but even Wikipedia has caught up with the research and evidence proving the earlier actual date.

More than any other artist Muddy crystallised the way blues changed from a rural sound played solo and acoustic into an urban electric band sound - he was consummate master of both styles. In two short hours last night STAR BLUES played something from every stage in his long career - barely doing justice to his legacy. He also took a paternal role in developing young players, his band had several notable guitar, harp and piano men who all had decent careers as band leaders themselves. We played a few last night: Buddy Guy and James Cotton are still going strong with new projects; John Primer and Bob Margolin are still in great form and so on. The playlist speaks for itself.

In the mainstream reference books, the commentary skips directly from the two "Electric Mud" era projects to the Indian Summer success of the Blue Sky / Johnny Winter years. To take the same path you'd overlook the "Woodstock" album he did with Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield and a couple of Band members produced by the great Henry Glover. There was also a really nice two hander version of "Walkin Blues" Muddy did with Sammy Lawhorn as part of the "London Sessions". He'd found the same touch with Buddy Guy on "My Home Is In The Delta" from the pivotal "Folk Singer" album.

Muddy thought of Otis Spann as close family and there is a unique chemistry on all those sides that is audible - we had chance to play some other Otis Spann by dipping into the session he did for Sam Charters for "Chicago / The Blues / Today" set; the rare single Spann did in 1954 with BB King on guitar; the live gifts of the whole ensemble captured on vinyl and on film at the Newport Jazz festival in July 1960.

Those first sides done for John Lomax in 1941 on Stovall's Plantation almost didn't happen: when Muddy heard a white man was looking for him his first  thought was a man from the Revue after his whisky still and he could so easily have run away. Every blues fan needs to have head those cuts and the ones Muddy did between 1947 and 1950, the power of his slide playing is immutable. "Little Geneva" was about his then girl friend Geneva Wade who became Geneva Morganfield for a quarter of a century.

Much of the background information for STAR BLUES came from Robert Gordan's fabulous biography called "Can't Be Satisfied" and I believe Thursday sees a new edition to mark the Centenary. The discographical work by Phil Wight and Fred Rothwell published in issue#200  of Blues & Rhythm magazine was invaluable.

Those two hours were a real privilege, it was all done in a trice. Back for more next Sunday at 10pm (BST) - 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
My Love Strikes Like Lightning	Muddy Waters	16	His Best 1956 - 1964	Muddy Waters	MCA/CHESS
Blow Wind Blow	Muddy Waters	2	Messin' With The Man	Muddy Waters	Essential Music and Marketing Ltd
why are people like that	muddy waters	1	woodstock album	muddy waters	chess
The Same Thing	Muddy Waters	19	His Best 1956 - 1964	Muddy Waters	MCA/CHESS
Still A Fool	Muddy Waters	10	His Best 1947 - 1955	Muddy Waters	MCA/CHESS
Walking Thru' The Park	Johnny WinterMuddy Water	9	Nothin' But The Blues	Johnny Winter	BEAT GOES ON
Little By Little	Junior Wells	2	Junior Wells 1957-1963	Junior Wells	Chief
Little Boy Blue	Walter Horton	8	Let Me Tell You About The Blues: Memphis	Various Artists	Fantastic Voyage
Mellow Down Easy	Little Walter (Aka Marion Walter Jacobs)	11	His Best	Little Walter (Aka Marion Walter Jacobs)	MCA/CHESS
Long Distance Call	Muddy Waters	4	Blues Guitar Box	Various Artists	SEQUEL
Walkin' Blues	Muddy Waters	16	Chicago - London	Muddy Waters	ROOTS
Close To You	Muddy Waters	15	The Roots Of The Doors	Various Artists	SNAPPER MUSIC
Telephone Blues	Little George Smith	2	Harmonica Ace - The Modern Masters	Little George Smith	ACE
West Helena Blues	Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet	5	Chicago / The Blues / Today!	Various Artists	ACE
Sometime I Wonder	Otis Spann's South Side Piano	14	Chicago / The Blues / Today!	Various Artists	ACE
Must Have Been The Devil	Otis Spann	15	Best Of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour Volume 2	Various Artists	CHROME
I Feel So Good	Muddy Waters	6	Live At Newport	Muddy Waters	CHARLY
I's Be Troubled	Muddy Waters	3	Complete Plantation Recordings	Muddy Waters	MCA/CHESS
Little Geneva	Muddy Waters	8	Rollin' Stone	Muddy Waters	CHESS
Gypsy Woman	Muddy Waters	1	Rollin' Stone	Muddy Waters	CHESS
rolling stone	muddy waters	4	rollin' stone	muddy waters	chess
I'm Gonna Murder My Baby	Pat Hare	20	Let Me Tell You About The Blues: Memphis	Various Artists	Fantastic Voyage
That's All Right	Jimmy Rogers	3	Chess Blues Classics 1947-1956	Various Artists	MCA/CHESS
my home is in the delta	Muddy Waters	1	My Home Is In The Delta	Muddy Waters	BLUES ENCORE
got my mojo working	Muddy Waters	9	Rollin' Stone	Muddy Waters	CHESS

Created: 31/03/2013 23:58:16 

STAR BLUES on 24th March 2013 at 22:00

Virtually everything on tonight's show started life on 45 or 78 rpm vinyl - and it warmed the cockles of my heart (having started the show in the freezing studio).When your white tee-shirt looks like Jacqueline Bissett in "The Deep" you know it's cold in the studio. Who cares about those embarrassing bumps: we pride ourselves on being different, we are never happier than when playing the good stuff from the archives.
The man who plays piano on the theme to "Top Gear" - Allman Brothers' "Jessica" - is Chuck Leavell and his new project celebrates blues piano pioneers; and when you see his selection includes Charlie Spand and Barrelhouse Buck MacFarland you know this aint just another excuse for coffee table blues with his celeb mates. His "Back To The Woods" album was last night's late addition to the planned fare and it shows he's a good technician with a love for the form.

Those splendid chaps at Veetone have a new anthology due to hit the shops anytime soon: it marks 75 years since the Ace Cafe opened for the first time. It was an iconic meeting point on the way up north (or back home) for so many gigging musicians in the days when you had to ply your trade live sweaty and without overdubs. The cafe stayed open all night and became the place to be seen. The new disc surveys the music of the time and we chose Link Wray's "Rumble" for our own tribute.

The subjects in Blues Matters! magazine are often too rock-laden for STAR BLUES but the new issue has a neat feature on Lil Joe Washington, one of blues' most interesting and distinctive characters. He records for Eddie Stout's marvellous imprint called Dialtone, which also is home to a lovely project from Milton Hopkins and Jewel Brown. The advert for that album has the whole back page in the new Blues & Rhythm magazine; an edition carrying good reviews of the Shelton Powe and Corey Harris albums. We like both on STAR BLUES.

We don't often celebrate the blues ladies doing R&B in the early Fifties so having Little Esther, Ruth Brown, Rosetta Perry and Margie Day was a huge treat last night. Perry only cut two discs, we had the first which enjoyed small commercial reward but her second in 1957 was done for BB King's short lived Blues Boy Kingdom label and disappeared as quickly as it came. Elton Anderson's "Train" was recorded for Eddie Shuler's Goldband outfit but he didn't fancy it, the licensed version put out by Johnny Vincent's Vin label did okay and Elton's subsequent work was out on Goldband. His song and that of Huey Piano Smith were part of the fifth volume looking at the output coming out of Ace Records in Jackson Mississippi. The booklet notes hint that more volumes may follow.

Roosevelt Sykes 1966 solo session was originally on an album called "In Europe", Delmark boss saw Skyes moving performance at the Ann Arbor festival and did the album - for some reason the cd reissue is called "Gold Mine". The performances found Skyes harking back to his earliest 1929 recordings. Johnny Temple and Blind Boy Fuller were also on hand for blues in that classic mould and Johnny Moore's beautifully sublime playing closed our show precisely on time last night. A word too about the guitar Moore used for these Modern recordings as shown in the booklet to "Be Cool": I'm in love!

Next Sunday we will mark 100 years since McKinley Morganfield was born (4th April 1913) so everything will be by Muddy or one of his great players (Little Walter, Otis Spann and so on). So that’s *TWO* vinyl hours on Easter Sunday at 10pm (BST). You don't forget to change those clocks 'you hear - 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
roll roll roll	lonnie brooks, john hunter & phillip walker	2-5	blues & soul sessions	various artists	union square
man of many words	buddy guy	11	blues and soul power	various artists	wsm
Serves Me Right To Suffer	Jimmy Johnson	11	jimmy johnson	jimmy johnson
Can't Get Enough Of You	Jewel Brown	2	Milton Hopkins & Jewel Brown	Milton HopkinsJewel Brown	DIALTONE
tipitina	dr. john	9	gumbo	dr. john	atlantic
i got to go blues	chuck leavell	8	back to the woods	chuck leavell	ccr
Gold Mine	Roosevelt Sykes	10	Gold Mine	Roosevelt Sykes	DELMARK
diving duck blues	shelton powe	4	caroline blues and goispel	shelton powe	music maker
Fulton Blues	Corey Harris	6	Fulton Blues	Corey Harris	Njumba
Mumblin' Word	KoernerRayGlover	20	Blues Rags And Hollers	KoernerRayGlover	RED HOUSE RECORDS
in christ there is no east or west	Mavis Staples	4	You Are Not Alone	Mavis Staples	Anti
ah poor little baby	adam faith	20	ace cafe - 75 years	various artists	veetone
the rumble	link wray	26	ace cafe - 75 years	various artists	veetone
Someone Loves Me	Lil Joe Washington	2	Houston Guitar Blues	Lil Joe Washington	Dialtone Records
Wild About You (Baby)	Elmore James And His Broomdusters	16	The Classic Early Recordings 1951-1956	Elmore James And His Broomdusters	ACE
well i never get tired	johnny fairchild	1	The Ace Story - Volume 5	Various Artists	ACE
Roll On Train	Elton Anderon	6	The Ace Story - Volume 5	Various Artists	ACE
Aged And Mellow Blues	Little Esther	11	Blues And Soul Sessions	Various Artists	UNION SQUARE MUSIC
Three O'clock Blues	Lowell Fulson	4	Blues Guitar Pioneers	Various Artists	BOULEVARD VINTAGE
Worry Worry Worry	Rosetta Perry	8	I'm A Bad Bad Girl	Various Artists	INDIGO
Little Red Rooster	Margie DayGriffin Brothers	4	The R'n'b Years 1951: 100 Hot Rhythm And Blues Tunes From 1951	Various Artists	BOULEVARD VINTAGE
Step It Up and Go	Harmonica Frank	7	Rockin' Memphis	Various Artists	Proper Box
screamin and cryin	Blind Boy Fuller	2-2	essential	Blind Boy Fuller	classic blues
back water blues	bessie smith	5	history of rhythm and blues - sampler	various artists	rhythm and blues
lead pencil blues	johnny temple	12	history of rhythm and blues - sampler	various artists	rhythm and blues
If It Ain't One Thing It's Another	Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns	20	The Ace Story - Volume 5	Various Artists	ACE
Seventh Street Boogie	Ivory Joe Hunter	1	Blues At Sunrise	Ivory Joe Hunter	INDIGO
rockin blues	ruth brown	5	mama he treats your daughter	ruth brown	indigo
Johnny's after hours	Johnny Moore's Three Blazers - Vocal By Mari Jones	6	Be Cool	Johnny Moore's Three Blazers	ACE

Created: 24/03/2013 23:54:34