Namesake Jerry McCain was down in Jackson Mississippi at the Diamond Studios doing a session for the Trumpet label: not issued at the time but getting a release on vinyl lp when Alligator had the rights to Ms McMurray's imprint. We also dipped into some of the treasures i just brought back from pastures North-eastern, four label surveys issued by One Day Music at a decent price point looking at Okeh, Vogue, Specialty and King. I wanted the Sue and Cobra volumes but the quirky filing system in the record shop let me down? I felt 14 again rummaging through the discs, asking to hear odd tracks, finding out more about the artists and stories (just generally shooting the breeze with other music nuts like me). I'd have got those albums cheaper on the web but what a fabulous way to spend half a day.
Our first hour also played host to a new project co-produced by Corey Harris on Concord called "True Blues". It has Corey with Alvin Youngblood Hart, Guy Davis, Taj Mahal and Phil Wiggins (quite magnificent on harp from start to finish). 2013 is shaping up as a classic for harp players (Wiggins there, James Cotton at his peerless best on his new one, and I just heard a track featuring Charlie Musselwhite that knocked me on my B.T.M)
Mike Sanchez' 2007 sessions with Imelda May are out now the legal stuff is sorted and they gleefully romped through Shirley and Lee's "Let The Good Times Roll" for us last night. The underrated Debbie Davis went to Louis Jordan's "Buzz Me"; Albert Collins and Eddie Bo co-wrote "Slippin and Slidin" for Little Richard which is probably why I think (humbly!) it is the most gloriously ramshackle performance the man ever did. Jimmy Yancey was famed for the minor key change he closed many pieces with and James Booker was a genius piano player from the Crescent City. His "Gonzo" instrumental found favour with the early Sixties surfers and made it in a fairly big way into the mainstream Billboard charts.
For fans of blues guitar playing we brought along Lonnie Johnson and T-Bone Walker - both named by B B King as major influences. Add to the mix Earl King, Ike Turner and a pair of hand-picked cuts from Mark Lamarr's collection via the mighty Veetone outfit - you've got the measure of us in our two hours yesterday.
Woke up this morning - where have I heard that before - to news reports that Bobby Bland has died. Then I get told it was a hoax - and whichever way you dice it, it's a pretty mean cruel thing to do to one of the finest voices in the past 60 years and causing massive upset to his family. His voice meant a lot to me as I started to find my own taste in music, he virtually invented a new way of singing. His 50s / 60's stuff for Duke is pure magic with the cream of players always on their A-game. I'll be sad to find out the news properly but by crikey I'm glad I found him so early on in my life. A giant lion the like of which we will never see again. I'm off to listen to "Turn on your Love Light" - until next Sunday's helping of STAR BLUES take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you.
| Track.Title | Track.ArtistSort | Index | Album.Title | Album.ArtistSort | Label |
| let the good times roll | mike sanchez and imelda may | 1 | almost grown | mike sanchez | DOOPIN |
| Slippin' And Slidin' | Little Richard | 28 | Cosimo Matassa Story | Various Artists | Proper Box |
| Buzz Me | Debbie Davies | 9 | Picture This | Debbie Davies | DEMON |
| RAMBLIN' ON MY MIND | Shemekia copeland et al | 13 | true blues | various artists | concord |
| send me to the lectric chair | Hugh Laurie w. Jean McClain | 7 | Didn't It Rain | Hugh Laurie | WARNER BROS |
| P L K Special | Jimmy Yancey | 11 | The Best Of Boogie Woogie | Various Artists | DOCUMENTS |
| Gonzo | James Booker | 17 | Teen Beat Vol. 5 | Various Artists | ACE |
| Eating and Sleeping | Earl King | 22 | Rip It Up: The Specialty Story | Various Artists | One Day Music |
| Haunted House | Johnny Fuller | 17 | Rip It Up: The Specialty Story | Various Artists | One Day Music |
| I've Got a Feelin' | Big Maybelle | 20 | I Put A Spell On You: The Okeh Story | Various Artists | One Day Music |
| Voodoo Woman Blues | Jay McShann | 16 | Hot Biscuits - Essential | Jay McShann | INDIGO |
| gonna make it on back | little willie brown | 15 | r & b humdingers vol. 14 | various artists | veetone |
| If You See My Saviour | Thomas A. Dorsey | 14 | A Portrait Of Gospel | Various Artists | GALE |
| Fall Guy | Jerry McCain | 13 | Strange Kind Of Feelin' | Various Artists | ALLIGATOR // TRUMPET |
| Gonna Write You A Letter | Jesse Thomas | 11 | Complete Recorded Works 1948-1958 | Jesse Thomas | DOCUMENT |
| Falling Rain Blues | Lonnie Johnson | 21 | Blues Guitar Pioneers | Various Artists | BOULEVARD VINTAGE |
| Gonna Wait For My Chance | Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm | 14 | Trail Blazer | Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm | CHARLY |
| I Thought I Told You Not To Tell Them | Marie Knight | 8 | Holy Mackerel! Pretenders To Little Richard's Throne | Various Artists | ACE |
| howlin at midnight | willis jackson | 8 | r & b humdingers vol. 14 | various artists | veetone |
| Every Day Of The Week | Amos Milburn | 21 | Good For Nothin': The Vogue Records Story | Various Artists | One Day Music |
| When We Get Together | Otis Williams | 9 | Only Young Once: The King Records Story | Various Artists | One Day Music |
| romance in the dark | lil green | 1 | why don't you do right | lil green | blues collection |
| preachin' blues | robert johnson | 14 | history of rhythm and blues: sampler | various artists | rhythm and blues |
| mean old world | t-bone walker | 25 | history of rhythm and blues: sampler | various artists | rhythm and blues |
| i wish you would | billy boy arnold | 1-13 | sound of the city: chicago | Various Artists | emi |
| grits aint groceries | little milton | 2-13 | sound of the city: chicago | Various Artists | emi |
| lookin' back | johnny guitar watson | 1-9 | sound of the city: los angeles | Various Artists | emi |
| Hide Away | Red Prysock | 22 | Only Young Once: The King Records Story | Various Artists | One Day Music |
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