"BluzHarp's Best CD Picks of 2003" by Steve"Big
Daddy BluzHarp"Harvell http://bluzharp.tripod.com
I just want to say thank you to all of the artist and record companies
that have sent me cds to review this year.Also to all of the people that visit
my site and read my reviews and articles,may good karma find it's way into your
life!
- (Blues-Jam-Along CD for blues guitar/harmonica/vocals/horns/piano etc) Pete Schmidtwww.peteschmidt.com
"The Ultimate Blues Jam" Authentic Blues Practice Tracks for guitar/harmonica/vocals/etc. (Volume 1 and 2 are now available for purchase at Pete Schmidtwww.peteschmidt.com
These are tracked live in a studio without lead or solo instruments,this is where you come into play.You can turn your balance knob on your stereo to alter the level of either the piano or rhythm guitar to your preference.Each tune has a count-off(drum sticks) to perpare you for the start of the song.Each song also has what key it is in on the cd cover for those of us that are hard of telling what key a song is in.I am so excited about these two cds that I am putting them at the top of my "BluzHarp's Best CDs of
2003" !
On "The Ultimate Blues Jam" Volume #1 you have the following tunes.
Introduction
Chicago Shuffle in A
Swing in F
Shuffle in G minor
Texas swing in G
Medium tempo Shuffle in A
Funky Blues in C (this is one of my favorites)
Slow Blues in A
Uptempo Shuffle in E
Fast Swing in B flat
Medium Shuffle in G
Now do not get me wrong my little blues chillin',there is a need for wood shedding solo in a most serious way,but there are times that ya just need to kick out the jams with a full band with YOU at the LEAD,huh?There are things that can only be learned when ya play by yourself and there are others that can only be attained by jamming with other musicians,or in this case,using "The Ultimate Blues Jam" cd to learn from like you are playing with a full band.Some tunes have two or three breaks of a few seconds where YOU are supposed to play a lead and then have the band come back in to build the tension,hell,I even gave myself goosebumps the first time,kool!
Listed below are the tunes on "The Ultimate Blues Jam" Volume #2.
Introduction
Boogie in E
Rock Blues Shuffle in B
Slow Blues in C
Two Feel Blues in G
Texas swing in D
Rhumba in A
Slow 8 Bar Blues in E
Funky Blues in G
Big Shuffle in E
Chicago Blues in A
The day that I first got these two cds I drove my family bonkers,I put Volume #1 in my stereo and cranked up one of my tube amps and played some nasty amplified blues and boogie harmonica for about four hours straight!If you are a musician,at any level,these two cds can be of great assistance to your practicing/learning/warming up before a gig or to fix the problem of not having a band to perform with.I sure wish I had one of these cds back in the early 1990s when I use to teach Beginning and Intermediate Blues harmonica!It would have helped me and my students to no end.
Thses two cds by Pete Schmidtwww.peteschmidt.com are my most highly recommended of 2003 and need to be in those X-Mas stockings of your favorite musician,be it for yourself,hubby,daughter/son/wife.These are a gift from God for both the beginning and advanced musician!
- (Boogie-Woogie and Blues piano) Jay McShann with Johnnie Johnson/Maria Muldaur/Duke Robillard
"Goin' to Kansas City" Stony Plain Recording Co. www.stonyplainrecords.com
Jay McShann was born in 1916 in Muskogee,Oklahoma and first started out watching his sister taking piano lessons and then cut his own chops listening to late nite radio.While he was at Nashville's Fisk University he discovered that he had a good ear for music and started cutting his chops on the bandstand with various groups.Jay's playing style was very aggressive and hard driving making it perfect to dance and boogie to. Jay McShann still plays like a man in his 40s or 50s,listening to this new cd actually puts me in a better mood.I have been listening to it on the way to work for three weeks now,makes it easier putting up with problematic co-workers!Listed below are the tunes.
Kansas City
Trouble In Mind
When I Grow Too Old To Dream
Nasty Attitude
My Chile
Wrong Neighborhood
Just For You
Confessin' The Blues
Kansas City (Revisited)
Jay And Johnnie Conversation
Some Kinda Crazy
One Woman's Man
Doo Wah Doo
'fore Day Rider
Ain't Nobody's Business
The Fish Fry Boogie
Crying Won't Make Me Stay
Bonus Track Interview(After 2:00 Min.) Jay At Home And At His Piano
What makes Jay McShann stand out from other older bluesmen and women that have been re-discovered or just still kicking out the jams is that he has still got his chops better together than most artist half his age.This is not an older bluesman still trying to recreate what he use to do,he has still got it seriously goin' on!Both Charlie Parker and Byrd went thru Jay's band at one time and Jay sang at Parker's funeral(this alone shows what respect the kool cats have for Jay).Jamming some with Jay on this cd is Johnnie Johnson,former piano player for Chuck Berry,and like Jay is a Mighty Blues Oak that is to be treasured and admired.On this cd you have a conversation between Jay and Johnnie talking about everything from music to their admiration for each other.There is also an interview(20 minutes long) with Jay McShann that is like going back in time ,this is the real deal folks.Jay is like a living Muddy Waters,that is how serious about this cat I am.Below is a list of the musicians on this cd.
Jay McShann on vocals and piano
Duke Robillard on electric and acoustic guitars
Milt Able on bass
Tommy Ruskin on drums
Johnnie Johnson on piano and vocals
Maris Muldaur vocals on cut# 8
Duke Robillard(founder of Roomful of Blues) plays soom of the sweetest blues and swing guitar that is humanly possible on this cd,Duke is at the top of his game.I give this cd a hardcore (7) Harp Salute and my newly appointed award,"The Mighty Oak Award",there are precious few of these older blues statesmen and women left to carry on.Please patronize and support them by buying their music while they are still alive.This new cd,"Goin' to Kansas City" by Jay McShann www.stonyplainrecords.com also gets into my "BluzHarp's Best CDs of
2003" section,it is that good.Jay has two other cds on www.stonyplainrecords.com and they are "Hootie's Jumpin' Blues" and "Still Jumpin' The Blues" .I hope to review these soon.
- (Blues harmonica) James Harman "Lonesome Moon Trance"Pacific Blues Records www.pacificblues.com
Check out James Harman's website at www.jamesharman.com
Press/Publicity & Radio= Christine Vitale www.ChristineVitale.com
Well,if you have not heard of James Harman,harmonica player-singer,well either you are new to the blues scene or you have been living in a cave.James has had over 29 releases and performed in 18 counties to great acclaim and worked with some of the best blues artist in the world.All 12 tunes on this new release("Lonesome Moon Trance") were penned by James himself and they are about the world as he sees it thru his eyes and mind.Be it about bad politicians-unfaithful women-or liars,James Harman still keeps it tongue & cheek mixed with humor to make for some of the best song writing of his career!
In 2000 James Harman became a single parent with two teenage sons to care for and as he said,"You can't do that from the road".So with the label that he was signed with in 2000 secretly going out of business and the deal with the next one not jellin',well,he decided not to release the proposed cd.Since he was a single parent and not able to tour,James decided not to release anything at the moment!But meanwhile,Jerry Hall,engineer and co-producer for most of James cds,started his own label,Pacific Blues Records www.pacificblues.com,so James had a chance to stay home and do the dad thing and put out a cd that possibly is his best yet.
To tell you how much I like James Harman,since William Clarke has left us to play for the angels in heaven,Mr. Harman is now my favorite harp player and singer.James's tone on the harmonica is as easily recognized as that of Kim Wilsom-Rod Piazza-William Clarke-Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson.His humor and sharp satire in his songwriting is as good as it gets too!His tone on the amplified harmonica is so fat and deep and his acoustic playing is so clean and pristine that it is primeval in it's approach!The songs are listed below.
Double Hogback Growler
Lowdown Grown-up Jive
Skeet-a-little Taste
Piece Work Politicians
Alibi,Reason Why(sounds like a lie to me)
Miss Bessie Mae Blues
My Secret Escapade
Bad-luck Life
Love Stuff
Time Will Tell
It's Yo'World
Lonesome Moon Trance
Check out these cats playing with James Harman a blowin' acoustic and amplified harp and singing!
David"Kid"Ramos and Bob Margolin on guitars
Stephen Hodges/"Big Al"West/Paul Fasulo/Steve Mugalian on drums-percussion
Thomas Mahon/Steve F'dor on piano
"Brother Miles" Reed/Buddy Clark/Jeff"Big Dad"Turmes/Joseph Leaon on acoustic/electric bass
James Harman has been in show business for 41 years now and that is plemty of time to pay your dues for playing the blues and you can hear it in his music and songwriting.This new cd,"Lonesome Moon Trance",by James Harman gets a very well deserved (7) Harp Salute from ol' Big Daddy BluzHarp along with both the "Nasty Harp" and the "Sweet Harp" awards to boot.James will give some of the ol/ nasty-amplified harp in some tunes then turn it out with some very tasteful acoustic harp that takes the acoustic Sonny Boy 2 sound into the new millenium.This cd also gets into my "Favorite CD Section" as well as the "BluzHarp's Best CDs of
2003" !
I will go so far as to say that this is the best blues harmonica cd that I have gotten in the year of 2003.On the tune,"Skeet-a little Taste", the fat tones on James's harp will give ya chill bumps even in the hottest weather.Harman has the ability to meld together the ever so slight 1950s blues-rockabilly-early rock with todays more modern version of all three(I hope that makes sense,it is so important for me to convey what a milestone recording this is!).On the song,"My Secret Escapade",hell ya even hear a slight tinge of surf music in a section or two and it falls seamlessly into the whole scheme of the cd.And "Bad Luck Life" reminds me of the early Muddy Waters recordings when he was still living on the plantation.And if you want to hear that new age Sonny Boy Williamson 2 sound then check out the tune "Love Stuff",Top Shelf stuff boys and girls,the harp sounds like angels singing,REALLY.
This is possibly my most highly recommended release of 2003 so take this review very seriously and get this new cd,"Lonesome Moon Trance",by James Harman and become one with the Bluz Universe,music will heal ya and set your soul and mind free.
- (Blues guitar and harmonica) West Side Heat "Live On Blues Grand"
Bittersweet Records
Steve Arvey http://www.stevearvey.com/
PS=Steve
Arvey has just gotten back home after touring and needs to update his website
with info about this new cd,email Steve at stevearvey@aol.com for info on how to
purchase .
Before I tell you about possibly the best cd that I have
gotten ALL year I need to introduce these dangerous boys.
Steve Arvey on
vocals and guitar
Mark Hoekstra on vocals/harmonica/slide guitar
Michael
Wagner on bass guitar
Pete Kruse on drums
Last year I played with a
band at the "Little Bar's" New Years gig and the crowd was extra loose and
roudy,which by the way spurred us to boogie on down to the next level(really
helps when the crowd is dancing on the tables too).Some of the crowd came up
after the second set and said that we were playing "Dangerous Music",God
forbid it leaving that biker roadhouse and contaminating the general
masses.
Well,that is exactly what "West Side Heat" is all
about,"Dangerous" roadhouse blues guitar and electric harmonica boogie till
dawn music.Steve Arvey and Mark Hoekstra share the spotlight with vocals and
Arvey seems to be the lead guitar dude but Mark plays slide guitar on some
cuts and harmonica that will make ya go out and howl light a junkyard dog on a
full moon.On cut # 3 ,"Mississippi",you would swear that it was Lynyrd Skynyrd
before the plane crash.And on cut # 5 you would swear that Kim Wilson the harp
player was singing with that deep barroom voice and playing harp.Yeah,this cd
kicks some major ass(please forgive my French but this cd needs to be
explained the way it was made,no holding back going on there).
I think
that Steve Arvey and Mark Hoekstra have been making music together for 18
years now and they are tighter than a Texas tick that has been on the same dog
for two years,these fellas have got it seriously going on.This cd was recorded
live and the crowd is going berserk all the time,no put on here,they have the
crowd in the palm of their hands.These guys are playing like today may
possibly be their last,sweat and soul thru and thru.Here are the
songs.
Stranded
Fine Line
Mississippi
Oh Lucky
Reconsider
Baby
How Do You Spell Love
You're So Fine
Chicken heads
He Knows
The Rules
Shake Your Money Maker
Rollin' And Tumblin'
This is
boogie and slow blues that can only come from VERY seasoned musicians (they
look a bit like me,plenty of life's scares and wear'n tear that only comes
from living it to the max) but they manage to make it sound completely
new,that is what makes this cd so refreshing .Steve Arvey goes off on some
guitar solos that would make Muddy and Hound Dog Talyor proud,big fat tone and
enuff chops to fill a butcher shop.And oh,when Mark Hoekstra starts wailing on
that harp,you can feel the soul of Little Walter and William Clarke swealing
up thru him.On the first cut I thought at first that Mark was holding back,it
took listening to the whole cd to get where he was coming from,"Less Is
More",as the ol' blues guys use to say.But on most songs,he lets go like a
busted Hoover Damn,power like a steam locomotive,breathing pure fire
people!!!!!!
This cd gets my newly formulated,"Dangerous Music Award",
as well as my highest approval rating of (7) Harps to boot.And Mr. Mark
Hoekstra gets my coveted "Nasty Harp Award",that's right,we likes our
amplified harp on the nasty side,like our "!!!!!". You need this cd to be
complete with the Blues Universe,go to this webite http://www.stevearvey.com/ and become
one with the blues Santa Claus.
- Peter Frampton "Now" 33rd
Street Records
Peter
Frampton Please check out Peter's website!
You will never know what
it meant to me in getting this new cd from Peter Frampton,he is still with us
making music that is just as soul touching as what he did back in his prime(
"Do You Feel Like I Do?" ).You can tell from the picture on the cover that he
has aged like the rest of us that were rocking to his music back in the 70s
and on,but his song writing (he wrote all the songs on this cd except,"While
My Guitar Gently Weaps",by George Harrison) has just as much meaning and
relating to the moment as his earlier efforts.But just as his cd title ,"Now"
, says it all,Peter is now writing and getting in touch with what is happening
"Now".
I do believe that his tone on the guitar is even more refined
than ever but with that fat-toned edgey feel that only comes from experience
and untold hours of woodshedding/performance time.Of course you have some
rockers on this release but what takes me back are the new kinds of rythms and
tempos that has been produced for our musical joy and healing.I honestly feel
that music can actually change your mood and make you feel better,thus it is
like medicine,without it things would be much harder to take(every day life
with all of it's joys and let downs).After making you feel better, Peter will
make you laugh with lyrics like,"I'm back like Swarzzennager(I horribly
butchered the spelling of that name?) in Terminator!",kool huh?I feel like Peter Frampton is writing songs that have
the kick of tunes like the Beatles were doing in their heyday,really.Check out
the song list.
Verge Of A Thing
Flying Without Wings
Love
Stands Alone
Not Forgotten
Hour Of Need
Mia Rose
I'm Back
I
Need Ground
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Greens
Above It
All
And here are the musicians.
Peter Frampton on guitars and
vocals
Chad Cromwell on drums
John Regan on bass guitar
Bob Mayo on
keyboards/guitars/background vocals
"As My Guitar gently Weeps", gives
Peter the chance to show that his vocals are as sharp as they ever were and
that he can still make a guitar get down and CRY like a wildman greiving his
lost love,know what I mean Vern?Do you remember Peter Frampton back in the
Humble Pie days?Oh what a sensation he was,but he has still got it going on in
a raw genius talent way that has gotten refined but still has a two fisted
hold on his own destiny and direction that he likes to go in when making his
original music.In a couple of tunes I hear the restrained tension of a Carlos
Santanna and then in the next tune you would swear that a very young man was
releasing his muiscal frustrations.
The second tune,"Flying Without
Wings",will surely make you see what I mean by completely new jamming
rock,this is not a release that is trying to capture the feel of the old
days.This is what happens when a genius rock and roller keeps his act together
and does not burn out like so many have.This is going immediately in my "Favorite CD Section" as well
as being the first to go in my "BluzHarp's Best Cds of
2003".With this kind of praise you know that Peter Frampton also gets a full bore (7)
Harp Salute from ol' Big Daddy Bluzharp,this is in my Top Five Favorite CDs
that I have gotten this year.You will defintely be loosing out if you miss
this new cd ,it will renew and set your soul free.It has my personal seal of
approval,I promise that you will like it!
- (Rockabilly/pure 50's retro stuff) Lee Rocker "Bulletproof" www.leerocker.com
33rd
Street Records
Lee Rocker and his band are more than a one trick pony or style,these fellas have taken rockabilly to a higher level and they are so professional,at times they sound like a full tilt orchestra.Here is the band=
Lee Rocker=Vocals/Upright Bass/keyboard
Brophy Dale=Guitars/Voacals/Slide Guitar
Tara Novick=Guitar/Acoustic guitar
Jimmy Sage=Drums
Lee Rocker www.leerocker.com is a founding member of the world famous "Stray Cats",the band that put rockabilly back in the main stream and on MTV,what a single handed feat these fellas pulled off.Lee has been around doing his thang professionally for more than 20 years and has a resume that would make "Bill Haley and The Comets" blush!Many of you will recognize the hits that Lee held down the bass-beat on when he was with the Stray Cats such as "Rock This Town"/"Stray Cat Strut" and the "Runaway Boys".On thru the '80s and '90s the Cats made four more albums and toured all over the world.Lee's gig with the "Stray Cats" brought him worldwide attention and fame as the premier rockabilly bassman and landed him gigs and recording time with Carl Perkins,Dave Edmunds,George Harrison,Ringo Starr,Jeff Beck,John Fogerty,Robert Plant and Willie Nelson.And check this out my little rockabilly chillin',in 2002 Lee rocker teamed up with Elvis Presley's hall of fame guitarist Scotty Moore and toured the US for most of the year!
I feel a bit awkward about this next statement for it may make some die hard "Stray Cat" fans mad,but I think that I like this new cd by Lee Rocker,"BulletProof" better than the stuff from the "Stray Cats".Listed below are the songs.
Evil
Blue Susede Nights
Nervous Little Angel
BulletProof
Upright and Underground
Midnight Shift
Dog Gone Right
One More Shot
She's Gone
Little Lies
I'll Cry Instead
Johnny,Frankie's Man
Nothing Lasts Forever
Bottom's Up
Lee has the BEST musicians available in the world on this new cd,and they naturally have the rockabilly sound. At times there is a hint of blues and dirt rock but with some surf/tinged reverb,and they manage to stay TRUE to the art form all the way.This is by far the very best rockabilly band on the scene and I give Lee Rocker and "BulletProof" my highest rating of a (7) Harp Salute,I would give them higher but I made it a point to make seven harps as high as I will go but they do get one more thang from me.When I was a kid growing up in Willow Springs,NC around 1958 my dad would take me to Angier,NC sometimes early on a Saturday morning in a '56 Chevy on this long dirt road.We would be listening to rockabilly on the radio and we would often sing along and dad would get this gleam in his eye and he would say to me,"Ya want me to burn some carbon out of the carburator"?And I would tell him,"Put the pedal to the metal", and he would kick in that ol' four barrel and I would stand up in the front seat and look out the back window because when it was dry a cloud of dust so big would follow us that cars had to pull off the road.It was one hell of a RUSH!
So I now give out this award for the first time to Lee Rocker and it is called the "Pedal To The Metal Award",it makes ya want to go fast.Seriously,this is as good as rockabilly gets,get this new cd by Lee and get ready for the RUSH of your life.By the way,the "Stray Cats" are playing their first gig together in 11 years at the "Hootenanny festival" on July 5th,2003.Go to Lee's website www.leerocker.com and get the lowdown about this gig.He has one of the best musician websites I have been to,check out Lee's other recordings as well as more info on him and his bandmebers.This cd,"BulletProof" is going into my Top 20 cd rack,and oh yes,it also gets my "BluzHarp's Superglue Award",it deserves to be Superglued to your cd player and played until the Superglue lets go on it's own!!!!!
- (Six prewar blues artists) "Heroes Of The Blues" Shout! Factory www.shoutfactory.com
This is a series of six cds featuring the following artist.
The Very Best of Ma Rainy
The Very Best of Son House
The Very Best of Skip James
The Very Best of Mississippi Fred McDowell
The Very best of Reverend Gary Davis
The Very best of Furry Lewis
My God was I a happy camper when I ran across Shout! Factory's website www.shoutfactory.com and saw all the great cd and dvds that they had to offer such as,Blues Story PBS documentary, DVD and CD,Historic Fats Domino CD/DVD release,Marshall Tucker Band Rides Again,and many other blues and various styles of music to chose from in dvd and cd format.
Below is some more information about these six cds that came from Shout!Factory's website www.shoutfactory.com
In conjunction with the fact that congress has designated 2003 as "The year of The Blues",Shout! Factory,is releasing a series of cds that showcase the very roots of the American blues art form.Executive producers of the series are Shout! Factory co-founder Richard Foos and music industry A&R veteran Tom Vickers. Foos commented, “While we acquired the legendary Biograph Records catalog, a rich repository of classic blues recordings, we chose to cross license tracks for this series. ‘Heroes of the Blues’ is unique in that the repertoire comes from a variety of labels, making for a more complete perspective on each artist’s body of work. The results serve not only as introductions to these artists for those just getting into this music but, also, as first quality compendiums for established blues devotees.”
Shout! Factory will lay the groundwork for its “Heroes of The Blues” series with the July 22nd release of two feature length DVDs: “Deep Blues - A Musical Pilgrimage To The Crossroads” and Can’t You Hear The Wind Howl?” “Deep Blues,” directed by documentary filmmaker Robert Mugge visits the Mississippi delta with the late Robert Palmer, the author whose book of the same title is the film’s foundation. Performances by R.L. Burnside, Jesse Mae Hemphill, Junior Kimbrough, Big Jack Johnson plus the participation of Dave Stewart of The Eurhythmics underscore the transcendent power of the blues. “Can’t You Hear The Wind Howl?” directed by Peter Meyer is a look at the life and legend of Robert Johnson who is portrayed by contemporary blues great Keb’ Mo. The film, a hybrid documentary with theatrical re-creations features Danny Glover as narrator/interlocutor.
I feel like these six cds are a must have for either the blues purist and right on over to someone that is just starting to learn about the blues,these six artist are the foundation for just all that we have now at the moment and what came in between.Listed below are the artist of these six cds and their song list.
Heroes of the Blues background information
The Very Best of Ma Rainey: compiled by Mark Humphries and Alan Lowe. Annotated by Alan Lowe. Sourced from original Paramount 78s recorded between 1924 and 1928. Ma Rainey was known as “The Mother of The Blues” and ranks as one of the most important female blues artists of all times.
TRACK LISTING
1. JEALOUS HEARTED BLUES
2. PROVE IT ON ME BLUES
3. HEAR ME TALKIN’ TO YOU
4. WALKING BLUES
5. BO WEAVIL BLUES
6. MOUNTAIN JACK BLUES
7. THOSE ALL NIGHT BLUES
8. GRIEVIN’ HEARTED BLUES
9. SEE SEE RYDER
10. OH PAPA
11. YONDER COMES THE BLUES
12. BLUES OH BLUES
13. SEEKING BLUES
14. DON’T FISH IN MY SEA
15. NEW BO WEAVIL BLUES
16. BLACK EYE BLUES
The Very Best of Son House: compiled by Mark Humphries. Annotated by Mark Humphries. Son House was a Delta blues giant who had a strong influence on both Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. His influence extends to this day: versions of two of the songs in this collection, “John The Revelator” and “Walking Blues (Death Letter)” are in John Mellencamp’s just released album.
TRACK LISTING
1. JOHN THE REVELATOR
2. EMPIRE STATE EXPRESS
3. COUNTRY FARM BLUES
4. GRINNIN’ IN YOUR FACE
5. MY BLACK MAMA PART 1
6. WALKING BLUES (UNISSUED TEST)
7. DRY SPELL BLUES
8. LEVEE CAMP BLUES
9. WALKING BLUES (UNISSUED TEST)
10. SHETLAND PONY BLUES
11. DELTA BLUES
12. SPECIAL RIDER BLUES
13. DEPOT BLUES
14. AMERICAN DEFENSE
15. AM I RIGHT OR WRONG
16. WALKING BLUES (DEATH LETTER)
The Very Best of Skip James: compiled by Sid Selvidge. Annotated by Byl Carruthers. Skip James was an influence on Robert Johnson and Eric Clapton who recorded “I’m So Glad” with Cream.
TRACK LISTING
1. I’M SO GLAD
2. ROCK ISLAND BLUES
3. DEVIL GOT MY WOMAN
4. 22-20 BLUES
5. SICK BED BLUES
6. SPECIAL RIDER BLUES
7. I DON’T WANT A WOMAN TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT LONG
8. HARD TIME KILLING FLOOR BLUES
9. CROW JANE
10. VICKSBURG BLUES
11. HOW LONG BLUES
12. EVERYBODY’S LEAVING HERE
13. SKIP’S WORRIED BLUES
14. ILLINOIS BLUES
15. CYPRESS GROVE BLUES
16. CHERRY BALL BLUES
The Very Best of Mississippi Fred McDowell: compiled and annotated by Frank Scott. McDowell was a beloved delta blues man who served as Bonnie Raitt’s mentor in the 1960’s. The Rolling Stones recorded “You Gotta Move” despite McDowell’s livelong insistence that he did not “play no rock ‘n roll.”
TRACK LISTING
1. WRITE ME A FEW LINES
2. LOUISE
3. MY BABY
4. YOU GOTTA MOVE
5. KOKOMO BLUES
6. RED CROSS STORE
7. 61 HIGHWAY
8. GET RIGHT CHURCH
9. PEA VINE SPECIAL
10. TROUBLE EVERYWHERE I GO
11. KEEP YOUR LAMP TRIMMED AND BURNING
12. SHAKE ‘EM ON DOWN
13. ON THE FRISCO LINE
14. JESUS GONNA MAKE UP MY DYING BED
15. DROP DOWN MAMA
16. I’VE BEEN DRINGING WATER OUT OF A HOLLOW LOG
The Very Best of Reverend Gary Davis: compiled by Frank Scott. Annotated by Ed Ward. Davis was both a ragtime guitarist who was an ordained minister. His best-known songs, “ Samson & Delilah,” “Candy Man” and “Cocaine Blues” are part of this collection.
TRACK LISTING
1. SAMSON & DELILAH
2. DEATH DON’T HAVE NO MERCY
3. CROSS & EVIL WOMAN BLUES
4. CAN’T BE SATISFIED
5. LORD I WISH I COULD SEE
6. TWELVE GATES TO THE CITY
7. BAD COMPANY BROUGHT ME HERE
8. OUT ON THE OCEAN SAILING
9. WHISTLING BLUES
10. CANDY MAN
11. HOW HAPPY I AM
12. I BELONG TO THE BAND
13. CRUCIFIXION
14. YOU GOT TO MOVE
15. COCAINE BLUES
16. SOON MY WORK WILL ALL BE DONE
The Very Best of Furry Lewis: compiled and annotated by Sid Selvidge. After his early career in the 1920’s, Lewis was rediscovered numerous times in his life and became an adored fixture in Memphis music circles in the 60’s and 70’s. Selvidge actually backed him in those years and is intimately familiar with this music.
TRACK LISTING
1. FURRY’S BLUES
2. CANNON BALL BLUES
3. JUDGE HARSH BLUES
4. JUDGE BOUSHÉ
5. NATURAL BORN EASTMAN
6. IF YOU FOLLOW ME BABE
7. TAKE YOUR TIME
8. WHY DON’T YOU COME HOME BLUES
9. WHEN I LAY MY BURDEN DOWN
10. ST. LOUIS BLUES
11. JOHN HENRY
12. LONG TALL GAL BLUES
13. BABY THAT’S ALL RIGHT
14. SHAKE ‘EM ON DOWN
15. I’M GOING TO BROWNSVILLE
16. BABY YOU DON’T WANT ME
I give Shout! Factory www.shoutfactory.com a (7) Harp Salute for bringing these six blues pioneering artist back to us and with the unique choice of song selections for our listening enjoyment.The artist themselves need no awards for they are the demigods of their realm already.I personally feel that this series release is one of the best I have ever listened to in my life,it is like studying history but a whole heck of a lot more fun.Ma Rainey is such a heart wrenching singer,she set a standard that very few artist even come near to reaching today!Mississippi Fred McDowell sings and plays so beautifully that it is like listening to a Blues Angel,the harmonica on track #3 ,"Shak'em On Down",is mezmerizingly grooving.All of these artist will give you a lesson in the prewar blues that will last a lifetime,for that is exactly what you get,a lifetime of blues listening pleasure with these six cds.
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