Blues for Aficionados


I have found that postings music is a good way to listen to all the music in your collection.  I have neglected the ultimate source of much of the music I post.  This tread corrects that oversight.  All Blues post are welcome.  I will concentrate on the Delta.
128x128rok2id
Love Joe Turner, @rok2id! I was fortunate to see/hear him live in the mid-80's, back by The Blasters. I consider Joe the first Rock 'n' Roll singer, one of the Jump Blues practioners the Southern white Hillbillies like Elvis and Jerry Lee were listening to before they started recording.
I consider Joe the first Rock 'n' Roll singer, one of the Jump Blues practioners the Southern white Hillbillies like Elvis and Jerry Lee were listening to before they started recording.

I agree completely.  They even used the phrase "Rock & Roll" in the music back then.

Cheers


Various Artists

A VISION SHARED: A TRIBUTE TO WOODY GUTHRIE AND LEADBELLY

Columbia / Folkways    1988

Notes:  "They left home as teenagers.  They traveled around the country during hard times, learned from other performers, and forged styles of their own which influenced thousands of younger musicians.  Huddie Ledbetter (1885-1949), a Louisiana-born black man with the nickname "Leadbelly", and Woody Guthrie (1912-1967), an Oklahoma-born white man, shared a love of music, a keen appreciation of their fellow human begins, a political consciousness, and an ability to turn their experiences into songs that fired the imaginations of audiences around the country."

Sylvie  --   Sweet Honey in the Rock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKvY9Yg2k-c

I Ain't Got No Home  --  Bruce Springsteen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeSrR1X65EA

Rock Island Line --   Little Richard & Fishbone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aPmGqcafKw

The Bourgeois Blues  --  Taj Mahal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VvfAfwS9k8

Gray Goose  --  Sweet Honey in the Rock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ffJoYCjPi8

This Land is Your Land  --  Peter Seeger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnoQAjt775g
with Sweet Honey in the Rock, Doc watson & 
The Little Red School House Chorus

Cheers
Various Artists

BEST OF THE BLUES: "A SUMMIT MEETING"

Pairs Record / Buddah Records 1988

Notes: "The Blues is the backbone of America’s music. Jazz, rock, country and western, swing, pop, --- none of these would be what it is without the Blues. The Blues is a deceptively simple musical form capable of infinite variety. On this splendid collection you’ll hear old Blues and new Blues, happy and mean Blues, country Blues and city Blues, vocal Blues and instrumental Blues--all of it real, honest and direct."

Recorded in NYC!!!    Blasphemy !

Kidney Stew -- Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGv-1DfRgcc

Ball and Chain -- Big Mama Thornton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKZivvODnV8

They Called Me Mr. Cleanhead -- Eddie Vinson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVgzmQ4EdWs

That’s Alright Now Mama -- Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1LWCbPfeHk

Got my Mojo Workin’ -- Muddy Waters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc_0frQkG_4

Confessin’ the Blues -- Jay McShann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SWMivXDp14

The Drifter -- Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w4it8guF3c

Cheers


James Cotton - Junior Wells - Carey Bell - Billy Branch

HARP ATTACK!

Alligator 1990

Notes: "If there is one sound that says "Chicago Blues" to the world, it’s the sound of a harmonica blown through a hand-held microphone blasting through an amplifier. The pressurized, distorted sound of the electrified Blues harp was there from the earliest days of post-World War ll Windy City Blues, and Chicago’s harp players have always been the standard against which all others are judged."


Down Home Blues      (vocals- Cotton 1st, Branch 2nd, Wells 3rd  Bell 4th)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0-GSMUY5GE

Somebody Changed the Locks       (junior wells vocal)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FE2SQ7BSJY

Who     (billy branch vocal)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlRrH2QVAzI

Keep Your Hands out of my Pockets  (junior wells vocals)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9fhGxeWXdg&t=205s

Cheers
Various Artists

LEGENDS OF THE BLUES: VOLUME ONE

CBS Records   1990

Nice informative booklet.

St. Louis Blues    (Bessie Smith)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxw09D8co_c

Nothing in Ramblin'       (Memphis Minnie)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5OWVi3H1dk

Match Box Blues    (Blind Lemon Jefferson)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aq0xcqLHJs

Hard Day Blues    (Muddy Waters)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGgJtCccbHE

Stop Breakin' Down Blues   (Robert Johnson)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz_R96Bmq-k

Cheers

Various Artists

THE SLIDE GUITAR: BOTTLES, KNIVES & STEEL

CBS Records   1990

Excellent Booklet with pictures and a synopsis of each song.

Pearline           (Son House)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOL3O4Cl7_U

Bukka's Jitterbug Swing        (Bukka White)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjqYy3YT4rc

Packin' Trunk Blues        (Leadbelly)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GECJsp2kGQE

You Can't Get That Stuff No More      (Tampa Red)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2jIR9J2inU

Homesick & Lonesome Blues        (Blind Boy Fuller)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Baw3OEXw3oM

Cheers
Various Artists

SOUTHERN JOURNEY VOL 3:  61 HIGHWAY MISSISSIPPI

The Alan Lomax Collection
Rounder    1997

Excellent Booklet with Pictures and Lyrics.

Viola James & Congregration - Tryin' To Make Heaven My Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTMBG6luO3Y

61 Highway (Remastered)   Fred McDowell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o4xTErsKio

God's Unchanging Hand -  A. Burton & Congregation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA6F-2_hxSc

Mississippi Fred McDowell - Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqrBhyvpBII

Fred McDowell - Soon One Morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU7utSwjyIg

Cheers
Various Artists

SOUTHERN JOURNEY VOL.1: VOICES FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTH

The Alan Lomax Collection
Rounder  1997

Excellent Booklet Included.

Bright Light Quartet - Po' Lazarus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esDe-Qz1ru4

Bessie Jones - It Just Suits Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZTLZg4suOA

Almeda Riddle - Poor Wayfaring Stranger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_pbnHXjbGc

Sidney Carter - Pharaoh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqppEveiQvo&t=14s

Cheers
Various Artists

THE BEST OF THE CHICAGO BLUES

Twofer   2 Albums in one
Vanguard   1973 / 1987

No notes, just a list of every CD Vanguard has ever issued.

Homesick James - Somebody Been Talkin'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDU_4MKezw8

Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet - Rocket 88
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eWmTYr2jhM

Junior Wells - When My Baby Left Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc4A7yhKS64

Junior Wells -  Tobacco Road
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai97X82DIYo

Otis Spann's South Side Piano -- S. P. Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a39fw817EQc

Buddy Guy -  Sweet Little Angel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR96a7tokYM

Cheers


The Muddy Waters Tribute Band

YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME (When I'm Dead and Gone)

Telarc Blues    1996

Notes: "Muddy Waters, hallowed be thy name.  As the prime architect of Chicago Blues, this blessed son of Mississippi Delta sharecroppers belongs to to the celestial hierarchy of American originals.  With a manner of musical expression rivaling the break of day for simplicity and rightness, Waters let his deep, rumbling voice and deft bottleneck playing resonate in now-classic songs that vented the hopes, dreams, joy, heartbreak, and pain of disenfranchised blacks living in the industrial North after World War ll.  In doing so, Waters cut the cornerstone for rock'n'roll and marked popular culture for all time."

Honey Bee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsxVXft2cow

You Can't Lose What You Never Had
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4lPcFJvgIU

Going Down Slow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRkp_QYaIBg

Trouble no More
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij349CGRXe4

Cheers





Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson

KIDNEY STEW IS FINE

Delmark   1993

Notes: "The occasion here is the only time that Vinson, McShann and T-Bone Walker appear together on record.  Would that it could have happened more frequently!  Another southwesterner , Oklahoma-born Hal Singer is on tenor, but he is given relatively little to do.  Vinson did not like what he called "a lot of music" behind his vocals."

Recorded in France by the Black and Blue Label.

Just a Dream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cChwWIPAGQ

Somebody Sure Has Got to Go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTYat1FAs7w

Old Kidney Stew Is Fine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1gKMs7Ttn0

Wait a Minute Baby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geD4B9MsRm4

Things Ain't What They Used to Be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQZuMDpiTwo

Cheers
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson

MEAT'S TOO HIGH

Eddie Vinson(alto sax / vocals), Stan Greig(piano), Les Davidson(guitar)
Paul Sealey(bass), Martin Guy(drums)
JSP Records  1982

Home Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLrf9xVcp7A

Meat's Too High
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XU0ZwEKp2Q

Investigation Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgPKHpAyJ8Y

Old Maid Boogie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5vsXCH_vqM

Travelin'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqBASHEyuHo

Cheers
Joe Louis Walker

BLUES OF THE MONTH CLUB

Verve / Gitanes      1995

wiki: Joe Louis Walker, also known as JLW is an American musician, best known as an electric blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. His knowledge of blues history is revealed by his use of older material and playing styles. 

Blues Of The Month Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_k-Jwmmw3Y

You've Got To Lose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ4KO_Tl_Ic

Bluesifyin'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVcNJzA9MK4

Your Lyin' Eyes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaNQR2YbB_E

Cheers
T-Bone Walker

THE COMPLETE IMPERIAL RECORDINGS, 1950-1954

Imperial / EMI Blues Series   1950-1954  /  1991
2CD Set

wiki:  Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues and electric blues sound.
Born  May 28, 1910 Linden, Texas
Died  March 16, 1975 (aged 64) Los Angeles, California

Notes: "The Blues was different before T-Bone came onto the scene and it hasn't been the same since."

Disc One:

Glamour Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbLrRFsfRME

Life Is Too Short
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZDj0ehzKOM

Travelin' Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opG0LrX_CrU

Alimony Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0M4JSgZ04I

and 22 more!

Cheers

T-Bone Walker

THE COMPLETE IMPERIAL RECORDINGS, 1950-1954

Imperial / EMI Blues Series  1950-1954 / 1991
2CD Set

Notes: "While rightly considered the true father of modern blues, Walker's career as a Blues performer was far more broadly comprehensive than just that--as if that alone were not enough--encompassing virtually every major development in black folk-based popular music of the 20th century."

Disc 2:

Blues Is A Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0DYFhbB7f8

I Got The Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xauGfdsVM28

When The Sun Goes Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj2e1p2BY4A

Strugglin' Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeOwFHyyiKY

Here In The Dark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S45253xcU_c

Cheers
T-Bone Walker

T-BONE BLUES

Atlantic Jazz     1972 / 1989

Notes: "That the Blues are the wellspring of Jazz has never been better illustrated than in recent years when almost to a man the ranks of Jazz turned again to the Blues for inspiration.  Not today's rock 'n roll, but the deeper Rhythm & Blues and country Blues singing of such men as Champion Jack Dupree, Muddy Waters and Lighting Hopkins, is a direct and living link to the Blues-singing wanderers who first spread this music throughout the South."

T-Bone Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxCzMAFrTJ8

Papa Ain't Salty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QjhOhROP58

Call It Stormy Monday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xifoTGRBhg0

How Long Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqST78K5C8c

Cheers




Little Walter

BLUES WITH A FEELING: CHESS COLLECTIBLES VOL.3

MCA Chess    1995
2CD Set

wiki: Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him comparisons to such seminal artists as Django Reinhardt, Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix.  He was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, the first and, to date, only artist to be inducted specifically as a harmonica player.

Blue Midnight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atm8qZIjxRs

Juke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJEKQuuRpss

Fast Boogie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tqI0k1z5DM

Shake Dancer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orvv1G4wCC0

Cheers

Little Walter

THE ESSENTIAL LITTLE WALTER

MCA Chess   1993
2CD Set

Notes:  "Little Walter was a singular figure among the Chess artist roster by virtue of the fact that he was the only one whose popular appeal rested principally on his skill as an instrumental virtuoso."

Very true.  His singing is not so such a much.

Quarter To Twelve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KawB0vDHjxc

Walkin' On
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE-SV-dp0-Y

Sad Hours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgTu_CzBZ3k

Mean Old World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0pQaQZfpQ

and 42 more!!

Cheers


Little Walter

THE BLUES WORLD OF LITTLE WALTER

Delmark    1993

Notes: "In 1950-51 there was a new generation of Bluesmen whose evolving music synthesized the raw power of the Delta Blues, and amplified energy of electric instruments and the bold tempo of the ghetto streets.  Little Walter was just 19 years old, Baby Face was 26 and Muddy Waters was 34.  The Parkway session presented here failed to produce any chart records, but did generate a wild romping collection of down-home Blues that has achieved legendary status through various issues and reissues."

I Just Keep Loving Her
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkbo5zR60qc

Rollin' and Tumblin' (Part 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jr-S4MRHSc

Rollin' and Tumblin' (Part 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB_lMPLkY1Q

Muskadine Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XibPh7ndzr4

Cheers
Billy Ward & his Dominoes

SIXTY MINUTE MEN: THE BEST OF BILLY WARD & HIS DOMINOES

Rhino Records  1993

Notes: "One of the most popular groups of the early 1950s, Billy Ward & His Dominoes owed their phenomenal success to three men: Clyde McPhatter with his atmospheric, gospel-tinged tenor, Jackie Wilson and his room filling second tenor, and Billy Ward.  During World War ll, Ward was a commissioned Officer and led the Coast Artillery Choir at Fort Eustis in Virginia.  After the war he resumed his studies at the Chicago Art Institute and The Juilliard  School in New York City.  While pursuing a career at as a vocal coach and part-time arranger on Broadway, he met talent agent Rose Marks, and the decided to form a vocal group from the ranks of his students."

Sixty Minute Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJbDHw_qsFs

Harbor Lights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muWw_fUe89I

Have Mercy Baby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu9uE9yHx34

The Bells
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRRriFFr8y4

Weeping Willow Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF2j-NbF1ew

Cheers
Robert Ward

HOT STUFF

Relic Records   1995

wiki:   Robert June Ward, Sr. was an American blues and soul guitarist. He was known for founding the Ohio Untouchables, the band that later would become the Ohio Players. He played the guitar with a unique tone soaked in vibrato coming from a Magnatone amplifier.
Born: October 15, 1938, Luthersville, GA
Died: December 25, 2008, Dry Branch, GA

I'm Tired
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzIfxPp07dg

Forgive Me, Darling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdI_yAd8p4c

Your Love Is Amazing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0FACH8UTvo

Your Love Is Real
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDeTbn7_YsU

I'm Gonna Cry a River
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgS2yRXSg2w

Cheers
Post removed 

"Skin Tight"; that was my cue to find that gal in them skin tight white britches, and git on the dance floor; "The Bump" was the only dance I mastered.


  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBG3qpYj5DU&t=66s
Muddy Waters

BLUES SKY

Muddy waters(vocal/guitar), Johnny Winter(guitar/screaming), James Cotton(harp), Pinetop Perkins(piano), Bob Margolin(guitar), Charles Calmese(bass), Willie "Big Eyes" Smith(drums)
Epic / Sony    1992

Excellent Booklet!  

Jealous Hearted Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE3tjmJuQwk

Who do You Trust
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQpgI6pvASI

Mamie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4C2-JqUYZ8

Too young to know
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E-Y3378riI

Cheers
Muddy Waters

THE COMPLETE PLANTATION RECORDINGS

MCA Chess    1993

Excellent Booklet accounting the history of the Library of Congress Field Recordings.  A Long way from the electric Muddy of Chicago.

Country Blues (No. 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRAXrVt3Ass

Joe Turner                        Louis Ford(vocal)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRz55odXdo0

Pearlie May Blues          Percy Thomas(vocal)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKI-25wN64s

You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone (No. 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlx5jjqAbwc

Ramblin' Kid Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4r9lyfMQfg

Cheers

Muddy Waters

FOLK SINGER

James Cotton(harmonica), Otis Spann(piano), Willie Dixon(bass), Buddy Guy(guitar)
MCA Chess    1963-64  /  1999

The title is a misnomer if ever there was one.  As the notes point out, this was an attempt to cash in on the 'Folk Music' craze of the times.  The Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary type music. 
This CD is really just Muddy playing the Blues.

My Home Is In The Delta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_TJoSf6_z0

My Captain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UpL_ewXIhw

My John The Conqueror Root
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLVo8zkBy1w

Good Morning Little School Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOCgOX2dtPQ

You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcjowO17SyA

Cheers




Muddy Waters: His Best, 1947 to 1955

THE CHESS 50TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION

MCA  Chess    1997

Excellent Booklet with a historical bent.  "When Muddy Waters began his recording career for the Aristocrat Records Label in 1947, the world was enjoying a post-war buzz of activity.  India gained Independence, Maria Callas debuted, Dead sea Scrolls discovered, Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Al Capone and Henry Ford died."

A lifetime ago.

Sugar Sweet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrrx5YdFsQ8

Young Fashioned Ways
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQBEsSas-w0

I Feel Like Going Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M0kkmCbdQY

Hoochie Coochie Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSnxwnPkgas

She Moves Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX5TX7Y1jCY

Cheers
Muddy Waters: His Best, 1956 to 1964

THE CHESS 50TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION

MCA Chess   1997

Notes:  "Muddy Waters might have been the most magnificent of all the Bluesmen to come out of Mississippi...Muddy became a father figure to generations of musicians, black and white.  Muddy became an institution.  Back in Indianola, we knew that he'd gone to Chicago, where he established a whole school that he'd rule for five decades.  Some went to the South Side before Muddy and some went after...but no one had Muddy's authority.  He was the boss of Chicago and the reason some call Chicago the sure-enough home of the Blues." --  B.B. King


All Aboard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0snu8RLorQ

Forty Days And Forty Nights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SiqyQbtEIk

The Same Thing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ancHn85FGrQ

I Love The Life I Live (I Live The Life I Love)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I2PUAa0MKc

Got My Mojo Working
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frs6IRCmJeY

Cheers
Muddy Waters

ONE MORE MILE: Chess Collectibles, Vol. 1

Chess   1994    2CD Set

Notes:  "It's long been thought that all the existing Muddy Waters Chess studio recordings had already been issued; those that were still missing were presumed to be lost forever. Therefore, this surprise-package set of rarities and recent discoveries will delight even long-time Muddy Waters collectors and fans.
     The first thirty tracks on this set closely parallel the growth and development of Muddy's career at Chess Records.  From the earliest tracks, which feature just a single guitar and bass, the growth of his musical development moves steadily along.  Band members come and go, with the resulting changes in the group's sound, and we can actually hear the refining process at work."

Hard Days
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN-mzePSs-s

Burying Ground
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgMGlWJ-tSA

Crawlin' Kingsnake (Alternate Take)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH4M6wcyJ58

Rollin' Stone (Alternate Take)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBhTC0y9EVA

Trouble In Mind (Hornless Remix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STMbi3AYhlY

Hoochie Coochie Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb23nVUgBFk

And 35 more!!

Cheers

Muddy Waters

THE CHESS BOX

MCA Chess    1989    3CD Set

Notes: "72 classic performances by perhaps the greatest Bluesman ever, Muddy Waters.  Covering a quarter century on Chess Records, the recordings are sequenced as recorded and are digitally remastered from the original masters or original Chess 78 r.p.m. singles.  Twenty-Four of the tracks are rare, including 10 previously unreleased.  Included is a 32-page booklet, featuring two sets of liner notes (one focusing on Muddy's life, the other on his music), song-by-song credits, a complete album by album Chess discography, historic photos and related memorabilia."

Package and booklet are the size of a LP set.  They don't make them like this anymore.  Great photos and info.

Disc one:  1947 to 1954

Gypsy Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiX1t5rzN5A&list=OLAK5uy_nUUub8pT1q3NQ8DStmIaGsIbBcC1uCxpE&i...

Rollin' And Tumblin' (Pt. 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLy2zPZV0s0&list=OLAK5uy_nUUub8pT1q3NQ8DStmIaGsIbBcC1uCxpE&i...

Honey Bee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJf5XkGko9k&list=OLAK5uy_nUUub8pT1q3NQ8DStmIaGsIbBcC1uCxpE&i...

Walkin' Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOHurLHs2g8&list=OLAK5uy_nUUub8pT1q3NQ8DStmIaGsIbBcC1uCxpE&i...

Cheers

Junior Wells

BLUES HIT BIG TOWN

Delmark   1998

Notes: 'Blues Hit Big Town' contains the historic first recordings of Junior Wells.  Junior was still a teenager at the time of the first session and had replaced Little Walter in the Muddy Waters band. 
     In a Down Beat review Pete Welding said "In their power, directness, unerring taste and utter consistency of mood, these may well be the most perfectly distilled examples of Wells' music ever recorded, taking their place alongside of those of Waters, Walter, Wolf and other masters of the period.  Five stars."
     'Blues Hit Big Town' captures genius emerging from one of the greatest Blues personalities and harmonica players of all time."

Blues Hit Big Town
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPsreuzjNro

Hoodoo Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08fFLrKI-28

Lord Lord
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jI6iKiwSxc

Junior's Wail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzdW7yxSv2o

Cheers
Junior Wells

HOODOO MAN BLUES

Delmark   1965

Notes: "I went to this pawnshop downtown and the man had a harmonica priced at $2.00.  I got a job on a soda truck...played hookey from school...worked all week and on Saturday the man gave me a dollar and a half.  A dollar and a half! For a week of work.  I went to the pawnshop and the man said the price was two dollars.  I told him I HAD to have that that harp.  He walked away from the counter--left the harp there.  So I laid my dollar-and-a-half on the counter and picked up the harp.  When my trail came up, the judge asked me why I did it.  I told him I HAD to have that harp.  The judge asked me to play it and when I did he gave the man the 50 cents and hollered "case dismissed!" -- Chicago 1948

Wells' initial LP appearance, and maybe the first LP by any Blues band.


Early in the Morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EBd3bN9Z3Y

Snatch It Back And Hold It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6TwTmFbEd4

Hoodoo Man Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdKRWaIaZ14

Yonder Wall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy5DFOo6Ar8

Good Morning Schoolgirl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrGIB1eBL9Y

Cheers
Willie Dixon

THE BIG THREE TRIO

CBS Records    1990

wiki:

Next to Muddy Waters, Dixon is recognized as the most influential person in shaping the post–World War II sound of the Chicago blues.

 A short list of his most famous compositions includes "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Little Red Rooster", "My Babe", "Spoonful", and "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover". These songs were written during the peak years of Chess Records, from 1950 to 1965, and were performed by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, and Bo Diddley; they influenced a generation of musicians worldwide.

Dixon was an important link between the blues and rock and roll, working with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley in the late 1950s. In the 1960s, his songs were adapted by numerous rock artists. He received a Grammy Award and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  --  wiki

Born July 1, 1915 Vicksburg, Mississippi
Died January 29, 1992 (aged 76) Burbank, California

Hard Notch Boogie Beat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXMThTIYpfI

Since My Baby Gone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbDSvd_PYvw

You Don't Love Me No More

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6k---0B4k4

Come Here Baby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sh9mt1BMaQ

Tell That Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm8E7wtypIs

Cheers



Willie Dixon

THE ORIGINAL WANG DANG DOODLE

MCA Chess   1995

Excellent informative booklet.

Notes: "By the time Willie Dixon died in Glendale, California, on January 29, 1992, his music had won him widespread recognition, numerous awards including a 1988 Grammy Award, and a certain measure of comfort in his later years.  His last wish was fulfilled early in 1993 by his wife Marie and daughter Shirli when the family purchased the historic Chess records building in Chicago to be the new home of Willie's long-cherished dream, the Blues Heaven Foundation."

Wang Dang Doodle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCWC4tTSPSA

So Long
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqtiYZGHQV0

Tail Dragger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZr5BYflkcQ

Walking The Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8oKiX5q3rI

Crazy For My Baby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAfR7AEzojs

Cheers

Junior Wells

ON TAP

Delmark    1991

Notes: "Junior Wells held court at Theresa's Tavern at 4801 South Indiana on Chicago's south side.  If Junior was in town he was at Theresa's, a surprisingly small tavern several steps below street level with no bandstand, no ticket window, unreliable plumbing, an assortment of beer and liquor signs for brands the house never or no longer carried, and Christmas lights all year round."

Welcome to the world of the Blues.

What my Mama told Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoeKw76K6e0

The Train I Ride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r9n9sfPDiM

Goin' Down Slow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIb0_-klFg4

Key To The Highway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_2-wcGqWAs

So Long
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I_Z0OtX6W4

Cheers
Harry Belafonte

BELAFONTE SINGS THE BLUES

RCA / Sony     1958 / 2016

Notes: "I've always had a feeling for the basic blues, but it took several years of removing myself from that predominantly modern Jazz environment and finding myself and my own set of values before I had the courage to attempt an album like this.  Here I can just step out and sing wholly the way I feel."

This man can really sing, and this must be The Blues, because it says so in the title.  With Eldridge and Webster, what could go wrong?

Losing Hand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tHgLXfHBv8

One for my Baby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObPlEtkLJ_Q

In the Evening Mama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd1wZN8jg0w

Hallelujah I Love Her So
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyRurphPtqU

God Bless the Child
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFOq4aNAEs0

Cheers
Willie Dixon

THE CHESS BOX

MCA Chess  2CD set     1988

CD 1

18 tracks.  All  songs are written by Dixon, but 14 are performed by other artists.

Little Walter  -  My Babe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3cKJ42HAd0

Jimmy Witherspoon  -  When The Lights Go Out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUrP-E61ohg

Willie Dixon  -   Crazy For My Baby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DG9lWD8S5w

Willie Dixon  -  29 Ways
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVqb97x-ysI

Willie Dixon  -  Walking The Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6RavtCBdDk

Willie Dixon  -  This Pain In My Heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS3X8jmADaY

Cheers
Bukka White

THE COMPLETE BUKKA WHITE

Columbia Legacy  /  Sony    1994   

Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White was an American Delta blues guitarist and singer. Bukka is a phonetic spelling of White's first name; he was named after the African-American educator and civil rights activist Booker T. Washington. Wikipedia
Born: November 12, 1906, Aberdeen, MS
Died: February 26, 1977, Memphis, TN

Nice informative booklet about White and each song on this disc.

Parchman Farm Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4m3z0NmL_s

Shake 'Em On Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOW3OjQm1Hw

Aberdeen Mississippi Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOahtuxo5sc

Fixin' to Die Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDjBVQjTfrM

Bukka's Jitterbug Swing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnaVP-xlbqc

Cheers
Willie Dixon

THE CHESS BOX

MCA Chess 2CD set    1988

CD 2

18 Tracks, one performance by Dixon, all songs composed by Dixon.

You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover  --  Bo Diddley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkw6iZtvyV0

Weak Brain, Narrow Mind  --  Willie Dixon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25O4cNDYUcE

Bring it on Home  --  Sonny Boy Williamson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YF1qYXiN0s

The Same Thing  --  Muddy Waters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ancHn85FGrQ

Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy  --  Howlin' Wolf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UorxEdBEZX8

I can't quit you baby  --  Little Milton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFs1XuCyTrI

Cheers

Snooks Eaglin

COUNTRY BOY DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS

Arhoolie     1955, 1967  /  1991

Notes: "Though Snook Eaglin's sources are diverse, spanning country Blues, spirituals and gospel songs, hillbilly, pop standards, rhythm & Blues, rock and roll, traditional and progressive Jazz, virtually every type of music he was exposed to in his native New Orleans, he transforms them all into something characteristically his own."

Rock Me Mama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLq0DDC0Pyw

This Train
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5Y1GQf381c

Country Boy Down in New Orleans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L80lxlXybc

Walking Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qlo_Vag_Bk

I've Had My Fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx_E8OPsZDU

Mardi Gras Mambo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5ze5nB0Afk

Cheers


Big Joe Williams

BLUES ON HIGHWAY 49

Delmark    1992

Wiki:

Born in Oktibbeha County,[5] a few miles west of Crawford, Mississippi,[6] Williams as a youth began wandering across the United States busking and playing in stores, bars, alleys and work camps. In the early 1920s he worked in the Rabbit Foot Minstrels revue. He recorded with the Birmingham Jug Band in 1930 for Okeh Records.

During the early 1930s, Williams was accompanied on his travels through the Mississippi Delta by a young Muddy Waters. Williams recounted to Blewett Thomas, "I picked Muddy up in Rolling Fork when he was about 15. He went all 'round the Delta playin' harmonica behind me. But I had to put him down after awhile. All these women were comin' up to me and sayin', 'Oh. your young son is so nice!' See, I had to put Muddy down because he was takin' away my women."



Highway 49
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-qSfOZtkS4

Blues Left Texas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idvU2gM7Gp4

Down In The Bottoms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Su-ZLxWqUw

Four Corners Of The World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYaewqzoBEQ

Tiajuana Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKMBo2jh8Fk

Cheers