Muddy Waters - Chess Masters

Side One:
01) Mannish Boy
02) Screamin' & Crying
03) Just To Be With You
04) Walking In The Park
05) Walking Blues
06) Canary Bird

Side Two:
01) Same Thing
02) Gypsy Women
03) Rollin' & Tumblin'
04) 40 Days & 40 Nights
05) Little Geneva
06) You Can't Lose What You Never Had

Side Three:
01) I Just Want To Make Love To You
02) Long Distance Call
03) Louisiana Blues
04) Honey Bee
05) Rollin' Stone
06) I'm Ready

Side Four:
01) (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
02) She Moves Me
03) I Want You To Love Me
04) Standing Around Crying
05) Still A Fool
06) I Can't Be Satisfied

Muddy Waters Chess Masters (Mega)

Muddy Waters Chess Masters (Zippy)

Ah, another "Chess Masters" double LP set that's been put together by PRT with absolutely no care whatsoever. What's a blogger to make of this? No sleeve notes. The tracklist on the back cover reverses the track lists on the actual discs. Many of the song titles contain spelling mistakes and a couple of the titles are just wrong. Before I dig in just let me say that the actual music is dynamite Chicago blues straight from the top drawer, so the effort to dig out info is well worth it.

Firstly I've gone with the track lists as they are on the discs, so sides one and two on the back cover are now sides three and four, and vice versa. The track titles are more or less as they appear on this 2LP set. You'll find the titles as they appeared on the original singles in the chronological single releases section, along with R&B chart entries. The mp3s are tagged with the LP set titles. It should be noted that 2 of the titles on this set are very inaccurate. "I Just Want To Make Love To You" was originally "Just Make Love To Me" and "I Want You To Love Me" was originally "Mad Love."

The recording dates are mostly from the booklet of the 2CD set "Muddy Waters The Anthology" - see under recommended purchases. The original single release details are mostly from 45worlds.com and the chart entry details are from Robert Gordon's biography of Muddy, "Can't Be Satisfied." Again see recommended purchases. Also consulted - The Cash Box, Bruyninckx, The Red Saunders Research Foundation, and YouTube.

There were a lot of clicks and pops on the vinyl but I've managed to eliminate most of it. There is some distortion on "Mannish Boy" which should have been spelt "Manish Boy."

The tracks with recording dates and single release numbers

01) Mannish Boy - Chess 1602 - rec May 24th 1955

02) Screamin' & Crying - Aristocrat 406 - rec September 1949

03) Just To Be With You - Chess 1644 - rec June 29th 1956

04) Walking In The Park - Chess 1718 - rec late 1958

05) Walking Blues - Chess 1426 - rec February 1950

06) Canary Bird -Aristocrat 1311 - rec July 1949

07) Same Thing - Chess 1895 - rec April 9th 1964

08) Gypsy Women - Aristocrat 1302 - rec September 1947

09) Rollin' & Tumblin' - Aristocrat 412 - rec February 1950

10) 40 Days & 40 Nights - Chess 1620 - rec February 2nd 1956

11) Little Geneva - Aristocrat 1311 - rec July 1949

12) You Can't Lose What You Never Had - Chess 1895 - rec April 9th 1964

01) I Just Want To Make Love To You (Just Make Love To Me) - Chess 1571 - rec April 13th 1954

02) Long Distance Call - Chess 1452 - rec January 23rd 1951

03) Louisiana Blues - Chess 1441 - rec October 23rd 1950

04) Honey Bee - Chess 1468 - rec January 23rd 1951

05) Rollin' Stone - Chess 1426 - rec February 1950

06) I'm Ready - Chess 1579 - rec September 1st 1954

07) (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man - Chess 1560 - rec January 7th 1954

08) She Moves Me - Chess 1490 - rec July 11th 1951

09) I Want You To Love Me (Mad Love) - Chess 1550 -September 24th 1953

10) Standing Around Crying - Chess 1526 - rec September 17th 1952

11) Still A Fool - Chess 1480 - rec July 11th 1951

12) I Can't Be Satisfied - Aristocrat 1305 - rec April 1948

Original Single Releases (titles as per record label)

Billboard R&B chart entries - highest position plus month & year record entered the charts

Gypsy Woman / Little Anna Mae - Muddy Water with Sunny Land Slim - Aristocrat 1302 - March 1948

I Can't Be Satisfied / I Feel Like Going Home - Muddy Waters with Rhythm Accompaniment - Aristocrat 1305 - June 1948 (B Side was #11 R&B September 1948)

Little Geneva / Canary Bird - Muddy Waters - Aristocrat 1311 - November 1949

Screaming And Crying / Where's My Woman Been - Muddy Waters - Aristocrat 406 - February 1950

Rollin' And Tumblin' Part 1 / Rollin' And Tumblin' Part 2 - Muddy Waters - Aristocrat 412 - April 1950

Rollin' Stone / Walkin' Blues - Muddy Waters - Chess 1426 - June 1950

Louisiana Blues / Evan's Shuffle - Muddy Waters - Chess 1441 - November 1950 (#10 R&B January 1951)

Long Distance Call / Too Young To Know - Muddy Waters and his Guitar - Chess 1452 - March 1951 (#8 R&B April 1951)

Honey Bee / Appealing Blues - Muddy Waters and his Guitar - Chess 1468 - July 1951 (#10 R&B July 1951)

My Fault / Still A Fool - Muddy Waters and his Guitar - Chess 1480 - September 1951 (#9 R&B November 1951)

She Moves Me / Early Morning Blues - Muddy Waters And His Guitar - Chess 1490 - January 1952 (#10 R&B February 1952)

Standing Around Crying / Gone To Main St. - Muddy Waters and his Guitar - Chess 1526 - November 1952

Mad Love / Blow Wind, Blow - Muddy Waters and his Guitar - Chess 1550 - October 1953 (#6 R&B November 1953)

I'm Your Hoochie Cooche Man / She's So Pretty - Muddy Waters and his Guitar - Chess 1560 - January 1954 (#3 R&B March 1954)

Just Make Love To Me / Oh! Yeh - Muddy Waters and his Guitar - Chess 1571 - May 1954 (#4 R&B June 1954)

I'm Ready / I Don't Know Why - Muddy Waters and his Guitar - Chess 1579 - September 1954 (#4 R&B October 1954)

Manish Boy / Young Fashion Ways - Muddy Waters And His Guitar - Chess 1602 - July 1955 (#5 R&B July 1955)

Forty Days & Forty Nights / All Aboard - Muddy Waters And His Guitar - Chess 1620 - April 1956 (#7 R&B May 1956)

Just To Be With You / I Got To Find My Baby - Muddy Waters - Chess 1644 - November 1956

Mean Mistreater / Walking Thru The Park - Muddy Waters - Chess 1718 - February 1959

The Same Thing / You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had - Chess 1895 - May 1964

Recommended Purchases:

 Muddy Waters The Anthology 2CD set MCA / Chess

The above 50 track set is the only Muddy Waters CD I've ever bought. Great sound and most of the big ones are here.

Superb biography by Robert Gordon. Jonathan Cape, 2002 (UK). Most highly recommended.
 

Bo Diddley - Chess Masters

Side 1:
01) Bo Diddley
02) Bring It To Jerome
03) Road Runner
04) Who Do You Love
05) Hush Your Mouth
06) Pretty Thing

Side 2:
01) Pills
02) Mona
03) Memphis
04) You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover
05) Hey Bo Diddley
06) Hucklebuck

Side 3:
01) Mumblin Guitar
02) She's Alright
03) Diddley Daddy
04) I'm A Man
05) I'm Looking For A Woman
06) Say Man

Side 4:
01) I Can Tell
02) My Babe
03) Cops And Robbers
04) I'm Sorry
05) Before You Accuse Me
06) Dearest Darling

Bo Diddley Chess Masters (Mega)

Bo Diddley Chess Masters (Zippy)

1980s PRT compilation of 24 Bo Diddley tracks which is guaranteed to have you swinging from the lights as self isolation really kicks in. Turn it on and crank it up. Voodoo hoodoo twangin' guitar craziness with wild lyrics. Recorded between 1955 and 1963, although the '63 track "Hucklebuck" isn't actually by Bo. See bottom of post for details.

Included because it's the greatest LP cover ever

A Brief History Of Voodoo Rock'n'Roll Singles:

Musicians with Bo include - Jerome Green (maracas); Jody Williams, Peggy Jones (guitar); Billy Boy Arnold, Lester Davenport, Little Walter (harmonica); Otis Spann, Lafayette Leake (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Clifton James, Frank Kirkland (drums); The Moonglows (vocal group); plus sundry others.

Bo Diddley / I'm A Man - Checker 814 - April 1955 (#1 R&B)

Diddley Daddy / She's Fine, She's Mine - Checker 819 - June 1955 (#11 R&B)

Pretty Thing / Bring It To Jerome - Checker 827 - November 1955 (#4 R&B)

Diddy Wah Diddy / I Am Looking For A Woman - Checker 832 - February 1956

Who Do You Love? / I'm Bad - Checker 842 - July 1956

Cops And Robbers / Down Home Special - Checker 850 - November 1956

Hey! Bo-Diddley / Mona - Checker 860 - April 1957

Say! (Boss Man) / Before You Accuse Me (Take A look At Yourself) - Checker 878 - October 1957

Hush Your Mouth / Dearest Darling - Checker 896 - June 1958

Oh Yea / I'm Sorry - Checker 914 - January 1959

Say Man / The Clock Strikes Twelve - Checker 931 - August 1959 (#20 pop, #3 R&B)

Say Man, Back Again / She's Alright - Checker 936 - November 1959

Road Runner / My Story - Checker 942 - January 1960 (#75 pop, #20 R&B)

Pills / Call Me - Checker 985 - August 1961

You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover / I Can Tell - Checker 1019 - July 1962 (#48 pop, #21 R&B)

Monkey Diddle / Memphis - Checker 1058 - November 1963

"Mumblin' Guitar" first released on Checker LP 2974 (Have Guitar, Will Travel) in 1960.

"My Babe" first released on Checker LP 2982 (Bo Diddley's A Twister) in 1962

"Hucklebuck" first released on Checker LP 2987 (Surfin' With Bo Diddley) in 1963. This track is actually by Billy Lee Riley and The Megatons.

Issue information from 45worlds.com, Discogs.com, The Cash Box. Chart information from notes to "Bo Diddley - His Best" (The Legendary Chess Masters Series) - MCD 09373. See below:

 Absolutely recommended

Fishin' In My Pond (Chicago Blues Bands)

Side A:
01) Sit And Cry - Buddy Guy And His Band
02) Try To Quit You Baby - Buddy Guy And His Band
03) Meet Me Half Way - Arbee Stidham
04) Fishin' In My Pond - Lee Jackson
05) You Don't Treat Me Right - Guitar Shorty
06) Don't Leave Me - Clarence Jolly
07) Maybe Blues - Morris Pejoe

Side B:
01) You Sure Can't Do - Buddy Guy And His Band
02) This Is The End - Buddy Guy And His Band
03) Screaming And Crying - Morris Pejoe
04) I'll Just Keep Walkin' - Lee Jackson
05) Please Let It Be Me - Arbee Stidham
06) Changing Love - Clarence Jolly
07) Irma Lee - Guitar Shorty

Fishin' In My Pond (Mega)

Fishin' In My Pond (Zippy)

Another great blues LP from contributor Charlie B. The Buddy Guy sides are quite polished but the rest, thank goodness, is rollicking roughhouse blues which is the way it should be. Despite the prominence of the Cobra label on the front cover, not all of the featured sides were released on that label. The Arbee Stidham and Morris Pejoe sides were released on Abco which was a short lived predecessor label of Cobra.

Abco was owned jointly by Joe Brown of JOB Records and Elias Toscano. The label's recording sessions lasted only a few months from January to July in 1956. The partnership split shortly afterwards with Brown returning to JOB and Toscano starting a new label called Cobra. The July sides which had been recorded for Abco by Otish Rush, Shakey Horton, The Calvaes and The Clouds, were released on Cobra in September. One of the Rush sides, "I Can't Quit You Baby", became a national R&B hit, giving the label the basis for a somewhat longer life than its predecessor.

Cobra was reasonably successful for a couple of years with a strong roster which included Rush, Magic Sam, Buddy Guy, Harold Burrage and Betty Everett. The Buddy Guy sides were released on a subsidiary label, Artistic.

The full story of the label, which went out of business in 1959, can be found on The Red Saunders Research Foundation, the go to website for Chicago blues and R&B. The Abco article can be found here - Abco and click on: Cobra and Artistic for the longer story of those labels.

Release Details

Arbee Stidham - I''ll Always Remember You / Meet Me Half Way - Abco G100 - February 1956

Morris Pejoe - Screaming And Crying / Maybe Blues - Abco G106 - June 1956

Arbee Stidham - When I Find My Baby / Please Let It Be Me - Abco G107 - June 1956

Lee Jackson - Fishin' In My Pond / I'll Just Keep Walkin' - Cobra 5007 - February 1957

Clarence Jolly - Changing Love / Don't Leave Me - Cobra 5016 - July 1957

Guitar Shorty - You Don't Treat Me Right / Irma Lee - Cobra 5017 - July 1957

Buddy Guy - Sit And Cry (The Blues) / Try To Quit You Baby - Artistic 1501 - September 1958

Buddy Guy - You Sure Can't Do / This Is The End - Artistic 1503 - March 1959

With thanks to Charlie B.

Hand Me Down Blues

Side One:
01. Watch Yourself - Henry Gray
02. That Ain't Right - Henry Gray
03. Goodbye Baby - Henry Gray
04. You Messed Up - Henry Gray
05. He Don't Love You - Dusty Brown
06. Yes She's Gone - Dusty Brown
07. Hurry Home - Dusty Brown
08. Rusty Dusty - Dusty Brown

Side Two:
01. Hand Me Down Blues - Albert King
02. Little Boy Blue - Albert King
03. Gary Stomp - John Brim
04. Going Back To Memphis - Sunnyland Slim
05. Devil Is A Busy Man - Sunnyland Slim
06. Crosstown Blues - Snooky Pryor
07. I Want You For Myself - Snooky Pryor
08. Four Day Jump - Little Willie Foster

Hand Me Down Blues (Mega)

Hand Me Down Blues (Zippy)

Thanks to Charlie B who has contributed another blues compilation, and once more it's an LP issued by Relic in 1989 / 1990. The label used on the disc is Blue Lake, a Chicago based label owned by deejay Al Benson which he ran in conjunction with his better known Parrot label.

This is a collection of sides recorded for Benson between 1953 and 1955, some of which were unreleased at the time and some of which were released as singles on Parrot or Blue Lake. Full recording and release details are given below. Much of the information is from the Red Saunders Research Foundation page on the Parrot Label with additional information from www.45cat.com, www.discogs.com and the Bruyninckx discography.

There is much more background information on the artists featured on this disc in the notes by Dick Shurman on the back cover of the LP. Charlie B has once again kindly scanned font and back covers and labels as well as ripping the tracks from vinyl.

Fax On The Lowdown Trax:

Henry Gray: Watch Yourself, That Ain't Right, Goodbye Baby, You Messed Up (with false start) were recorded in Chicago in late 1955. Personnel: Henry Gray (vocal, piano) with unknown (harmonica), Little Hudson Showers (guitar), James Banister (drums).

These 4 tracks were unissued until this LP.

Dusty Brown: He Don't Love You, Yes She's Gone, Hurry Home, Rusty Dusty, recorded in Chicago on October 1st, 1955. Personnel: Dusty Brown (vocal, harmonica) with Henry Gray (piano), Baby Joe Little (guitar); Johnny Sturdivant (drums).

He Don't Love You / Yes She's Gone released on Parrot 820 in November 1955.

Hurry Home and Rusty Dusty first issued on this LP.

Albert King: Hand Me Down Blues, Little Boy Blue recorded in Chicago on November 30th, 1953. Personnel: Albert King (vocal, guitar) with Johnny Jones (piano); John Brim (guitar) possibly Willie Dixon (bass) and Grace Brim (drums). This was Albert King's first ever recording session.

Hand Me Down Blues and Little Boy Blue first released on this LP.

John Brim: Gary Stomp, recorded in Chicago in March 1954 (or December 1953). Personnel: John Brim (vocal, guitar) with Jimmy Reed (harmonica); Eddie Taylor (guitar); Grace Brim (drums).

Gary Stomp released on Parrot 799, B-Side of Tough Times, in April 1954. John Brim and his Stompers.

Sunnyland Slim: Going Back To Memphis, Devil Is A Busy Man, recorded in Chicago in 1954. Personnel: Sunnyland Slim (vocal, piano) with possibly Snooky Pryor (harmonica) and Eddie Taylor (guitar).

Going Back To Memphis / Devil Is A Busy Man released on Blue Lake 105 in June 1954.

Snooky Pryor: Crosstown Blues, I Want You For Myself, recorded in Chicago, May / June 1954. Personnel: Snooky Pryor (vocal, harmonica) with Lazy Bill Lucas (piano); Eddie Taylor (guitar); Moody Jones (bass).

Crosstown Blues / I Want You For Myself released on Parrot 807 in the summer of 1954.

Little Willie Foster: Four Day Jump recorded in Chicago on January 14th, 1955. Personnel: Little Willie Foster (harmonica); Eddie Taylor (guitar); Floyd Jones (guitar); Lazy Bill Lucas (piano).

Falling Rain Blues / Four Day Jump by "Little" Willy Foster released on Blue Lake 113 circa March 1955. Later re-released on Parrot 813 in July 1955.

Sonny Boy Williamson - Chess Masters

Side 1:
01. Don't Start Me To Talkin'
02. I Don't Know
03. All My Love In Vain
04. The Key (To Your Door)
05. Keep It To Yourself
06. Dissatisfied

Side 2:
01. Fattening Frogs For Snakes
02. Wake Up Baby
03. Your Funeral And My Trial
04. "99"
05. Cross My Heart
06. Let Me Explain

Side 3:
01. One Way Out
02. Too Young To Die
03. Trust My Baby
04. Checkin' Up On My Baby
05. Sad To Be Alone
06. Got To Move

Side 4:
01. Bring It On Home
02. Down Child
03. Peach Tree
04. That's All I Want
05. Too Old To Think

Download the 2LP set from here:

Sonny Boy Williamson (Mega)

As with so many of these early 1980s "Chess Masters" releases on PRT, absolutely no information on the artist or recordings is provided on this 2LP set. Of course the featured artist on this collection is the second Sonny Boy Williamson, whose real name has been thought to be William Miller, Rice Miller, or Aleck Ford. He could have been born in 1894 or maybe 1909. It's pretty certain that he was earning a living as a bluesman from the 1920s onward, and in 1936 he formed a long lasting partnership with guitarist Robert Jr. Lockwood.

In the 1940s while working on the "King Biscuit Time" radio show in Helena Arkansas he started calling himself "Sonny Boy Williamson" after the well known and influential Chicago based singer / harmonica player John Lee Williamson. It may have been an attempt to deliberately mislead the radio audience, but when the original Sonny Boy was murdered in 1948, the second "Sonny Boy" (who was in fact the older man) was left with the name.

His recording career started with Trumpet Records, Jackson, Mississippi in early 1951 and he recorded for this label until November 1954. Sonny Boy's first Chess recording session took place on the 12th August 1955, backed by the Muddy Waters band. Two tracks from this session, "Don't Start Me To Talkin'" and "All My Love In Vain" were released on Sonny Boy's first Checker single, the first of seventeen that he would release on the Chess subsidiary label.

O.K. sad sacks, here's the facts on the tracks that this album lacks!

First off here's the tracks with recording date and original release number:

01. Don't Start Me To Talkin' - 12th August 1955 - Checker 824
02. I Don't Know - 8th February 1957 - Checker 864
03. All My Love In Vain - 12th August 1955 - Checker 824
04. The Key (To Your Door) - 7th August 1956 - Checker 847
05. Keep It To Yourself - 7th August 1956 - Checker 847
06. Dissatisfied - 1st September 1957 - Checker 910
07. Fattening Frogs For Snakes - 8th February 1957 - Checker 864
08. Wake Up Baby - 27th March 1958 - Checker 894
09. Your Funeral And My Trial - 27th March 1958 - Checker 894
10. "99" - 1st September 1957 - Checker LP 1437
11. Cross My Heart - 1st September 1957 - Checker 910
12. Let Me Explain - 24th January 1956 - Checker 834
13. One Way Out - 30th April 1964 - Chess LP 1503
14. Too Young To Die - 14th December 1960 - Chess LP 1503
15. Trust My Baby - 15th September 1960 - Checker 963
16. Checkin' Up On My Baby - 14th April 1960 - Chess LP 1503
17. Sad To Be Alone - 30th January 1960 - Checker 943
18. Got To Move - 11th January 1963 - Chess LP 1503
19. Bring It On Home - 11th January 1963 - Checker 1134
20. Down Child - 15th September 1960 - Checker 1134
21. Peach Tree - June 1960 - Chess LP 1503
22. That's All I Want - 8th September 1961 - Chess LP 1503
23. Too Old To Think - 8th September 1961 - Chess LP 1503

Session details:

All sides recorded in Chicago with Sonny Boy Williamson on vocals and harmonica.

Don't Start Me Talkin' (Checker 824)
All My Love In Vain (Checker 824)
Recorded 12th August, 1955. Additional personnel: Otis Spann (piano); Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Let Me Explain (Checker 834)
Recorded 24th January, 1956. Additional personnel: Otis Spann (piano); Robert Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

The Key (To Your Door) (Checker 847)
Keep It To Yourself (Checker 847)
Recorded 7th August, 1956. Additional personnel: Robert Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

I Don't Know (Checker 864)
Fattening Frogs For Snakes (Checker 864)
Recorded 8th February, 1957. Additional personnel: Robert Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Dissatisfied (Checker 910)
"99" (Checker LP 1437)
Cross My Heart (Checker 910)
Recorded 1st September, 1957. Additional personnel: Otis Spann (piano); Robert Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Wake Up Baby (Checker 894)
Your Funeral And My Trial (Checker 894)
Recorded 27th March 1958. Additional personnel: Lafayette Leake (piano); Robert Lockwood and Eugene Pierson (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Sad To Be Alone (Checker 943)
Recorded 30th January, 1960. Additional personnel: Otis Spann (piano); Robert Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Checkin' Up On My Baby (Chess LP 1503)
Recorded 14th April, 1960. Additional personnel: Otis Spann (piano); Robert Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Unknown (electric bass); Fred Below (drums).

Peach Tree (Chess LP 1503)
Recorded June, 1960. Additional personnel: Otis Spann (piano);  Eddie King and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Trust My Baby (Checker 963)
Down Child (Checker 1134)
Recorded 15th September, 1960. Additional personnel: Lafayette Leake (piano); Robert Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Too Young To Die (Chess LP 1503)
Recorded 14th December, 1960. Additional personnel: Otis Spann (piano); Robert Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Odie Payne (drums).

That's All I Want (Chess LP 1503)
Too Old To Think (Chess LP 1503)
Recorded 8th September, 1961. Additional personnel: Otis Spann (piano); Robert Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Got To Move (Chess LP 1503)
Bring It On Home (Checker 1134)
Recorded 11th January, 1963. Additional personnel: Lafayette Leake or Billy Emerson (organ); Matt Murphy (guitar); Milton Rector (electric bass); Al Duncan (drums).

One Way Out (Chess LP 1503)
Recorded 30th April, 1964. Additional personnel: Lafayette Leake (piano); Buddy Guy (guitar); Jack Myers (electric bass); Clifton James (drums).


Original release details:

Don't Start Me Talkin' / All My Love In Vain (Checker 824) was released in September 1955.

Let Me Explain (b/w Your Imagination) (Checker 834) was released in March 1956.

Keep It To Yourself / The Key (To Your Door) (Checker 847) was released in October 1956.

Fattening Frogs For Snakes / I Don't Know (Checker 864) was released in June 1957.

Your Funeral And My Trial / Wake Up Baby (Checker 894) was released in May 1958.

Dissatisfied / Cross My Heart (Checker 910) was released in December 1958.

It's Sad To Be Alone was the B-Side of The Goat, Checker 943, released in January 1960.

Trust My Baby (b/w Too Close Together) (Checker 963) was released in October 1960.

Bring It On Home / Down Child (Checker 1134) was released in February 1966.

"99" is an alternate take of "Ninety Nine" which was released as the B-Side of "Born Blind" (Checker 883) in February 1958. "99" was released on Checker LP 1437 "Down And Out Blues" in 1959.

Checkin' Up On My Baby, Peach Tree, Too Young To Die, That's All I Want, Too Old To Think, Got To Move, One Way Out, were all first released on Chess LP 1053 "Sonny Boy Williamson - The Real Folk Blues" in January 1966.

You can find El Enmascarado's rip of a 78 rpm issue of Sonny Boy's first record for Checker here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/dont-start-me-talkin-all-my-love-in.html

In fact here they be, Sonny Boy's first and considerably successful sides on Checker:

And to finish off, here's the cover of the only Sonny Boy Williamson CD I possess, from the Chess Legendary Masters series. Like the other CDs in this series it's in superb sound quality. If you ever come across any of these CDs in your local hepcat record shop, or in a jumble sale, buy 'em.

Note the bowler hat - Sonny adopted a rather eccentric interpretation of the English gentleman style during his British tours in 1963/64. He recorded with The Animals, The Yardbirds and Chris Barber during this time and also made a recording in London in April 1965 with a band that included Brian Auger and Jimmy Page. He died the following month back home in the USA.

Little Walter - Chess Masters

LP1 -

Side 1:
01. My Babe
02. Sad Hours
03. You're So Fine
04. Last Night
05. Blues With A Feeling
06. Can't Hold Out Much Longer

Side 2:
01. Juke
02. Mean Old World
03. Off The Wall
04. You Better Watch Yourself
05. Blue Lights
06. Tell Me Mama

LP2 -

Side 3:

01. Nobody But You
02. My Baby's Sweeter
03. Roller Coaster
04. As Long As I Have You
05. Oh Baby
06. Take Me Back
07. Everything's Going To Be Alright
08. Mellow Down Easy

Side 4:
01. Hate To See You Go
02. I Got To Find My Baby
03. Everybody Needs Somebody
04. Blue Midnight

Download the 2LP set from here:

Little Walter Chess Masters (2LP) Mega

1981 Little Walter double album. UK issue on PRT (Precision Records and Tapes) It was one of an extensive series of "Chess Masters" double and single LPs released on PRT (a successor to Pye International) in the 1980s. There are no notes or track details so I'll try to fill in some details below.

The tracks:

LP1:
01. My Babe
02. Sad Hours
03. You're So Fine
04. Last Night
05. Blues With A Feeling
06. Can't Hold Out Much Longer
07. Juke
08. Mean Old World
09. Off The Wall
10. You Better Watch Yourself
11. Blue Lights
12. Tell Me Mama

LP2:
13. Nobody But You
14. My Baby's Sweeter
15. Roller Coaster
16. As Long As I Have You
17. Oh Baby
18. Take Me Back
19. Everything's Going To Be Alright
20. Mellow Down Easy
21. Hate To See You Go
22. I Got To Find My Baby
23. Everybody Needs Somebody
24. Blue Midnight

Note that track titles in italics are not present on this double album. Titles in italics with an asterisk (*) are on the "Confessin' The Blues" LP available elsewhere on this blog.

Tracks 6 and 7 - released on Checker 758, August 1952. Juke / Can't Hold On Much Longer by Little Walter and His Nite Cats. Recorded on May 12th 1952. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers (guitars), Elga Edmonds (drums).

Tracks 2 and 8 - released on Checker 764, November 1952. Mean Old World / Sad Hours by Little Walter and his Nite Caps. Recorded in October 1952. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Louis Myers and David Myers (guitars); Fred Below (drums).

Tracks 9 and 12 - released on Checker 770, April, 1953. Tell Me Mama / Off The Wall by Little Walter and his Jukes. Recorded on March 4th, 1953. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Louis Myers and David Myers (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Track 5 - released on Checker 780, September, 1953. Blues With A Feeling / Quarter To Twelve* by Little Walter and his Jukes. Recorded on July 23rd, 1953.  Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Jimmy Rogers (guitar); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Track 3 - released on Checker 786, December 1953. Lights Out* / You're So Fine by Little Walter and his Jukes. Recorded on July 23rd 1953. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Jimmy Rogers (guitar); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Track 17 - released on Checker 793, April 1954. Oh Baby / Rocker* by Little Walter and his Jukes. Recorded on February 22nd, 1954. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Jr. Lockwood (guitar); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Tracks 10 and 11 - released on Checker 799, August 1954. You'd Better Watch Yourself / Blue Light by Little Walter and his Jukes. Recorded on July 14th, 1954. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Jr. Lockwood and David Myers (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Tracks 4 and 20 - released on Checker 805, November 1954. Mellow Down Easy / Last Night by Little Walter and his Jukes. Recorded on October 5th, 1954. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Jr. Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Track 1 - released on Checker 811, February 1955. My Babe / Thunder Bird by Little Walter and his Jukes. Recorded on January 25th, 1955. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Jr. Lockwood and Leonard Caston (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Track 15 - released on Checker 817 in May 1955. Roller Coaster / I Got To Go* by Little Walter and His Jukes. Recorded on April 28th, 1955. Little Walter (harmonica); Bo Diddley and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Track 21 - released on Checker 825 in October 1955. I Hate To See You Go / Too Late by Little Walter and His Jukes. Recorded on August 12th, 1955. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Jr. Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Track 18 - released on Checker 852 in December 1956. It's Too Late Brother / Take Me Back by Little Walter. Recorded on July 27th 1956. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Jr. Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Tracks 13 and 23 - released on Checker 859 in March 1957. Nobody But You / Everybody Needs Somebody by Little Walter. Recorded on March 5th, 1957. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Jr. Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Track 14 - released on Checker 919 in March 1959. My Baby Is Sweeter / Crazy Mixed Up World* by Little Walter. Recorded on February 25th, 1959. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Luther Tucker and Jimmy Lee Robinson (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); George Hunter (drums).

Track 19 - released on Checker 930 in July 1959. Everything Gonna Be Alright / Back Track by Little Walter. Recorded on July 21st, 1959.  Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Otis Spann (piano); Robert Jr. Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Billy Stepney (drums).

Track 24 - released on Checker 955 in June 1960. My Babe / Blue Midnight by Little Walter. The A Side, "My Babe" is a remastered version of Checker 811 with added vocal chorus. "Blue Midnight" was recorded in October 1952. This was its first release. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Louis Myers and David Myers (guitars); Fred Below (drums).

Track 16 - released on Checker 968 in February 1961. I Don't Play / As Long As I Have You by Little Walter. Recorded in December 1960. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Otis Spann (piano); Luther Tucker and Fred Robinson (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); George Hunter (drums).

Track 22 - released on Checker 1013 in May 1962. Just You Fool / I Got To Find My Baby by Little Walter. Recorded on May 22nd 1954. Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Otis Spann (piano); Robert Jr. Lockwood and David Myers (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

In the downloads I have included versions of the LP cover surrounded by a white frame.

Elsewhere on the blog - "Confessin' The Blues" by Little Walter.

This LP contains five tracks which were on the reverse side of the original single releases of tracks on the "Chess Masters" 2LP set.

Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall

LP1 Side 1:
01. Bright Lights, Big City
02. I'm Mr Luck
03. Baby What's Wrong
04. Found Joy
05. Kind Of Lonesome

LP1 Side 2:
01. Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth
02. Tell Me You Love Me
03. Blue Carnegie
04. I'm A Love You
05. Hold Me Close
06. Blue, Blue Water

Download LP1 from here:

http://www21.zippyshare.com/v/4EFIeH9w/file.html

LP2 Side 3:
01. Baby What You Want Me To Do
02. You Don't Have To Go
03. Hush Hush
04. Found Love
05. Honest I Do
06. You Got Me Dizzy

LP2 Side 4:
01. Big Boss Man
02. Take Out Some Insurance
03. Boogie In The Dark
04. GoingTo New York
05. Ain't That Lovin' You Baby
06. The Sun Is Shining

Download LP2 from here:

http://www39.zippyshare.com/v/vCfV7pwE/file.html

I can remember exactly where and when I bought this double album. It was in 1976 (or was it 1977 - oh dear) and it was on sale in a small local electronics shop in the area of Glasgow's South Side where  I grew up. I had just returned from a year working in France and I was surprised to find that during my absence my parents' house had mysteriously filled up with imported US Country and Western cut out LPs. The place was choc a bloc with platters by the likes of Boxcar Willie, Porter Waggoner, Charlie Pride and Buck Owens.

One of the local shops had been taken over by an electronics retailer and music fan and he had installed some record browsers from where he dispensed the said cut outs (plus a load of cassettes) which were mostly of the Hicksville persuasion. My dad was already a bit of a C&W fan, and like a junkie living next to a newly opened pharmacy, he had started feeding his habit on an all too regular basis. Don't get me wrong, there was some good stuff in his collection once you got past the Bobby Bare albums. I'm thinking of Tompall Glaser, Waylon Jennings, early Doctor Hook & The Medicine Show ("I Got Stoned And I Missed It") and even a double album of The Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons.

Anyway in among the racks of Yee-Hah discs in the shop was this BluesWay double album in a thick cardboard sleeve (non gatefold) with a hole punched through one corner. A genuine blues album with not a stetson or rhinestone in sight. After the usual pre-purchase agonising I paid up, carried Jimmy Reed off in triumph, and was delighted by the sounds contained on these discs. It was the only Jimmy Reed vinyl I ever bought, so I missed out on those Charly LPs which appeared in the 1980s.

This 1973 BluesWay double album is a reissue of the 1961 Vee-Jay 2LP set "Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall" which, despite its title, is a studio album. The 2LP set was originally released as Vee-Jay LP 2-LP 1035 in August 1961. The second disc in the set was re-released as "The Best Of Jimmy Reed" (Vee-Jay LP 1039) in February 1962.

Nine of the eleven tracks on LP1 were recorded especially for the LP: "Bright Lights, Big City", "I'm Mr Luck", "Baby What's Wrong", "Found Joy", "Kind Of Lonesome", "Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth", "Tell Me You Love Me", "Blue Carnegie", and "I'm A Love You." These were recorded in Chicago in 1961 (exact date unknown) by the following personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Lefty Bates (guitar); Eddie Taylor (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums); Mary Lee "Mama" Reed 2nd vocal on "Bright Lights, Big City" and "Baby What's Wrong."

The remaining two tracks on LP1 are earlier unissued tracks. "Blue, Blue Water" was recorded in Chicago on August 25th, 1959. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Phil Upchurch (guitar); Eddie Taylor (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

"Hold Me Close" was recorded in Chicago on March 14th, 1960. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Lefty Bates, Lee Baker (guitars); Curtis Mayfield (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums); Mary Lee "Mama" Reed (2nd vocal).

  

Above: Vee-Jay promo offer for record dealers, February 1962. The "Best Of Jimmy Reed" was a reissue of the 2nd LP in the "Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall" set. Contrary to the wording in this ad, the LP did not consist of re-recordings. The recordings on the album were in fact from original single releases.

The tracks used on LP2 were originally released as follows:

You Don't Have To Go / Boogie In The Dark were released on Vee-Jay 119 in December 1954. Recorded in Chicago, mid-1953. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor, John Littlejohn (guitars); Albert King (drums).

Ain't That Lovin' You Baby was released on Vee-Jay 168 in February 1956. Recorded in Chicago on 5th December 1955. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor (guitar); Vernell Fournier (drums).

You've Got Me Dizzy was released on Vee-Jay 226 in November 1956. Recorded in Chicago on 3rd October 1956. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor (guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

The Sun Is Shining was released on Vee-Jay 248 in June 1957. Recorded in Chicago on 3rd April 1957. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor (guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Honest I Do was released on Vee-Jay 253 in August 1957. Recorded in Chicago on 3rd April 1957. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor (guitar) Remo Biondi (guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Take Out Some Insurance was released on Vee-Jay 314 in April 1959. Recorded in Chicago on 26th March 1959. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, guitar); William "Lefty" Bates (guitar); Eddie Taylor (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Going To New York was released on Vee-Jay 326 in September 1959. Recorded in Chicago on 11th September 1958. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor (guitar) Remo Biondi (guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Baby What You Want Me To Do was released on Vee-Jay 333 in November 1959. Recorded in Chicago on 7th August 1959. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Lefty Bates, Eddie Taylor (guitars); Marcus Johnson (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums); Mary Lee "Mama" Reed (2nd vocal).

Found Love was released on Vee-Jay 347 in May 1960. Recorded in Chicago on 15th December 1959. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, guitar); William "Lefty" Bates (guitar); Eddie Taylor (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Hush Hush was released on Vee-Jay 357 in August 1960. Recorded in Chicago on 25th August 1959. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Phil Upchurch (guitar); Eddie Taylor (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Big Boss Man was released on Vee-Jay 380 in March 1961. Recorded in Chicago on 29th March 1960. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Lefty Bates, Eddie Taylor (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Earl Phillips (drums); Mary Lee "Mama" Reed (2nd vocal).

"The Best Of Jimmy Reed" (Vee-Jay LP 1039) can be downloaded from the excellent Blues Years blog here:

http://thebluesyears.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/jimmy-reed-best-of-jimmy-reed-vee-jay.html

Remember if you download - tell 'em Boogie Woody sent ya! Or just say "Hi" even if you don't download.

Finally, although I missed out on those Charly LPs (some of which you can find on "The Blues Years" blog), here are the covers of some CDs I bought back in the '90s.

Above: from 1992, "Bright Lights, Big City" was subtitled "His Greatest Hits." Reed recorded for Vee-Jay from 1953 to 1965 during which time he had 18 R&B Top 20 hits (10 of them in 1955-57), and 13 singles in the Hot Hundred chart. "Honest I Do" and "Baby What You Want Me To Do" made it to the Top 40 in 1957 and 1960 respectively. "Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall" spent 31 weeks on the US Album charts, peaking at number 46. In 1964 "Shame, Shame, Shame" reached number 46 in the UK charts.

Reed had considerable commercial success while with Vee-Jay. Although he built up sales to the mainly white, middle class "Folk Blues" crowd, he also maintained healthy R&B sales. In 1957 he was the 9th top selling R&B artist with hits like "Honest I Do" and "You've Got Me Dizzy." This collection has 20 of his top sellers.

Above: from 1994, "Take Out Some Insurance" was a 20-track collection of Reed's lesser known sides for Vee-Jay. A good companion set to "Bright Lights, Big City."

Above: from 1993, "Bad Boy" was a rousing 15 track collection of sides by Jimmy Reed's long-time collaborator, guitarist Eddie Taylor. Reed himself, along with drummer Earl Phillips, is present on those tracks which were recorded at Reed sessions. Stalwarts on other tracks include Johnny Jones (piano) and Hubert Sumlin (guitar).