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.

Various Artists - Chess Masters

LP1:

Download LP1 from here:

http://www9.zippyshare.com/v/Pu2TH1QV/file.html

Side 1:

01. Sweet Black Angel - Robert Nighthawk

02. Walkin' Blues - Muddy Waters

03. Mad Man Blues - John Lee Hooker

04. Sad Hours - Little Walter

05. Dust My Broom - Elmore James

06. Diggin' My Potatoes - Washboard Sam

Side 2:

01. Third Degree - Eddie Boyd

02. Mama Talk To Your Daughter - J.B. Lenoir

03. I'm Ready - Muddy Waters

04. I'm Glad You Reconsidered - Lowell Fulson

05. I'm A Man - Bo Diddley

06. Walkin' By Myself - Jimmy Rogers

LP2:

Download LP2 from here:

http://www69.zippyshare.com/v/sS5w6Ggh/file.html

Side 3:

01. I Don't Know - Sonny Boy Williamson

02. Goin' Down Slow - Little Walter

03. So Many Roads - Otis Rush

04. All Your Love - Otis Rush

05. I Got My Eyes On You - Buddy Guy

06. The First Time I Met The Blues - Buddy Guy

Side 4:

01. The Sun Is Shining - Elmore James

02. Stormy Monday Blues - Elmore James

03. Spoonful - Howlin' Wolf

04. The Red Rooster - Howlin' Wolf

05. Help Me - Sonny Boy Williamson

06. Feel So Bad - Little Milton

I think this PRT (Precision Records and Tapes) Chess Masters double LP came out in the early 1980s. I bought quite a few titles in this series, including double LPs of Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Lowell Fulson, Bo Diddley, and Sonny Boy Williamson, and single LPs of Chuck Berry, Bobby Charles and Willie Mabon. PRT was the successor company to Pye, which had been issuing Chess material in the UK since 1961.

As the LP cover has no information on the tracks, I did a bit of burrowing around in the Bruyninckx Discography, various LP sleeves and CD booklets, and online: Billboard (via Google Books search), www.45worlds.com, www.45cat.com and www.wirz.de with horrendous consequences for my sanity. But here it is, the lowdown on the original single issues of these 24 tracks, plus details of who was (perhaps) playing on these recordings. I ain't gonna do this for every album I post!

The LP set was in decent condition, but there is a bit of "juddering" on the final track by Little Milton. Apologies! Please note that the track listed on the sleeve as "Reconsider Baby" by Lowell Fulson is in fact "I'm Glad You Reconsidered" by the same artist.

Track details for LP1:

Sweet Black Angel - Robert Nighthawk. Originally released as "Black Angel Blues" by The Nighthawks on Aristocrat 2301 (B side of Annie Lee Blues), November 1949. Recorded in Chicago on July 12th, 1949. Personnel: Robert Nighthawk (vocal, guitar); Ernest Lane (piano); Willie Dixon (bass).

Walkin' Blues - Muddy Waters. Originally released on Chess 1426 (B side of "Rollin' Stone"), June 1950. Recorded in Chicago, February 1950. Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocal, guitar); Ernest "Big" Crawford (bass).

Mad Man Blues - John Lee Hooker. Originally released on Chess 1462, May 1951. Credited to "John Lee Booker and his Guitar". Recorded in Detroit, 1950. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar).

Sad Hours - Little Walter. Originally released on Checker 764 (B side of "Mean Old World"), November 1952. Credited to Little Walter and his Night Caps. Recorded in Chicago, October 1952. Personnel: Little Walter (harmonica); Louis Myers and David Myers (guitars); Fred Below (drums).

Dust My Broom - Elmore James. Originally released as "She Just Won't Do Right" on Checker 777, July 1953. Recorded in Chicago, January 17th, 1953. Personnel: Elmore James (vocal, guitar); J.T. Brown (tenor sax); Johnny Jones (piano); possibly Ransom Knowling (bass); Odie Payne (drums).

Diggin' My Potatoes - Washboard Sam.  Originally released on Chess 1545 (B side of "Bright Eyes"), July 1953. Recorded in Chicago, April 1953. Personnel: Washboard Sam (vocal, washboard); Big Bill Broonzy (guitar); Ernest "Big" Crawford (bass).

Third Degree - Eddie Boyd. Originally released on Chess 1541, May 1953. Credited to "Eddie Boyd and his Chess Men." Recorded in Chicago, May 1953. Personnel: Eddie Boyd (vocal, piano); Little Sax Crowder (tenor sax); Lee Cooper (guitar), Willie Dixon (bass); Percy Walker (drums).

Mama Talk To Your Daughter - J.B. Lenoir. Originally released on Parrot 809, January 1955. Credited to J.B. Lenore. Recorded in Chicago, October 6th, 1954. Personnel: J.B. Lenoir (vocal, guitar); Lorenzo Smith (tenor sax); Joe Montgomery (piano); Al Galvin (drums).

I'm Ready - Muddy Waters. Originally released on Chess 1579, September 1954. Credited to "Muddy Waters and his Guitar." Recorded in Chicago, September 1st, 1954. Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocal); Little Walter (harmonica); Jimmy Rogers (guitar); Otis Spann (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

I'm Glad You Reconsidered - Lowell Fulson. Originally released on Checker 959, September 1960. Recorded in Los Angeles, June 2nd 1960. Personnel: Lowell Fulson (vocal, guitar); Earl Brown (alto sax); Louis Williams (tenor sax); Big Jim Wynn (baritone sax); Lloyd Glenn (piano); Billy Hadnott (bass); Robert "Snake" Sims (drums).

I'm A Man - Bo Diddley. Originally released on Checker 814 (B side of "Bo Diddley"), April 1955. Recorded in Chicago, March 2nd 1955. Personnel: Bo Diddley (vocal, guitar); Billy Boy Arnold (harmonica); Otis Spann (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Clifton James (drums); Jerome Green (maracas).

Walkin' By Myself - Jimmy Rogers. Originally released on Chess 1643, January 1957. Recorded in Chicago, October 29th, 1956. Personnel: Jimmy Rogers (vocal, guitar); Walter Horton (harmonica); Otis Spann (piano); Robert Jr. Lockwood (guitar); Willie Dixon (bass); A.J. Gladney (drums).

Track details for LP2:

I Don't Know - Sonny Boy Williamson. Originally released on Checker 864 (B side of "Fattening Frogs For Snakes"), June 1957. Recorded in Chicago, February 8th 1957. Personnel: Sonny Boy Williamson (vocal, harmonica); Robert Jr. Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Goin' Down Slow - Little Walter. Unissued Checker recording. Possibly recorded in Chicago, December 1959. Possible personnel: Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Jr. Lockwood and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); George Hunter (drums). A different version of the same song (composed by St. Louis Jimmy Oden), retitled "I Had My Fun" and probably recorded in June 1957, was released by Little Walter on Checker 945, February 1960.

So Many Roads - Otis Rush. Originally released as "So Many Roads, So Many Trains" on Chess 1751, March 1960. Recorded in Chicago, January 1960. Personnel: Otis Rush (vocal, guitar); Bob Neely (tenor sax); Lafayette Leake (piano); Matt Murphy (electric bass); Willie Dixon (bass); Odie Payne Jr. (drums).

All Your Love - Otis Rush. Originally released on Chess LP 1538 "Door To Door" (Albert King and Otis Rush). Recorded at same session and with same personnel as "So Many Roads" January 1960. This is a re-recording of "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" by Otis Rush & His Band, Cobra 5032, released July 1959.

I Got My Eyes On You - Buddy Guy. First released on Chess 1753, April 1960. Recorded in Chicago, March 2nd 1960. Personnel: Buddy Guy (vocal, guitar); Jarrett Gibson and Bob Neely (tenor saxes); Donald Hankins (baritone sax); Little Brother Montgomery (piano); Jack Myers (electric bass), Fred Below (drums).

The First Time I Met The Blues - Buddy Guy. B side of "I Got My Eyes On You" (Chess 1753). Recorded at the same session and with the same personnel.

The Sun Is Shining - Elmore James. Alternate take of Chess 1756 (B side of "I Can't Hold Out") which was released in May, 1960. Recorded in Chicago, April 14th, 1960. Personnel: Elmore James (vocal, guitar); J.T. Brown (tenor sax); Unknown (tenor sax); Little Johnny Jones (piano); Homesick James (guitar); Henry Harris (drums).

Stormy Monday Blues - Elmore James. Unreleased as a single. First released in 1968 on Blue Horizon LP "Tough" (Elmore James and John Brim). Recorded at the same session and with the same personnel as "The Sun Is Shining", April 14th, 1960.

Spoonful - Howlin' Wolf. First released on Chess 1762, July 1960. Recorded in Chicago, June 1960. Personnel: Howlin' Wolf (vocal); Otis Spann (piano); Hubert Sumlin and Freddy Robinson (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

The Red Rooster - Howlin' Wolf. First released on Chess 1804, October 1961. Recorded in Chicago, May 1961. Personnel: Howlin' Wolf (vocal, guitar); Johnny Jones (piano); Hubert Sumlin (guitar); Willie Dixon (bass); Sam Lay (drums).

Help Me - Sonny Boy Williamson. First released on Checker 1036, February 1963. Recorded in Chicago, January 11th, 1963. Personnel: Sonny Boy Williamson (vocal, harmonica); Lafayette Leake or Billy Emerson (organ); Matt Murphy (guitar); Milton Rector (bass); Al Duncan (drums).

Feel So Bad - Little Milton. First released as a single on Checker 1162, December 1966. Also released in December 1966 on Checker LP 3002 "Little Milton Sings Big Blues." Recorded in Chicago, June 3rd 1966. Personnel: Little Milton (vocal, guitar); Sonny Thompson (piano); Roosevelt Williams (electric bass), Maurice White or Ira Gates (drums).

Juke Joint Jukebox

Side 1

1 Sonny Boy Williamson - Don't Start Me To Talkin'

2 John Lee Hooker - This Is Hip

3 Jimmy Reed - You Got Me Dizzy

4 Otis Rush - All Your Love

5 Elmore James - Sho Nuff I Do

6 Guitar Slim - The Things That I Used To Do

7 Little Junior Parker - Sweet Home Chicago

8 John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom

Side 2

1 Jimmy Reed - Big Boss Man

2 Little Junior Parker - 5 Long Years

3 Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Hot Little Mama

4 Muddy Waters - I'm Ready

5 Pee Wee Crayton - Crayton's Blues

6 Doctor Ross - The Boogie Disease

7 Elmore James - Elmo's Shuffle

8 Jimmy Rogers - Walkin' By Myself

All tracks ripped from vinyl at 320 mbps.

Download from here:

https://mega.co.nz/#!EQkixb6Y!54sT2RImw1eNpd1zwHQWMkotxdk27tDOENJYXaep0f4

or here:

http://www7.zippyshare.com/v/56729788/file.html

Now back before I discovered the joys of jump blues, I used to listen to the "real" blues, mainly electric guitar and harmonica driven blues from Chicago. Growing up in the UK in the 1960s, you couldn't help but hear the blues "second hand" via groups like The Stones, The Pretty Things, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and my favourite British blues group, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac.

It was thanks to a school pal, one Shuggy Cameron, that I first heard some of the original blues artists when round about 1970 he lent me 2 LPs - "Muddy Waters at Newport" and "Blues is King" by B.B. King. The awful results of that exchange of records (I lent him the debut albums of Steppenwolf  and Fleetwood Mac) are all too visible on this blog 44 years later. Shuggy probably went on to become a brain surgeon or airline pilot or some such while here I am half buried in a great heap of vinyl.

So here's a home made compilation of the kind of blues we don't have often enough on Be Bop Wino. All 1950s or even early 60s sides from Chess, VeeJay, RPM, Specialty and Duke, and mostly well known tracks. No extensive notes this time. Just download and groove to these stompers and swayers. I've decided to try the new Mega site as my slow broadband connection makes uploading to Zippyshare just about impossible. Hope the link works OK!

Don't Start Me Talkin' / All My Love In Vain - Sonny Boy Williamson (Checker 824)

Recorded in Chicago on August 12th, 1955. Personnel: Sonny Boy Williamson (vcl and hca); Otis Spann (p); Muddy Waters (g); Jimmy Rogers (g); Willie Dixon (b); Fred Below (d).

Listen to "Don't Start Me Talkin'"

Listen to "All My Love In Vain"

Recorded at Sonny Boy Williamson's first session for the Chess label, and released on the Chess subsidiary Checker, "Don't Start Me Talkin'" hit the R&B charts in October / November 1955. On the November 12th issue of Billboard, it stood at number 9 in the retail sales chart, number 3 in the juke box plays chart and number 5 in the disc jockey plays chart. The record didn't start slipping down the charts until early December, so Sonny Boy's Chess debut was a considerable success.

1955 was an excellent year for Chess with a whole heap of hits for Sonny Boy, Little Walter, Willie Mabon, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and of course Chuck Berry whose "Maybellene" was the third top selling R&B disc of the year.

Many thanks to El Enmascarado for this post. Special mention must be made of his sterling persistence in getting a decent rip from the Victrola - worn shellac disc, especially from skip-skip afflicted "All My Love In Vain." Luckily for us El Enmascarado has a hi-tech solution to such problems - increase the tone arm weight. Back when a record was a record and not a mere intangible concatenation of bits and bytes, I used to sellotape coins to my tone arm so that it could plough through skips. Happy days.