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.
 

Elmore James and the Broom Dusters - Blues After Hours (Crown CLP 5168)

Side 1:
01) Dust My Blues
02) Sunnyland
03) Mean And Evil
04) Dark And Dreary
05) Standing At The Crossroads

Side 2:
01) Happy Home
02) No Love In My Heart
03) Blues Before Sunrise
04) I Was A Fool
05) Goodbye Baby

Blues After Hours (Mega)

Blues After Hours (Zippy)

You know, there are often hidden treasures to be found in the virtual bargain basement of the virtual Be Bop Wino record store for there is much musical delight to be found in the unlikeliest looking of albums. And then there's this. Cheapo budget label? Check. Magnificently sleazy cover? Take another look! Now tear your eyes away from the gal at the bar and check out the tracks on the back. Only ten, and they were all five or six years old when this platter was issued.

It's 1960, you see, and Elmore James is currently recording for Bobby Robinson's Fire label in New York. In the last couple of years he's had sides out on Chief and Vee-Jay which were recorded in Chicago, but the tracks on this LP date back a few years to when Elmore was being recorded by the Bihari brothers and these sides were being issued on the Flair label. And now they've made it to the Biharis' budget priced Crown label, complete with lurid cover and thick cardboard sleeve.

But hey, you can't judge a book by its cover (clue to upcoming post) and when you get this sucker back home and pop it on the Dansette, you immediately realise that you are in the presence of genius. This is one hell of an album and although there are only 10 tracks, every one is a winner. And then some, for the final two tracks are gobsmackingly brilliant.

And it's thanks to Marv for reconstructing and sending this album in. I've been working on another LP project over the last couple of days, but as soon as I listened to these tracks (just yesterday afternoon) I dropped everything and started on this post instead. While I've been cobbling together the information for these words of wisdom I've been repeatedly playing the album and am now a hopeless Elmore James addict. It's time for you to surrender to the impassioned vocals and slide guitar of one of the great blues performers, so grab this, pump up the volume, and have a Sunday blues blast.

Recording And Original Release Details:

Dark And Dreary - recorded in Chicago, August 1953. Personnel: Elmore James (vocals, guitar); Boyd Atkins (baritone sax); J.T. Brown (tenor sax); Johnny Jones (piano); Ransom Knowling (bass); Odie Payne (drums).

Rock My Baby Right / Dark And Dreary - Elmore James and His Broomdusters - Flair 1048 - 1954

Sunnyland, Standing At The Crossroads, Mean And Evil, Happy Home, No Love In My Heart - recorded in Culver City, California, in August / September 1954. Personnel: Elmore James (vocals, guitar) with the Maxwell Davis Band: James Parr (trumpet); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Jewell Grant (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Ralph "Chuck" Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

Sunny Land / Standing At The Crossroads - Elmore James and His "Broomdusters" - Flair 1057 - October 1954

Late Hours At Midnight / The Way You Treat Me (aka "Mean And Evil" on this LP) - Flair 1062 - March (?) 1955

Happy Home / No Love In My Heart - Elmore James and His "Broomdusters" - Flair 1069 - May 1955

Dust My Blues, Blues Before Sunrise, I Was A Fool, Goodbye Baby - recorded in New Orleans, summer 1955. Personnel: Elmore James (vocals, guitar) with Edward Frank (piano); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums). Vocal Group - The Don Ralke singers dubbed onto "Goodbye Baby" in Los Angeles.

 

Dust My Blues / I Was A Fool - Elmore James and His "Broomdusters" - Flair 1074 - August 1955

Blues Before Sunrise / Good Bye (aka "Goodbye Baby" on this LP) - Elmore James and His "Broom Dusters" - Flair 1079 - November 1955

Elsewhere On The Blog:

The Legend Of Elmore James

The Resurrection Of Elmore James

Two collections of Meteor and Flair sides including alternate takes. You'll find "Rock My Baby Right" and "Late Hours At Midnight" on these LPs. Both posts have new download links.

Recommended Purchases:

Ace CDCHM 1043

Mid-price extended edition of "Blues After Hours" with 8 bonus tracks and notes by Dave Sax.

Ace CDCHD 583

28 track compilation of Meteor / Flair / Modern sides plus the Trumpet issue of "Dust My Broom" - a terrific compilation. I've had this one for many years and it remains one of my favourite Ace compilations.

Thanks to Joan K for the scans of the Flair singles. Thanks to the original uploaders of the artwork on this reconstructed LP. Many thanks to Marv for "Blues After Hours."

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.

Ladies Sing The Blues (Roots Of Rock 'n' Roll Vol. 5)

Side One:
01) Blues In My Heart - Miss Rhapsody
02) Sugar - Miss Rhapsody
03) Downhearted Blues - Miss Rhapsody
04) Sweet Man - Miss Rhapsody
05) He May Be Your Man - Miss Rhapsody
06) The Night Before Judgement Day - Miss Rhapsody
07) I Fell For You - Miss Rhapsody

Side Two:
01) Salty Papa - Albinia Jones
02) Evil Gal Blues - Albinia Jones
03) Albinia's Blues - Albinia Jones
04) What's The Matter With Me* - Albinia Jones
05) Walkin' And Talkin' Blues - Linda Hopkins
06) Sad And Lonely - Linda Hopkins
07) Me And Dirty Blues - Linda Hopkins
08) Baby Please Come Home - Linda Hopkins

* - originally released as "Don't You Wear No Black"

Side Three:
01) Longing In My Heart - Little Esther
02) You Can Bet Your Life I Do - Little Esther
03) T'ain't What You Say - Little Esther
04) If It's News To You - Little Esther
05) It's So Good - Little Esther
06) Do You Ever Think Of Me - Little Esther
07) Oo Papa Do - Little Esther

Side Four:
01) Pitiful - Big Maybelle
02) There I Said It Again - Big Maybelle
03) So Long - Big Maybelle
04) Tell Me Who - Big Maybelle
05) Ramblin' Blues - Big Maybelle
06) A Little Bird - Big Maybelle
07) Blues Early Early - Big Maybelle
08) A Good Man Is Hard To Find - Big Maybelle

Ladies Sing The Blues (Mega)

Ladies Sing The Blues (Zippy)

* Note - the first upload links had "Salty Papa" and "Evil Gal Blues" by Albinia Jones wrongly tagged (see Daddy Cool's comment). I have corrected the tagging, and re-upped the whole 2LP set. There are now new links above with which you can download "Ladies Sing The Blues (Version 2)" with the correct tagging. - BW

** Further update - we're now on Version 3 as I have adjusted the filenames of the two tracks slightly! And that's enough of that ... :D

The 15 volume Savoy Roots of Rock'n'Roll series has been collected on several other blogs, specifically on "Don't Ask Me I Don't Know" and on "Blues, Blues, Blues." Quite a few of the volumes were uploaded to Be Bop Wino many years ago but the posts disappeared in various takedowns plus my cover scans were so poor that I didn't repost!

Reassembling the 15 volumes has been a collaborative effort among various bloggers and commenters with the last major "hole" being filled by "Blues, Blues, Blues" - the 2 volumes of "Ladies Sing The Blues" available as Flac downloads.

While that was happening a generous donor sent in both sets to Be Bop Wino in the form of 4 CD-Rs which arrived through the post! And thereby hangs a tale.

Our kind donor is Steve Barrow who transferred both LP sets to digital format using an audio CD burner and then sent the resulting CD-Rs, plus a CD of sleeve photos through the post to myself. The cover photos aren't scans but digital photographs. Covers include front, back and gatefold insides. I've ripped mp3s @ 320 kbps from the CD-Rs and the results are posted here after a few weeks' work (and delay).

As for the music, both albums are excellent listening and how I wish I'd bought them back when they were much easier to find. And so to "Ladies Sing The Blues (Roots of Rock 'n' Roll Vol.5) -

I'm not going into an in-depth examination of each of the featured artists as their careers are covered in the sleevenotes by Sheldon Harris as are the recording details. However I've done my usual digging around to add the original release details of the tracks on this album. The music ranges from the "classic blues" influenced Miss Rhapsody (Viola Wells) and the similar Albinia Jones to the mid-to-late-1950s rockin' R&B of Little Esther and Big Maybelle.

The second disc with the sides by the latter two artists is outstanding. This is the first time I've heard the later Savoy sides by Little Esther and I'm pretty much blown away. Of course we've already featured Little Esther on Be Bop Wino, from her recording debut with Johnny Otis for Modern Records, through her big hits around 1950-51 on Savoy, again as part of the Johnny Otis Show, and on to her fine recordings for Federal from 1951 to 1953.

Many of the Federal recordings were also with the Johnny Otis band going under other names (e.g. Earle Warren, Preston Love) as they were contracted to Mercury then Peacock. On Esther's return to Savoy in 1956 she was backed by such notable musicians as Hal Singer, Warren Lucky and Mickey "Guitar" Baker. Her second and final session for Savoy came in 1959 and backing probably included Sam "The Man" Taylor and Mickey Baker.

It seems pretty certain that the gap between recording sessions was due to Esther's drug problem. Marvin Goldberg has written an article on the "Little Esther" phase of her career before she re-emerged as Esther Phillips. You can find it here (and it is well worth the read) -

http://www.uncamarvy.com/LittleEsther/littleesther.html

As for the other artists - Big Maybelle was already an established hitmaker with OKeh / Columbia when she arrived at Savoy. Her biggest hit for her new label was "Candy" which isn't on either volume of "Ladies Sing The Blues" but can be found on the first album of the series - "The Roots of Rock'N Roll." On this collection Big Maybelle (who had her own drug issues) is in fine bawlin' and squallin' form. "Ramblin' Blues" and "Blues, Early Early" (originally a two parter but here presented as one continuous track) are knock 'em dead blues performances.

As for the earlier wartime tracks of Miss Rhapsody and Albinia Jones (for National), it's all good! And the Linda Hopkins tracks from the early 50s fill in the chronological gap. There's more Albinia Jones and Big Maybelle in Volume 2 which will be coming up real soon. Hang on in there, blues fans!

Original Issues:

Miss Rhapsody: 

 

Sweet Man / Downhearted Blues - Miss Rhapsody with Reuben Cole's Orchestra - Savoy 534 - released in April 1945.

Blues In My Heart / Sugar - Miss Rhapsody with Reuben Cole's Orchestra - Savoy 536 - released in April 1945.

Night Before Judgement Day / We're Sisters Under The Skin - Miss Rhapsody and Orchestra (tenor sax solo Eddie Davis) - Savoy 565 - released 1945?

He May Be Your Man / I Fell For You - Viola Wells - Savoy 5532 - released in January 1947.

 Billboard 5th April 1947

Albinia Jones:

Evil Gal Blues / Don't You Wear No Black - Albinia Jones with Don Byas' Swing Seven - National 9012 - released in May 1945.

Salty Papa Blues / Albinia's Blues - Albinia Jones with Don Byas' Swing Seven - National 9013 - released in May 1945.

 Billboard 19th May 1945

Linda Hopkins:

Walkin' And Talkin' Blues / Sad And Lonely - Linda Hopkins - Savoy 834 - released in February 1952.

Me And Dirty Blues / Baby Please Come Home - first released on this LP, Savoy SJL 2233.

Little Esther:

T'Ain't Watcha Say It's Watcha Do / You Can Bet Your Life - Little Esther - Savoy 1193 - released in May 1956.

Longing In My Heart / If It's News To You - Little Esther - Savoy 1516 - released in July 1957.

It's So Good / Do You Ever Think Of Me - Little Esther - Savoy 1563 - released in March 1959.

Oo Papa Do - first released on this LP.

 Billboard 16th June 1956

Big Maybelle:

Mean To Me / Tell Me Who - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1500 - released in September 1956.

So Long / Ring Dang Dilly - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1527 - released in December 1957.

Blues, Early Early (Part 1) / Blues, Early Early (Part 2) - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1536 - released in May 1958.

A Good Man Is Hard To Find / Pitiful - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1572 - released in July 1959.

Ramblin' Blues; There I've Said It Again - first released on Savoy LP MG 14011: Blues, Candy And Big Maybelle, in 1958.

A Little Bird Told Me - first released on this LP.

 Billboard 10th November, 1956

With many thanks to Steve Barrow.

If It's Not A Hit I'll Eat My Hat

Side 1:
01. Hound Dog - Big Mama Thornton
02. Pledging My Love - Johnny Ace
03. I Love My Baby - Little Richard
04. I Wanna Ramble - Little Junior Parker
05. Farther Up The Road - Bobby Bland
06. Keep On Doggin' - Rosco Gordon
07. To The End - The Sensational Nightingales

Side 2:
01. Texas Flood - Larry Davis
02. Okie Dokie Stomp - Gatemouth Brown
03. Taxi Blues - Little Frankie Lee
04. Spunky Onions - Billy Davis & The Legends
05. Blue Monday - James Davis
06. Funny How Time Slips Away - Joe Hinton
07. Treat Her Right - Roy Head

If It's Not A Hit (Mega)

If It's Not A Hit (Zippy)

Nice little Ace comp of sides recorded and issued on Don Robey's labels - both his original Houston-based Peacock label and the Memphis founded Duke label which he acquired under, er, forceful circumstances and subsequently relocated to Houston. See the recent Johnny Ace post for more about this tale of robust business practices and alleged use of firearms as an aid to bringing negotiations to a successful conclusion.

David Mattis, the founder of Duke Records, was far from being the only victim of Robey's methods. Little Richard was assaulted by Robey when the two met to discuss the lack of success of the Georgia Peach's recordings for Peacock. "He jumped on me, knocked me down, and kicked me in the stomach. It gave me a hernia that was painful for years. I had to have an operation. Right there in the office he beat me up." (The Life and Times of Little Richard - Charles White)

Little Richard's final session for Peacock was on October 5th, 1953 in Houston when he cut four tracks backed by the Johnny Otis Orchestra. None of the tracks were released at the time, but when he started getting multi million selling hits on the Specialty label in 1955-56, Robey dug out the discarded tracks and released them on two singles one of which featured the track included on this collection - "I Love My Baby."

As for the rest of the music on this collection - it's a nice mix of R&B, Blues, Soul, Rock 'n' Roll and Gospel. Included are two number one R&B hits, "Hound Dog" by Big Mama Thornton and "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace. Both acts were featured together on a regular touring show arranged by another Robey enterprise, the Buffalo Booking Agency. Until that fateful Christmas Night of 1954 at the Houston City Auditorium ...

John Lee Hooker - The Blues (Crown LP 5157)

Side 1:
01. Boogie Chillen
02. I'm In The Mood
03. Crawling King Snake
04. Queen Bee
05. Hobo Blues
06. Weeping Willow

Side 2:
01. Cold Chills
02. Hoogie Boogie
03. Whistling And Moaning
04. Sally Mae
05. House Rent Boogie
06. Anybody Seen My Baby

 John Lee Hooker - The Blues (Mega)

John Lee Hooker - The Blues (Zippy)

Thanks to regular contributor Marv for this reconstitution of a John Lee Hooker LP which was originally released in 1960. The sides on this collection are a good selection of Hooker's late 1940s / early 1950s releases on Modern, some of which were very big R&B hits. "Boogie Chillen" was number 1 in the R&B charts in January 1949. "Hobo Blues," "Crawling King Snake" and "I'm In The Mood" were also hits in 1950/51. During this period Hooker sides were also released on a multiplicity of labels, including Specialty, King, Chess, and Gotham, sometimes pseudonymously.

A native of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Hooker's footstomping, one man and his guitar delta blues style stood in stark contrast to the jump band and blues combo styles which dominated the R&B charts of the time. When he signed for Vee Jay records in the autumn of 1955, his vocals and guitar work were accompanied by small combos which usually featured labelmate Jimmy Reed's collaborator Eddie Taylor. He re-recorded many of his Modern tracks for Vee Jay and also had success with new R&B material such as "Dimples" and "Boom Boom."

This particular LP was issued at a time when Hooker was making a successful move into the "folk blues" market, having recorded two accoustic albums for the jazz label Riverside aimed at the mainly white college crowd. The Bihari Brothers' budget LP outlet Crown wasn't the only label to cash in on the folk blues craze as more early 1950s Hooker material was recycled on LPs by the King and Chess labels in 1960.

On June 25th, 1960, Hooker appeared at the Newport Folk Festival on the same bill as Joan Baez, Flatt & Scruggs, and The Weavers. On July 3rd he appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival. His Riverside LP, "That's My Story" was released around this time. In August 1960 Vee Jay had an ad in the trade papers announcing that the LP "Travelin'" was a winner in the Downbeat International Critics Poll in both jazz and folk categories. In October a Vee Jay advert advised dealers of the issue of "John Lee Hooker's New Folk Single" - "Tupelo" which was a live recording from one of the Newport festivals.

The cover of this Crown LP uses one of the favourite themes of "folk blues" LP covers - empty chair(s) and a guitar lying ready for the folk artist to take to the stage to perform a set of songs relating tales of hard times on the Delta. Mind you this cover is a model of restraint when you compare it with that of another 1960 LP of Hooker sides - Chess LP 1438 "House Of The Blues" which had a photograph of a shot-to-hell country shack.

It should be borne in mind that John Lee Hooker, like fellow Vee Jay bluesman Jimmy Reed, was still recording rockin' R&B records while doing the folk blues rounds. In 1962 his "Boom Boom" reached number 16 in the R&B chart  and even crossed into the lower reaches of the pop charts.

The Track Details:

01. Boogie Chillen - Recorded in Detroit, circa September, 1948. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar). Released on Modern 20-627.

02. I'm In The Mood - Recorded in Detroit, August 7th, 1951. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar); Eddie Kirkland (vocal, guitar). Released on Modern 835.

03. Crawling King Snake - Recorded in Detroit, February 18th, 1949. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar). Released on Modern 20-714.

04. Queen Bee - Recorded in Detroit, November 16th, 1950. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar). Released on Modern 20-814.

05. Hobo Blues - Recorded in Detroit, February 18th, 1949. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar). Released on Modern 20-663.

06. Weeping Willow - Recorded in Detroit, ? 1949. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar). Released on Modern 20-688.

07. Cold Chills - Recorded in Detroit, early 1952. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar); Bernie Besman (organ). Released on Modern 862.

08. Hoogie Boogie - Recorded in Detroit, ? February 1949. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar). Released on Modern 20-663.

09. Whistling And Moaning - Recorded in Detroit, ? 1949. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar, whistling). Released on Modern 20-688.

10. Sally Mae - Recorded in Detroit, circa September, 1948. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar). This is an alternate take of the side released on Modern 20-627.

11. House Rent Boogie - Recorded in Detroit, November 16th, 1950. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar). Released on Modern 20-814.

12. Anybody Seen My Baby - Recorded in Detroit, August 7th, 1951. Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar); Eddie Kirkland (guitar). Released on Modern 847.

Original Single Releases of Tracks:

Modern 20-627 - Sally May / Boogie Chillen' - John Lee Hooker & His Guitar - released November 1948. Re-released as Modern 627 in 1951.

Modern 20-663 - Hoogie Boogie / Hobo Blues - John Lee Hooker & His Guitar - released March 1949.

Modern 20-688 - Whistlin' and Moanin' Blues / Weeping Willow Boogie - John Lee Hooker - released June (?) 1949.

Modern 20-714 - Crawlin' King Snake / Drifting From Door To Door - John Lee Hooker and his Guitar - released October 1949.

Modern 20-814 - John L's House Rent Boogie / Queen Bee - John Lee Hooker - released May 1951.

Modern 835 - I'm In The Mood / How Can You Do It - John Lee Hooker - released October 1951.

Modern 847 - Turn Over A New Leaf  / Anybody Seen My Baby - John L. Hooker - released ?early 1952?

Modern 862 - Rock Me Mama / Cold Chills All Over Me - John Lee Hooker - released circa April 1952.

Elsewhere on the blog: "This Is Hip" - a collection of Vee Jay sides including "Dimples" and "Boom Boom."

Click on the link - "John Lee Hooker - This Is Hip"

The original Zippyshare link is still active and I have added a new Mega link.

Many thanks to Marv and a tip of the chapeau to Discogs.com for cover art.

West Coast Blues

Side 1:
01. Stubborn Woman - Mercy Dee
02. Have You Ever - Mercy Dee
03. T-99 Blues - Jimmy Nelson
04. Blues After Hours - Pee Wee Crayton
05. Texas Hop - Pee Wee Crayton
06. S.K. Blues (Part 1) - Saunders King

Side 2:
01. Sitting Here Wondering - J.W. Walker
02. J.W.'s Blues - J.W. Walker
03. Dr. Brown - James Reed
04. You Better Hold Me - James Reed
05. Strange Land - Roy Hawkins
06. S.K. Blues (Part 2) - Saunders King

West Coast Blues (Mega)

West Coast Blues (Zippy)

This is the last of the Musidisc re-releases of the Kent Anthology of the Blues series that I have. West Coast Blues was number 12 and the last in this series which explored the blues sides in the vaults of the Bihari brothers' Modern / RPM labels. This collection differs from the others that I have posted as it includes some really big R&B hits. Pee Wee Crayton's "Blues after Hours" and "Texas Hop" were big sellers, making the higher reaches of the national R&B chart, as did Jimmy Nelson's "T 99 Blues."

The J.W. Walker ("Big Moose" Walker or "Moose John Walker") recorded for Trumpet Records in Jackson, Mississippi. The sides on this comp were recorded in St. Louis with backing provided by Ike Turner and therefore have no connection with the West Coast!

One circumstance common to all the other artists on this record is that they had a Bay Area connection. Pee Wee Crayton, for example, started his professional music career playing with Ivory Joe Hunter's band in San Francisco. Saunders King and Jimmy Nelson both lived in San Francisco and worked the local clubs there. Roy Hawkins was discovered by Bay Area record man Bob Geddins playing in a club in Oakland. James Reed also recorded for Geddins, in fact it was the latter who sent the sides featured on this comp to the Biharis. Mercy Dee Walton cut his first record in Fresno (admitedly well south of The Bay) for the Spire label.

All started their playing and recording careers away from LA, usually recording their earliest sides for Bob Geddins who then brought them to the attention of the Biharis. As with the LPs in the Anthology of the Blues series, there is now an expanded and carefully researched CD equivalent available on the Ace UK label:

The Downhome Blues Sessions Volume 5

Here is the complete list of the Anthology of the Blues series:

1. The Legend Of Elmore James
2. Memphis Blues
3. California Blues
4. Deep South Blues
5. Texas Blues
6. Detroit Blues
7. Arkansas Blues
8. Lightnin' Hopkins: A Legend In His Own Time
9. Mississippi Blues
10. The Resurrection Of Elmore James
11. B.B. King 1949-1950
12. West Coast Blues

West Coast Blues - The Who, The Where and The When (Perhaps)

Mercy Dee - "Stubborn Woman" and "Have You Ever" recorded in Los Angeles in 1955. Released on Flair 1078 in November 1955. "Have You Ever" on this LP is probably an alternate take to the version on the Flair single.

Jimmy Nelson - "T 99 Blues" recorded at the Clef Club, Richmond, California, in June or July 1951. Jimmy Nelson with the Peter Rabbit Trio. Released on RPM 325 in June / July 1951.

Pee Wee Crayton - "Blues After Hours" recorded in Los Angeles in September 1948. Released on Modern 624 in October 1948. "Texas Hop" recorded in Los Angeles in 1948, released on Modern 643, late 1948.

Saunders King - original version of "S.K. Blues" recorded in San Francisco, June 1942 and released on Rhythm 3. New version recorded in San Francisco in 1948 or 49 and released on Rhythm 302 as "Saunders Blues, Pts 1 and 2" in 1949. Reissued on RPM 375 as "New S.K. Blues Parts 1 and 2" in December 1952. Also reissued on RPM 497 as "S.K. Blues, Pts 1 and 2" in 1957. As to which version is on this LP, I'm not sure!

J.W. Walker - "Sitting Here Wondering" and "J.W.'s Blues" recorded in St. Louis, November 11th, 1955, with the Ike Turner band. First released on this compilation.

James Reed - "You Better Hold Me" and "Dr. Brown" recorded in Oakland in March 1954. With the Que Martyn Orchestra. Both sides released on Flair 1042 in July 1954. The version of "You Better Hold Me" released on Big Town 117 in 1955 is a different recording.

Roy Hawkins - "Strange Land" was recorded in San Francisco circa 1948. Released on Down Town 2025 in April 1949. Remastered and reissued on Modern 693 in September 1949.

Mississippi Blues

Side 1:
01. All In My Dreams - Boyd Gilmore
02. Just An Army Boy - Boyd Gilmore
03. Superintendent Blues - Houston Boines
04. Monkey Motion - Houston Boines
05. Charlie's Boogie Woogie - Charlie Booker
06. Moonrise Blues - Charlie Booker

Side 2:
01. Take A Little Walk With Me - Boyd Gilmore
02. If That's Your Gal - Boyd Gilmore
03. Rabbit Blues - Charlie Booker
04. No Riding Blues - Charlie Booker
05. Going Home - Houston Boines
06. Relation Blues - Houston Boines

Mississippi Blues (Mega)

Mississippi Blues (Zippy)

I've had a whole heap of fun reviving my decades-old copy of  "Mississippi Blues" from the late '70s Musidisc reprint of the Kent "Anthology Of The Blues" series which was originally issued around 1969 - 1970.

For a start I just had to re-read Ray Templeton's two part story of this series in "Blues & Rhythm" magazine  (numbers 309 and 310, May- June 2016). Then there was the problem of trying to make sense of the dates and personnel details of the tracks from my usual info sources for this sort of thing - mainly Bruyninckx and in this case the 706 Union Avenue Sessions website. Unfortunately the info didn't quite hang together.

I was getting a bit fed up with the whole thing, I mean it's the music that counts and do we really need to go into the minutiae of exactly who recorded what and where and when nearly 70 years ago? Then my enthusiasm was reawakened when I remembered that I had a copy of the CD in the series "A Proper Introduction To ..." and it was a CD which I didn't really enjoy when I bought it years ago - "Ike Turner / Jackie Brenston - Rocket 88." I've changed my mind, I now think it's a great collection.

This 29 tracker is centred on Ike Turner's role as musician and talent scout in Memphis and beyond in the early 1950s. It includes the Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm tracks which were recorded by Sam Phillips and then released on Chess under Jackie Brenston's name, which led to the rupture in the relationship between Phillips and the Bihari brothers, owners of the Modern / RPM labels, who reckoned that they had been stiffed by Sam.The Biharis recruited Ike as a talent scout, arranger and backing musician and were soon bypassing their former source of Memphis blues by recording their own sessions with Ike in charge alongside Joe Bihari and his portable Magnecord recording machine.

Starting in West Memphis in September 1951, they recorded Howlin' Wolf (who was simultaneously recording for Chess at Sam Phillips' studio) but soon took to the road for trips through Arkansas and Mississippi to record local blues musicians in makeshift studios set up in venues such as a music store, night clubs, and a Greyhound bus garage. This process is outlined in the excellent notes to the above CD which also includes a selection of recordings from these forays.

Artists featured on the CD include Drifting Slim, Baby Face Turner, and Sunny Blair from a March 1952 session in North Little Rock, Arkansas and also (and more relevant to the featured LP), Boyd Gilmore, Charlie Booker and Houston Boines who were recorded over two sessions which are the source of the tracks on this Anthology Of The Blues Collection.

These Mississippi sessions took place on the 23rd January 1952 at the Club Casablanca in Greenville and in late March 1952 at the Greyhound bus garage in Clarksdale.

All of the tracks on this LP (with one exception) were released on singles in 1952 on Modern, RPM and Blues & Rhythm. This last was a short lived label which the Biharis founded as an outlet for their blues recordings but only seven singles were ever released on it. Two further Bihari labels, Meteor and Flair carried more of their blues recordings.

It should be remembered that the purpose of these recording trips was to make records which would earn a buck. These weren't academic ethnological field trips. This stuff sold, as was noted in contemporary issues of Billboard. Electric amplification was transforming the formerly old fashioned guitar / harmonica blues and electric blues combos could now match the sax based jump bands both on stage and on the jukeboxes.

Blues Trax Fax

01. All In My Dreams - Boyd Gilmore - Late March, 1952, Clarksdale, Mississippi. Modern 872.

02. Just An Army Boy - Boyd Gilmore - January 23rd, 1952, Greenville, Mississippi. Modern 860.
03. Superintendent Blues - Houston Boines - Late March, 1952, Clarksdale, Mississippi. RPM 364.
04. Monkey Motion - Houston Boines - Late March, 1952, Clarksdale, Mississippi. RPM 364.
05. Charlie's Boogie Woogie - Charlie Booker - Late March, 1952, Clarksdale, Mississippi. Modern 878.

06. Moonrise Blues - Charlie Booker - January 23rd, 1952, Greenville, Mississippi. Modern 878.
07. Take A Little Walk With Me - Boyd Gilmore - Late March, 1952, Clarksdale, Mississippi. Modern 872.

08. If That's Your Gal - Boyd Gilmore - January 23rd, 1952, Greenville, Mississippi. Not released.
09. Rabbit Blues - Charlie Booker - January 23rd, 1952, Greenville, Mississippi. Blues & Rhythm 7003.
10. No Riding Blues - Charlie Booker - January 23rd, 1952, Greenville, Mississippi. Blues & Rhythm 7003.
11. Going Home - Houston Boines - January 23rd, 1952, Greenville, Mississippi. Blues & Rhythm 7001.
12. Relation Blues - Houston Boines - January 23rd, 1952, Greenville, Mississippi. Blues & Rhythm 7001.

Sessions

January 23rd, 1952, Club Casablanca, Greenville, Mississippi:

Boyd Gilmore (vocal, guitar); Ike Turner (piano); James Scott Jr. (guitar); Jesse "Cleanhead" Love (drums): Just An Army Boy; If That's Your Gal.

Charlie Booker (vocal, guitar); Houston Boines (harmonica); Ike Turner (piano); Jesse "Cleanhead" Love (drums): Rabbit Blues; No Ridin' Blues; Moonrise Blues.

Houston Boines (vocal, harmonica); Charlie Booker (guitar); Ike Turner (piano); Jesse "Cleanhead" Love (drums): Going Home; Relation Blues.

Late March, 1952, Greyhound Bus Garage, Clarksdale, Mississippi:

Boyd Gilmore (vocal, guitar); Ike Turner (piano), Jesse "Cleanhead" Love (drums): All In My Dreams; Take a Little Walk With Me.

Note that All In My Dreams has intro and break by Elmore James from his Please Find My Baby spliced in.

Charlie Booker (vocal, guitar); Ike Turner (piano); Jesse "Cleanhead" Love (drums): Charlie's Boogie Woogie.

Houston Boines (vocal, harmonica); Charlie Booker (guitar); Ike Turner (piano); Jesse "Cleanhead" Love (drums): Monkey Motion; Superintendent Blues.

Releases

All sides were released on singles on Modern, RPM, and Blues & Rhythm on unknown dates in 1952, with the exception of  "If That's Your Gal" by Boyd Gilmore which remained unreleased until this collection.

Houston Boines - Going Home / Relation Blues - Blues & Rhythm 7001.

Houston Boines - Monkey Motion / Superintendent Blues - RPM 364.

Boyd Gilmore - Ramblin' On My Mind / Just An Army Boy. Modern 860.

Boyd Gilmore - All In My Dreams / Take a Little Walk With Me - Modern 872.

Charlie Booker - Rabbit Blues / No Ridin' Blues - Blues & Rhythm 7003.

Charlie Booker - Charlie's Boogie Woogie / Moonrise Blues - Modern 878.

Hold it! We ain't quite done yet. Having been fired up by listening to the Proper CD collection, I decided to delve deeper and there was only one way to do that - buy the first two volumes of the Ace series "The Modern Downhome Blues Sessions." It's the only way to get the full, fascinating story of these Mississippi and Arkansas recording trips and what a story it is.

We've already seen how the Memphis scene became a three way battleground between Sam Phillips, the Biharis, and the Chess brothers. Another blues war broke out as Joe Bihari encroached on territory which Lillian McMurry of Trumpet Records regarded as her own. The tales told in the detailed and entertaining notes to these CDs almost defy belief as the formidable McMurry fought off attempts to poach her contracted artists such as Elmore James, Willie Love and Sonny Boy Williamson.

It wasn't only the prospect of getting more background info which motivated me to buy the CDs. Having heard Drifting Slim on the Proper CD, I decided I had to get me some more of that! I wasn't disappointed. Both of these CDs are absolutely recommended:

The Blues roll on here on Be Bop Wino ... but there will be more jumpin' jive along soon!