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."

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!

 

Lightnin' Slim - Rooster Blues

Side 1:

01. Rooster Blues
02. Long Leanie Mama
03. My Starter Won't Work
04. GI Slim
05. Lightnin's Troubles
06. Bed Bug Blues
 

Side 2:
01. Hoo-Doo Blues
02. It's Mighty Crazy
03. Sweet Little Woman
04. Tom Cat Blues
05. Feelin' Awful Blues
06. I'm Leavin' You Baby

Lightnin' Slim - Rooster Blues (Mega)

Lightnin' Slim - Rooster Blues (Zippy)

A big thank you to Marv for sending in this reconstructed version of an Excello Lightnin' Slim LP which was originally released in April 1960. The collection consists of 6 singles which were released on the Nashville based Excello label in 1958 - 1960. All of these sides were recorded at Jay Miller's studio in Crowley, Louisiana, and featured Lazy Lester on harmonica. It's basic Louisiana swamp blues with echo drenched productions by the smallest of groups: Lightnin' Slim on vocals / guitar and Lazy Lester on harmonica, accompanied by various drummers / percussionists. Session details are listed below.

Lightnin' Slim's real name was Otis Hicks. He was born in Missouri in 1913, so when he recorded these sides he was already on the mature side. He first recorded in 1954 with Wild Bill Phillips on harmonica. Other harp players he worked with during the succeeding couple of years included Schoolboy Cleve and Slim Harpo. He was joined by Lazy Lester in late 1956 in a partnership which would last into the 1960s. Both Slim Harpo and Lazy Lester went on to have successful careers under their own names, with Slim Harpo in particular outshining his mentor as he eventually became the embodiment of the swamp blues sound for many blues fans.

As an aside, Lazy Lester is one of the few original US blues musicians I have seen perform in the flesh. Twice in fact, both times at the Edinburgh Blues Festival back in the 1990s when it was held in the Caledonian Brewery in Slateford Road. On both occasions Lazy Lester had sampled rather too much of the brewery's excellent products before taking to the stage, which led to rather erratic performances.

Above: from Blues and Rhythm Magazine, I think.

Fax On The Trax

The 12 tracks on this LP were originally released on single as follows:

01. Rooster Blues - Excello 45-2169 A - November 1959

02. Long Leanie Mama - Excello 45-2142 B - August 1958

03. My Starter Won't Work - Excello 45-2142 A - August 1958

04. G.I. Slim - Lightnin' Slim - Excello 45-2169 B - November 1959
05. Lightnin's Troubles - Excello 45-2160 B - July 1959

06. Bed Bug Blues - Excello 45-2173 B - March 1960

07. Hoo-Doo Blues - Excello 45-2131 A - January 1958

08. It's Mighty Crazy - Excello 45-2131 B - January 1958

09. Sweet Little Woman - Excello 45-2160 A - July 1959

10. Tom Cat Blues - Excello 45-2173 A - March 1960

11. Feelin' Awful Blue - Excello 45-2150 B - February 1959

12. I'm Leavin' You Baby - Excello 45-2150 A - February 1959

Feelin' Awful Blue; Lightnin's Troubles recorded in Crowley, Louisiana in late 1956. Personnel: Lightnin' Slim (vocal, guitar) with: Lazy Lester (harmonica); Clarence "Jockey" Etienne (drums).

Hoo Doo Blues; It's Mighty Crazy; Bed Bug Blues recorded in Crowley, Louisiana on June 10th 1957. Personnel: Lightnin' Slim (vocal, guitar) with Lazy Lester (harmonica); possibly Roosevelt Samples (drums); probably Vince Monroe (percussion).

Tom Cat Blues recorded in Crowley, Louisiana in May 1958. Personnel: Lightnin' Slim (vocal, guitar) with Lazy Lester (harmonica); possibly Roosevelt Samples (drums).

My Starter Won't Work; Long Leanie Mama recorded in Crowley, Louisiana in 1958. Personnel: Lightnin' Slim (vocal, guitar) with Lazy Lester (harmonica); unknown drums and percussion.

I'm Leavin' You Baby; Sweet Little Woman recorded in Crowley, Louisiana in January 1959. Personnel: Lightnin' Slim (vocal, guitar) with Lazy Lester (harmonica); Vince Monroe (drums).

Rooster Blues; G.I. Slim recorded in Crowley, Louisiana in September 1959. Personnel: Lightnin' Slim (vocal, guitar) with Lazy Lester (harmonica); Kenneth "Sam" Sample (drums).

CD Heaven

Ace (UK) used to release CDs of Excello material back in the 1990s. I have a couple of their Lightnin' Slim releases -

Ace CDCHD 616

Ace CDCHD 587

Both of the above are worth picking up if you should come across them in the second hand browsers. I did notice that "Nothin' But The Devil" was going for some ridiculously inflated price on Amazon. Anyone who pays that amount of money for a CD must be insane! Look around and you'll find 'em for good prices.

Inevitably public domain company Jasmine has a 2CD set of Lightnin's A and B sides out, and the "Rooster Blues" LP has been re-released on vinyl. I haven't bought any of the recent blues vinyl reissues (usually by public domain companies) so I can't comment on the quality of these discs.

Thanks again to Marv for providing these rips and for steering me towards a neglected part of my collection.

This post concludes the Be Bop Wino Blues Tour! An eclectic mix of R&B, Jazz, Swing, Rock 'n' Roll, and yes, more Blues, coming up in future posts ... stay tuned.

Jericho Alley Blues Flash Volume 1

Side One:
01. Good Woman Blues - B. Brown And His McVouts
02. Do Right Mind - Haskell Sadler And His Orchestra
03. Gone For Good - Haskell Sadler And His Orchestra
04. Hurry Hurry Baby - Sidney Maiden And His Ramblers
05. Everything Is Wrong - Sidney Maiden And His Ramblers
06. Shake 'Em Up - Slim Green
07. Jericho Alley - Slim Green

Side Two:
01. Are You Alright? - Paul Clifton
02. It Ain't To Play With - Sheryl Crowley
03. Just A Night Girl - Sheryl Crowley
04. Sweet Pea - Sweet Pea Walker
05. Gonna Hold On - Frank Patt And His Orchestra
06. You Gonna Pay For It Baby - Frank Patt And His Orchestra
07. I'm Your Slave - Frank Patt And His Orchestra

Jericho Alley Blues Flash Volume 1 (Mega)

Jericho Alley Blues Flash Volume 1 (Zippy)

The Be Bop Wino blues roadtrip stays in Los Angeles with this rousing comp of sides recorded for Charlie Reynolds' label Flash Records. Parallels have been drawn between Charlie Reynolds and John Dolphin in that both LA entrepreneurs started out as record shop owners and both expanded into recording and running their own record labels out of their respective back shops. Flash Records didn't enjoy anything like the success of the Dolphin labels although they did have two hits - with The Jayhawks original version of "Stranded In The Jungle" in 1956, and with a Gus Jenkins instrumental "Tricky" in 1957.

There were around 35 singles released on Flash and its two associated labels, Pull and Canton. Although the releases covered a variety of R&B styles including a generous helping of doo wop, this compilation concentrates on basic blues and fits right in with our recent posts from Charlie B. The first 5 tracks on Side 1 originate from the first Flash recording session in June 1955 which featured B. Brown (vocals, drums), Haskell Sadler (vocal, guitar) and Sidney Maiden (vocal, harmonica). Three singles were issued, one each under the name of each artist and all in a real "back in the alley" blues style. The sides by Slim Green are if anything even more basic but the driving guitar / harp blues vibe is taken up again on Side 2 by Paul Clifton, Sweet Pea Walker and Frank Patt (with Gus Jenkins). The two sides by Sheryl Crowley have slightly more of an R&B feel, but they fit right in with the general blues hollerin' going on here.

There are excellent sleevenotes by Les Cook and the original release numbers are also included on the back cover. The notes are obviously meant for both volumes of this collection as they refer to sides by Gus Jenkins and Guitar Shorty which don't feature on Volume One. Unfortunately I don't have Volume Two, but if you're interested in hearing more from Flash Records, Ace (UK) have a double CD set out - "The Flash Records Story." You can find out more as well as listen to sound samples on the Ace website here:

https://www.acerecords.co.uk/the-flash-records-story-1 

I've got a copy on order, so I'll be able to add a short review to this post next week.

Also of interest is a Flash Records discography on the wirz.de website here:

https://www.wirz.de/music/flash.htm

Note that the discography doesn't include issues on Canton and Pull.

Next stop on the blues tour is Memphis. All aboard!

Stretchin' Out - Blues Obscurities Volume Three

Side1:
01. Gonna Take Time - Gus Jenkins
02. Stretchin' Out - Don & Dewey
03. The Hurt Is On - Kid Thomas (Tommy Louis)
04. Let's Talk It Over - Blues Slim (Neal Johnson)
05. Going Back Home - Sonny Harper
06. Storm Clouds - C.C. Griffin
07. Lou Della - West Texas Slim

Side 2:
01. I Keep On Trying - K.C. Mojo Watson
02. You Told Me - Gus Jenkins
03. Soul Motion - Don & Dewey
04. Hard Life - Guitar Shorty
05. I Do Believe - C.C. Griffin
06. Lonely Stranger - Sonny Harper
07. Little Mae Bell - West Texas Slim

Stretchin' Out (Mega)

Stretchin' Out (Zippy)

The Be Bop Wino Autumn Blues Tour lands in Los Angeles for another collection of sides culled from small labels, and it's thanks once again to Charlie B. who kindly ripped and sent in this L.P.

The sides were recorded between 1953 and 1965, a time when the LA R&B scene was dominated by the "big" independents such as Aladdin, Imperial, Specialty and Modern / RPM. Then came a second tier of indy record companies like Combo, Dootone and John Dolphin's stable of labels such as Cash, Money, Lucky, and Recorded In Hollywood. And then somewhere considerably lower down the foodchain were the labels featured on this collection - Pioneer International, Rush, Muriel, Ball, Flame, Nanc, Flash, Joyce, Pull, and Allegro R&B. Nope, me neither. Well, almost. Our next post will take a look at the Flash Records setup, but most of the other labels here are a mystery to me.

Luckily the LP has good sleevenotes by Neil Slaven and then there is the music which is all hardcore blues. As Neil observes, the influence of B.B. King can be heard on some of these sides. The biggest name act here is probably Don & Dewey whose sides feature the electric blues violin of Don "Sugarcane" Harris. A personal favourite of mine is Sonny Harper who kind of reminds me of Lil' Son Jackson. Anyway that's enough from me. Download, listen and peruse the sleevenotes on the back cover. You'll find the usual origiinal release details below.

 Thanks once more to Charlie B.

 

Release details:

01. Gonna Take Time - Gus Jenkins: Spanky / Gonna Take Time - Pioneer International 101 - released 1959.

02. Stretchin' Out - Don & Dewey: Soul Motion / Stretchin' Out - Rush 1002 - released December 1962.

03. The Hurt Is On - Kid Thomas (Tommy Louis): Tommy Louis & The Rhythm Rockers - The Hurt Is On / I Love You So - Muriel M-1001 - released 1965.

04. Let's Talk It Over - Blues Slim (Neal Johnson): Blues Slim and his Band - Let's Talk It Over / Tell The Truth Baby - Pioneer International PI-1007 - released November 1961.

05. Going Back Home - Sonny Harper: Going Back Home / Lonely Stranger - Ball 1011 - released 1962.

06. Storm Clouds - C.C. Griffin: Storm Clouds / I Want To Be With You - Joyce 1001 - released June 1961.

07. Lou Della - West Texas Slim: Little Mae Bell / Lou Della - Flame 1007 - released 1953.

08. I Keep On Trying - K.C. Mojo Watson: Love Blood Hound / I Keep On Trying - Nanc 003 - released October 1961.

09. You Told Me - Gus Jenkins: You Told Me / Tricky - Flash 115 - released November 1956.

10. Soul Motion - Don & Dewey: Soul Motion / Stretchin' Out - Rush 1002 - released December 1962.

11. Hard Life - Guitar Shorty: Hard Life / Ways Of A Man - Pull 301 - released December 1951.

12. I Do Believe - C.C. Griffin: I Do Believe / Sitting And Waiting - Allegro R&B-2001 - released circa 1965.

13. Lonely Stranger - Sonny Harper: Going Back Home / Lonely Stranger - Ball 1011 - released 1962.

14. Little Mae Bell - West Texas Slim: Little Mae Bell / Lou Della - Flame 1007 - released 1953.

3 Shades Of The Blues

 
Side A:
01. Train Done Gone - Eddie Kirkland
02. You Know I Love You - Eddie Kirkland
03. Blood On Your Hands - Eddie Kirkland
04. Love You Til The Day I Die - Eddie Kirkland
05. So Pretty Baby - Eddie Kirkland & The Falcons
06. I Tried - Eddie Kirkland & The Falcons
07. I Am So Tired (Oh Baby Please) - Eddie Kirkland & The Falcons
08. Backbone - Eddie Kirkland
 
Side B:
01. Live My Life All Over - Mr. Bo
02. Until The Day I Die - Mr. Bo
03. Hard Times Once More - Mr. Bo
04. The Train - Mr. Bo
05. Your Love Is Real - Ohio Untouchables
06. I'm Tired - Ohio Untouchables
07. Forgive Me Darling - Ohio Untouchables
08. Hot Stuff - Ohio Untouchables

3 Shades Of The Blues (Mega)

3 Shades Of The Blues (Zippy)

Many thanks to Charlie B. for contributing this LP. You can't beat that Detroit clanging, banging blues racket and this LP is a prime example. It really is all killer, no filler and constitutes one of the best blues / R&B LPs I've ever heard.

Originally recorded for the small Lu Pine label, these sides were compiled by Relic in the 1970s for issue on this LP using the original "Lu Pine" label logo. The Eddie Kirkland sides were recorded between 1959 and 1961 but the whole session remained unissued until this album plus one tie-in single. Prior to this session Eddie had recorded a single for Detroit label Fortune and had previously had a few sides issued on RPM, Cobra and King. In 1962 Eddie recorded for Tru-Sound, a subsidiary of Prestige. You can find out more about that session in this post:

Eddie Kirkland - The Way It Was

Mr Bo (Louis Bo Collins) sounds awfully like B.B. King which is hardly surprising as both musicians hailed from Indianola, Mississippi. His four tracks on this compilation were recorded in 1959 / 1960, with only "I'm Leaving This Town" being issued on a single on another small Detroit label, Northern (see below).

The Ohio Untouchables were an instrumental group started by and led by guitarist Robert Ward. They backed vocal group The Falcons and blues singer Benny McCain on singles on Lu Pine and had a couple of releases of their own on the label with Robert Ward taking the vocals. See below for details. Their tracks on this LP are good roughhouse late R&B / early soul, making for a strong ending to an outstanding album.

Some original issue information:

Lu Pine L110 also L-1010 - Ohio Untouchables - Forgive Me Darling / Love Is Amazing - released in 1962.

Lu Pine L-116/7 - Ohio Untouchables - I'm Tired / Up Town - released in 1964.

Northern 3731 - Mr. Bo - I'm Leaving This Town  / Times Hard (aka Hard Times Once More) - issued in January 1960. Northern was a small Detroit label owned by Johnnie Mae Matthews, one of the first black women to own a record label. She also owned the Audrey, Bon, and Reel labels. Mr. Bo had a single (Heartaches And Troubles / Calipso Blues) issued on the Reel label in 1962.

Lu Pine 801 - Eddie Kirkland - Train Done Gone / I Tried - issued by Relic as a tie-in with this LP in the 1970s.


https://soulfuldetroit.com/archives/3838/3557.html?1054857956

http://detroitsoulsingles.blogspot.com/search/label/Northern 

https://www.buckeyebeat.com/ohiountouchables.html 

Stick around as the Be Bop Wino Autumn Blues Tour USA continues!

Thank you once more to Charlie B for this great album.

New York Rhythm'N Blues

Side A:
01. Let's Have A Ball - The Wheels
02. Your Evil Thoughts - Lee Roy Little
03. Rip And Run - Bob Gaddy
04. Got To Go Back Again - The Four Barons
05. I Don't Want No Other Woman - Billy Hoke
06. Hurry Baby, Please Come Home - Lee Roy Little
07. It Ain't Right - Charles Walker

Side B:
01. Aw Shucks Baby - Little Red Walter
02. Possum Belly Overalls - June Bateman
03. I'm A Good Man But A Poor Man - Lee Roy Little
04. Standing On The Corner - Danny Brown
05. Please Forgive Me - Wilbert Harrison
06. Lemon Squeezer - The Four Barons
07. Cryin' And Wonderin' - Billy Hoke

New York Rhythm'N Blues (Mega)

New York Rhythm'N Blues (Zippy)

I took a chance on this one the other month in a second hand record shop over in Glasgow's West End and boy was I well rewarded. It's a mix of R&B sides recorded for mostly small New York labels between 1950 and 1965. A sort of R&B version of "Desperate Rock and Roll" if you will. Subtle it ain't, but if your R&B tastes run to bawlin' and squallin', farting saxophones and clanking guitar, then this is the collection for you. Crack open a few beers, turn up the volume to eleven, and let 'er rip, booze, I mean blues, fans.

Original Release Details

01. Let's Have A Ball - The Wheels - Premium 405 (B Side of "My Heart's Desire") - April 1956.

02. Your Evil Thoughts - Lee Roy Little - Cee-Jay 578 (b/w "I'm A Good Man But A Poor Man) - May 1960.

03. Rip And Run - Bob Gaddy - Old Town 1050 (B Side of "Woe, Woe Is Me" - April 1958.

04. Got To Go Back Again - The Four Barons - Regent 1026 (b/w "Lemon Squeezer") - December 1950.

05. I Don't Want No Other Woman - Billy Hoke - D. W. 101 (b/w "I Wonder") - 1965.

06. Hurry Baby, Please Come Home - Lee Roy Little - Cee-Jay 579 (b/w "Let Me Go Home, Whiskey") - November 1960.

07. It Ain't Right - Charles Walker - Vest 829 (B Side of "Charles Walker Slop") - 1959.

08. Aw Shucks Baby - Little Red Walter - Le Sage AB 711 (b/w "I'm Mad") - 1960.

09. Possum Belly Overalls - June Bateman with Noble Watts and His Band - Shaw 101 (b/w "Go Away Mr. Blues") - 1965. The release of the same song on Everlast 5033 credited to "Noble Watts and the Possum Bellys featuring June Bateman" is a different recording.

10. I'm A Good Man But A Poor Man - Lee Roy Little - Cee-Jay 578 (b/w "Your Evil Thoughts") - April 1958.

11. Standing On The Corner - Danny Brown - Earth E702 (B Side of "Chewing Gum") - March 1962. See the post T-Bird Party! for the A Side.

12. Please Forgive Me - Wilbert Harrison - Vest 8006 (B Side of "Poison Ivy") - June 1965.

13. Lemon Squeezer - The Four Barons - Regent 1026 (b/w "Got To Go Back Again") - December 1950.

14. Cryin' And Wonderin' - Billy Hoke - D. W. 103 (B Side of "In My Own Special Way") - 1965.

Eddie Kirkland - The Way It Was

Side 1:
01. Down On My Knees
02. Don't Take My Heart
03. Daddy Please Don't Cry
04. Have Mercy On Me
05. Saturday Night Stomp
06. I'm Gonna Forget You

Side 2:
01. I Tried
02. Man Of Stone
03. I'm Going To Keep Loving You
04. Train Done Gone
05. Something's Wrong In My Life
06. Baby You Know It's True

The Way It Was (Mega)

The Way It Was (Zippy)

This 1983 Red Lightnin' LP is a reissue of the 1962 Tru-Sound LP "It's The Blues Man!" Tru-Sound was a subsidiary of Prestige so perhaps unusually for a Detroit bluesman of the time, Eddie's LP was recorded in true stereo in a first class studio. The backing band was led by King Curtis and included the great R&B guitarist Billy Butler (of Bill Doggett Combo fame). Eddie's style had developed in Detroit as a member of John Lee Hooker's band with which he recorded for Chess and Modern in the early 1950s.

 True-Sound 15010

Eddie had singles under his own name issued on RPM, King, Cobra and Fortune during the '50s, all in a basic electric blues style, so the coming together of Eddie with the King Curtis led outfit could have led to a clash of styles, but the results proved to be very good indeed.

Recording Details

I Tried; Man Of Stone; Train Done Gone; I'm Going To Keep Loving You; Something's Gone Wrong In My Life; Baby You Know It's True - recorded in Englefield, New Jersey, December 8th, 1961.

Personnel: Eddie Kirkland (vocal, harmonica, guitar) with - King Curtis, Oliver Nelson (tenor saxes); Herman Foster (piano); Billy Butler (guitar); Jimmy Lewis (bass guitar); Ray Lucas (drums).

Saturday Night Stomp; I'm Gonna Forget You; Down On My Knees; Don't Take My Heart; Daddy Please Don't Cry; Have Mercy On Me - recorded in Englefield, New Jersey, March 9th, 1962.

Personnel: as above but George Stubbs replaces Herman Foster on piano. Elise Shoulder second vocal on "Daddy Please Don't Cry."

Hines Farm Blues Club, Toledo, Ohio

The above photo is from the book "I'll Take You There ... an oral and photographic history of the Hines Farm Blues Club" by Matthew A. Donahue, Jive Bomb Press, 1999.

For much more info and the complete 1950s and 1960s Eddie Kirkland output see Gerard Herzhaft's blog Blue Eye here -

Eddie Kirkland: Detroit Blues Masters

The links are now dead, alas, but perhaps if we all ask nicely, Uncle Gerard may be able to provide new links.

Update - there are now 2 links in the comments on Gerard's Eddie Kirkland post.

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).