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.

Sun Records Harmonica Classics

Side A:

01. Easy - Jimmy & Walter
02. West Winds Are Blowing - Walter Horton
03. In The Mood - Walter Horton
04. Jukebox Boogie (Take 1) - Doctor Ross
05. Country Clown - Doctor Ross
06. Jukebox Boogie - Doctor Ross
07. Downtown Boogie - Doctor Ross

Side B:
01. Wolf Call Boogie - Hot Shot Love
02. Harmonica Jam - Hot Shot Love
03. Wolf Call Boogie (Take 3) - Hot Shot Love
04. So Long, Baby Goodbye - Sammy Lewis-Willie Johnson Combo
05. Keep Your Arms Around Me Mama - Joe Hill Louis
06. Got Me A New Woman - Joe Hill Louis
07. She May Be Yours (But She Comes To See Me Sometime) - Joe Hill Louis

Sun Records Harmonica Classics (Mega)

Sun Records Harmonica Classics (Zippy)

And so our Be Bop Wino Blues Tour USA staggers into Memphis, Tennessee, or to be precise Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service at 706 Union Avenue. This record contains exactly what it says on the front cover - a load of primo harmonica blues recorded between 1951 and 1955. The very detailed sleevenotes by Colin Escott have it covered, including the session details, so all that remains for me to do is to state that this album is top notch roughhouse blues and to add the release dates of the tracks on this LP which actually made it to the record shops.

Side A:

Track 1 - "Easy" - released on Sun 180 in March 1953. Easy / Before Long - Jimmy & Walter.

Track 6 - "Jukebox Boogie" - released on Sun 212 in November 1954. The Boogie Disease / Jukebox Boogie - Doctor Ross.

Side B:

Tracks 1 and 2 - both released on Sun 196 in February 1954. Wolf Call Boogie / Harmonica Jam - Hot Shot Love.

Track 7 - "She May Be Yours" - released on Sun 178 in January 1953. We All Gotta Go Sometime / She May Be Yours (But She Comes To See Me Sometime) - Joe Hill Louis.

Elsewhere on the blog - more "ragged but right" blues from the Sun Studio can be found in these two posts -

Red Hot & Blue

The Blues Came Down From Memphis

I've added new Mega links to both these posts. "The Blues Came Down ..." is the perfect companion volume to "Sun Records Harmonica Classics" but if you haven't done so already you've just gotta download both these LPs for more of that crazy Memphis blues beat. We'll be sticking around Union Avenue for our next post with more blues sounds from Sam Phillips coming up. There's some crazy kid with the unlikely name of Elvis hanging around the studio ... wants to make a record ...

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!

Little Junior Parker And The Blue Flames - I Wanna Ramble

Side One:
01. I Wanna Ramble
02. Please Baby Blues
03. Dirty Friend Blues
04. Can't Understand
05. Sittin' Drinkin' And Thinkin'*
06. Driving Me Mad
07. I'm Tender
08. Pretty Baby

Side Two:
01. Sweet Home Chicago
02. 5 Long Years**
03. Can You Tell Me Baby
04. Backtracking
05. There Better Be No Feet (In Them Shoes)***
06. Mother-In-Law Blues
07. That's Alright
08. Pretty Baby (version 2)

* Track 5 was identified wrongly by Ace. It is NOT "Sittin' Drinkin' And Thinkin'" (A Side of "Please Baby Blues"). This track is "Sitting And Thinking", which was the B Side of "Wondering."

** Track 10 (Side 2 track 2) - the  title on the original single release is "Five Long Years".

** Track 13 (Side 2 track 5) was wrongly titled on this LP. The title on the original single release was "There Better Not Be No Feet (In Them Shoes)".

An early Ace (UK) LP from 1982 of 1950s sides recorded by Little Junior Parker for Duke Records, Houston. As you can see from the notes above there were some errors in the compilation. Unfortunately I've tagged the tracks as they were listed on the LP sleeve, so sticklers for accuracy will have to change the tags after downloading. There are are a few clicks and pops on this album but they shouldn't prevent you from enjoying a terrific record.

Download from here:

I Wanna Ramble (Mega)

Facts on the tracks:

All sides recorded in Houston, Texas

01. I Wanna Ramble - Duke 137, recorded 10th June 1954.
02. Please Baby Blues - Duke 127, recorded 2nd December 1953.
03. Dirty Friend Blues - Duke 120, recorded 2nd December 1953.
04. Can't Understand - Duke 120, recorded 2nd December 1953.
05. Sitting And Thinking - Duke 184, recorded in January 1958.
06. Driving Me Mad - Duke 147, recorded February 22nd - 26th 1955.
07. I'm Tender - Unreleased, recorded February 22nd - 26th 1955.
08. Pretty Baby - 1st version, unreleased, recorded February 22nd - 26th 1955.
09. Sweet Home Chicago - Duke 301, recorded in January, 1958.
10. Five Long Years - Duke 306, recorded in January, 1958.
11. Can You Tell Me Baby - Unreleased, recorded 10th June, 1954.
12. Backtracking - Duke 137, recorded 10th June, 1954.
13. There Better Not Be No Feet (In Them Shoes) - Duke 147, recorded February 22nd - 26th 1955.
14. Mother-In-Law Blues - Duke 157, recorded 7th May, 1956.
15. That's Alright - Duke 168, recorded 11th December, 1956.
16. Pretty Baby (version 2) - Duke 168, recorded 11th December, 1956.

Session details:

Please Baby Blues
Dirty Friend Blues
Can't Understand
- recorded on 2nd December, 1953. Personnel: Little Junior Parker (vocal); unknown saxes; Bill Johnson (piano); Pat Hare (guitar); unknown bass and drums

I Wanna Ramble
Can You Tell Me Baby
Backtracking
- recorded on 10th June, 1954. Personnel: Little Junior Parker (vocal); Jimmy Stewart (trumpet); Joe "Papoose" Fritz (alto sax); Jimmy Johnson (tenor sax); Rayfield Devers (baritone sax); Donnie McGowan (piano); Pat Hare (guitar); Hamp Simmons (bass); Sonny Freeman (drums)

I'm Tender
Pretty Baby (1st version)
Driving Me Mad
There Better Not Be No Feet (In Them Shoes)
- recorded between the 22nd and 26th February, 1955. Personnel: Little Junior Parker (vocal, harmonica); Joe Scott (trumpet); Pluma Davis (trombone); Bill Harvey (alto sax); Rayfield Devers (baritone sax); Connie Mack Booker (piano); Roy Gaines (guitar); Hamp Simmons (bass); Sonny Freeman (drums)

Mother-In-Law Blues
- recorded on 7th May, 1956. Personnel: Little Junior Parker (vocal, harmonica); Connie Mack Booker (piano); Pat Hare (guitar); Hamp Simmons (bass); Sonny Freeman (drums)

That's Alright
Pretty Baby (2nd version)
- recorded on 11th December, 1956. Personnel: Little Junior Parker (vocal, harmonica); Connie Mack Booker (piano); Pat Hare (guitar); Otis Jackson (bass); Sonny Freeman or John "Jabo" Starks (drums)

Sitting And Thinking
Five Long Years
Sweet Home Chicago
- recorded in January, 1958. Personnel: Little Junior Parker (vocal, harmonica) accompanied by unknown brass, reeds, piano, guitar, bass and drums.

Original release details:

Can't Understand / Dirty Friend Blues - released on Duke 120, March, 1954. "Little Junior" Parker w Bill Johnson's Blue Flames.

Please Baby Blues / Sittin' , Drinkin', And Thinkin' - released on Duke 127, June 1954. Little Junior Parker with Bill Johnson Blue Flames.

I Wanna Ramble / Backtracking - released on Duke 137, July 1955. Little Junior Parker w The Blue Flames.

Driving Me Mad / There Better Not Be No Feet (In Them Shoes) - released on Duke 147, October 1955. Little Junior Parker and His Orchestra.

Mother-In-Law Blues / That's My Baby - released on Duke 157, September 1956. Junior Parker and Bill Harvey's Band.

That's Alright / Pretty Baby - released on Duke 168, December 1957. Little Junior Parker and His Combo.

Wondering / Sitting And Thinking - released on Duke 184, April 1958. Little Junior Parker and His Band.

Sweet Home Chicago / Sometimes - released on Duke 301, November 1958. Little Junior Parker And His Band.

Five Long Years / I'm Holding On - released on Duke 306, April 1959. Little Junior Parker And His Band.

A native of West Memphis, Arkansas, Herman Parker Jr, aka Little Junior Parker was born in 1927. He had a hard upbringing on a farm. His first musical interest was gospel - at a young age he sang with a quartet and was influenced by the Swan Silvertones and the Staples Singers. In his teens he came under the influence of Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) for whose band he played harmonica. When Sonny Boy moved out of the West Memphis area, Parker started playing with Howlin' Wolf. At the beginning of the 1950's he was associated with the informal Memphis group of young musicians known as the Beale Streeters whose shifting personnel also included Bobby "Blue" Bland, B.B. King, Earl Forrest, Johnny Ace and Rosco Gordon.

Parker's first recordings were for Modern under the supervision of Ike Turner in early 1952. His first hit record came when he started recording for Sam Phillip's Sun label in 1953."Feelin' Good" was a number 5 R&B hit and the follow up "Love My Baby" / "Mystery Train" was a big influence on Elvis Presley whose version of "Mystery Train" incorporated Pat Hare's guitar riff from "Love My Baby."

In 1954 Junior Parker signed with Don Robey's Houston based Duke Records. The label had started out as a Memphis independent before being taken over by Robey. Despite the move to Houston, Duke continued a strong Memphis connection and Parker's label mates included fellow Beale Streeters Bobby Bland, Johnny Ace, Earl Forrest and Rosco Gordon.

Parker had a string of good sellers on Duke including "Mother-In-Law Blues", "Next Time You See Me", "Sweet Home Chicago" and in 1961 his biggest hit "Driving Wheel." Together with Bobby Bland he toured the chitlin' circuit with a dynamite package show called Blues Consolidated. Although his blues roots went back to Sonny Boy and Howlin' Wolf, his own sound developed into a forward looking, horn laden, gospel drenched modern blues with a strong affinity to soul music. This was the music of the clubs where the black audience gathered and it can be heard to good effect on the classic 1962 LP "Driving Wheel" (Duke LP 76).

Above: CD reissue of the 1962 LP "Driving Wheel". Junior poses in front of his Houston home with a 1960 Cadillac Fleetwood. No "folk blues" type broken-down country shack for our man!

Junior left Duke in 1966 and continued to record for Mercury, Blue Rock, Minit, Capitol, United Artists and Groove Merchant. He died in November 1971 while undergoing an operation for a brain tumor.

Recommended purchase:

Next Time You See Me ... And All The Hits (The Complete Singles 1952 - 1962) - Jasmine 2CD set, 50 tracks. Includes the early Modern and Sun sides, plus those great Duke singles.

Sonny Boy Williamson - Chess Masters

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

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

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

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

Download the 2LP set from here:

Sonny Boy Williamson (Mega)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Session details:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Original release details:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Little Walter - Chess Masters

LP1 -

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

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

LP2 -

Side 3:

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

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

Download the 2LP set from here:

Little Walter Chess Masters (2LP) Mega

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

The tracks:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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