Alabama Mike - Stuff I've Been Through

Album: Stuff I've Been Through
Size: 139,4 MB
Time: 60:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues, Soul-blues
Art: Front

1. Stuff I've Been Through (4:52)
2. Fat Shame Pt. 1 (4:53)
3. This Ain't No Dizneyland (6:27)
4. Goodbye Tamika (4:44)
5. King Cock (4:55)
6. Pine Bluff, Arkansas (Big Fine Woman) (5:19)
7. Woman On The Warpath (4:18)
8. Damage Control (5:07)
9. Fat Shame Pt. 2 (5:22)
10. Mississippi (Live) (6:48)
11. God Is With You (Live) (7:38)

His new album, ‘Stuff I’ve Been Through,’ is loaded with 11 original songs that pit Alabama Mike face-to-face with what he sees in today’s society. The album features Alabama Mike (Michael Benjamin) at his most outspoken. It weaves from old-school Southern soul to straight-ahead blues to the earthy street-funk and R&B gleaned from his blue-collar neighborhood of Richmond, California, where he has lived for the past 25 years. And, there’s a gospel power to this music that increases its intensity.

Stuff I've Been Through mc
Stuff I've Been Through zippy

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Alabama Mike - Upset The Status Quo

Album: Upset The Status Quo
Size: 137,9 MB
Time: 59:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Upset The Status Quo (6:36)
2. Identity Theft (PSA) (5:11)
3. Mississippi (5:45)
4. Think (4:18)
5. Can't Stay Here Long (5:14)
6. Fight For Your Love (7:26)
7. Restraining Order (4:58)
8. Rock Me In Your Arms (4:07)
9. SSI Blues (5:09)
10. Somewhere Down The Line (3:47)
11. God Is With You (Benediction) (6:58)

There is a famous song about blessing the child that's got his own. It was written at a time when making it independently was quite an achievement, though it can still be applied to musicians today. Alabama Mike (Michael Benjamin) was a truck driver that by luck and fate, in 1999, became a soul singer who's got the blues. He started his own label Jukehouse Records, in 2009, which has released three acclaimed records. His latest offering, Upset The Status Quo is the culmination of a life that started, as many do, in the church choir, back home in Talladega, Alabama, though he now calls the Bay Area home.

Alabama Mike wisely went to Kid Anderson's Greaseland Records in San Jose, for the recording and production of the record, as this studio has garnered a reputation as the place to go on the West Coast for the authentic soul and blues sound. Mike is a throwback to the singers that made this music famous, possessing an emotional tenor voice that can pack a punch or mend a broken heart. His original lyrics deal with life in the modern world, as this is blues for a new time. The title track is reminiscent of the great records by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, with harmonica man Aki Kumar playing the accurate phrases. "Identity Theft," casts him in an upbeat soul mood, where he is right at home. Veteran tenor man Bernard Anderson, legendary bassist Jerry Jemmott, stellar organist Jim Pugh, and female backing vocals add the legitimate touches of a retro R&B revue on this song, as well as others.

The band takes the fast lane down south to "Mississippi," praising the wild life, and revisits his Alabama roots in "Can't Stay Here Long," a marvelous ballad about going back, but not for long. A good lyricist can find humor in the strangest situations, as Mike does on "Restraining Order," a self-explained problem from a man's point of view. "SSI," (Supplemental Security Income) is a social commentary on how having a little extra money can make a big difference. These numbers, though lighthearted, come with tight musical backing, with no room to spare. The late great Little Johnny Taylor is covered with "Somewhere Down the Line," where Mike delivers one of those classic tunes that separates the men from the boys.

There has been an almost mythical aura surrounding soul singers, and their church choir connections. It has been deemed a rite of passage for most of the great vocalists and Alabama Mike is certainly no exception, the hymns of his childhood resonating inside him. "God Is With You (Benediction) was chosen as the closing track for obvious reasons. He sings this like his life depends on it, like a man blessed to have his own. /James Nadal, All About Jazz

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Upset The Status Quo mc
Upset The Status Quo zippy

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Alabama Mike - Hip You To My Blues

Alabama Mike - Hip You To My Blues Size: 149.6 MB
Time: 64:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Black Cadillac (2:22)
02. I'm Selfish (3:41)
03. California Blues (6:55)
04. Frustrate My Life (6:01)
05. 20% Alcohol (3:57)
06. Diabetic Man (5:53)
07. Cut That Out (2:56)
08. If You Want Your Rollin' Done (3:54)
09. V-8 Ford Blues (3:28)
10. Hip You To My Blues (3:20)
11. Stop Accusing That Woman (4:23)
12. I'm In Love With A Woman (3:19)
13. Hello Central (5:25)
14. Keep My Grave Clean (4:49)
15. I Feel So Good (3:32)

Michael Benjamin was born in Talladega, Alabama in 1964. At an early age Mike sang gospel. After serving in the Navy he settled in the San Francisco Bay area where he developed his love for the blues. Using the name Alabama Mike he released his 2009 debut album “Day To Day” on his own Jukehouse Records label. His tenor vocals and songwriting began to get noticed and he followed up with 2010’s “Tailor Made Blues” resulting in a 2011 Blues Music Award nomination as Traditional Male Artist of The Year. Mike’s highly successful third album, “Upset The Status Quo”, was produced and recorded by Kid Andersen at Andersen’s Greaseland Studios and released on the Greaseland Records imprint. In 2018 Alabama Mike recorded “Double Strike” with the Andy T Band and toured in support of the album.

Vocalist Mike states “a desire to do a record in the classic style of early electric blues music pioneers, like Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Sonny Boy Williamson, BB King and others has been churning and burning in me for decades.” That desire was realized by partnering with producer Jon Atkinson at Atkinson’s Bigtone Records studios.

Atkinson records using vintage all analog 1950’s equipment to get that old school sound. An all-star cast of musicians contribute to the recording. Featured are guitarists Atkinson, Danny Michel and Niko Hernandez; bassists Troy Sandow, Kedar Roy, and Joe Kyle; drummers Malachi Johnson, June Core, Ronnie Smith and Marty Dodson; and harmonica aces Kim Wilson, Joe Lempkowski and Sandow (who takes a turn).

Mike becomes a historian on eleven selected covers. “Hello Central”, with Michel, Wilson, and Dodson, was written and first recorded by Lightning Hopkins in 1959. “Black Cadillac” featuring Atkinson and the rhythm section of Sandow and Johnson, was recorded by Hopkins in 1969; Mike’s tenor vocal is absolutely fabulous.

Three songs are from J.B. Hutto. On “20% Alcohol”, guitarist Atkinson is backed by the rhythm section of Roy and Core, the song first appeared on J.B. Hutto & his Hawks 1969 Delmark Records album “Hawk Squat”. The other two songs are “Diabetic Man” and “I Feel So Good”; the latter recorded live in France in 1982.

“Angel Child” was written and first recorded by Jimmy Rogers on his 1984 “Feelin’ Good” album. “Cut That Out” from Junior Wells is from his 1998 album “Blues Hit Big Town” recorded with Muddy Waters. “How You Want Your Rollin’ Done (Tell Me Pretty Baby)” is from Big Joe Turner. “I’m In Love With A Woman (Make My Dreams Come True)” is from Elmore James and His Broomdusters. “V-8 Ford Blues” was written and recorded by Willie Love in 1952. “Keep My Grave Clean” is the 1928 classic recorded by Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Also included are four new songs written by Mike. “I’m Selfish” featuring Sandow on harmonica, and Atkinson on guitar; “Stop Accusing That Woman” with Hernandez on guitar; “Frustrate My Life (Naggin’ Blues)” with Lempkowski on harp; and the title track “Hip You To My Blues” with Robert Welsh featured on piano.

Mike wants to thank the all-star cast and especially producer Atkinson. While recording he could feel the spirit of the blues legends applauding. This is another highly recommended album from Alabama Mike who once again should be a nominee for Traditional Blues Artist of The Year. ~Richard Ludmerer

Hip You To My Blues MP3
Hip You To My Blues FLAC

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Junior Watson - Nothin' To It But To Do It

Size: 120,7 MB
Time: 51:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Blues, Rock, R&B
Art: Front

01. Up And Out (3:20)
02. Don't Freeze Me Out (Vocals Liza Andersen) (3:12)
03. Louella (4:20)
04. Caravan (3:27)
05. A Shot In The Dark (Vocals Alabama Mike) (5:13)
06. Whole Lot Of Lovin' (Vocals Liza Andersen) (3:13)
07. Summer Love (2:50)
08. That's Tough (Vocals Alabama Mike) (3:37)
09. One Way Street (Vocals Liza Andersen) (3:08)
10. Well, You Know (3:54)
11. Space Flight (2:35)
12. I Found You (Vocals Liza Andersen) (3:53)
13. So Glad She's Mine (2:18)
14. The Pee Wee Classic (3:23)
15. You're Gonna Need Me Before I Need You (Vocals Liza Andersen) (3:09)

There are few words more over used and abused than the words “legend” or” legendary” as it relates to the coverage of blues music. It has rendered the word virtually meaningless. It is like an overused curse word. It should be saved and put into play at just the right time and used very sparingly or it loses its gravitas.

With this in mind, I will say without reservation or apology Junior Watson is a legend. He is on the very short list of contenders for greatest blues guitarist of his generation. Watson is held in the highest regard amongst his peers, which to be honest, he has very few…if any.

This, along with a handful of other factors, makes Nothin' To It But To Do It by Junior Watson one of most anticipated albums of 2019. Those factors are rooted in the reality that over the past 40 years Watson has been as busy as any musician in the blues field, but has recorded relatively few albums under his own name.

He was famously a founding member of the Flying Saucer Band later renamed the Mighty Flyers and then Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers. After nine years with Rod Piazza he joined the already well-established California based ensemble, Canned Heat. He stayed on with that band for another nine years. It is there he played with one of the band's founding members, the recently departed bassist, Larry Taylor.

Watson, along with Taylor, played with drummer Richard Innes in both Kim Wilson’s Blues All-Stars and The Hollywood Blue Flames led by Al Blake. He stayed busy as a reliable accompanist to harmonica players and vocalists perhaps most notably with the late Lynwood Slim. His recording credits as a featured guest artist are as long as my arm and include great recordings with William Clarke, James Harman, Fred Kaplan and others. For many years he led his own band, the Junior Watson Trio, which included bassist Kedar Roy who can be heard on this brand-new recording.

His abilities as a stellar ensemble player in the traditions of Robert Lockwood Junior, Eddie Taylor and Louis Myers are often overshadowed by his creative, wildly extemporaneous improvisational abilities as a soloist. Watson plays in the moment and he owns every note. He often incorporates a jazz sensibility to his playing in the vein of Bill Jennings, Tiny Grimes or Billy Butler for instance, but it is important to note that Watson is his own man. He has long ago developed his own voice on his instrument and has developed that most elusive quality, an instantly recognizable style.

He is the consummate blues man, but is saddled with the prefix “west coast” to describe his abilities. True, his affection for the blues of his homeland is a matter of public record, but his knowledge and abilities in all facets of blues guitar is underappreciated. His broad vocabulary on the instrument is astonishing.

He is also a very effective singer, who is generous in sharing the vocal mic on his occasional “solo” albums. He continues this tradition on Nothin' To It But To Do It.

This album, which is scheduled for an October release, lives up to its expectations. In my view, it exceeds them. Those expectations not only include the talents of this legendary musician, but the brilliance of the album’s co-producer and recording engineer Kid Andersen. Kid seems to have the Midas touch, as he has made simply one outstanding album after another, many on musicians who have only a fraction of the talent and experience of a Junior Watson.

The album’s Executive Producer is Jim Pugh. It is being released on his Little Village Foundation label. Pugh’s organ work in particular helps to make Nothin' To It But To Do It such an enjoyable record.

Like his long overdue 1994 debut album entitled Long Overdue, Watson uses two fine singers to go along with his own vocal performances on a few tracks. The album also includes some outstanding instrumentals.

Alabama Mike sings a couple of songs and his two turns behind the mic are outstanding. He is an authoritative and authentic blues singer. He has emerged as a star in the blues field over the past few years?. However, the real revelation here is Lisa Leuschner Andersen. She has sung backup vocals on a number of tunes recorded at her husband’s (Kid Andersen) Greaseland Studios in recent years, but the songs on this album represent her first blues recordings as a prominent lead singer. Her natural instrument, choices and instincts are stunning. she comes at listeners on the album's second track, the old Jesse May tune Don’t Freeze On Me like she was shot out of a cannon.

Watson again taps the talents of bassist Kedar Roy and he plays alongside drummer Andrew Guterman. Guterman is a young man from Maryland who has relocated to the San Jose area. He is a devotee of all that is good in the world of real blues drumming and that includes having some serious jazz chops. Picture a cross between S.P. Leary and Richard Innes and you get the idea. ?His versatility is a real asset when one is in the employ of Junior Watson. As far as Roy is concerned, he remains one of the best bass players working out their today. ?

Sax Gordon Beadle is also on board. This New England resident has worked with Watson for years and their mutual musical empathy is in full effect here. Fills and solos toggle between Pugh and his work on both the Hammond B3 and Farfisa compact organ, Beadle’s tenor sax and of course the electric guitar stylings of the one and only Junior Watson.

An album highlight (and there are many) is the reunion of Watson with Gary Smith who Watson calls his first boss and others simply the Godfather of the bay area blues harmonica players. Here they dust off an old Dusty Brown song from the Bandera label entitled, Well You Know.?

While there is enough fiery fret work to keep guitar geeks drooling for the next ten years or Watson’s next release, whichever comes first, that isn’t the point. Nothin' To It But To Do It is about song before solo and the selections here are simply stunning. From Watson original The Pee Wee Classic, an homage to one of his heroes Pee Wee Crayton, to a Ska version of Ellington’s Caravan to some of the most obscure covers this fan has ever heard, the song choices and sequencing are sublime.

It isn’t about new vs. old, originals vs. covers, it is about good vs. bad. Here on the brand-new Junior Watson album there is nothing but great songs played with joy and creative abandon.

Nothin' To It But To Do It receives my highest recommendation and is a serious contender for BLUES JUNCTION Productions Album of the Year. ~David Mac

Nothin' To It But To Do It

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Bob Corritore & Friends - Do The Hip-Shake Baby!

Source: Lossless Digital Download
Size: 116,1 MB
Time: 49:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock, Blues Gospel
Art: Full

01. Shake Your Hips (Feat. Mighty Joe Milsap) (4:06)
02. Gonna Tell Your Mother (Feat. Alabama Mike & L.A. Jones) (2:40)
03. Bitter Seed (Feat. Oscar Wilson) (2:27)
04. The Twist (Feat. Henry Gray) (2:41)
05. You Better Slow Down (Feat. Bill 'Howl-N-Madd' Perry) (4:05)
06. Worried Blues (Feat. Alabama Mike) (4:07)
07. Love Deep As The Ocean (Feat. John Primer) (4:13)
08. Trying To Make A Living (Feat. Sugaray Rayford & Junior Watson) (3:40)
09. Stand By Me (Feat. Alabama Mike & Andy T) (4:25)
10. I'm Gonna Keep What I've Got (Feat. Mighty Joe Milsap) (3:27)
11. I Got The World In A Jug (Feat. John 'Primetime' Smith) (3:15)
12. Few More Days (Feat. Alabama Mike) (2:20)
13. Keep The Lord On With You! (Feat. Sugaray Rayford & Kid Ramos) (7:29)

DO THE HIP-SHAKE BABY! is the brilliant follow-up to harmonica ace BOB CORRITOREs acclaimed 2018 release, DONT LET THE DEVIL RIDE. The thirteen songs culled from recording sessions from 2016 to 2018 feature an amazing array of special guests, including Alabama Mike, Sugaray Rayford, Oscar Wilson, Henry Gray, Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry, Jimi Primetime Smith, The Fremonts, Andy T band featuring Anson Funderburgh, Junior Watson, Kid Ramos, Johnny Main, Bob Stroger, Fred Kaplan, Bob Welsh, LA Jones, Adrianna Marie, Nathan James and more! Sterling vocalists, amazing guitarists, killer piano, fantastic rhythm sections, and Bob Corritores soulful harmonica to connect it all together.This is a carefully assembled collection of fun loving blues, rhythm and blues, early rock n roll, soul and gospel rock songs. Imagine a live-music dance-club in 1968 complete with go-go dancers! Bob refers to this as his Harmonica-a-go-go album! Mixed at Greaseland Studios by Kid Andersen, this the 14th album of Corritores illustrious career, and his best yet!

Do The Hip-Shake Baby!

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June Core - Rhythm & Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:15
Size: 107.4 MB
Styles: Blues, Jazz, R&B
Year: 2017
Art: Full

[3:49] 1. Love Is On Me w/ Kid Andersen & Alabama Mike
[6:09] 2. Cruisin' w/ Charlie Baty & Chris Cain
[4:11] 3. Were You There? w/ Charlie Musselwhite & John Blues Boyd
[5:09] 4. This Is My Prayer w/ Dennis Dove & Jim Pugh
[3:52] 5. If I Ever Needed You w/ Adrian Costa & Bob Welsh
[4:43] 6. Rhythm & Blues w/ Rick Estrin & RJ Mischo & Mark Hummel
[3:53] 7. We're Busy! w/ Charlie Baty & Chris Cain
[5:02] 8. Standin' On The Corner w/ Jon Lawton
[3:45] 9. Cry For Me w/ Rusty Zinn & Mike Schermer
[3:32] 10. Never Too Late w/ Adrian Acosta & Bob Welsh
[2:06] 11. Rhythm & Blues Reprise

JUNE CORE - drums & percussion with his friends: ALABAMA MIKE (vocals), CHRIS CAIN (guitar), CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE (harmonica), RICK ESTRIN (harmonica), KID ANDERSEN (guitar, bass), LITTLE CHARLIE BATY (guitar), JIM PUGH (organ), RUSTY ZINN (guitar), BOB WELCH (guitar, piano), MIGHTY-MIKE SCHERMER (guitar), JON LAWTON (guitar, vocals), LORENZO FARRELL (organ), RANDY BERMUDES (bass), RJ MISCHO (harmonica), MARK HUMMEL (harmonica), AKI KUMAR (harmonica), DENNIS DOVE (vocals), TERRY HANCK (saxophone), MANNY ANGEL (trumpet), ERIC SPAULDING (saxophone), DON DAILY (strings) & JOHN BLUES BOYD (vocals). This set is full of different sounds & styles and feature all original material. From blues to funk to gospel soul and some swingin guitar workouts from his many plank plunking friends. Recorded by Kid Andersen at his Greaseland Studios. Killer Diller!!!!!

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, June is a self-taught musician. He got his first paying gig at 17 after only playing for a year. Over the next few years June gigged in and around Cleveland with organist Eddie Baccus and with various funk, jazz and soul groups. In 1978 June was introduced to Robert Lockwood Jr. and Johnny Shines. Eddie Baccus suggested that Robert use June for an upcoming tour. Lockwood reluctantly agreed to hire an unproven drummer and, consequently, the band was fired after the first week because June insisted on playing funk grooves over blues. The club owner recognized talent however, and allowed the band to practice in a broom closet. Robert and Johnny taught June, in one day, five different shuffles to use in any blues. “That was start of my career”, says June. Robert and Johnny Shines became June’s second father’s and June’s musical relationship with Lockwood lasted nearly ten years. In 1980, June moved to New York and played pickups with jazz and funk bands doing the club circuit that included The Bitter End, Lonestar Café, and Freddies Café. In 1982, June returned to Cleveland. As a result of his relationship with Robert Lockwood, June shared the stage with BB King, James Cotton, Mighty Joe Young, Willie Dixon, and Albert Collins.

In 1987 June headed west to San Jose, California. Shortly thereafter, he was hired by Mark Hummel, a stint that lasted two years. He soon met Andy Santana and the West Coast Playboys and then, along with Andy and Mike Schermer, founded the Soul Drivers, a highly successful Santa Cruz based blues band. In 1991, The Soul Drivers became Angela Stehli’s backup band. June also worked as a side man for Miss Laverne Baker. In 1996 June was asked to join Little Charlie and the Nightcats and spent five years touring with that band. Throughout the next few years June played with various west coast based bands such as Terry Hanck and Mighty-Mike Schermer. In 2004 Charlie Musselwhite hired June and has been touring with him since.

thank you M@j@.
Rhythm & Blues

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Various - Howlin' at Greaseland

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:45
Size: 105.4 MB
Styles: West Coast blues, Chicago blues
Year: 2017
Art: Front, Back

[3:44] 1. Alabama Mike, Kid Andersen, Rick Estrin - Meet Me in the Bottom
[4:00] 2. John Blues Boyd, Rick Estrin, Rockin' Johnny Burgin - Smokestack Lightning
[1:19] 3. Terry Hanck - Terry Hanck Speaks
[5:32] 4. Terry Hanck, Johnny Cat Soubrand, Jim Pugh - Howlin for My Darling
[0:38] 5. Tail Dragger - Tail Dragger Speaks
[3:11] 6. Tail Dragger, Rockin' Johnny Burgin, Aki Kumar - I'm Leaving You
[4:04] 7. Henry Gray, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, Aki Kumar - Worried Life Blues
[1:13] 8. John Blues Boyd - John Blues Boyd Speaks
[3:54] 9. John Blues Boyd, Kid Andersen, Rick Estrin - Riding in the Moonlight
[3:54] 10. Lee Donald, Aki Kumar, Johnny Cat Soubrand - Forty Four
[0:30] 11. Tail Dragger - Tail Dragger Speaks II
[4:49] 12. Tail Dragger, Rockin' Johnny Burgin, Aki Kumar - Dont Trust No Woman
[5:37] 13. Henry Gray - Kid Andersen - Little Red Rooster
[3:15] 14. John Blues Boyd, Kid Andersen, Rockin' Johnny Burgin, Rick Estrin - Spoonful

“HOWLIN’ AT GREASELAND" is an exciting new tribute CD, showcasing the music and lyrics of the legendary Howlin' Wolf.

This collection of recent recordings of songs originally recorded and performed by Howlin Wolf features many of the best Norhtern California artists working today. Rockin Johnny Burgin, Kid Andersen, Aki Kumar & Rick Estrin are just some of the talent on display here along with Wolf's piano player Henry Gray and Wolf emulator Taildragger. The bands all play with the respect and taste required to cover a Howlin Wolf song.......something rarely attempted and seldom done right.........

Here’s a the story of how this unique recording came to be: THE PLACE:  Guitarist and recording engineer Kid Andersen started Greaseland Music Services in San Jose CA as a humble home studio to record and rehearse with his musician friends.  In the last five years, Greaseland has grown to be a locus of exciting blues activity that is known to blues lovers the world over, with a client list including the best in the business such as Chris Cain, Elvin Bishop and more.  The consistent stream of exciting and notable recordings from Greasleand garnered Kid Andersen a Keeping the Blues Alive Award in 2016 from the Blues Foundation.

THE MUSICIANS:  Over the last few years, a core group of loosely affiliated Bay artists became a sort of blues “wrecking crew” — regular players for sessions which seem to go on practically every week, year-round.  These players have an easy camaraderie that comes from working with each other consistently in various combinations, and many of them are featured on “Howlin'”:  Alabama Mike, Rick Estrin, Terry Hanck, Aki Kumar, Johnny Burgin (Rockin' Johnny), Johnny Cat Soubrand, Vance Ehlers, long-time Robert Cray pianist Jimmy Pugh, John Blues Boyd, D’Mar Martin and many others.   Each of the participants has always been inspired by the gripping voice and haunting music of the Chicago blues legend Howlin’ Wolf.  To collaborate with this group and bring the music and spirit of Howlin’ Wolf back to life and back on disk, producer Stephanie Tice brought in two legendary blues singers, Taildragger and Henry Gray.  These two artists have deep personal and professional connections to Howlin’ Wolf.   Taildragger started singing in the early 70s under Wolf’s strict mentorship, and has since performed much of Wolf’s material in addition to his own.   Henry Gray played piano on many of Wolf’s most famous recordings and at 92, he’s considered a national treasure.

For the cherry on top, Kid kept the recording light on as the musicians  spoke among themselves, informally and between takes, about personal remembrances of Howlin’ Wolf.  These unguarded anecdotes turned out to be precious spoken word histories.  Interspersed through the songs on this CD, they illustrate in a unique way the impact Howlin’ Wolf and his music has had over the decades.

Thank you M@j@.
Howlin' at Greaseland

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Andy T Band - Double Strike

Size: 113,3 MB
Time: 48:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Front

01. Somebody Like You (Feat. Alabama Mike & Anson Funderburgh) (3:20)
02. I Want You Bad (Feat. Alabama Mike) (3:28)
03. Deep Inside (Feat. Nick Nixon) (3:28)
04. Sweet Thing (Feat. Nick Nixon) (2:35)
05. I Feel So Bad (Feat. Nick Nixon) (4:44)
06. Juanita (Feat. Nick Nixon) (3:48)
07. Mudslide (2:52)
08. Sad Times (Feat. Alabama Mike) (4:25)
09. Doin' Hard Time (Feat. Alabama Mike & Anson Funderburgh) (4:52)
10. Drunk Or Sober (Feat. Nick Nixon) (3:32)
11. I Was Gonna Leave You (Feat. Nick Nixon & Anson Funderburgh) (4:05)
12. Dream About You (Feat. Alabama Mike) (3:13)
13. Where Did Our Love Go Wrong (Feat. Alabama Mike & Anson Funderburgh) (3:55)

It's hard enough to find a contemporary blues record with a decent vocalist, so it is quite special to encounter one with two. As the title boldly states, Double Strike by the Andy T Band, features a pair of veteran blues singers, Nick Nixon and Alabama Mike (Michael A. Benjamin), though the circumstances surrounding the production is bittersweet.

Guitarist Andy Talamantez aka Andy T has been around the blues circuit for over twenty years, and since 2011, his association with vocalist Nick Nixon has yielded three acclaimed releases. Due to health related issues, this would be the last recording for Nixon, as Alabama Mike now takes over as singer in the band. Equally excellent vocalists with notable variances in their style, Nixon coming from the rhythm and blues tradition, and Alabama Mike steeped in gospel and soul, both are authentic blues singers. Recorded in Austin, Texas, assisted by co-producer Anson Funderburgh, who also sits in on guitar, the musicians' obvious ability to swing showcases the talents of the vocalists, while maintaining sharp performance authority.

The sessions are evenly divided, each singer presented on six numbers, with one instrumental. Alabama Mike gets the opening nod, tearing into the house rocker "I Want You So Bad," his high tenor accompanied perfectly by the tasty guitar licks and appropriate horn chart. The inspired organ by Larry van Loon sets the tone on "Somebody Like You," as Mike goes back to church. Keeping the organ on the frontline, Mike Flanigin takes over the instrument on the big band blues "'Sad Times," while the originals "Doin' Hard Time," and "Dream About You," show diversity in tempos and moods. Tenor man Kaz Kazanoff penned the New Orleans shaded "Where Did Our Love Go Wrong," reaching into the Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew songbook for inspiration. On all of the mentioned tracks, Alabama Mike showed that he has the voice to cover the wide spectrum of musical tendencies that encompasses the blues.

Nick Nixon, who is also an accomplished guitarist, has been an integral part of the Nashville blues scene since the 1960's, and his teaming up with Andy T for three albums solidified his credentials. Though participation on these sessions was cut short due to illness, Nixon gave it his all, and shone brightly on his interpretations. "Deep Inside," has that laid back Jimmy Reed feel to it, with Greg Izor adding the right touch of harmonica backing. Nixon covers two songs by the late great Chuck Willis, the renowned "I Feel So Bad," and "Juanita," which is done in a pure Texas blues manner. There is a Louisiana rumba feel to "Drunk Or Sober," whereas "I Was Gonna Leave You," leans into vintage rhythm and blues.

It shows a lot of resolution and class for Andy T to present both vocalists under two separate situations, on one record. It is an honorable opportunity for Nick Nixon to retire with dignity, doing what he loves best, and a welcoming gesture for Alabama Mike, as he steps into the spotlight. This record stands as a space in time when two blues singers joined at an emotional confluence, and sang their hearts out. ~by James Nadal

Personnel: Andy T: guitar; Anson Funderburgh: guitar (1, 9, 11, 13); Alabama Mike: vocals ( 1, 2, 8, 9, 12, 13); Nick Nixon: vocals (3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11) Larry van Loon: piano, Hammond B3 organ; Mike Flanigin: Hammond B3 (8); Johnny Bradley: string bass, electric bass; Jim Klingler: drums; Greg Izor: harmonica (3); Kaz Kazanov: tenor sax; John Mills: baritone sax; Al Gomez: trumpet (6, 11, 13).

Double Strike

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Rockin' Johnny Burgin - Neoprene Fedora

Year: 2017
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:52
Size: 179,8 MB
Styles: Electric blues, Chicago blues
Scans: Full

1. Neoprene Fedora (7:28)
2. Guitar King (6:24)
3. Won't Get Married Again (4:22)
4. Give Me An Hour In Your Garden (5:05)
5. Kinda Wild Woman (4:35)
6. Please Tell Me (4:24)
7. Our Time Is Short (3:08)
8. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear (4:09)
9. Smoke And Mirrors (5:10)
10. I Did The Best I Could (5:38)
11. Self Made Man (4:46)
12. My Baby's Gone (3:40)
13. You Gotta Work Fast (3:27)
14. I Ain't Gonna Be A Working Man No More (3:46)
15. My Life's Enough For Me (5:10)
16. Goodbye Chicago (6:33)

Neoprene Fedora chronicles Rockin’ Johnny Burgin’s move to California from Chicago. This time around he’s written 11 songs from surf to zydeco to gut-bucket blues to plain old party! The combination of his Chicago-based styles with some of the best musicians of the popping South Bay scene is intoxicating. Rockin’ Johnny’s seventh CD since 1998 shows an artist at the height of his powers as a songwriter, singer, and guitarist.

“While today’s blues has more than its share of flashy guitar gunslingers, Rockin’ Johnny Burgin dives into the music with more depth, heart and mind than any hotshot soloist. Neoprene Fedora embraces the entire blues tradition with a multitude of sounds.” /Aaron Cohen, Downbeat

Personnel: Rockin' Johnny Burgin (guitar, vocals, harmonica); Aki Kumar (harmonica, vocals); Alabama Mike (guest vocals); Kid Andersen (guitar, piano, electric piano, bass); Nancy Wright (sax); Bob Welsh (guitar, piano); Vance Ehlers, Chris Matheos (bass); Stephen Dougherty, June Core (drums); Steve Willis (accordion); Billy Wilson (rub board).

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Alabama Mike - 2 albums: Tailor Made Blues / Day To Day

Alabama Mike has plenty to sing the blues about these days. Until March of last year, he had a full-time job as a truck driver, hauling produce in an 18-wheeler back and forth between Richmond and Sanger in Fresno County five, sometimes six days a week. His side job as a blues singer was beginning to take off, and he’d just been nominated by the Blues Foundation in Memphis as “traditional male blues artist of the year.” (He lost to Charlie Musselwhite.) Then he developed a persistent, painful cough. He wouldn’t go to a doctor at first, thinking it was just a cold, but his girlfriend insisted. He was initially diagnosed as having double pneumonia, but it was eventually discovered that he had valley fever, so named because of its prevalence in California’s Central Valley. Mike had the worst type – disseminated valley fever – and he was bedridden in his San Leandro apartment with an IV port in his arm for a year – until six weeks ago.

“I had a nurse coming over three times a day to give me medicine they call Abelcet,” he says while sitting behind the wheel of his 1996 Buick Roadmaster. “The medicine is so strong that they had to give me a cocktail of Demerol, Tylenol and Benadryl to ease the side effects ’cause it gives you the shakes and fever and chills.” To make matters worse, he was fired from his truck driving job in July, his state disability insurance ran out recently, and he lost his combination manager, record producer and drummer, who had moved out of the Bay Area.

The singer, who was born Michael Benjamin 48 years ago in Talladega, Ala., is wearing a shiny champagne-colored suit, yellow shirt and hat, yellow and green tie and tan suede shoes, having just finished a four-song set at a Sunday afternoon blues festival in the parking lot behind the Capri Lounge in East Oakland. In a tiny recording studio in the basement of producer and harmonica blower Scot Brenton’s house on San Francisco’s Bernal Hill, Mike begins work on his third CD. Even though there’s no audience, other than Brenton, guitarist Anthony Paule and a reporter, the singer is still looking sharp, this time wearing an outfit that includes a green V-neck sweater, orange bowtie and spit-shined orange-tan leather shoes.Mike’s previous CDs – 2009′s “Day to Day” and the following year’s “Tailor Made Blues,” both on his own Jukehouse label – drew rave reviews from blues magazines in the United States and United Kingdom – “[H]e has a superb soulful voice that brings Elmore James, Buddy Guy, Little Johnny Taylor and a young B.B. King to mind,” England’s Blues & Rhythm observed – and helped him land slots on blues festivals in Northern California and Nevada and at Pennsylvania’s prestigious Pocono Blues Festival, where he opened for headliners Mavis Staples and the Fabulous Thunderbirds in 2010.

Album: Tailor Made Blues
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:47
Size: 111.7 MB
Styles: West Coast blues
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[4:32] 1. Tailor Made
[3:21] 2. Ghetto Life
[5:30] 3. Eddie Lee
[4:58] 4. Go Ahead
[3:40] 5. I'm Gone
[4:11] 6. Enough To Keep Me Holding On
[4:52] 7. Moon Dog Howl
[3:48] 8. Stop Putting Me On
[3:33] 9. Look Here Baby
[5:39] 10. Hoo Doo Man
[4:39] 11. Easiest Thing I'll Ever Do

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Album: Day To Day
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:09
Size: 112.5 MB
Styles: West Coast blues
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:30] 1. Day To Day
[3:54] 2. Death Letter Blues
[6:55] 3. Religion
[4:25] 4. Naggin
[5:53] 5. Lay My Money Down
[3:27] 6. Strange Angels
[3:22] 7. Too Many Cooks
[3:06] 8. Knockin At Your Door
[5:41] 9. Somethin On My Mind
[4:36] 10. I've Been Rocked
[4:15] 11. Sara Brown

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