Showing posts with label Frank Frost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frank Frost. Show all posts

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Frank Frost - Deep Blues

Size: 263 MB
Time: 44:01
File: Flac
Released: 1998
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

1. Nothin' I Wouldn't Do For You (3:43)
2. Sweet Woman (4:04)
3. Born To Be Wise (4:27)
4. Pocket Full Of Shells (3:09)
5. My Baby (3:21)
6. Ride With Your Daddy Tonight (3:32)
7. Repo Man Blues (6:17)
8. Pocket Full Of Money (2:58)
9. Janie On My Mind (4:14)
10. Somebody Tell Me (4:31)
11. Deep Blues (3:40)

Born Frank Otis Frost in Auvergne, Arkansas, Frost’s first exposure to music came as a young boy when he learned to play the piano for the choir in his family’s church. Frost moved to St. Louis, Missouri when he was 15 and began his musical career as a guitarist. He toured in 1954 with drummer Sam Carr and Carr’s father, Robert Nighthawk. Soon after, he spent several years touring with Sonny Boy Williamson, who helped teach him to play harmonica. After a hand injury, Frost turned his attention to the harmonica and piano.

Around 1960, Frost moved with Carr to the Mississippi Delta. After he played a show with the guitarist Big Jack Johnson, they added him to their group. Together they attracted the interest of the record producer Sam Phillips, who years earlier had overseen Elvis Presley‘s first recording sessions. He produced Hey Boss Man for Phillips International in 1962, with blues hybrids like “Frank’s Jump” showing off Frost’s diverse, intensely melodic harmonica solos. Presley’s guitarist, Scotty Moore, produced Frost’s next album in Nashville, Tennessee in 1966 forJewel Records. Augmented by session bassist Chip Young, the trio’s tight downhome ensemble work was once again seamless. “My Back Scratcher,” Frost’s takeoff on Slim Harpo‘s “Baby Scratch My Back,” even dented the R&B chart for three weeks.

In the late 1970s, Frost was re-discovered by a blues enthusiast, Michael Frank, who began releasing albums on his Earwig Music Company label by the trio, now called the Jelly Roll Kings after a song from Hey Boss Man. Over the years, cigarettes and alcohol wore Frost down but he continued to record, tour and diversify his repertory, appearing in the films Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads and Crossroads.

Frost died from a cardiac arrest in Helena, Arkansas in 1999.

Deep Blues FLAC

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Frank Frost - Downhome Blues

Year: 1992/1996
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:11
Size: 119,3 MB
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Everything's Alright (w. The Nighthawks) (2:40)
2. Lucky To Be Living (w. The Nighthawks) (3:38)
3. Jelly Roll King (w. The Nighthawks) (2:28)
4. Baby Your So Kind (w. The Nighthawks) (2:49)
5. Big Boss Man (w. The Nighthawks) (2:42)
6. So Tired Of Living By Myself (w. The Nighthawks) (2:59)
7. Now What You Gonna Do (w. The Nighthawks) (2:45)
8. My Back Scratcher (2:32)
9. Never Leave Me At Home (2:24)
10. Harpin' On It (2:57)
11. Things You Do (2:30)
12. Feel Good Babe (2:27)
13. Ride With Your Daddy Tonight (2:36)
14. Got My Mojo Working (2:49)
15. Didn't Mean No Harm (3:58)
16. Five Long Years (3:34)
17. Pocket Full Of Money (2:21)
18. Harp And Soul (2:53)

Sometimes, familiarity breeds content. Throughout his career, Frank Frost has stuck with drummer Sam Carr and guitarist Jack Johnson. They know how to get the best out of each other, evidence of which is supplied throughout this recording.

Harmonica knits together with guitar, bass and drums to create a perfectly woven pattern of sound. Frank's own songs mingle with others' classics but he imbues all the numbers here with his own tough, uncompromising approach to the blues. /From the liner notes

(For personnel and recording details, see artwork included.)

Downhome Blues mc
Downhome Blues zippy

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Frank Frost - Frank Frost

Year: 1973
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:47
Size: 71,6 MB
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Front

1. Got My Mojo Working (2:48)
2. My Back Scratcher (2:34)
3. Feel Good Babe (2:26)
4. Things You Do (2:31)
5. Pocket Full Of Money (2:21)
6. Ride With Your Daddy Tonight (2:34)
7. Janie On My Mind (3:22)
8. Never Leave Me At Home (2:22)
9. Didn't Mean No Harm (3:58)
10. Pretty Baby (2:14)
11. Five Long Years (3:33)

Although the atmospheric juke joint blues of Frank Frost remained steeped in unadulterated Delta funk throughout his career, his ongoing musical journey took him well outside his Mississippi home base. He moved to St. Louis in 1951, learning how to blow harp first from Little Willie Foster and then from the legendary Sonny Boy Williamson, who took him on the road - as a guitar player - from 1956 to 1959. Drummer Sam Carr, a longtime Frost ally, was also part of the equation, having enticed Frost to front his combo in 1954 before hooking up with Sonny Boy.

Leaving Williamson's employ in 1959, Frost and Carr settled in Lula, Mississippi. Guitarist Jack Johnson came on board in 1962 after sitting in with the pair at the Savoy Theater in Clarksdale. The three meshed perfectly - enough to interest Memphis producer Sam Phillips in a short-lived back-to-the-blues campaign that same year. Hey Boss Man!, issued on Sun's Phillips International subsidiary as by Frank Frost & the Night Hawks, was a wonderful collection of uncompromising Southern blues (albeit totally out of step with the marketplace at the time).

Elvis Presley's ex-guitarist Scotty Moore produced Frost's next sessions in Nashville in 1966 for Jewel Records. Augmented by session bassist Chip Young, the trio's tight down-home ensemble work was once again seamless. "My Back Scratcher," Frost's takeoff on Slim Harpo's "Baby Scratch My Back," even dented the R&B charts on Shreveport-based Jewel for three weeks.

Chicago blues fan Michael Frank sought out Frost in 1975. He located Frost, Johnson, and Carr playing inside Johnson's Clarksdale tavern, the Black Fox. Mesmerized by their sound, Frank soon formed his own record label, Earwig, to capture their raw, charismatic brand of blues. Released in 1979, Rockin' the Juke Joint Down, billed as by the Jelly Roll Kings (after one of the standout songs on that old Phillips International LP), showcased the trio's multifaceted approach - echoes of R&B, soul, and even Johnny & the Hurricanes permeate their Delta-based attack.

In the following years, Frost waxed an Earwig album (1988's Midnight Prowler) and appeared on Atlantic's 1992 Deep Blues soundtrack - an acclaimed film that reinforced the fact that blues still thrives deep in its Southern birthplace. Frost returned in 1996 with Keep Yourself Together. He died from cardiac arrest October 12, 1999 at his home in Helena, Arkansas; he was 63. /Biography by Bill Dahl, AllMusic

Frank Frost mc
Frank Frost zippy

Friday, June 14, 2019

Frank Frost With The Night Hawks - Hey Boss Man!

Year: 1962/1981/2012
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:55
Size: 72,0 MB
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Scans: LP front & back

1. Everything's Alright (2:41)
2. Lucky To Be Living (3:40)
3. Jelly Roll King (2:27)
4. Baby You're So Kind (2:52)
5. Gonna Make You Mine (2:31)
6. Now Twist (1:53)
7. Big Boss Man (2:43)
8. Jack's Jump (2:13)
9. So Tired Living Be Myself (3:01)
10. Now What You Gonna Do (2:47)
11. Pocket Full Of Shells (2:03)
12. Just Come On Home (1:59)

Frank Frost came from Auvergne, Arkansas (born 15 April 1936) and he died in Helena, Arkansas on 12 October 1999. He was the last great blues player on the original Sun/Phillips Int. labels and he was there on merit. He worked early in his career with Sonny Boy Williamson and with Robert Nighthawk. He worked with Sam Carr, Nighthawk's son, and guitarist Big Jack Johnson.

Their band was named after Sam's father but changed to the Jelly Roll Kings after the local success of the song of that name on this LP. Frost went on to record the blues for Jewel Records and to feature in the blues documentary 'Deep Blues' and the cult movie, 'Crossroads.' He, Carr and Johnson played blues in their own juke joints for many years. Frost described his music as "modern blues" but "deep blues" and had a favourite saying: "Blues will forever be".

Personnel: Frank Frost (vocals, harmonica, guitar); Jack Johnson (guitar); Sam Carr (drums).

Hey Boss Man! mc
Hey Boss Man! gofile

Monday, March 18, 2019

Frank Frost - Midnight Prowler

Size: 121,9 MB
Time: 52:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1989
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Gonna Put Her Down (3:12)
02. Ernest's Groove (4:31)
03. Undertaker (2:38)
04. Scratch My Back (4:12)
05. Midnight Prowler (3:05)
06. Just Like A Rabbit (2:40)
07. Quarter To Twelve (4:43)
08. My Back Scratcher (2:51)
09. Cummins Prison Farm (5:13)
10. Unseen Eye (3:00)
11. Mean Black Spider (4:44)
12. Who Told You (2:21)
13. Mustang Sally (5:17)
14. I Wanna Get Close (3:28)

Personnel:
Drums – Walter Roy (tracks: 2,5,7,9,10,11)
Drums, Backing Vocals – Sam Carr (2) (tracks: 1,3,4,6,8,12,13,14)
Guitar – Jack Johnson* (tracks: 2,5,7,9,10,11), Ernest Roy (tracks: 2,5,7,9,10,11)
Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals – Jack Johnson* (tracks: 1,3,4,6,8,12,13,14)
Vocals, Piano, Harmonica – Frank Frost (tracks: 2,5,7,9,10,11)
Vocals, Synthesizer, Harmonica – Frank Frost (tracks: 1,3,4,6,8,12,13,14)

Tracks 2,5,7,9,10,11 were recorded on June 28, 1986 in Chicago, IL
Tracks 1,3,4,6,8,12,13,14 were recorded on February 19, 1988 in New York, NY.

Frost is front-and-center with a program that's decidedly downhome. This is what modern Mississippi blues sounds like -- tough, uncompromising, still rooted mainly in the 1950s with a few modern touches. ~Bill Dahl

Thanks to MarcFr.
Midnight Prowler

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Frank Frost - Jelly Roll Blues

Year: 1991
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:29
Size: 86,7 MB
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. My Back Scratcher (2:39)
2. Never Leave Me At Home (2:27)
3. Harpin' On It (3:00)
4. Things You Do (2:34)
5. Feel Good Babe (2:32)
6. Pocket Full Of Money (2:26)
7. Ride With Your Daddy Tonight (2:40)
8. Got My Mojo Working (2:53)
9. Harp And Soul (2:57)
10. Didn't Mean You No Harm (4:01)
11. Pretty Baby (2:14)
12. Five Long Years (3:38)
13. Janie On My Mind (3:22)

Same band, different producer: this time it was Elvis Presley's legendary guitarist, Scotty Moore, behind the glass as Frost and his pals dished out the lowdown sounds during the mid-'60s for Stan Lewis's Jewel logo. "My Back Scratcher" owes a stylistic debt to Slim Harpo but feels mighty good all the same. The entire 13-song disc reeks of steamy juke-joint ambience. /Bill Dahl, AllMusic

Jelly Roll Blues mc
Jelly Roll Blues zippy

Friday, January 11, 2019

Frank Frost & Sam Carr - The Jelly Roll Kings

Year: 1999
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:59
Size: 99,4 MB
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Let's Go Out Tonight (3:02)
2. It's Cold Outdoors (4:07)
3. Jelly Roll King (2:35)
4. Love I Have Is True (3:01)
5. Helena Hop (3:22)
6. Sittin' On Daddy's Knee (4:41)
7. You Took All My Dough (2:51)
8. Baby Please (4:39)
9. Mess Around (4:07)
10. Will It Be You (4:28)
11. Owl Head Woman (3:45)
12. Done With Me (2:15)

Recorded in 1998 in the Sonny Boy Williamson Memorial Music Hall in Helena, Arkansas, this pares the blues down to a bare-bones sound with Frank Frost on vocals and harmonica (piano on one track) and Sam Carr on drums (vocals on one track, "Owl Head Woman"), tied together with the overdubbed guitar work of producer Fred James, who also provides the unobtrusive bass parts in the background.

The result is a very modern-sounding (i.e., powerful) production that nonetheless keeps the format so astoundingly simple, it seems like a throwback to an earlier time. Even better is that all of the material on here is original; only a solid remake of "Jelly Roll King" (previously recorded by Frost for Sun) interrupts the flow of new songs, all of them firmly in the Delta juke-joint tradition.

There's something very alive about these recordings, even with James' overdubbed guitar or bass work, that has as much to do with the sound of the Music Hall as the performances themselves. Highlights include "Let's Go Out Tonight," "Love I Have Is True," "Sittin' On Daddy's Knee," athe low-down instrumental "Mess Around," Frost's out-of-tune piano playing behind Carr on "Owl Head Woman" and the Bo Diddley-like closer, "Done With Me," all representative of loose, wonderful, down-home blues playing captured raw, alive and exciting. /Cub Koda, AllMusic

The Jelly Roll Kings mc
The Jelly Roll Kings zippy

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Frank Frost - Harpin' On It: Complete Jewel Recordings

Year: 2002
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:01
Size: 86,2 MB
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. My Back Scratcher (2:39)
2. Harp And Soul (Instrumental) (2:54)
3. Pocket Full Of Money (2:23)
4. Things To Do (2:32)
5. Harpin' On It (Instrumental) (2:57)
6. Five Long Years (3:34)
7. Ride With Your Daddy Tonight (2:37)
8. Got My Mojo Working (2:50)
9. Feel Good Babe (2:29)
10. Janie On My Mind (3:22)
11. Never Leave Me At Home (2:24)
12. Didn't Mean No Harm (3:59)
13. Pretty Baby (2:15)

WestSide's 13-track collection Harpin' on It: The Complete Jewel Recordings compiles all of the songs Frank Frost cut for the Louisiana label in the mid-'60s. While these sides aren't as down-and-dirty as his earlier material for Sun, they're still enjoyable, revved-up juke joint blues. If anything, he stretches the form a little bit here, getting a little funkier with the rhythms, a little rockier in the guitar, and all the production sounds a bit more modern, more like the mid-'60s (which, ironically enough, means it doesn't sound as timeless as his earlier recordings).

Throughout it all, Frost's great harp is front and center, and his playing is always first-rate, even when the material is a little pedestrian. Fortunately, he hit the mark more often than not while on Jewel - most notably on instrumentals, plus the great Slim Harpo takeoff, "My Back Scratcher" - which is why this is worth hearing. /Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic

Harpin' On It: The Complete Jewel Recordings mc
Harpin' On It: The Complete Jewel Recordings zippy

Friday, June 15, 2018

George 'Wild Child' Butler, Frank Frost, Raful Neal - Harp And Blues

Year: 1983
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:10
Size: 84,1 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Scans: LP front & back

1. Frank Frost - Harpin' On It (2:56)
2. Frank Frost - Things You Do (2:32)
3. Frank Frost - Harp & Soul (2:52)
4. Frank Frost - Ride With Your Daddy Tonight (2:35)
5. George 'Wild Child' Butler - Axe And The Wind (2:25)
6. George 'Wild Child' Butler - Hold Me Baby (2:35)
7. George 'Wild Child' Butler - Do Something Baby (2:32)
8. George 'Wild Child' Butler - Jelly Jam (2:17)
9. George 'Wild Child' Butler - My 40 Year Old Woman (3:04)
10. George 'Wild Child' Butler - Open Up Baby (2:46)
11. George 'Wild Child' Butler - The Best Of Wild Child (2:12)
12. Raful Neal - Let's Work Together (3:03)
13. Raful Neal - Blues On The Moon (1:48)
14. Raful Neal - It's Been So Long (2:25)

Frank Frost’s skills encompassed keyboards and guitar, but like many other blues artists, he started with the harmonica. After moving to St. Louis as a teenager, he took up playing with Sonny Boy ‘Rice Miller’ Williamson in the mid-50s, appearing regularly with him on the famous radio show King Biscuit Time. He also teamed up with Robert Nighthawk and his son Sam Carr, before relocating to the south. In 1962 he recorded for Sam Phillips as part of the Nighthawks trio, featuring Carr on drums and guitarist Big Jack Johnson. One single and an album, Hey Boss Man!, resulted, featuring a very tough and raw, but tight, down-home blues sound, unusual on record at this time. A similar sound emerged from his next sessions in Nashville in 1966, produced by Scotty Moore, which produced three fine singles and, later, an album on Jewel Records. ‘My Back Scratcher’, Frost’s take on Slim Harpo’s ‘Baby Scratch My Back’, was even a minor R&B hit. Subsequently, Frost went back to mainly local performing in the juke joints around his home area in the Mississippi Delta, basing himself at Eddie Mae’s Café in Helena, Arkansas. He also continued to make records and tour with Carr and Johnson, releasing 1979’s Rockin’ The Juke Joint Down as the Jelly Roll Kings. Frost undertook some highly acclaimed appearances in Europe and, following his appearance in the 1986 movie Crossroads, recorded several well-received solo albums before his death in October 1999.

George Butler was born in Autaugaville, Alabama on October 1, 1936. His mother nicknamed him ‘Wild Child’ before he could even walk. George took up the harmonica by the age of six and at 14 he was already performing professionally. In the late 1950’s ‘Wild Child’ Butler moved to Chicago and became a blues sensation. His recording debut was released in 1964. Butler continued to record and tour extensively for decades. In the early 1980’s while on tour in the Yukon Butler met a Canadian named Elaine who would soon become his wife and manager. In order to remain in Canada but be close to Chicago the Butlers settled in the Windsor area in 1985. While living in Windsor, Butler recorded These Mean Old Blues in 1991 and Stranger in 1994. In the summertime Butler could be found enjoying a day of fishing and playing his harmonica at fishing holes and farm ponds around Stoney Point. George ‘Wild Child’ Butler passed away March 1, 2005 at the age of 68. Mr. Butler had been preparing to record his next CD and had finished writing all the songs for the album prior to his passing.

Born in Baton Rouge in 1936, Raful Neal took up the harp at age 14, tutored by a local player named Ike Brown and influenced by Chicago mainstay Little Walter. Neal's first band, the Clouds, also included guitarist Buddy Guy. This was the band Little Walter heard while in Baton Rouge and invited them to move up to Chicago and fill in at the gigs Walter couldn't make. Guy jumped at the chance but Neal decided to stay in Louisiana and raise his family. The harpist debuted on vinyl in 1958 with a 45 for Don Robey's Houston-headquartered Peacock Records. But "Sunny Side of Love," fine though it was, didn't lead to an encore for Peacock or anywhere else until much later, when Neal turned up with 45s on Whit, La Louisiane, and Fantastic. Neal's debut album, the aptly titled Louisiana Legend, first emerged on Bob Greenlee's King Snake Records and was picked up by Alligator in 1990. I Been Mistreated, Neal's equally swampy follow-up, was released on Ichiban the following year; sons Noel (on bass) and Raful Jr. (on guitar) pitched in to help their old man out. Neal toured around the world and in 1997 he contributed harp to a couple of tracks on Tab Benoit's Live: Swampland Jam record. The understated but solid Old Friends appeared in 1998. Raful Neal died on September 1, 2004, after a long bout with cancer.

Harp And Blues mc
Harp And Blues zippy

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Frank Frost - Live In Lucerne

Year: 2004
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:34
Size: 116,6 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. You Better Watch Yourself (4:16)
2. Deep Blues (4:52)
3. Janie's On My Mind (7:05)
4. Scratch My Back (4:29)
5. I Didn't Know (4:25)
6. Frank's Mambo (4:07)
7. St. Louis Serenade (6:28)
8. Jelly Roll King (3:59)
9. Lucky To Be Living (5:45)
10. Helena Boogie (5:04)

This is Frank Frost's last recording and it is his only live album. It was recorded on his 1998 European tour at the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland and features producer, guitarist Fred James and ex-Amazing Rhythm Aces bass player Jeff Davis, along with longtime drummer Sam Carr.

Frank passed away in 1999 and was considered to be the greatest of the second generation of Delta Blues harmonica players. He began his career, though, as a backing guitarist for Robert Nighthawk and Sonny Boy Williamson (II). It was Sonny Boy who inspired him to pick up the harmonica and the influence is obvious.

Frank Frost and drummer Sam Carr formed The Jelly Roll Kings in the late 50s as a duo with Frank playing guitar and harp on a rack. They soon added Jack Johnson on guitar and bass and it was this unit that recorded for Sun/Phillips, Jewel and Earwig.

Live In Lucerne mc
Live In Lucerne zippy

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Various Artists - The Appaloosa All Stars

Year: 1993
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:14
Size: 95,4 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Sam Lay - Key To The Highway (3:21)
2. Clifford Curry - Beale Street (4:12)
3. Bob Kommersmith - Club Foot (3:49)
4. Sam Lay - Rock Me Baby/I'm A King Bee (6:19)
5. Fred James - Temporary Insanity (3:16)
6. Homesick James - Blues Before Sunrise (3:39)
7. Greg 'Fingers' Taylor - Meltdown (2:39)
8. Mary-Ann Brandon - Black Widow Spider (3:45)
9. Greg 'Fingers' Taylor - Bad Spell (3:05)
10. Frank Frost - My Baby (3:19)
11. Billy C. Farlow - All Night Boogie (3:44)

Haven't found any specific info for this nice compilation, so.. let the music do the talking.

The Appaloosa All Stars mc
The Appaloosa All Stars zippy

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Frank Frost & Sam Carr - The Last Of The Jelly Roll Kings

Time: 57:11
Size: 130.9 MB
Source: LL
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Blues
Released: 2007
Covers: Full

1. Better Take It Slow {3:13}
2. Hey Baby {5:13}
3. Keep Things Right {3:16}
4. Done With You {3:20}
5. Owl Head Woman Part 2 {3:53}
6. Don't Do That {5:32}
7. Jelly Roll King {2:38}
8. Rock Me Baby {2:57}
9. Come Here Baby {2:34}
10. St. Louis Serenade {3:13}
11. How Many Times {5:14}
12. Black Cat Bone {3:08}
13. Midnight Prowler {3:55}
14. King Biscuit Blues {5:39}
15. Arkansas Shuffle {3:19}

Guitarist and harmonica player Frank Frost was essentially an Arkansas version of Jimmy Reed when he hooked up with drummer Sam Carr in the early '50s. Carr, the son of bluesman Robert Nighthawk, and Frost worked in Nighthawk's band for several years before striking out as a duo in the early '60s, and when they added guitar player and bassist Jack Johnson in 1962, they became the Jelly Roll Kings (although they wouldn't use the name for a couple of years yet). Working the Reed side of the street with a distinct Mississippi juke-joint feel, the Kings recorded for the Sun, Jewel, and Earwig labels before Johnson left in the late '80s -- the original trio reunited in 1997 for Fat Possum's Off Yonders Wall -- after which Frost and Carr began working with an ever-rotating cast of guitarists, one of whom was Fred James. James ran tape on the Kings in Helena, AR, in 1998 for an album that was eventually released as The Jelly Roll Kings on Hightone Records a year later in 1999. James also released on his own R.O.A.D. Records a live Jelly Roll Kings set recorded by a Swiss radio crew at the 1993 Lucerne Blues Festival. This collection is made up of outtakes and alternates from the Helena sessions (the first ten tracks) and a few stray songs from the Lucerne gig (the last five tracks). There are no real surprises, since with the Kings what you got was what you got, and that generally meant no-frills Southern juke-joint jams with plenty of harp breaks from Frost. Highlights here include the lead track, "Better Take It Slow," the spunky "Done with You," and the majestic and ragged "St. Louis Serenade."
AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett

The Last Of The Jelly Roll Kings

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Various - Earwig 16th Anniversary Sampler

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:36
Size: 159.3 MB
Styles: Assorted styles
Year: 1995/2005
Art: Front

[2:16] 1. Frank Frost - Jelly Rolly King
[4:35] 2. Arthur Lee Stephenson - Lightnin' Struck The Poor House
[3:25] 3. J.W. Brewer - Hair Like A Horse's Mane
[3:51] 4. Jack Johnson - Oil Man
[3:32] 5. Albert Luandrew - Be Careful How You Vote
[2:56] 6. Eurreal Montgomery - I'm Gonna Build My Bed On The Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea
[4:29] 7. Louis Myers - Bottom Of The Harp
[4:56] 8. Jimmy Dawkins - Wes Cide Bluze
[3:17] 9. David Honeyboy Edwards - Eyes Full Of Tears
[4:24] 10. Lessie Davenport - When The Blues Hit You
[5:24] 11. Alfonzo Primer, James Son Thomas - Cairo
[3:59] 12. Robert P. Ferguson - Shake Your Apple Tree
[6:49] 13. Aron Burton - Past, Present And Future
[2:28] 14. Eddie Lee Watson - Stick Candy
[3:21] 15. William Henderson - Better Know What You Runnin' From
[2:35] 16. Willie Anderson - Come Here Mama
[3:35] 17. Leon Brooks - Young Girl
[3:35] 18. Iverson Minter - Sittin' Here Wonderin'

Earwig was founded in 1979 by Michael Robert Frank, and it quickly become one of the top blues labels, recording artists based on the quality of their music rather than on sales potential. To celebrate Earwig's 16th anniversary, this 18-song collection of music from the label's catalog was put out in 1995. There is impressive variety on the single CD, with the settings ranging from Little Brother Montgomery's solo piano to rockish blues groups and everything in between. The selections were well chosen, and although sticking to the blues (no Motown, R&B, or soul music here), the disc shows the wide variety of music that appeared in the 1980s and '90s in the blues world. Overall, this CD gives one an excellent overview of some of the treasures in the Earwig catalog. ~Scott Yanow

Earwig 16th Anniversary Sampler mc
Earwig 16th Anniversary Sampler zippy

Friday, September 25, 2015

Various - Memphis Blues: The Backstreets

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:42
Size: 157.3 MB
Styles: Memphis blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:35] 1. Johnny O'neal - Dead Letter Blues
[2:44] 2. Earl Hooker - Blue Guitar
[2:49] 3. Gordon, Rosco - The Chicken
[2:56] 4. Little Milton - Homesick For My Baby
[3:05] 5. Houston Boines - Crying In The Courthouse
[2:36] 6. Coy Hot Shot Love - Wolf Call Boogie
[3:11] 7. Sleepy John Estes - Policy Man Blues
[2:58] 8. Raymond Hill - The Snuggle
[1:57] 9. Big Lucky Carter - Gonna Break That Lock
[2:49] 10. Calvin Leary - Cummins Prison Farm
[2:05] 11. Cliff Thomas - Treat Me Right
[2:09] 12. Cliff Jackson - Nine Below Zero
[2:30] 13. Don Hosea - Uh Huh Unh
[2:36] 14. Doctor Ross - Juke Box Boogie
[2:29] 15. Frank Frost - Jelly Roll King
[2:59] 16. Big Walter Horton - Easy
[3:02] 17. Harmonica Frank Floyd - Rockin' Chair Daddy
[2:09] 18. Willie Johnson Combo - So Long Baby Goodbye
[3:14] 19. Handy Jackson - Got My Application Baby
[2:48] 20. Ed Kirby (Prince Gabe) - Mean Old Gin
[2:34] 21. Coy Hot Shot Love - Harmonica Jam
[2:39] 22. Carolyn Porter - Man I'm Looking For
[3:07] 23. Boyd Gilmore - Believe I'll Settle Down
[2:58] 24. Big Memphis Ma Rainey - Call Me Anything, But Call Me
[2:30] 25. Albert Williams - Rhumba Chillen

Memphis Blues: The Backstreets mc
Memphis Blues: The Backstreets zippy

Monday, August 24, 2015

Various - Yellow Sun Blues Vol 1

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:44
Size: 72.7 MB
Styles: Memphis blues
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:57] 1. James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues
[2:30] 2. Little Milton - Next Time I See You
[2:44] 3. Joe Hill Lewis - Boogie In The Park
[2:28] 4. Roscoe Gordon - T-Model Boogie
[1:56] 5. Frank Frost - Crawl Back
[2:24] 6. Little Junior's Blue Flames - Mystery Train
[2:31] 7. Doctor Ross - Juke Box Boogie
[2:47] 8. Rufus Thomas - Tiger Man (King Of The Jungle)
[2:21] 9. Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - Satisfied
[3:17] 10. Smokey Joe - Signifying Monkey
[2:42] 11. The Prisonaires - Just Walkin' In The Rain
[3:02] 12. Harmonica Frank Floyd - Rockin' Chair Daddy

Founded in 1952 by Sam Phillips, who also founded the recording studio Sun Studio at the same time, Sun Records discovered and first recorded such influential musicians as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. Presley's recording contract was eventually sold to RCA Victor Records for $35,000 in 1955 to relieve the financial difficulties that Sun was going through. Prior to those records, Sun Records had concentrated on mainly recording African-American musicians, because Phillips loved rhythm and blues and wanted to bring black music to a white audience. It was Sun record producer and engineer, Jack Clement, who discovered and recorded Jerry Lee Lewis, while owner Sam Phillips was away on a trip to Florida. The original Sun Records logo was designed by John Gale
Parker, Jr., a resident of Memphis and high school classmate of Phillips.

Yellow Sun Blues Vol 1 mc
Yellow Sun Blues Vol 1 zippy

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Various - The End Of An Era: 20 Years In Bluesland

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:05
Size: 139.8 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:29] 1. Roscoe Shelton - She's The One
[5:37] 2. Earl Gaines - I Believe In Your Love
[5:24] 3. Johnny Jones - I Can't Do That
[3:12] 4. Al Garner - Fatback
[4:23] 5. Herbert Hunter - Her Love Is Killing Me
[4:37] 6. Larry Ladon - Automobile
[3:27] 7. Charles Walker - You Got The Walk
[5:11] 8. Freddie Waters - Full Moon On Main Street
[4:09] 9. Dave Riley - Heat Up The Oven
[3:21] 10. Sam Lay - I'm The One
[6:43] 11. Homesick James Williamson - Crawlin' Kingsnake
[4:24] 12. Frank Frost - Born To Be Wise
[3:23] 13. Sam Carr - All My Life
[3:36] 14. Fred James - Herb Stuffing

Although the liner notes to this 14-track blues collection are otherwise thorough, one not so insignificant element is missing: the original release and recording dates of the material. The common thread seems to be that they were all produced by Fred James, who also plays guitar on all of the cuts, one of which, the instrumental "Herb Stuffing," is credited to James himself. Though James also wrote the notes, the time frame of the tracks (four of which were previously unissued) is maddeningly unspecific, though it can be deduced that they were all done sometime in the 20 years prior to this 2010 release. At any rate, these are pretty average, workmanlike contemporary electric blues, not many of them by big names in the field, with Earl Gaines, Frank Frost, Sam Lay, and Johnny Jones being the biggest. Sometimes performances of particular strength cut through to get noticed, especially Gaines' ballad "I Believe in Your Love," which has a rich and moving vibrato vocal. James is a decent and versatile guitarist, too, but in part owing to the substandard documentation, it's not a notable compilation of 20th into 21st century blues. ~Richie Unterberger

The End Of An Era: 20 Years In Bluesland mc
The End Of An Era: 20 Years In Bluesland zippy

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

VA - Sun Record's Epic Blues Cuts Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

Album: Sun Record's Epic Blues Cuts
Size: 112,3 MB
Time: 48:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

01 Howlin' Wolf - How Many More Years (2:48)
02 Howlin' Wolf - Wolf Is At Your Door (2:56)
03 Little Junior Parker - Mystery Train (2:28)
04 Rosco Gordon - Do The Chicken Dance With You (2:49)
05 Rosco Gordon - Cheese And Crackers (2:47)
06 Rufus Thomas - Tiger Man (2:51)
07 Eddie Snow - Ain't That Right (2:38)
08 Little Milton - Beggin My Baby (2:23)
09 Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - Move Baby Move (2:43)
10 Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - Red Hot (2:24)
11 Dr. Ross - Juke Box Boogie (2:31)
12 Earl Hooker - Movin On Down The Line Aka Down The Line (2:15)
13 James Cotton - Hold Me In Your Arms (2:48)
14 James Cotton - Straighten Up Baby (2:19)
15 Joe Hill Louis - We All Got To Go Sometime (2:57)
16 Pat Hare - I'm Gonna Murder My Baby (3:11)
17 Willie Johnson - I Feel So Worried (2:34)
18 Frank Frost - Jelly Roll King (2:29)

Sun Record's Epic Blues Cuts

Album: Sun Record's Epic Blues Cuts Pt. 2
Size: 110,0 MB
Time: 46:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

01 Howlin' Wolf - Oh Red (2:42)
02 Little Jr. Parker - Feelin Good (2:58)
03 Little Jr. Parker - Love My Baby (2:35)
04 Rosco Gordon - Shoobie Oobie (2:55)
05 Rufus Thomas - Bear Cat (2:50)
06 The Prisonaires - Just Walking In The Rain (2:42)
07 Willie Nix - Baker Shop Boogie (2:45)
08 Albert Williams - Rhumba Chillen (2:30)
09 Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - When It Rains It Pours (3:08)
10 Hot Shot Love - Wolf Call Boogie (2:35)
11 James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues (3:02)
12 James Cotton - My Baby (2:21)
13 Kenneth Banks - High But High (2:38)
14 Pinetop Perkins - Pinetop's Boogie (2:56)
15 Big Walter Horton - In The Mood (3:00)
16 Joe Hill Louis - Hydramatic Woman (2:29)
17 Little Milton - Lookin For My Baby (2:36)

Sun Record's Epic Blues Cuts Pt. 2

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Various - Sun Blues Archive

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:15
Size: 119.6 MB
Styles: Assorted blues styles
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:47] 1. Rufus Thomas - Tiger Man
[3:09] 2. Howlin' Wolf - Decoration Day
[2:57] 3. James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues
[2:22] 4. Little Junior Parker - Mystery Train
[2:30] 5. Albert Williams - Rhumba Chillen
[2:56] 6. Pinetop Perkins - Pinetop's Boogie
[2:29] 7. Mose Vinson - Forty Four Blues
[2:57] 8. Walter Horton - Grandma Told Grandpa
[2:44] 9. Earl Hooker - Blue Guitar
[2:45] 10. Willie Nix - Baker Shop Boogie
[3:12] 11. Sleepy John Estes - Policy Man
[2:31] 12. Little Milton - Next Time I See You Baby
[3:18] 13. Kenneth Banks - Blue Man
[2:41] 14. Joe Hill Louis - Gotta Go Baby (Gotta Let You Go)
[2:58] 15. Jimmy And Walter - Before Long
[3:02] 16. Harmonica Frank - Rockin Chair Blues
[1:56] 17. Frank Frost - Crawl Back
[2:21] 18. Billy The Kid Emerson - Feel So Good
[2:31] 19. Dr. Ross - Juke Box Boogie

The Sun Sound began when Sam Phillips launched his record company in February of 1952. He named it Sun Records as a sign of his perpetual optimism: a new day and a new beginning. Sam rented a small space at 706 Union Avenue for his own all-purpose studio. The label was launched amid a growing number of independent labels. In a short while Sun gained the reputation throughout Memphis as a label that treated local artists with respect and honesty. Sam provided a non-critical, spontaneous environment that invited creativity and vision.

As a businessman, Phillips was patient and willing to listen to almost anyone who came in off the street to record. Memphis was a happy home to a diverse musical scene: gospel, blues, hillbilly, country, boogie, and western swing. Taking advantage of this range of talent, there were no style limitations at the label. In one form or another Sun recorded them all. Sam Phillips was responsible for some of the most legendary and influential rock 'n' roll recordings of all time, but blues was his first and greatest love, and so the Sun Records vaults are full of seminal blues sides from which this collection draws quite the bounty!

Sun Blues Archive

Monday, February 9, 2015

Frank Frost - The Very Best Of Frank Frost

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:57
Size: 82.3 MB
Styles: Electric Delta blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:31] 1. My Back Scratcher
[2:50] 2. Harp And Soul (Inst.)
[2:17] 3. Pocket Full Of Money
[2:27] 4. Things You Do
[2:53] 5. Harpin' On It (Inst.)
[3:29] 6. Five Long Years
[2:31] 7. Ride With Your Daddy Tonight
[2:46] 8. Got My Mojo Working
[2:23] 9. Feel Good Babe
[3:18] 10. Janie On My Mind
[2:19] 11. Never Leave Me At Home
[3:56] 12. Didn't Mean No Harm
[2:11] 13. Pretty Baby

Guitarist and harmonica player Frank Frost was essentially an Arkansas version of Jimmy Reed when he hooked up with drummer Sam Carr in the early '50s. Carr, the son of bluesman Robert Nighthawk, and Frost worked in Nighthawk's band for several years before striking out as a duo in the early '60s, and when they added guitar player and bassist Jack Johnson in 1962, they became the Jelly Roll Kings (although they wouldn't use the name for a couple of years yet). Working the Reed side of the street with a distinct Mississippi juke-joint feel, the Kings recorded for the Sun, Jewel, and Earwig labels before Johnson left in the late '80s (the original trio reunited in 1997 for Fat Possum's Off Yonder's Wall). The Sun sides are probably the best and most explosive of these early recordings, but the Jewel sides, which make up this 13-track collection, are only a hair behind. ~Steve Leggett

The Very Best Of Frank Frost mc
The Very Best Of Frank Frost zippy

Monday, December 15, 2014

Various - Jewel Spotlights The Blues Vols 1 & 2

Album: Jewel Spotlights The Blues Vol 1
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 35:49
Size: 82.0 MB
Styles: Electric blues, Soul blues
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[2:48] 1. Carter Brothers - Southern Country Boy
[2:31] 2. Frank Frost - My Back Scratcher
[2:44] 3. Elmore James - Dust My Broom
[3:57] 4. Lightnin' Hopkins - Back Door Friend
[2:42] 5. Little Joe Blue - Standing On The Treshold
[2:49] 6. George Wild Child Butler - Put It All In There
[3:06] 7. Lowell Fulson - Sleeper
[2:59] 8. Big Joe Turner - Night Time Is The Right Time
[2:48] 9. Mac Big With Hubert Sumlin - Rough Dried Woman Pt. 1
[2:44] 10. Hubert Sumlin - Rough Dried Woman Pt. 2 (Instrumental)
[3:48] 11. Willie Dixon - Sex Appeal
[2:49] 12. J.B. Lenior - The Mojo

Jewel Records was founded by Stan Lewis in 1963, and the company became something of a life raft for artists whose contracts with older companies had ended -- thus, Willie Dixon, Frank Frost, Lightnin' Hopkins, Lowell Fulson, Big Joe Turner, and other internationally known names brushed up against more localized talent such as the Carter Brothers and a mysterious figure named Big Mac. This disc is the first in a series of releases highlighting Lewis' blues recordings, which tended toward extrovert electric blues. All of the artists are in good form, if not the top of their game, including Fulson who sings with a graceful soulfulness, while Turner provides the kind of lean, big-band-based R&B on which he built his reputation, slimmed down slightly for '60s sensibilities. The strangest track here is "Rough Dried Woman" parts one and two, featuring Hubert Sumlin on guitar and Big Mac on vocals. Mac, whoever he was, obviously thought he was Howlin' Wolf, even though his voice lacked the depth and power of Wolf's pipes. He tries hard, however, and Sumlin pitches in with a flashy, crunchy performance behind him (and is featured throughout the instrumental second half in one of his best recorded performances). Also, be warned that Kenny Wayne Shepherd, then 16 years old, redubbed the guitar part on Willie Dixon's "Sex Appeal" -- that kid knows his blues, even if his playing is a little flashier than would've been the case circa 1960-whatever, and Dixon gives one of his more charismatic vocal performances. The sound needs no apologies, nor does the series, which is first-rate and starts off really well with this disc. ~Bruce Eder

Jewel Spotlights The Blues Vol 1 mc
Jewel Spotlights The Blues Vol 1 zippy

Album: Jewel Spotlights The Blues Vol 2
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:30
Size: 101.9 MB
Styles: Electric blues, Soul blues
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[3:30] 1. Buster Benton - Spider In My Stew
[2:37] 2. Buddy Guy - You Sure Can't Do
[3:29] 3. Otis Rush - Double Trouble
[4:53] 4. Lightnin' Hopkins - Mr. Charlie
[2:23] 5. Ike Turner - Matchbox
[4:28] 6. Willie Dixon - New Way Of Lovin'
[3:46] 7. Little Joe Blue - Gonna Walk On
[3:02] 8. Lightnin' Hopkins - Breakfast Time
[3:48] 9. Buster Benton - Money Is The Name Of The Game
[3:01] 10. Lowell Fulson - My Baby
[4:08] 11. John Lee Hooker - I Feel Good
[2:39] 12. Earl Hooker - Blue Guitar
[2:41] 13. Magic Sam - Everything Gonna Be Alright

The second volume in Jewel Records' blues retrospective features Buster Benton, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Lightnin' Hopkins, Willie Dixon, Magic Sam, John Lee Hooker, Lowell Fulson, Earl Hooker, Ike Turner, and Little Joe Blue. Dixon was also the producer on Benton's sessions and wrote "Spider in My Stew" for the latter. The best thing on here, worth the price of the disc, is Lightnin' Hopkins' "Mr. Charlie," with its extraordinary spoken-word introduction, and Ike Turner's "Matchbox" isn't far behind. Willie Dixon's "New Way of Lovin'" is a great showcase for the composer's vocal prowess, and an even better one for the guitar skills of then 16-year-old Kenny Wayne Shepherd, whose playing is dubbed onto the original recording, though one wishes that Dixon's voice were a little bit more upfront in the mix. Otherwise, the sound is state-of-the-art, and the only thing one could wish for that isn't here would be actual recording or release dates. ~Bruce Eder

Jewel Spotlights The Blues Vol 2 mc
Jewel Spotlights The Blues Vol 2 zippy