Little Mack Simmons - High & Lonesome

Album: High & Lonesome
Size: 141,4 MB
Time: 61:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995
Styles: Chicago blues, harmonica blues
Art: Full

1. Just Keep Lovin' Her (3:00)
2. High And Lonesome (3:21)
3. Wild About You (5:08)
4. Just Your Fool (3:32)
5. Mr. Airplane Man (7:23)
6. Sun Is Shining (5:04)
7. Groundhog Blues (2:59)
8. Reefer-Head Woman (3:30)
9. On The Prowl (5:50)
10. Shake Your Moneymaker (6:15)
11. Your Imagination (4:28)
12. Tell Me Baby (5:19)
13. Mystery Train (5:09)

Malcolm "Little Mack" Simmons (January 25, 1933 – October 24, 2000) was an American Chicago blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. He ran the Simmons Records label in the 1970s. Simmons was born in Twist, Arkansas. In his youth, he befriended James Cotton, and both learned to play the harmonica as they were growing up. Simmons relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, at the age of 18 and worked on the railroad. Around this time he made his stage debut with Robert Nighthawk. In 1954, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, put together his own backing band, and had a five-year residency at Cadillac Baby's. He commenced recording in 1959, issuing records on several labels, including Chess.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Simmons recorded several more obscure singles, often simply billed as Little Mack (or Mac). He owned and managed the Zodiac Lounge, in Chicago, from the mid- to late 1960s, providing opportunities for other artists. He also owned a recording studio and recorded on his own labels, PM Records and Simmons Records. Simmons left the music industry for the ministry in the 1960s and was rarely heard for the next 30 years, notwithstanding an album he recorded in 1975 in Paris.

He returned to blues music with High & Lonesome (1995), an early success for St. George Records, an independent record label. His energetic style, accompanied by Studebaker John, belied his years. Come Back to Me Baby (1996), with featured sidemen John Primer, Willie Kent and Jake Dawson (guitarist), was also well received. Simmons died of colon cancer on October 24, 2000, in his adopted hometown of Chicago; he was 67. /Wikipedia

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

High & Lonesome mc
High & Lonesome gofile

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Little Mack Simmons - The PM/Simmons Collection

Album: The PM/Simmons Collection
Size: 143,4 MB
Time: 61:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Chicago blues, harmonica blues
Art: Full

1. You've Got To Help Me (4:36)
2. You're So Fine (2:59)
3. I'm A Streaker Baby (Feat. Arelean Brown) (3:55)
4. Next Time You See Me (2:39)
5. The Same One (4:40)
6. Key To The Highway (2:32)
7. Cryin' The Blues (Feat. Fenton Robinson) (2:50)
8. Mother-In-Law Blues (2:31)
9. Impeach Me (Feat. Arelean Brown & Lee 'Shot' Williams) (4:06)
10. Messing With The Kid (3:37)
11. Mama Was Right (3:32)
12. Inflation Blues (2:10)
13. Chicken Man (Feat. Arelean Brown) (3:01)
14. Rainy Night In Georgia (4:07)
15. Snap Your Fingers (3:33)
16. I'm Gonna Keep On Searching Till I Find Mine (Part 1) (2:56)
17. Skin Tight (3:24)
18. Blue Lite (4:34)

b. 25 January 1934, Twist, Arkansas, USA, d. 24 October 2000, Chicago, Illinois, USA. ‘Little’ Mack Simmons was one of the stalwarts of the Chicago club scene; he taught himself harmonica as a youngster and in the early 50s occasionally worked with bluesmen on the St. Louis, Missouri, club circuit, before settling in Chicago in 1954. Since the late 60s he recorded for many small local labels, and sometimes larger companies such as Checker.

In 1967 he received a three-year prison sentence for a drugs offence. He ran his own label recording studio and club from time to time and recorded blues, gospel (he was known for a time as Reverend Mac Simmons) and soul. Among his artists were Otis Clay and Sunnyland Slim. His version of ‘Rainy Night In Georgia’, performed as a harmonica instrumental, was a local hit in the early 70s. He made a comeback in the 90s with a series of classic blues albums on the Electro-Fi label. Simmons lost his battle with cancer in October 2000. /Biography by AllMusic

The stellar tracks included here from the P.M. and Simmons record labels appear on CD for the first time. They were recorded from 1971 to 1982 by Simmons at his studio on Chicago's South Side, and were originally released as 45s and LPs.

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

The PM/Simmons Collection mc
The PM/Simmons Collection gofile

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Little Mack Simmons - The Last Sessions

Year: 2000
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:41
Size: 131,2 MB
Styles: Chicago blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Mannish Boy/Hoochie Coochie Man (8:08)
2. Eyesight To The Blind (3:03)
3. No More Doggin' (2:41)
4. I Can't Stop Lovin You/Honest I Do (3:52)
5. Shake Rattle And Roll (4:32)
6. Why You Treat Me The Way You Do/Just A Feeling (5:30)
7. I Don't Know (3:21)
8. Save For The Children/Help Me (4:52)
9. Dead President (3:30)
10. La Cucaracha (2:59)
11. Never Leave My Homework Undone (3:15)
12. Driving Wheel (3:34)
13. Everything's Gonna Be Alright (3:14)
14. You Know I Love You (4:05)

Little Mack Simmons is synonym to many years of great blues, and being and living at the service of music. This man played and recorded with just about every blues star: Willie Dixon, Sunnyland Slim, Eddie Clearwater, Willie Mabon, Hubert Sumlin and many others. Through out his career he had high peaks of popularity, once even having his own club and recording studio. From his popularity he helped many others, for generosity was one of his virtues. He recorded for labels like C.J., Bea & Baby, Black & Blue, St. George, Wolf and Electro-Fi.

When he met with Adrián Flores and Mauro Diana in Chicago, he invited them to sit in, and introduced them to the public as his own Argentinian band. He also mentioned to Adrián that he was willing to go back to Argentina again. Little Mack had been here first in December 1998, when he did one of the most touching shows we have ever seen in Buenos Aires. Since we knew of his poor health, we knew it was going to be hard for him but he finally made it, doing what was then his last tour.

Due to airline problems, he was one day late and what was suppposed to be two shows was only one. He got here on a Saturday morning, after flying all night. He played that same Saturday night. Sunday morning, and after a few hours of sleep, we all went to the studio where these recordings were made. And this wonderful record is the final product. /Excerpt from the liner notes by Ricardo Muños

Personnel: Little Mack Simmons (harmonica, vocals); Omar Itcovici, Roberto Porzio (guitar); Mauro "Easy Baby" Diana (bass); Adrián Flores (drums); Lorenzo Thompson (vocals tracks 9, 14).

Originally posted in 23/06/2018. Updated to FLAC by bluestender.

The Last Sessions MP3
The Last Sessions FLAC

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VA - Cadillac Baby's Bea & Baby Records: The Definitive Collection

Size: 786 MB MB
Time: 4:48:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Blues, R&B, Soul, Gospel
Art: Full

CD 1:
01. Cadillac Baby - Welcome To Cadillac Baby's Show Lounge ( 3:39)
02. Eddie Boyd - I'm Commin' Home ( 2:37)
03. Eddie Boyd - Thank You Baby ( 2:06)
04. L.C. McKinley - Nit Wit ( 1:58)
05. L.C. McKinley - Sharpest Man In Town ( 2:24)
06. The Daylighters - Mad House Jump ( 1:59)
07. The Daylighters - You're Breaking My Heart ( 2:21)
08. Faith Taylor &The Sweet Teens - INeed Him To Love Me ( 2:25)
09. Faith Taylor & The Sweet Teens - I Love You Darling ( 2:31)
10. Bobby Saxton - Trying To Make A Living ( 2:47)
11. Earl Hooker - Dynamite ( 2:22)
12. Cadillac Baby - The Legend Of Cadillac Baby (14:57)
13. Eddie Boyd - Blue Monday Blues ( 2:33)
14. Eddie Boyd - The Blues Is Here To Stay ( 2:45)
15. Eddie Boyd - Come Home! ( 2:40)
16. Eddie Boyd - You Got To Reap! ( 2:47)
17. Little Mac - Times Are Getting Tougher ( 2:24)
18. Little Mac - Don't Come Back ( 2:21)
19. T. Valentine - Little Lu-Lu Frog ( 2:13)
20. T. Valentine - Teen-Age Jump ( 2:16)
21. Cadillac Baby - How Detroit Junior Got Famous ( 4:02)
22. Detroit Junior - Money Tree ( 2:12)
23. Detroit Junior - So Unhappy ( 2:46)
24. Eddie Boyd & The Daylighters - Come On Home ( 2:35)
25. Eddie Boyd & The Daylighters - Reap What You Sow ( 2:38)

CD 2:
01. Hound Dog Taylor - My Baby Is Coming Home (2:41)
02. Hound Dog Taylor - Take Five (2:08)
03. St. Louis Mac - You Mistreated Me (3:02)
04. St. Louis Mac - Broken Heart (2:29)
05. Phil Sampson - It's So Hard (2:29)
06. Singing Sam Feat. Phil Sampson - Sampson (2:34)
07. Singing Sampson - My Story (2:36)
08. Singing Sam - Calvins Reserve (2:35)
09. Sunnyland Slim - Worried About My Baby (2:49)
10. Sunnyland Slim - Drinking And Clowning (3:05)
11. Eddie Boyd - All The Way (3:02)
12. Eddie Boyd - Where You Belong (2:46)
13. Cadillac Baby - Cadillac Baby Gets Into The Record Business (3:03)
14. Lee Jackson - Please Baby (2:44)
15. Lee Jackson - Juanita (2:59)
16. Andre Williams - Please Give Me A Chance (3:14)
17. Andre Williams - I Still Love You (2:49)
18. Little Mac - I'm Your Fool (2:13)
19. Little Mac - Let Hootenanny Blues (Out Of Jail) (2:02)
20. James Cotton - One More Mile (3:06)
21. James Cotton - There Must Be A Panic On (1:47)
22. Kirk Taylor & The Velvets - Your Love (2:15)
23. Kirk Taylor & The Velvets - This World (2:40)
24. Tall Paul Hankins & The Hudson Brothers - Joe's House Rent Party Part 1 (2:35)
25. Tall Paul Hankins & The Hudson Brothers - Joe's House Rent Party Part 2 (2:29)
26. Willie Hudson Feat. Tall Paul Hankins - It's You I'm Going To Miss (2:48)
27. Willie Hudson Feat. Tall Paul Hankins - Red Lips (2:34)

CD 3:
01. Lee Jackson & The Cadillac Baby Specials - The Christmas Song (2:34)
02. Clyde Lasley & The Cadillac Baby Specials - Santa Came Home Drunk (2:58)
03. The Chances, Darla-Moira-Sharonne - One More Chance (2:44)
04. The Chance, Darla-Moira-Sharonne - It Takes More Than Love Alone (2:20)
05. Little Mack & The Hipps - Mother-In-Law Blues (2:18)
06. Little Mack & The Hipps - Woman, Help Me (2:46)
07. Little Mack Simmons - The Sky Is Crying (3:35)
08. Little Mack Simmons - I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man (3:42)
09. Little Mack Simmons - Trouble No More (2:08)
10. Little Mack Simmons - I'm Tore Down (2:59)
11. Arelean Brown - I Love My Man (3:19)
12. Arelean Brown - Hullo Baby (2:35)
13. Sunnyland Slim - House Rock (2:43)
14. Sunnyland Slim - She Got That Jive (2:33)
15. Sunnyland Slim - Little Girl (3:26)
16. Sunnyland Slim - Too Late To Pray (3:47)
17. Sunnyland Slim - I Done You Wrong (3:28)
18. Homesick James - My Baby's Gone (3:08)
19. Homesick James - My Kind Of Woman (3:21)
20. Homesick James - Homesick Sunnyland Special (3:15)
21. Andrew 'Blueblood' McMahon - Lost In The Jungle (3:39)
22. Andrew 'Blueblood' McMahon - Special Agent (2:49)
23. Andrew 'Blueblood' McMahon - Worried All The Time (2:30)
24. Andrew 'Blueblood' McMahon - Potato Diggin' Man (3:23)

CD 4:
01. Willie Williams - Somebody Changed The Lock (2:20)
02. Willie Williams - 38 Woman Blues (3:36)
03. Unknown Blues Band - Raise Your Window Baby (2:42)
04. Unknown Blues Band - Jump This Morning (2:03)
05. 3D - 7402 (5:07)
06. 3D - Here We Go Chi-Town (3:00)
07. Clyde Lasley - Just In Case That You Got A Case (0:20)
08. Clyde Lasley & Unknown Actors - I Bet I Don't Die Tired (1:46)
09. Clyde Lasley & Unknown Actors - The Preacher, A Deacon & A Razor (4:30)
10. Sleepy John Estes & Hammie Nixon - Cadillac Baby Passed So Fast (4:08)
11. Sleepy John Estes & Hammie Nixon - Worry My Mind (2:41)
12. Sleepy John Estes & Hammie Nixon - Spirit Don't Leave Me (3:08)
13. Sleepy John Estes & Hammie Nixon - Lay My Burdon Down (2:26)
14. Cadillac Baby - I Did A Lot Of Spiritual Records (1:28)
15. The Gloryaires - Search Me Lord (3:36)
16. The Gloryaires - Now Lord Don't Drive Me Away (3:20)
17. Eddie Dean & The Biblical Aires - Holy Place (2:27)
18. Eddie Dean & The Biblical Aires - God Has Prepared (3:04)
19. The Norfolk Singers - He's A God (2:19)
20. The Norfolk Singers - Testimonial (2:35)
21. The Pilgrim Harmonizers - Witness There Too (2:43)
22. The Pilgrim Harmonizers - Over The Hill (2:38)
23. Rev. Samuel Patterson - Climbing High Mountains (3:26)
24. Rev. Samuel Patterson - Judgement Day (3:30)
25. Cadillac Baby - Blues Is My Soul (2:05)

Cadillac Baby ran a record label but a better way to think of him is as a hustler -- somebody who figured out how to make a buck by running nightclubs, store fronts and, eventually, a record label. That label, Bea & Baby -- which Narvel Eatmon named after himself and his wife, who was never crazy about her husband's designs on the record business -- launched in 1959, right when his hometown of Chicago was teeming with a bunch of terrific blues and R&B labels, including Chess, Vee-Jay and Delmark. Bea & Baby is never mentioned in the same breath as those imprints, probably because it essentially imploded in 1961, after Cadillac Baby ran afoul of the local musicians' union. He turned his attention to his store, recording the occasional session, then experiencing an unexpected revival in 1971, when Living Blues ran a long interview with Cadillac Baby conducted by Jim O'Neal. That was enough to stir some new interest in the label, so he dressed up some old 45s in the guise of a fake live album -- the only LP the label or its Ronald, Miss, Key, and Keyhole subsidiaries released -- and started to record new acts intermittently from that point until his death in 1991.

Once Cadillac Baby was gone, the legacy of Bea & Baby faded, with only Clyde Lasley's "Santa Come Home Drunk" appearing on a stateside various-artists collection. Earwig Music Company's Michael Frank administered that license, a task that led him to acquire the Bea & Baby catalog from Cadillac's widow. He embarked on the decade-plus mission to assemble Cadillac Baby's Bea & Baby Records: The Definitive Collection, a four-disc set that contains (with just a handful of justifiable exceptions) everything the label and its subsidiaries released, accompanied by a thorough history by O'Neal along with artist-by-artist biographies from Bill Dahl and, for the gospel acts, Robert M. Marovich.

The fact that there is a significant number of gospel tracks on this four-disc set underscores how Cadillac Baby recorded a bit of everything: vocal groups, uptown R&B, even rap in his waning years. Still, his bread and butter was the blues, music that he knew from his birth state of Mississippi and from the clubs he ran. He made deep connections, so he could get Eddie Boyd, Earl Hooker, Sunnyland Slim, James Cotton, and Andre Williams to cut records for his label (reportedly, Muddy Waters thought about jumping ship from Chess to Bea & Baby for a brief moment in 1959). He had a good ear, so he knew to cut Hound Dog Taylor as soon he heard him, waxing "My Baby Is Coming Home" over a decade before the guitarist's epochal debut for Alligator. Cadillac was also a bad businessman and treated artists cavalierly; in the case of Detroit Junior and St. Louis Mac -- both monikers handed to them by Cadillac without the artist's consent -- it could almost qualify as contempt. Despite all this, Bea & Baby and its sister subsidiaries not only recorded some terrific music, but they had a distinct identity. From the outset, Cadillac, his producers, and engineers and musicians recorded things quick and dirty, so the records still seem electrifying; they're greasy and gritty, music made with passion but with hopes of scoring a quick buck. Everybody involved with Bea & Baby was plying their trade, either as musicians or a hustler, and while the results may not always be perfect, that rawness is also why the set is so invigorating. This is down-and-dirty music recorded on the cheap, so it retains its excitement. It's a blessing that Cadillac Baby's Bea & Baby Records: The Definitive Collection has finally arrived, as its existence helps paint a fuller, richer portrait of Chicago's blues & R&B scene of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Cadillac Baby's Bea & Baby Records Part 1
Cadillac Baby's Bea & Baby Records Part 2

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John Primer - 2 albums: It's A Blues Life / Cold Blooded Blues Man

Album: John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band - It's A Blues Life
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:09
Size: 151.4 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[5:31] 1. I've Been Abused
[4:49] 2. Maggie
[6:22] 3. Last Night
[4:23] 4. Mama Talk To Your Daughter
[5:47] 5. Party Girl
[4:17] 6. Empty Arms
[8:35] 7. Lonsome For Your Love
[5:27] 8. Sweet As A Georgia Peach
[4:22] 9. Every Time You Leave Me
[5:43] 10. Can't You See What You're Doing To Me
[4:29] 11. Give Me Back My Wig
[6:18] 12. Rock Me

JOHN PRIMER - gtr/voc, TOM HOLLAND - gtr, STEVE BELL - hca, KEN BARKER - pno, NICK HOLT - bass, BERT ROBINSON - drums.

Tradition, style, mentor, leader, storyteller, veteran--all these words describe bluesman John Primer. Song after song, show after show, year after year, Primer delivers intense, soul-grabbing music straight from the heart.

It's A Blues Life mc
It's A Blues Life zippy

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Album: Cold Blooded Blues Man
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:46
Size: 139.1 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[5:49] 1. Dreaming
[4:39] 2. Cuttin' Loose
[4:03] 3. Cold Blooded Blues Man
[5:30] 4. What Love Will Do
[5:01] 5. Meet Her In The Dark
[7:10] 6. Sad, Sad Day
[4:42] 7. Mojo Hand
[3:23] 8. Cairo
[4:18] 9. I'm Worried
[4:20] 10. Malted Milk
[4:01] 11. Waitin' For My Time
[4:45] 12. Love In Vain
[2:59] 13. Red House

JOHN PRIMER - gtr/voc w/ LITTLE MACK SIMMONS - hca, DETROIT JR. - pno, NICK HOLT - bass, EARL HOWELL - drums, EDDIE SHAW - sax, MAGIC SLIM - gtr, BILLY BRANCH - hca, CHRIS SANDERA - hca.

Singer/songwriter/guitarist John Primer surrounded himself with a bunch of Chicago Blues all-stars (George Baze, Nick Holt, Earl Howell, Billy Branch) for this mid-'90s release. It was easy to attract these stalwarts for his fifth solo record since Primer himself was already established on the who's who list of Chicago blues. In 1963, he relocated from Mississippi to the Windy City and slowly secured his place in the blues pantheon. By the time these recordings were made, he had already finished regular stints with Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and Magic Slim (who makes a guest appearance on one track).

On this self-produced disc, John chooses to mix traditional acoustic Delta with electric Chicago blues over the course of 13 tracks that last 60 minutes. The material was recorded between 1991 and 1994. It captures the intensity and vivacity of John's live performances which his other studio material has struggled to deliver.

Cold Blooded Blues Man mc
Cold Blooded Blues Man zippy

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Various Artists - Chicago Blues From C.J. Records Vol. 1

Year: 1997
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:06
Size: 118,5 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Scans: Full

1. Big Moose Walker - Tend To Your Business (2:43)
2. Big Moose Walker - Things I Use To Do (4:32)
3. Hound Dog Taylor - Christine (2:10)
4. Hound Dog Taylor - Alley Music (2:10)
5. Hound Dog Taylor - You Don't Love Me (2:30)
6. Hound Dog Taylor - Christine (2:14)
7. Little Mac Simmons & James Cotton - Jumping At Cadillacs (2:27)
8. Little Mac Simmons - I Need You (2:56)
9. Little Mac Simmons - Come Back (2:33)
10. Little Mac Simmons - My Walking Blues (3:14)
11. Eddie Shaw - Ridin' High (2:09)
12. Eddie Shaw - Blues For The West Side (2:33)
13. Freddie Hall - Love & Affection (2:39)
14. Freddie Hall - You Were My First Love (2:38)
15. Betty Everett w. Al Perkins Band - Please Come Back (2:52)
16. Al Perkins & Band - You Cost Too Much (2:28)
17. Ike Perkins & Band - Ike's Boogie (2:47)
18. The Daffodils w. Ike Perkins' Band - Walk (2:40)
19. Lady Jean & Her Swinging Cats - Teenie Jeannie (2:41)

On this first volume of Chicago Blues from the vaults of C.J. Records we are treated to recordings originally produced by Carl Jones who started in the music business in the mid-1940s as a singer-songwriter. Carl first recorded for Mercury in 1945, where he was accompanied by Lonnie Johnson on guitar. Carl recorded some fine Chicago Blues, Doo Wop and Gospel for his C.J./Colt and Firma labels as Narvel Eatmon a.k.a. Cadillac Baby had done for his Bea & Baby, Keyhole and Miss labels.

Carl and Cadillac Baby were two black music business entrepeneurs who carved out a nitch for themselves by working and helping to establish homegrown talent, many who went on to build nice careers for themselves with a few like Hound Dog Taylor and Betty Everett who achieved national recognition. /Excerpt from the liner notes by Ron Bartolucci

Chicago Blues From C.J. Records Vol. 1 mc
Chicago Blues From C.J. Records Vol. 1 zippy

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Various - Bea And Baby Records Presents The Best Of Chicago Blues Vol. 3

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:16
Size: 131.1 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:37] 1. Cadillac baby - Story Tellin
[3:12] 2. Willie Williams - Ruthie Baby
[2:58] 3. Willie Williams - Wine Headed Woman
[3:33] 4. Little Mac Simmons - Sky Is Crying
[3:40] 5. Little Mac Simmons - Hoochie Coochie Man
[2:30] 6. Little Mac Simmons - Key To The Highway
[2:25] 7. Little Mac Simmons - Inflation Blues
[2:33] 8. Eddie Boyd - Commin´home
[2:38] 9. Eddie Boyd - Reap What You So
[3:08] 10. John Littlejohn - What In The World
[2:23] 11. John Littlejohn - Can´t Be Still
[3:03] 12. Sunnyland Slim - Worried About My Baby
[2:49] 13. Sunnyland Slim - Drinking And Clowning
[2:32] 14. Singin Sam - Calvins
[2:33] 15. Singin Sam - My Story
[2:46] 16. Menard Rogers - Coming Home Baby
[2:58] 17. Menard Rogers - Just A Little Smile
[2:29] 18. Willie Hudson - Hudson´s Jump
[2:45] 19. Willie Hudson - It´s You I´m Going To Miss
[2:33] 20. Tall Paul Hankins - Red Lips

This is the last of the Bea & Baby Records series! There are recordings from 1959-1964 with artists like John Little John, Sunnyland Slim, Eddie Boyd and Willie Williams! Enjoy these great Chicago Blues recordings!

Bea And Baby Records Presents The Best Of Chicago Blues Vol. 3 mc
Bea And Baby Records Presents The Best Of Chicago Blues Vol. 3 zippy

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Various - Bea And Baby Records Presents The Best Of Chicago Blues Vol. 2

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:52
Size: 121.0 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[2:19] 1. Little Mack Simmons - Mother In Law
[2:44] 2. Little Mack Simmons - Help Me
[2:06] 3. Little Mack Simmons - Trouble No More
[2:58] 4. Little Mack Simmons - I'm Tore Down
[3:29] 5. Sunnyland Slim - Done You Wrong
[2:32] 6. Sunnyland Slim - Got That Jive
[3:25] 7. Sunnyland Slim - Little Girl
[2:47] 8. Eddie Boyd - You Got To Reap
[2:37] 9. Eddie Boyd - Come Home
[3:36] 10. Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness - Lost In The Jungle
[2:30] 11. Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness - Worried All The Time
[3:20] 12. Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness - Potato Diggin' Man
[2:33] 13. Arelean Brown - Hello Baby
[3:17] 14. Arelean Brown - I Love My Man
[2:00] 15. L.C. McKinley - Nit Wit
[2:15] 16. Detroit Jr. - Money Tree
[2:43] 17. Detroit Jr. - So Unkind
[3:00] 18. Clyde Lasley - Santa Claus Home Drunk
[2:32] 19. Lee Jackson - The Christmas Song

This is the second CD by the Chicago Label Bea & Baby Records with recordings from 1960-1971. The artists are well known, like Detroit Junior, Lee Jackson, Little Mac Simmons, Eddie Taylor and many more! This is the best Blues in Chicago from the 60s!

Volume 3 tomorrow. Scroll down a bit for Volume 1.
Bea And Baby Records Presents The Best Of Chicago Blues Vol. 2 mc
Bea And Baby Records Presents The Best Of Chicago Blues Vol. 2 zippy

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Various - Bea And Baby Records Presents The Best Of Chicago Blues (Vol. 1 of 3 Volumes)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:53
Size: 153.1 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1994/2017
Art: Front

[3:04] 1. Homesick James - My Baby Gone
[3:18] 2. Homesick James - My Kind Of Woman
[3:15] 3. Homesick James - Homesick Sunnyland Special
[3:03] 4. James Cotton - One More Mile
[1:45] 5. James Cotton - There Must Be A Panic
[2:42] 6. Hound Dog Taylor - My Baby's Coming Home
[2:06] 7. Hound Dog Taylor - Five 'take Five'
[2:04] 8. Eddie Boyd - Thank You Baby
[2:31] 9. Eddie Boyd - Blue Monday Blues
[2:47] 10. Eddie Boyd - The Blues Is Here To Stay
[2:35] 11. Eddie Boyd - I'm Commin' Home
[3:00] 12. Eddie Boyd - All The Way
[2:47] 13. Eddie Boyd - Where You Belong
[2:19] 14. Little Mack Simmons - Don't Come Back
[2:25] 15. Little Mack Simmons - Times Are Getting Tougher
[2:12] 16. Little Mack Simmons - I'm Your Fool
[2:01] 17. Little Mack Simmons - Let Out Of Jail
[2:23] 18. Earl Hooker - Dynamite
[2:48] 19. Bobby Saxton - Trying To Make A Living
[2:26] 20. L.C. Mc.Kinley - Sharpest Man In Town
[3:45] 21. Sunnyland Slim - Too Late To Pray
[2:44] 22. Sunnyland Slim - House Rock
[2:48] 23. Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness - Special Agent
[3:33] 24. Willie Williams - 38 Woman
[2:21] 25. Willie Williams - Somebody Changed The Lock

For nearly 20 years beginning in 1959, Chicago businessman Narvel Eatmon (aka Cadillac Baby) presided over his Bea & Baby record label, by far the most enduring of his many investments, which included a nightclub, a record store, an appliance repair service, and a confectionary. Some seven years after his demise, Wolf Records released a 24-track sampler from the Bea & Baby catalog. The lineup is very impressive, and reflects the original label's profile pretty well. It includes guitarists Hound Dog Taylor, Homesick James Williamson, L.G. McKinley, Robert Jr. Lockwood, and Earl Zebedee Hooker; pianists Eddie Boyd and Sunnyland Slim; blues harpists James Cotton, Carey Bell, and Little Mack Simmons; singing drummer Willie Williams; and vocalists Bobby Saxton and Andrew McMahon. This compilation is very similar to The Best of Cadillac: Meat & Gravy, a Bea & Baby "best-of" released by Culture Press in 1998. Unfortunately, the two simultaneously issued collections have 16 tracks in common. In 2003, Castle Music compounded the confusion by releasing a double-disc Bea & Baby collection called Meat & Gravy. Public comprehension of Cadillac Baby's legacy was muddled even further when the misleadingly titled Cadillac Records, a film based upon the story of the Chess label, came out in 2008. By then the Bea & Baby catalog was being administered by the Earwig Music Company, Inc., and plans were afoot for more careful, comprehensive, and conscientious reissuing. ~arwulf arwulf

Volume 2 tomorrow.
Bea And Baby Records Presents The Best Of Chicago Blues Vol. 1 mc
Bea And Baby Records Presents The Best Of Chicago Blues Vol. 1 zippy

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Little Mack Simmons - Little Mack Is Back

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:10
Size: 149.2 MB
Styles: Chicago blues, Harmonica blues
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[3:46] 1. Leaving In The Morning
[4:07] 2. Bad Intentions
[4:17] 3. Mother-In-Law Blues
[3:28] 4. Let Me Explain My Love
[2:42] 5. My Babe
[4:32] 6. Revelation Blues
[4:26] 7. You`re So Special
[3:26] 8. I Got What It Takes
[3:16] 9. Five Long Years
[3:11] 10. You`re So Fine
[4:15] 11. You Mistreated Me
[3:14] 12. St. James Infirmary
[3:35] 13. Lie To Me
[2:12] 14. I Wish You Would
[3:29] 15. Chicken Heads
[3:36] 16. White Cloud Of Confusion
[3:28] 17. The Sky Is Crying
[4:01] 18. Dust My Broom

In his remarkable 47-year career, Little Mack Simmons — Chicago vocalist and harpman extraordinaire — has performed with the some of the brightest lights of the blues world, including Robert Nighthawk, Sunnyland Slim, Eddie Boyd, Willie Mabon, Detroit Junior, Jimmy Dawkins, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, Magic Sam, J.B. Lenoir and Howlin' Wolf.

Malcolm Simmons was born on January 25, 1933, in the small cotton-farming community of Twist, Arkansas. He was a childhood friend of James Cotton, who was serving as an apprentice of Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) at the time. The two boys persisted in skipping school together for the more enticing lure of jamming on their harmonicas, and Cotton taught Simmons the harp techniques he was learning from the master.

It was his 1997 Electro-Fi release, Little Mack Is Back, that proclaimed the revival of Simmons's career, reaping enthusiastic reviews from around the globe. Recorded in Canada with 'Toronto's finest players'. Nice recording, good band, and well-balanced mixture of classics and originals. The Chicago harp player loves to blow, and it shows. Recommended.

Little Mack Is Back

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Little Mack Simmons - Blue Lights

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:09
Size: 130.8 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2002/2008
Art: Front

[3:52] 1. Help Me
[2:43] 2. You Mistreated Me
[4:36] 3. Blue Lights
[4:07] 4. Killing Floor
[4:22] 5. Mystery Train
[5:17] 6. Last Night
[3:19] 7. So Unhappy
[3:03] 8. Mother-In-Law Blues
[3:08] 9. Poison Ivy
[4:16] 10. Sad Hours
[2:16] 11. Messin' With The Kid
[6:12] 12. Last Night
[2:41] 13. Talk To You Baby
[3:21] 14. Driving Wheel
[3:49] 15. Juke

Bass – Dave Myers; Drums – Fred Below; Guitar – Hubert Sumlin, Lonnie Brooks; Harmonica, Vocals – Mack Simmons (tracks: Little Mack Simmons); Piano – Willie Mabon. Recorded December 8 & 22, 1975 in Paris, France, except 12 to 15 recorded live November 18, 1975 in Reims, France.

In his remarkable 47-year career, Little Mack Simmons — Chicago vocalist and harpman extraordinaire — has performed with the some of the brightest lights of the blues world, including Robert Nighthawk, Sunnyland Slim, Eddie Boyd, Willie Mabon, Detroit Junior, Jimmy Dawkins, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, Magic Sam, J.B. Lenoir and Howlin' Wolf.

Malcolm Simmons was born on January 25, 1933, in the small cotton-farming community of Twist, Arkansas. He was a childhood friend of James Cotton, who was serving as an apprentice of Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) at the time. The two boys persisted in skipping school together for the more enticing lure of jamming on their harmonicas, and Cotton taught Simmons the harp techniques he was learning from the master. Soon school was dropped completely, and Mack picked cotton and drove a tractor full time. Then at 18, he left for St. Louis, where he lived for two years while working on the railroad. It was here that Simmons met the renowned Robert Nighthawk and made his club debut on Nighthawk's stage. In 1954 Little Mack moved on to Chicago, where he formed his own band and held down a five-year stand at Cadillac Baby's, as well as performing regularly at Pepper's Lounge and at Sylvio's. In 1959 he began his recording career, initially at Carl Jones's C.J. label, then he cut tracks for Cadillac Baby and Chess Records. Over the next three years, he laid down more sides for the Palos, Bea & Baby and New Breed labels.

By the late 1960s, Simmons had redefined his musical style, incorporating an intriguing mix of gospel, country and western, funk, soul and rock influences into his blues. From the mid to late 1970s, he owned and operated the Zodiac Lounge in Chicago. He also owned a studio and recorded for his own labels: PM Records and Simmons Records. In addition he cut blues tracks for Biscayne and Dud Sound, and in the 1980s he recorded for Sky Hero Productions, in which he was a partner.

Blue Lights

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Little Mack Simmons - The Best Of Little Mack Simmons: The Electro-Fi Years

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:23
Size: 135.9 MB
Styles: Chicago blues, Harmonica blues
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:46] 1. Leaving In The Morning
[4:45] 2. Hooked On Your Love
[3:28] 3. Let Me Explain My Love
[3:37] 4. So Unhappy
[4:26] 5. You're So Special
[2:41] 6. My Babe
[3:46] 7. The Things I Used To Do
[4:39] 8. Fever
[4:15] 9. You Mistreated Me
[4:32] 10. Blue Lite
[3:33] 11. Snap Your Fingers
[4:17] 12. Mother-In-Law Blues
[3:10] 13. Five Long Years
[2:46] 14. Mystery Train
[4:33] 15. Revelation Blues
[1:01] 16. Route 66

Little Mack Simmons is a criminally ignored blues vocalist and harmonica player that has been around since the 70's and certainly deserves a wider audience. Little Mack has a soulful, rough edged tenor voice and his arragements of both the blues classics and his own original songs bear his own distinctive stamp.

He's a versatile performer who is at home doing country blues, urban blues, jazz and even a few R&B songs. This collection of his earliest recordings in the Seventies and Eightes, on Electro-Fi is an essential recording for any hard-core blues fan. ~Gavin B.

The Best Of Little Mack Simmons: The Electro-Fi Years mc
The Best Of Little Mack Simmons: The Electro-Fi Years zippy

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Johnny Laws - My Little Girl

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:23
Size: 122.2 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1995/2015
Art: Front

[3:38] 1. Like A Fish
[5:18] 2. Can't Take No More
[4:49] 3. Lie To Me
[5:48] 4. Somebody Loan Me A Dime
[5:57] 5. Cryin For My Baby
[6:59] 6. (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
[4:37] 7. I Should Have Quit You
[4:32] 8. Big Question
[3:39] 9. Don't You Lie
[4:25] 10. My Little Girl
[3:36] 11. Mother In Law Blues

Johnny Laws (vocals, guitar); John Primer (guitar); Little Mack Simmons (harp); Earl Howell (drums). Recording information: ACME Recording, Chicago, IL (06/06/1994/07/05/1994).

For nearly 50 years Johnny Laws has been playing the Blues around the Southside clubs in Chicago and, apart from a couple of excellent albums in the 90s, he has never caused much of a stir outside his own community. That’s a shame because Johnny has a great voice: his passionate falsetto and smooth delivery give him an expressive instrument for many Blues styles, from the West Coast sound of Charles Brown to the more raucous tones of Jimmy Reed and Hound Dog Taylor. Johnny’s long-running Saturday residency at The Cuddle Inn, where he sings and plays his steady-rolling guitar, seems to be one of Chicago’s best kept secrets.

Word got out in 1995 when Johnny recorded his ‘My Little Girl’ album for the Wolf label. He covered a couple of standards, but most of the tracks were Johnny’s own songs. Four years later, he cut ‘Burnin’ in My Soul’ which showed his range and versatility. All the tracks are fairly well known Blues songs but Johnny puts his personal stamp on them with his sweet, soulful pipes. He continues to play, and is well worth checking out. And Johnny, you need to get out more! ~ROSCO GORDON

My Little Girl mc
My Little Girl zippy

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Various - The Best Of Harmonica Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:28
Size: 149.9 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:15] 1. Little Mack Simmons - You Mistreated Me Baby
[2:37] 2. Snooky Pryor - It Seem Like a Dream
[2:59] 3. Walter Shakey Horton - Hard Hearted Woman
[5:52] 4. Billy Branch - Everthing Gonna Be All Right
[2:20] 5. James Cotton - Dealing With the Devil
[5:32] 6. Little Arthur Duncan - Kansas City
[5:20] 7. Carey Bell - One Day
[5:07] 8. J. Monque'D - Rice and Gravy Fever
[4:28] 9. Oscar Harp - Caress Me Baby
[2:31] 10. Martin Lang - Martin Leaps In
[4:46] 11. Doc Terry - Born in the Delta
[3:04] 12. Sonny Boy Williamson I - Bluebird Blues
[2:35] 13. Jazz Gillum - I'm Still Walking the Hi-Way
[2:46] 14. Sonny Terry - Goin' Down Slow
[3:15] 15. Jerry Boogie McCain - It Must Be Love
[1:53] 16. Kid Thomas - Rockin' This Joint Tonite
[2:53] 17. George Harmonica Smith - I Don't Know
[1:12] 18. Hermann Alexander - Baby Please Don't Go
[2:53] 19. CeDell Davis - When I Woke Up Last Morning

Harmonica Blues refers to any style of blues where the harmonica plays a central figure. Although the harmonica was present in many country-blues recordings, it became a dominant force in the '50s, when it was amplified by the likes of Big Walter Horton, Little Walter, and Junior Wells. The powerful sound of a miked harmonica became an instantly recognizable element of electric blues, particularly Chicago blues. ~AMG

The Best Of Harmonica Blues mc
The Best Of Harmonica Blues zippy

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Little Mack Simmons - 2 albums: Come Back To Me Baby / Chicago Blues Harmonica Wizard

In his remarkable 47-year career, Little Mack Simmons — Chicago vocalist and harpman extraordinaire — has performed with the some of the brightest lights of the blues world, including Robert Nighthawk, Sunnyland Slim, Eddie Boyd, Willie Mabon, Detroit Junior, Jimmy Dawkins, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, Magic Sam, J.B. Lenoir and Howlin' Wolf.

Malcolm Simmons was born on January 25, 1933, in the small cotton-farming community of Twist, Arkansas. He was a childhood friend of James Cotton, who was serving as an apprentice of Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) at the time. The two boys persisted in skipping school together for the more enticing lure of jamming on their harmonicas, and Cotton taught Simmons the harp techniques he was learning from the master. Soon school was dropped completely, and Mack picked cotton and drove a tractor full time. Then at 18, he left for St. Louis, where he lived for two years while working on the railroad. It was here that Simmons met the renowned Robert Nighthawk and made his club debut on Nighthawk's stage.

In 1954 Little Mack moved on to Chicago, where he formed his own band and held down a five-year stand at Cadillac Baby's, as well as performing regularly at Pepper's Lounge and at Sylvio's. In 1959 he began his recording career, initially at Carl Jones's C.J. label, then he cut tracks for Cadillac Baby and Chess Records. Over the next three years, he laid down more sides for the Palos, Bea & Baby and New Breed labels. By the late 1960s, Simmons had redefined his musical style, incorporating an intriguing mix of gospel, country and western, funk, soul and rock influences into his blues. From the mid to late 1970s, he owned and operated the Zodiac Lounge in Chicago. He also owned a studio and recorded for his own labels: PM Records and Simmons Records. In addition he cut blues tracks for Biscayne and Dud Sound, and in the 1980s he recorded for Sky Hero Productions, in which he was a partner.

By the mid-1990s, Mack was back in the studio, cutting Come Back To Me Baby on the Wolf label in 1994 and High And Lonesome for St. George Records the following year. But it was his 1997 Electro-Fi release, Little Mack Is Back, that proclaimed the revival of Simmons's career, reaping enthusiastic reviews from around the globe.

Album: Come Back To Me Baby
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:15
Size: 128.8 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[4:10] 1. There's A Kissin' Goin' On
[4:50] 2. Key To The Highway
[7:06] 3. Tell Me Baby
[4:32] 4. I Got To Find My Baby
[4:42] 5. Don't Start Me To Talkin'
[3:19] 6. You Mistreated Me Baby
[3:19] 7. Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
[2:15] 8. Times Are Gettin' Tougher
[3:02] 9. Come Back To Me Baby
[5:50] 10. My Mamma Told Me
[4:30] 11. I'm Hooked On Your Love
[3:07] 12. I Got What It Takes
[5:27] 13. I Wonder Why

Come Back To Me Baby mc
Come Back To Me Baby zippy

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Album: Little Mac - Chicago Blues Harmonica Wizard
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:31
Size: 163.7 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[3:14] 1. My Walking Blues
[2:28] 2. Jumping At Cadillac
[3:00] 3. I Need You
[2:23] 4. Times Are Getting Tougher
[2:21] 5. Don't Come Back
[3:05] 6. You Mistreated Me
[2:29] 7. Broken Heart
[2:20] 8. I Need Love
[2:27] 9. I Play For Keeps
[2:32] 10. I'm Happy Now
[2:15] 11. Don't Leave Me Now
[2:17] 12. Mother In Law Blues
[2:42] 13. Woman Help Me
[2:07] 14. Drivin' Weel
[2:12] 15. Broken Heart
[2:14] 16. I'm Your Fool
[2:04] 17. Let Hootenanny Blues
[2:20] 18. Never Leave Me Homework Undone
[2:54] 19. Givin' Me A Hard Time
[3:40] 20. Blue Light
[2:56] 21. You're So Fine
[2:08] 22. Trouble No More
[3:00] 23. I'm Tore Down
[3:35] 24. The Sky Is Crying
[3:42] 25. Hoochie Coochie Man
[2:32] 26. Key To The Highway
[2:23] 27. Inflation Blues

Chicago Blues Harmonica Wizard mc
Chicago Blues Harmonica Wizard zippy

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Little Mack Simmons - Somewhere On Down The Line

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 46:17
Size: 106.0 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[5:46] 1. Trouble No More
[3:24] 2. (I'm Just Like) Poison Ivy
[3:46] 3. Things I Used To Do
[3:37] 4. So Unhappy
[3:33] 5. Snap Your Fingers
[4:49] 6. All Around The World
[4:57] 7. It's Gonna Rain
[4:03] 8. I'm Ready
[4:45] 9. Hooked On Your Love
[4:54] 10. Fever
[2:38] 11. Next Time You See Me

While there's little startling about this 1999 collection of predominantly acoustic covers from the Chicago harpist/vocalist, the band and Simmons consistently find a low-key groove that's intoxicating. Simmons sings with easy authority, a sort of less lascivious Sonny Boy Williamson, and his band supports him with an effervescent, entirely unpretentious upbeat blues that leaps out of the speakers. Even warhorses like Little Willie John's "Fever" (which features an absolutely mind-melting piano solo from someone named Tyler Yarema) and Little Milton's "All Around the World," both of which have been covered to death, find unexpectedly fresh interpretations here. With leisurely, moving vocals that deliver emotionally without unnecessary effort, Simmons dances with the melodies, and his inspired performance makes this a successful album. The primarily acoustic format keeps the sound airy and uncluttered, as Simmons shifts from blues to gospel to R&B with deceptive ease. Seemingly recorded live in the studio with no overdubbing, the session crackles with unhurried electricity, as best exemplified by a spry cover of Joe Henderson's "Snap Your Fingers." Mack's unamplified harp solos hark back to pre-Little Walter days, but it's the way he and the band ease into these songs like a comfy pair of jeans that infuses the disc with such offhand pleasure. Everyone is having a blast, and the infectious feeling is perfectly captured on this recording. The CD closes with a weak 1971 recording of Junior Parker's "Next Time You See Me" (featuring Lonnie Brooks and Detroit Junior) that appears to be taken from a badly warped tape, or features someone playing in the wrong key. Otherwise, this is a subtle, fairly obscure gem well worth searching for. ~Hal Horowitz

Somewhere On Down The Line mc
Somewhere On Down The Line zippy

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