Mighty Lester & The Blues Kings - Mighty Lester & The Blues Kings

Year: 2002
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:41
Size: 78,0 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Front

1. That's What You Do To Me (3:17)
2. Don't Take Advantage Of Me (4:16)
3. Hold On, I'm Coming (2:34)
4. Too Tired (3:35)
5. Messin' With The Kid (3:04)
6. T-Bone Shuffle (5:10)
7. Quiet Whiskey (3:02)
8. T-Bone Boogie (4:12)
9. Two Bones And A Pick (4:26)

A rocking and roaring seven-piece combo, North Carolina-based Mighty Lester and the Blues Kings can get a crowd on their feet within seconds of hitting the stage. If you take a little West Coast Jump, some Kansas City Swing, Texas and Chicago blues, and add a dash of Memphis Stax Soul, you can bet that Mighty Lester and the Blues Kings will fit the bill whenever a good time is called for.

Formed in the spring of 2001 Mighty Lester had but one goal in mind. Getting people to dance and giving folks a show for their hard-earned money. After months of hard work and rehearsal it paid off. Mighty Lester was one of 16 bands in the 8th Annual Triangle Blues Society Blues Talent Competition. After two days of semi-finals they came out with 1st place in the Contemporary (electric) category and took home 1st place Overall, which means they headed off to Memphis, TN next year to compete in the International Blues Challenge against bands from all over the world.

Mighty Lester & The Blues Kings mc
Mighty Lester & The Blues Kings zippy

---

Gary Primich & Friends - Gary, Indiana

Year: 2010
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:23
Size: 158,2 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. The Hitman (w. Esa Kuloniemi & Jmmie 'Bluesman' Lawson) (4:58)
2. Hillybilly Blues (w.Wentus Blues Band) (4:04)
3. Sadie (w.Wentus Blues Band) (7:07)
4. Down The Road I Go (w.Wentus Blues Band) (5:31)
5. Real Gone Lover (w.Wentus Blues Band) (4:25)
6. Think It Over (w.Wentus Blues Band) (4:40)
7. Goodbye Little Girl (w.Wentus Blues Band) (6:54)
8. Company Man (w.Wentus Blues Band) (4:04)
9. Hustler (w. Honey B. & T-Bones) (5:37)
10. The Girl That Radiates That Charm (w. Honey B. & T-Bones) (5:02)
11. Number Nine Train (w. Honey B. & T-Bones) (3:47)
12. Been Around The World/My Back Scratcher (w. Honey B. & T-Bones) (5:53)
13. Gary Indiana (w. Esa Kuloniemi) (4:46)
14. Gary Primich Talks About Blues Harmonica Playing (1:29)

Gary Primich (April 20, 1958 - September 23, 2007) had numerous, loyal friends in Finland. This CD contains sessions recorded live and in the studio with the Finnish bands, Honey B & the T-Bones and Wentus Blues Band. He also played on many session recordings with Candye Kane, Omar, Nick Curran, Steve James, Tish Hinojosa, Doyle Bramhall and Esa Kuloniemi.

Now, don't let his intelligence, charm, and self-effacing manner fool you - Gary Primich was one bad-ass harmonica player. This release, an offering of deep respect from Gary's Finnish friends, will stand as a strong testament to the playing and technical aspects of what made Gary Primich such a rarity in the blues, or any musical genre. With this tribute CD, let's toast to the great Gary Primich!

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

Gary, Indiana mc
Gary, Indiana zippy

---

T-Bone Singleton - Walkin' The Floor

Size: 118,8 MB
Time: 50:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1996
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Sunset Blues (4:04)
02. Walkin' The Floor (4:06)
03. Reconcile (8:25)
04. Don't Ever Go (4:17)
05. Boogie Train (5:17)
06. Light In A Dark Place (4:56)
07. Gonna Make Me Cry (6:16)
08. Let Me Be Your Man (3:20)
09. Tryna Get Along (4:10)
10. Power Up (5:54)

Guitarist, singer and songwriter T-Bone Singleton was born in New Orleans and grew up in Baton Rouge, where he still lives. JSP Records of London recently released his debut recording, Walkin' the Floor, which represents some of his best songs over a ten-year period.

As a youth, T-Bone recalls seeing and hearing the old-style Southern swamp bluesmen like Silas Hogan and Guitar Kelly playing in local cafes, and musicians like Slim Harpo and Lightnin' Slim were also frequent performers in Baton Rouge juke joints. Singleton was raised on gospel and soul music and became interested in guitar after hearing his neighbor play, and he began playing a nylon-stringed acoustic guitar at 14. In high school, he worked nights with his father building cabinets, and it was on a job with his father that he got his first electric guitar and amplifier. Within months, he was playing guitar and bass in a gospel group and playing soul music with high school friends. Later, he began playing in clubs in north Baton Rouge until he was approached in the mid-1970s by Buddy Powell, who asked him to become the guitarist for his band, the Condors. The regional band toured the Gulf Coast for several years, playing blues, soul and Top 20 hits until Powell quit to become musical director at Gloryland Baptist Church.

Singleton went on to become an ordained minister and has delivered numerous sermons since then, but he still has no full-time position as a pastor. Like many other bluesmen from the South, Singleton's style of blues guitar playing and singing is heavily gospel-oriented, and these days, he still plays local clubs in and around Baton Rouge and has made several appearances at the annual River City Blues Festival.

His 1996 JSP Records release, Walkin' the Floor, is a small fraction of his output from the last ten years, and the ever-inventive songwriter and guitarist probably has another three albums worth of material ready to be recorded. Well-respected in Baton Rouge, Singleton's debut album was produced by blues guitarist and singer Larry Garner. ~Richard Skelly

Walkin' The Floor

---

Doug MacLeod - Live At XM Satellite, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Album: Live At XM Satellite, Vol. 1
Size: 62,9 MB
Time: 27:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2007
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Front

01. Old Country Road (4:54)
02. The Working Man Blues (6:23)
03. One Good Woman (3:42)
04. Cold Rain (4:43)
05. A Little Sin (3:30)
06. Welcome In Your Home (3:52)

Album: Live At XM Satellite, Vol. 2
Size: 77,2 MB
Time: 33:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2007
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Front

01. Raylene (3:51)
02. Horse With No Rider (4:27)
03. Long Time Road (3:42)
04. The Addition To Blues (4:35)
05. The Long Black Train (6:31)
06. Since I Left St Louis (3:51)
07. Where You'll Find Me (6:12)

MacLeod is known for his superb songwriting, guitar wizardry, warm soulful vocals, wit and unforgettable live performances. At the heart of a Doug MacLeod performance is his knack for storytelling, bringing characters-from the faceless to the legendary-to strikingly real life.

Doug is a multiple Blues Music Award winner, most recently the 2018 Blues Music Award for Acoustic Album Of The Year ‘Break The Chain’ and the 2017 Blues Music Award for Acoustic Artist Of The Year.

Live At XM Satellite, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

---

Westmont Blues - Luis Robinson Session

Size: 50,1 MB
Time: 21:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. Shuffle Serrano (En Vivo) (3:31)
02. If You Need Me (En Vivo) (5:00)
03. Muddy In Casa (En Vivo) (3:30)
04. Caldonia (En Vivo) (4:37)
05. I’ve Got My Mojo Working (En Vivo) (4:52)

Westmont Blues is a trio formed by Maximiliano Cervetti on piano and hammond, Lautaro Bocai on drums, and Santos Massa on bass.
It is a project formed in 2018 in which it is betting on an organic sound, with acoustic instruments, which fuses the blues with the rhythms and nuances of traditional jazz. The trio format, with eventual guitars of special guests, revolves around the piano, and hammond, which is where the melodies and harmonies come from.
The result is a subtle resonance that seeks to remember Muddy Waters, a referent of the band and who gives rise to the name.
Westmont Blues arises in the east mount of the province of Cordova and has appeared in numerous scenes, sharing dates with Luis Robinson, harmonica player of the Mississippi, Pappo's Blues among others, pioneer of the genre and reference in the national scene for having awarded him a great prominence to the instrument through its participation in numerous recordings that have remained in the history of Blues and National Rock.

Luis Robinson Session

---

Shakin' Stevens - Rockin' The Blues

Size: 105,8 MB
Time: 45:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Rockin' Blues
Art: Front

01. Shame, Shame, Shame (2:11)
02. I'll Be Satisfied (3:11)
03. Don't Tell Me We're Through (4:42)
04. Sapphire (2:42)
05. I'm Leaving You (3:01)
06. (Yeah) You're Evil (2:13)
07. Love You Out Loud (3:12)
08. Josephine (3:03)
09. As Long As I Have You (3:00)
10. Lipstick, Powder And Paint (2:43)
11. What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For? (2:49)
12. Come Back And Love Me (2:47)
13. Green Door (3:12)
14. Do What You Did (2:09)
15. Dizzy Miss Lizzy (Live At The London Palladium) (4:36)

One of the linchpins of the British rock & roll revival of the 1970s and '80s, Shakin' Stevens ranks among the most persistent performers ever to emerge, ultimately, as a superstar. Stevens has no less than 30 U.K. Top 40 hits to his name, almost all of them racked up during a five-year span of chart invincibility. Yet his recording career pre-dated his first hit by over a decade, struggling through a period that might have forced any less committed artist to simply abandon all hope.

"Shaky" was born Michael Barratt on March 4, 1948 in Ely, Wales. The youngest of 11 children and a keen amateur singer, he was already married and working as a milkman when he formed Shakin' Stevens & the Sunsets, his first professional band, in 1968. The bandmembers themselves had been playing together in one form or another since the late '50s (when they formed as the Backbeats), and knew Stevens as one of their most devoted fans; he would often join them on-stage to perform a guest vocal or two. With a ferocious live following around South Wales, the band signed to Parlophone in 1970 and recorded its debut album, the optimistically titled A Legend, with producer Dave Edmunds. Reports that they also opened for the Rolling Stones in December 1969 appear to be exaggerated, but the band gigged regularly around Germany and Holland, and scored several European hit singles.

Still, they seemed doomed to haunt the rock & roll revival circuit, all the more so after Stevens was cast in impresario Jack Good's musical Elvis in 1977 (he appeared as the Army-era King), and the band was forced into hiatus for the duration of the play's six-month run. Worse was to come (for the group), however, as Elvis went on to become one of the year's biggest musicals. Stevens' run was extended to two years, and exploding media attention made it clear that Shaky would not be returning to South Wales anytime soon. Stevens quit the Sunsets in late 1979 and, as a solo performer, was signed briefly to Track Records. However, three singles and the Play Loud LP were lost when the label went bankrupt and, while Stevens quickly bounced back, signing to CBS in 1980. His first attempt at recording an album for the label ended with rejection.

A role in Jack Good's reborn Oh Boy TV series kept Stevens at the forefront, however, and the CBS subsidiary Epic picked him up. Three singles flopped, but in February 1980 Stevens finally scored his first U.K. hit when a version of Buck Owens' "Hot Dog" reached number 24. "Marie Marie," a Top 20 hit, arrived that summer, and the following February, Stevens enjoyed his first U.K. chart-topper, "This Ole House." The follow-up, "You Drive Me Crazy," reached number two, before "Green Door" returned him to the top. Thereafter, the hits flew thick and fast; further chart-toppers "Oh Julie" (1982) and "Merry Christmas Everyone" (1985) sandwiched such smashes as "Shirley," "Give Me Your Heart Tonight," "I'll Be Satisfied," "Blue Christmas," "Cry Just a Little Bit," and many more.
A 1985 reunion with the Sunsets' first producer, Dave Edmunds, resulted in the Lipstick Powder & Paint LP (Edmunds also handled the Christmas number one), while Stevens' other albums included the Top Three successes This Ole House and Shaky (both 1981) and Give Me Your Heart Tonight (1982). There was even chart action for his early-'70s work with the Sunsets, gathered up on the 1981 compilation Shakin' Stevens. Litigation relating to this material would pursue Stevens through the remainder of the
80s and into the '90s, as his former bandmates battled over unpaid royalties. The hits grew smaller as the '80s progressed; his final U.K. Top Five entry was a revival of "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For" in 1987; other singles struggled to even approach the peaks Shaky had once dominated, and in 1993, Stevens retired from recording and performing. His final hit, the previous year's "Radio," was recorded with Queen's Roger Taylor and reached number 37.

Stevens remained in retirement for six years. He was back on the live circuit in 1999, and in 2005 he returned to the U.K. chart with the hits compilation The Collection. That same year he appeared on, and won, the U.K. pop oldies reality TV show Hit Me Baby One More Time -- his victorious song, a cover of P!nk's "Trouble," brought him a Top 20 hit that summer, and paved the way for his first new album in 15 years, 2007's Now Listen. The following year saw Stevens celebrate his 60th birthday with a string of major concerts around the U.K. and Europe, including an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival. Another celebratory tour followed in 2011 when Stevens launched his 30th anniversary celebration and released a new album, Rockin' the Blues. Returning in 2016 with his 20th studio album, Stevens took inspiration from his own ancestral background for the much darker and Americana-influenced Echoes of Our Times. ~Dave Thompson

Rockin' The Blues

---

VA - Sun Blues Archives & Rarities 1950-1958

Size: 404,7 MB
Time: 171:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

01. Albert Williams - Hoo Doo Man (Memphis Al) (2:48)
02. Albert Williams - Rumble Chillen (2:29)
03. Albert Williams - Shine Boy (2:27)
04. Bonnie Turner - Love Is A Gamble (2:07)
05. Bonnie Turner - Old Brother Jack (2:48)
06. Boyd Gilmore - Believe I'll Settle Down (3:07)
07. David Honeyboy Edwards - Sweet Home Chicago (2:55)
08. Earl Hooker - Blue Guitar (2:47)
09. Earl Hooker - Move On Down The Line (2:15)
10. Earl Hooker - Steel Guitar Rag (2:53)
11. Earl Hooker - The Drive (2:19)
12. Earl Hooker - The Hucklebuck (3:04)
13. Hot Shot Love - Harpin' On It (2:27)
14. Houston Strokes - Carry My Business On (2:34)
15. Houston Strokes - Standing In The Courthouse Crying (3:00)
16. Houston Strokes - Baby's Gone And Left Me (2:11)
17. Houston Strokes - Blue And Lonesome (2:03)
18. James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues (2:57)
19. James Cotton - Hold Me In Your Arms (2:48)
20. James Cotton - My Baby (2:25)
21. James Cotton - Straighten Up Baby (2:18)
22. Joe Hill Louis - Dorothy Mae (2:06)
23. Joe Hill Louis - Hydramatic Woman (2:32)
24. Joe Hill Louis - I'm A Poor Boy (2:57)
25. Joe Hill Louis - Keep Your Arms Around Me (2:58)
26. Joe Hill Louis - She May Be Yours (Sweetest Gal In Town) (2:52)
27. Joe Hill Louis - Tiger Man (3:13)
28. Joe Hill Louis - When I Am Gone (She Treats Me Mean And Evil) (3:45)
29. Johnny O'Neal - Dead Letter Blues (3:30)
30. Johnny O'Neal - Johnny's Dream (2:54)
31. Johnny O'Neal - Ugly Woman (Peg Leg Baby) (2:22)
32. Kenneth Banks - Blue Man (3:20)
33. Kenneth Banks - High (2:25)
34. L.C. Hubert - Lucy Done Moved (2:28)
35. Little Junior - Feelin' Bad (2:41)
36. Little Milton - Alone And Blue (3:11)
37. Little Milton - Beggin' My Baby (2:27)
38. Little Milton - Homesick For My Baby (2:49)
39. Little Milton - I Love My Baby (2:58)
40. Little Milton - If You Love Me (2:34)
41. Little Milton - Lookin' For My Baby (2:52)
42. Little Milton - Re-Beep (2:35)
43. Little Milton - Rode That Train (Lookin' For My Baby) (2:47)
44. Little Milton - She's My Queen (2:32)
45. Little Milton - Somebody Told Me (2:57)
46. Mose Vinson - 44 Blues (2:31)
47. Mose Vinson - Come See Me (Aka My Love Has Gone) (2:09)
48. Mose Vinson - Mistreatin' Boogie (2:34)
49. Mose Vinson - Reap What You Sow (2:44)
50. Mose Vinson - Worry You Off My Mind (3:09)
51. Pat Hare - Bonus Pay (2:07)
52. Pat Hare - Cheating And Lying Blues (Aka I'm Gonna Murder My Baby) (2:57)
53. Pinetop Perkins - Pinetop's Boogie Woogie (2:47)
54. Raymond Hill - I'm Back Pretty Baby (2:39)
55. Raymond Hill - Long Gone Raymond (2:38)
56. Raymond Hill - My Baby Left Me (2:25)
57. Raymond Hill - Somebody's Been Carryin' Your Rollin' On (2:57)
58. Tot Randolph - Blues Train (2:34)
59. Walter Bradford - Love For My Baby (2:18)
60. Walter Bradford - Reward For My Baby (3:01)
61. Walter Bradford - Too Blue To Cry (2:45)
62. Willie Johnson & Sammy Lewis - Gonna Leave You Baby (2:21)
63. Willie Johnson & Sammy Lewis - I Feel So Worried (2:06)
64. Willie Johnson & Sammy Lewis - So Long Baby Goodbye (2:07)

Sun Blues Archives & Rarities 1950-1958

---

Incognito - Blues Alive!

Year: 1995
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:57
Size: 159,6 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Checkin' Up On My Baby (4:44)
2. Funky Thing (4:39)
3. You Don't Have To Go (4:22)
4. Driftin' And Driftin' (7:53)
5. Caldonia (5:02)
6. Train Comin' (4:39)
7. Born In Chicago (3:57)
8. Little Red Rooster (5:39)
9. Worried About My Baby (4:09)
10. Homework (4:00)
11. Turn On Your Lovelight (4:21)
12. Blue Angel (5:46)
13. Good Man (4:48)
14. Sweet Home Chicago (4:53)

In 20 years of rocking the west coast, Incognito has earned its reputation in the upper echelon of Vancouver's sizzling R&B scene. With four CD's and countless miles of touring on the clock, this skin-tight blues machine just keeps gathering steam.

Incognito came together in 1984 under the leadership of blues guitar prodigy Rob Montogmery and westcoast harmonica legend Sherman Doucette. Together they recruited arguably the best blues rhythm section on the coast: Bob Woods from the Matt Minglewood Band, and Bob Popowich from 6 Cylinder. Incognito was an immediate hit with their hard driving boogie, and rocking blues style.

Blues Alive! mc
Blues Alive! zippy

---

Cold Blue Steel - Drivin' To Mexico

Year: 1990/2008
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:10
Size: 109,9 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. I Vibrate (1:58)
2. Louisiana Mojo Man (3:13)
3. The Girl That Radiates (2:51)
4. Oh Baby (3:22)
5. Drivin' To Mexico (3:05)
6. Big City Woman (4:12)
7. Reconsider Baby (4:59)
8. Good Good Lovin' (2:26)
9. Pink Machinery (3:30)
10. Souhern Woman (3:27)
11. Waco Stomp (3:24)
12. Charley's Shuffle, Or 10-11 Boogie (2:50)
13. Pretty Little Lights (3:53)
14. Road Runner (3:55)

Texas in the '50s... When a car was the only way to go places and gasoline was 14 cents a gallon. This was the reason interstate highways were designed. This was the land of Chevys, Buicks, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and rest stops. This was the land of roadhouse boogie. Dallas' Cold Blue Steel plays music that sounds like it was written in roadhouses up and down the Texas countryside. A white-hot blend of blues, boogie, shuffle and electricity, its cool musical touch can scorch the ears off its listeners.

Dressed in their rockabilly/Texas blues drag, the band started in 1986 opening shows for such blues legends as John Lee Hooker, Man "Guitar" Murphy, and Grammy Award-winner, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Chosen 'Best Overall Act' in the 1993 Buddy Magazine Year End issue, Cold Blue Steel was featured at the State Fair of Texas for the last four years opening for Bruce Hornsby, 38 Special, Webb Wilder and the Iguanas. They have toured with X-Beatle Ringo Starr, Bo Diddley, Delbert Mcclinton and many others.

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Drivin' To Mexico mc
Drivin' To Mexico zippy

---

Mighty Lester - We Are Mighty Lester

Year: 2006
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:43
Size: 101,3 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. Gonna Ball Tonight (3:31)
2. Whiskeyhead Mama (3:13)
3. Give My Love A Try (4:25)
4. Greenbacks (2:57)
5. Skankin' (4:23)
6. Big Booty Baby (2:45)
7. Bring Me The Bottle (5:01)
8. She Knocks Me Out (3:32)
9. Last Weeks Blues (3:29)
10. Let's Call It A Day (2:58)
11. Swingin' At Lesters (3:55)
12. Sorry Didn't Do It (3:29)

Featuring the captivating Todd Dewberry on vocals, the powerful Mighty Horns, and a rock-solid rhythm section, Raleigh, North Carolina-based Mighty Lester has the crowd on their feet within seconds of hitting the stage. Drawing on influences from Kansas City, West Coast and Chicago Blues to Memphis Stax Soul, Mighty Lester keeps your hands clappin’, your toes tappin’, and your butt shakin’ all night long. Formed in 2000 as a trio, they quickly expanded to a seven-piece with harmonica and two saxes.

After their first club gig, the core of the band decided to kick it up a notch. They let the saxes, harp and keys go and brought in a full horn section, new keys man and dropped the harp altogether. Hitting the stage in September 2001 for their first live gig with the new lineup they were crowned the champions of the Triangle Blues Society 2001 Blues Competition and made the semi-final round in the 2002 International Blues Challenge. Having spent a few years perfecting their craft and finding just the right mix of people, they were proud to be crowned the champs at the 2005 Piedmont Blues Preservation Society Blues Challenge.

They had a phemoninal showing in Memphis for the 2006 International Blues Challenge with numerour radio requests, gigs and tour offers and even a sit down with a major label executive. More recently, Mighty Lester had the 'Blues Track of the Day' five times and the 'Blues Track of the Week' two times on Garageband.Com. They also were featured as the opening track on a recent episode of the Roadhouse Podcast.

A powerhouse band that delivers a real-deal set of jump, swing and Stax-flavored soul all in one CD. Recorded live-in-studio, the music has all the energy and punch of a live gig-not easy to do with an eight-piece band. Solid rhythm, big horns and soulful vocals from beginning to end. Winner of IBC 'Best Self-Produced CD' and 3rd place in the indie band competition.

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

We Are Mighty Lester mc
We Are Mighty Lester zippy

---

The James Cotton Band - High Energy

Size: 100,9 MB
Time: 43:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1975
Styles: Chicago Blues, Funky Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. Hot 'N Cold (3:05)
02. Chicken Heads (4:05)
03. Hard Time Blues (4:10)
04. I Got A Feeling (5:13)
05. Weather Report (The Weather Man Said) (5:00)
06. Rock 'N Roll Music (Ain't Nothing New) (5:16)
07. Fannie Mae (3:56)
08. Caldonia (3:41)
09. James' Theme (3:48)
10. Keep Cooking Mama (4:53)

At his high-energy, 1970s peak as a bandleader, James Cotton was a bouncing, sweaty, whirling dervish of a bluesman, roaring his vocals and all but sucking the reeds right out of his defenseless little harmonicas with his prodigious lung power. Due to throat problems during his latter years, Cotton's vocals were no longer what they used to be, but he remained a masterful instrumentalist for decades. Cotton had some gargantuan shoes to fill when he stepped into Little Walter's slot as Muddy Waters' harp ace in 1954, but for the next dozen years, the young Mississippian filled the integral role beside Chicago's blues king with power and precision. Of course, Cotton had been preparing for such a career move for a long time, having learned how to wail on harp from none other than Sonny Boy Williamson himself.

Cotton was only a child when he first heard Williamson's fabled radio broadcasts for King Biscuit Time over KFFA out of Helena, Arkansas. So sure was Cotton of his future that he ended up moving into Williamson's home at age nine, soaking up the intricacies of blues harpdom from one of its reigning masters. Six years later, Cotton was ready to unleash a sound of his own.

Gigging with area notables Joe Willie Wilkins and Willie Nix, Cotton built a sterling reputation around West Memphis, following in his mentor's footsteps by landing his own radio show in 1952 over KWEM. Sam Phillips, whose Sun label was still a fledgling operation, invited Cotton to record for him, and two singles commenced: "Straighten Up Baby" in 1953 and "Cotton Crop Blues" the next year. Legend has it Cotton played drums instead of harp on the first platter.

When Waters rolled through Memphis minus his latest harpist (Junior Wells), Cotton hired on with the legend and went to Chicago. Unfortunately for the youngster, Chess Records insisted on using Little Walter on the great majority of Waters' waxings until 1958, when Cotton blew behind Waters on "She's Nineteen Years Old" and "Close to You." At Cotton's suggestion, Waters had added an Ann Cole tune called "Got My Mojo Working" to his repertoire. Walter played on Muddy Waters' first studio crack at it, but that's Cotton wailing on the definitive 1960 reading (cut live at the Newport Jazz Festival).

By 1966, Cotton was primed to make it on his own. Waxings for Vanguard, Prestige, and Loma preceded his official full-length album debut for Verve Records in 1967. His own unit then included fleet-fingered guitarist Luther Tucker and hard-hitting drummer Sam Lay. Throwing a touch of soul into his eponymous debut set, Cotton ventured into the burgeoning blues-rock field as he remained with Verve through the end of the decade.

In 1974, Cotton signed with Buddah and released 100% Cotton, one of his most relentless LPs, with Matt "Guitar" Murphy sizzling on backup. A decade later, Alligator issued another standout Cotton LP, High Compression, which was split evenly between traditional-style Chicago blues and funkier, horn-driven material. Harp Attack!, a 1990 summit meeting on Alligator, paired Cotton with three exalted peers: Wells, Carey Bell, and comparative newcomer Billy Branch. Antone's Records was responsible for a pair of gems: a live 1988 set reuniting the harpist with Murphy and Tucker, and a stellar 1991 studio project, Mighty Long Time. Cotton moved into the 21st century as one of the last surviving originators of the Chicago blues sound, and didn't slow his pace, releasing a series of fine albums, including Fire Down Under the Hill (2000) and Baby, Don't You Tear My Clothes (2004), both for Telarc Records, and Giant (2010) and Cotton Mouth Man (2013), both on Alligator Records. A Best Blues Album nominee at the 2014 Grammy Awards, Cotton Mouth Man proved to be Cotton's last album released during his lifetime; the blues harp giant died of pneumonia in March 2017 at the age of 81. ~Bill Dahl

High Energy

---

RoHarpo - Livin' The Dream

Size: 97,4 MB
Time: 41:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Electric Blues, Harmonica Blues
Art: Front

01. Treat Me So Mean (3:45)
02. In Love (3:53)
03. Give Me Your Hand (3:53)
04. Shake What You Got (4:10)
05. I Can't Trust You (3:53)
06. Let It Be What It Be (5:58)
07. Tears In Your Eyes (8:46)
08. What Is It You Like About Me (3:47)
09. Don't Put Me In A Spot (3:36)

Unfortunately this CD reached Blues Blast with no information other than the single sheet cover which gives the song titles but nothing else. It is not therefore possible to credit any musicians other than RoHarpo who it is safe to assume handles vocals and harp; drums, bass and keys are also present. There is also no indication of a release date though his website reveals that a CD release party was held on 27 February 2016! The website also states that Ro was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but is now based in Sacramento, California.

The overall style here is blues with a dash of funk, Ro playing plenty of harp throughout. There are no writing credits but several songs are re-workings of familiar tunes such as “Treat Me So Mean” (with a spoken section that recalls Barry White) and “Give Me Back My Weave” which is Hound Dog Taylor’s tune with one word changed. Opener “In Love” is more of a funky tune with some nice guitar accents and “Give Me Your Hand” is a fast shuffle. “Shake What You Got” is a strange track with a lower sonic quality, Ro’s vocals sounding rather distant and an annoying synth riff coming from the far right of your headphones. Things improve with “I Can’t Trust You” as Ro plays some gentle harp on a slower song in which Ro’s relationship seems to be falling apart.

Two longer tunes follow: “Let It Be What It Be” has another spoken vocal, this time recalling Isaac Hayes, and some horns in the background; “Tears In Your Eyes” appears to be a live recording (with a noticeable drop in sound clarity – the recording also picks up someone answering a cell phone in the background!), a slow soul-blues ballad which Ro delivers well though at over eight minutes it does outstay its welcome. We return to studio recordings for “What Is It You Like About Me”, a shuffle with good harp work, and “Don’t Put Me In A Spot”, a stripped-back fast tune with Ro’s harp backed by just guitar and tambourine.

Overall nothing special to discuss here but plenty of harp to enjoy. It is a pity that there was not more information to pass on to readers to help to explain the background to the disc. ~John Mitchell

Apparently this rip is at 128 kbps or less but this is what it is. Low quality recording.
Livin' The Dream

---

Mr. Martin & His Big Horns - No Time To Slow Down

Size: 103,0 MB
Time: 43:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Blues Rock, New Orleans Blues
Art: Front

01. Coming Back To You (3:42)
02. I Dont Care (4:50)
03. Devil Snake Daughter (4:37)
04. Down And Out (3:34)
05. Messin' With My Baby (3:43)
06. Long Gone Woman (5:03)
07. No Time To Slow Down (3:19)
08. Squeeze Me Mama (3:59)
09. Hot House Queen (5:09)
10. My Pockets Filled With Blues (5:54)

Mr. Martin is according to Folkregistret Stig Martinsen, a passionate fan in the blues club and known musician in Moss since the 70's. At that time he played drums and played in bands such as Love in Vain, Skallagrimson, Lady Rosemary, Josie and others.

He eventually got tired of sitting hidden behind drums and wanted a more prominent role as a vocalist and guitarist. He came out more on stage, for example in connection with Dr. Blue, Kråkeby, Morsa Blueslag, Moss Blues Trio and Supersession, Deltaphonics

His latest project is called Mr. Martin & His Big Horns and the band has several concerts in Moss, Østfold and the Osl area. The feedback is great and it is clear that we are moving people with this type of music.

No Time To Slow Down

---

Joe Filisko & Eric Noden - Destination Unknown

Size: 108,1 MB
Time: 46:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. Anxious Blues (2:57)
02. Shut It Down (2:45)
03. Louisiana Song (3:48)
04. Path You Choose (4:21)
05. Beginning Of The End (3:05)
06. Black Clouds (3:57)
07. Destination Unknown (2:38)
08. As We Are Now (5:04)
09. My Kitchen (4:24)
10. Four Letter 'f' Word (2:57)
11. My Jesus (3:58)
12. Can't Take The Edge (3:44)
13. Time Is For You (2:46)

Joe Filisko and Eric Noden make a great contemporary acoustic harp/guitar duo, playing in the style of old-time greats like Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee or Mississippi John Hurt. This is their fifth album together and it is entirely original music with Eric writing six songs, Joe two and the pair collaborating on four; the final track was written by Eric’s grandfather, the late Harry J Noden. Everything you hear was recorded live in one session in Spring 2018, the music being mainly country blues with a few detours into country and old-time music.

“Anxious Blues” sets out the duo’s stall with lyrics that reflect the pace of modern life and the need to slow down a little, Joe getting a vast range of sounds from his harp. “Shut It Down” is an uptempo piece with an element of ragtime in the rhythm; some well-judged kazoo and Joe’s harp conjuring up a fiddle sound take us back to 1920’s jug bands. “Louisiana Song” celebrates the distinctiveness of Louisiana as seen by Joe whose breathier, almost spoken vocals feature on this one. Joe manages to make his harp sound almost like a harmonium or accordion on “Path You Choose” which is a blues boogie that a band like Canned Heat would have done well whereas “Beginning Of The End” is a country blues with Eric’s lead vocal echoed by Joe’s harmony responses, the refrain “don’t die until you’re dead” not perhaps being the most cheerful line on the disc! The dirge-like “Black Clouds” sounds suitably minimal with Eric’s simple slide work (perhaps influenced by Muddy) underpinning Joe’s Sonny Boy 1 style harp.

The title track is a homage to Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee with lyrics that reflect the freewheeling life of the itinerant musicians of yesteryear (and maybe today!). “As We Are Now” is a mournful slow song about Joe’s grandfather and mother who were forced to leave their old world home to find a new life in the States, Joe’s low register harp sounding like an accordion in the section of the song set in the old world but changing to more of a blues style for the New World part of the song – clever stuff indeed! Less serious is “My Kitchen” which gently pokes fun at people trying to help out in an area in which they have no expertise, played in Mississippi John Hurt style. “Four Letter ‘F’ Word” examines how people react to the word ‘free’ and is in the Sonny Boy 1 style, influenced by “Mellow Chick Swing” as well as by Big Bill Broonzy’s rhythmic guitar attack. “My Jesus” adapts a prayer from the Old Testament (Micah 6:8) and “Can’t Take The Edge” is a driving blues in the style of Mississippi Fred McDowell, Joe attempting some difficult playing in the style of Johnny Woods who played with Fred back in the day. The album closes with “Time Is For You”, a charming song written by Eric’s grandfather which is in fact a waltz, a first for the duo.

Anyone who appreciates acoustic blues will enjoy this album. The album notes that are available to download from the duo’s website give a huge amount of information that will help fellow musicians to appreciate the techniques being used by Joe and Eric; they are also well worth reading as you enjoy listening to the album. ~John Mitchell

Destination Unknown

---

Delbert McClinton - The Great Songs, Come Together

Size: 87,1 MB
Time: 37:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995
Styles: Texas Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front & Back

01. Come Together (4:03)
02. Can I Change My Mind (3:28)
03. Stir It Up (3:32)
04. I'm With You (3:52)
05. Have A Little Faith In Me (4:14)
06. Tell Me About It (3:32)
07. My Baby's Lovin (3:59)
08. Who's Foolin' Who (2:40)
09. Why Me (3:17)
10. Everytime I Roll The Dice (4:28)

Delbert McClinton (born November 4, 1940) is an American blues rock and electric blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist.

From his first professional stage appearance in 1957 to his most recent national tour in 2018, he has recorded albums for several major record labels and singles that have reached the Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Rock Tracks, and Hot Country Songs charts. His highest-charting single was "Tell Me About It", a 1992 duet with Tanya Tucker, which reached number 4 on the Country chart. Four of his albums have been number 1 on the U.S. Blues chart, and another reached number 2. His highest charting pop hit was 1980's "Giving It Up for Your Love," which peaked at number 8 on the Hot 100.

Delbert McClinton has earned three Grammy awards; 1992 Rock Performance by a Duo with Bonnie Raitt for "Good Man, Good Woman"; 2002 Contemporary Blues Album for "Nothing Personal"; and 2006 Contemporary Blues Album for "Cost of Living." He has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards as of 2018.

He was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in March 2011, along with Lee Roy Parnell, Bruce Channel, Gary Nicholson, and Cindy Walker.

The Great Songs, Come Together

---

Howard & The White Boys - Made In Chicago

Size: 113,4 MB
Time: 48:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. She Loves My Automobile (3:18)
02. Walk Away (8:13)
03. Good Booty And Bbq (5:23)
04. Walking To My Baby (3:07)
05. I'm In A Phone Booth Baby (4:07)
06. Yonder Wall (4:19)
07. Cold Cold Feeling (7:57)
08. Black Cat Bone (5:17)
09. Coming Home (6:26)

Howard McCullum brings Chicago blues to a worldwide audience. He and the members of his band first met in college at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb back in 1988. They've been living the Chicago blues ever since, making the Windy City their home and serving as ambassadors for their contemporary sound.

While the band's fusion of funk, R&B, and rock with contemporary blues strays pretty far from the pioneering colors of Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, they've got the same emotional outpouring and fiery guitar action that has always characterized Chicago blues.

Several selections, such as "Walking to My Baby, come clearly from the blues mainstream. Guitars and keyboards replace harmonica in their lineup, filling the role successfully. McCullum sings convincingly about hot relationships, failed romance, havin' a good time, dedicated love, lonely nights, growing apart, and sad, sad hearts.

Cold Cold Feeling recalls the session's truest and most traditional meaning of the blues, as Howard and the White Boys soak up a mournful aura in a fit of passion. Everyone can relate to their message. With McCullum's poignant vocals and his band's fiery guitar attack, this one hits home.

Black Cat Bone brings back the funk and the dance that we're gonna miss, now that James Brown has passed. McCullum gives this one a fierce texture that burns hot and bright.

Walk Away and "Coming Home both move slowly and sincerely with a country flavor, as Howard and the White Boys take their opportunity to share an original message through their music. The latter, an instrumental number, brings everyone together in a passionate mix of emotion that grows gradually hotter and hotter. Made in Chicago is a clear winner, proving to the world that good blues continues to pique our deepest feelings.

Personnel: Howard McCullum: vocals, bass; Rocco Calipari: guitar; Pete Galanis: guitar; Jim 'Bukka' Christopulos: Drums; Daryl Coutts (tracks 1,2,3,6,8,9), Dave Friebolin (tracks 1,4,5,6,7): Keyboards

Made In Chicago

---

Howie G - Master Of The Night

Size: 129,1 MB
Time: 55:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Little Miss Brandywine (4:40)
02. Anytime (5:26)
03. Walking With My Shadow (7:03)
04. Wiser Man (5:46)
05. Get Down With A Kiss (6:22)
06. Haunted Heart (4:43)
07. Lullaby (7:14)
08. Master Of The Night (5:22)
09. Mister Meander (9:00)

It is with great pleasure and anticipation that Howie G can now reveal the launch date of his debut solo album, Master of the Night.

Full of memorable riffs, spine tingling solos, and haunting lyrics, this long-awaited album brings a mix of blues and rock to the table with 9 original tracks all written and performed (Guitar and Vocals) by Howie G. "Master of the Night" hopes to bring something new, fresh and rocking to the scene.

This talented guitarist has worked with the likes of Carl Sentence (Nazareth, Persian Risk), Phil Campbell (Motorhead) and Don Airey (Deep Purple/Rainbow). Influenced by many of the worlds greatest guitarists covering many genres and generations (Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Tony Iommi, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Billy Gibbons, Gary Moore, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani). Howie G has the ability to make you smile, cry and tap your foot all at the same time.

Master Of The Night

---

Tadg Galleran - Even White Boys Get The Blues

Size: 102,7 MB
Time: 43:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Styles: Electric Blues, Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. Even White Boys Get The Blues (4:04)
02. Cab Driver (3:30)
03. Gingerbread (2:21)
04. Cash Check Or Money Order (2:52)
05. Don't Kiss And Tell (3:23)
06. A Mask Of Gray (3:22)
07. 40 Days And 40 Nights (4:10)
08. Rhymes With Bad (3:25)
09. From A Buick (3:00)
10. Black Drawers (4:06)
11. Wrong Doin' Woman (2:59)
12. Stagger Lee (3:30)
13. Six Days On The Road (2:47)

Tadg's first Gig in the blues was with Albert Collins in 1966. He was in the Los Angeles company of "Hair," the musical. He was only seventeen at the time. Tadg also appeared in the Broadway cast of HAIR, working beside Ben Vereen, Meatloaf, Dolores Hall, Ta Ta Vega, and Ted Neeley.

Post-"Hair," Tadg spent 14 years in the San Francisco Bay area, where he joined Blues jam sessions at clubs like "The Saloon" in San Francisco, "Eli's Mile High Club" in Oakland, and was influenced by such Bay area acts as Sonny Rhodes, Mitch Woods, Joe Louis Walker, and harmonica greats Huey Lewis and Charlie Musselwhite.

He became harmonica player for The King Brothers in 1989. Tadg still performs with them, and his original tune "Even White Boys Get the Blues" is on The King Brothers' first CD, "Turnin' Up the Heat." Tadg also played keyboard for a number of dates with childhood pal Richard Mikuls in The Shuffletones. It was here that he met guitarist James Armstrong, who at the time was recording his own album for Hi-tone Records. One night at a gig, James mentioned needing a slow song to complete the album. Tadg replied, "Let's do it now," and wrote the lyrics to "Don't Kiss and Tell" on the back of a band flyer. He didn't think about it again for six months, when James showed up with a copy of the record. "Don't Kiss and Tell" was an immediate hit in Holland and continues to get airplay throughout Europe.

In 1994, Tadg joined up with friend and former Monkee Peter Tork to perform at a benefit dance. They had so much fun they decided to form a band together.Shoe Suede Blues produced two CD's and tours the country performing their own unique brand of Blues to sold-out houses. Tadg is currently on hiatus from Shoe Suede Blues.

Tadg appeared for three years with blues legend Bernie Pearl and still tours with The King Brothers band.

These days you can find Tadg just about any sunny day playing music on Venice Beach in Los Angeles California. Sometimes he performs with the Merchants of Venice some time he performs alone.

Tadg's 1999 debut album, "Even White Boys Get the Blues," is a compendium of songs written throughout his life.

Even White Boys Get The Blues

---

Junior Parker - You Don't Have To Be Black To Love The Blues

Size: 77,3 MB
Time: 32:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1971/2007
Styles: Memphis Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Full

01. Five Years Long (3:02)
02. Tin Pan Alley (3:40)
03. Blue Shadows Falling (4:11)
04. That's Alright (3:10)
05. Way Back Home (4:00)
06. I Need Love So Bad (3:17)
07. Look On Yonders Wall (2:57)
08. Man Or Mouse (2:54)
09. Sweet Home Chicago (2:13)
10. I Like Your Style (3:12)

His velvet-smooth vocal delivery to the contrary, Junior Parker was a product of the fertile postwar Memphis blues circuit whose wonderfully understated harp style was personally mentored by none other than regional icon Sonny Boy Williamson.

Herman Parker, Jr. only traveled in the best blues circles from the outset. He learned his initial licks from Williamson and gigged with the mighty Howlin' Wolf while still in his teens. Like so many young blues artists, Little Junior (as he was known then) got his first recording opportunity from talent scout Ike Turner, who brought him to Modern Records for his debut session as a leader in 1952. It produced the lone single "You're My Angel," with Turner pounding the 88s and Matt Murphy deftly handling guitar duties.

Parker and his band, the Blue Flames (including Floyd Murphy, Matt's brother, on guitar), landed at Sun Records in 1953 and promptly scored a hit with their rollicking "Feelin' Good" (something of a Memphis response to John Lee Hooker's primitive boogies). Later that year, Little Junior cut a fiery "Love My Baby" and a laid-back "Mystery Train" for Sun, thus contributing a pair of future rockabilly standards to the Sun publishing coffers (Hayden Thompson revived the former, Elvis Presley the latter).

Before 1953 was through, the polished Junior Parker had moved on to Don Robey's Duke imprint in Houston. It took a while for the harpist to regain his hitmaking momentum, but he scored big in 1957 with the smooth "Next Time You See Me," an accessible enough number to even garner some pop spins.

Criss-crossing the country as headliner with the Blues Consolidated package (his support act was labelmate Bobby Bland), Parker developed a breathtaking brass-powered sound (usually the work of trumpeter/Duke-house-bandleader Joe Scott) that pushed his honeyed vocals and intermittent harp solos with exceptional power. Parker's updated remake of Roosevelt Sykes's "Driving Wheel" was a huge R&B hit in 1961, as was the surging "In the Dark" (the R&B dance workout "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo" followed suit the next year).

Parker was exceptionally versatile -- whether delivering "Mother-in-Law Blues" and "Sweet Home Chicago" in faithful down-home fashion, courting the teenage market with "Barefoot Rock," or tastefully howling Harold Burrage's "Crying for My Baby" (another hit for him in 1965) in front of a punchy horn section, Parker was the consummate modern blues artist, with one foot planted in Southern blues and the other in uptown R&B.

Once Parker split from Robey's employ in 1966, though, his hitmaking fortunes declined. His 1966-1968 output for Mercury and its Blue Rock subsidiary deserved a better reception than it got, but toward the end, he was covering the Beatles ("Taxman" and "Lady Madonna," for God's sake!) for Capitol. A brain tumor tragically silenced Junior Parker's magic-carpet voice in late 1971 before he reached his 40th birthday. In 2001, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. ~Bill Dahl

You Don't Have To Be Black To Love The Blues

---

Blues In Buckle - Blues In Buckle

Size: 90,5 MB
Time: 38:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Front

01. Going Back To Buckle (2:43)
02. Daddy’s Little Girl (4:58)
03. Redemption (4:15)
04. Back Home (3:39)
05. Mama (5:27)
06. Working It Out (3:50)
07. Mr. Steady (3:21)
08. Catch The Backbeat (2:55)
09. Blues From Buckle (3:51)
10. Still Steady (3:31)

The story of Buckle Blues is well known to fans of the genre, but for those unfamiliar, all they need to hear is the music. ‘Redemptions’ is a sad tale of a man craving a second chance in life, while ‘Mr. Steady’ is a fun, upbeat tribute to the band’s drummer.

All told this album features all the highs and lows you’d expect from a band who’d endured a lifetime of drama, triumph and, finally, redemption. This band has seen it all, and what they’ve seen can be heard in every note.

Blues In Buckle

---

Bobby 'Blue' Bland - His California Album

Time: 38:09
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1973/1990
Styles: Blues Soul
Art: Full

01. This Time I'm Gone For Good (Single Version) (3:33)
02. Up And Down World (3:34)
03. It's Not The Spotlight (3:53)
04. (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right (3:52)
05. Goin' Down Slow (5:35)
06. The Right Place At The Right Time (2:58)
07. Help Me Through The Day (3:51)
08. Where My Baby Went (3:19)
09. Friday The 13th Child (3:16)
10. I've Got To Use My Imagination (Single Version) (4:14)

And his first for ABC-Dunhill in 1973 after more than two decades with Duke (Robey's still represented, though, under his songwriting alias of Deadric Malone on four cuts, including the album's biggest hit, "This Time I'm Gone for Good"). Producer Steve Barri contemporized Bland by having him cover Leon Russell's "Help Me Make It Through the Day," Luther Ingram's "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right," and Gladys Knight & the Pips' "I've Got to Use My Imagination." ~Bill Dahl

His California Album

---

BR5-49 - Meet Me In St. Louis

Size: 185,9 MB
Time: 79:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Country
Art: Front

01. Georgia On A Fast Train (Live) (3:51)
02. Bettie Bettie (Live) (3:51)
03. Better Than This (Live) (3:36)
04. Fool Of The Century (Live) (2:55)
05. Hillbilly Thang (Live) (2:19)
06. She's Talking To Someone (Live) (2:39)
07. Pourin' Pain (Live) (2:31)
08. Uneasy Rider (Live) (4:38)
09. Are You Getting Tired Of Me (Live) (1:59)
10. Change The Way I Look (Live) (3:08)
11. Ship In A Bottle (Live) (2:34)
12. Out Of Habit (Live) (2:50)
13. Waitin' For The Axe (Live) (2:36)
14. Mama Tried (Live) (2:34)
15. Me 'n' Opie (Live) (3:47)
16. Luther Played The Boogie (Live) (2:31)
17. Right String Baby But The Wrong Yo-Yo (Live) (2:44)
18. Way Too Late (Live) (3:38)
19. The Game (Live) (3:23)
20. 18 Wheels And A Crowbar (Live) (5:27)
21. Thirty Days (Live) (3:01)
22. Little Ramona (Gone Hillbilly Nuts) (Live) (3:35)
23. Big Mouth Blues (Live) (3:32)
24. Cadillac In Model A (Live) (1:58)
25. White Lightning (Live) (3:24)

One of the most critically acclaimed alternative country bands of the '90s, BR5-49's sound, style, and even look were unabashedly retro. Dressing in old, budget-friendly clothes, the band played a mixture of classic '50s honky tonk, Western swing, boogie, Bakersfield country, rockabilly, and Gram Parsons-style country-rock. The group was founded by guitarists/vocalists Gary Bennett and Chuck Mead in early 1993, not long after they'd moved to Nashville from the Pacific Northwest and Kansas, respectively. Bennett led an informal band at Robert's Western Wear, a combination bar and clothing store on Lower Broadway in Nashville's old district, and Mead -- an alumnus of roots rockers the Homestead Grays -- worked at a nearby bar before joining up. They later added upright bassist Smilin' Jay McDowell, who'd previously been a guitarist in Hellbilly; drummer Shaw Wilson, a friend of Mead's from Kansas; and fiddle/steel guitar/mandolin/Dobro player Don Herron, an old cohort of Bennett's. The group took up residency at Robert's Western Wear, playing for tips three nights a week, and built a strong local following among both country and alternative rock fans, thanks to their eclectic repertoire and punkish, left-of-center attitude. They adopted the name BR5-49 from a phone number in a Junior Samples sketch on Hee Haw, and signed with Arista in 1995.

BR5-49's first release was an EP, Live at Robert's, which appeared in early 1996 and featured both originals and vintage country covers. The group built up their following via tours with the Mavericks, Junior Brown, and rockers the Black Crowes, and also issued their self-titled debut album later in the year. BR5-49 won rave reviews from both country and rock critics, and climbed into the country Top 40 with virtually no support from country radio. The same was true of the 1998 follow-up, Big Backyard Beat Show. BR5-49 toured with Brian Setzer in 1999, during which time they recorded their first full-length live album, Coast to Coast; the record was released the following year, again to excellent reviews. Unfortunately, Arista's country division was swallowed up in a merger, leaving the band without a record deal for a short time. Sony subsidiary Lucky Dog picked them up, and their label debut, 2001's This Is BR549, found them making a decided move toward the contemporary country mainstream (as well as dropping the oddly placed hyphen from their name). In its wake, Bennett and McDowell both broke ties with the band, reportedly weary of touring; amid rumors of the group's permanent breakup, they were replaced by Geoff Firebaugh and Chris Scruggs. Tangled in the Pines, which marked their first with Dualtone, appeared in spring 2004. Dog Days arrived in January of 2006. ~ Steve Huey

Meet Me In St. Louis

---

Charlie Musselwhite - Rough News

Year: 1997
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:57
Size: 108,0 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Both Sides Of The Fence (3:58)
2. I Sat & Cried (3:33)
3. Sleepwalk (2:32)
4. Natural Born Lover (3:35)
5. Darkest Hour (3:50)
6. Harlem Nocturne (2:23)
7. Drifting Boy (3:31)
8. Rough Dried Woman (4:30)
9. Feel It In Your Heart (3:41)
10. Rainy Highway (4:50)
11. Clarksdale Boogie (3:39)
12. Rough News (6:49)

Harmonica ace Charlie Musselwhite falls between the more obvious generations of blues players, younger than its elder statesmen but considerably senior to young hot-shots like Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. How, then, can he find a fresh hook to his music without resorting to attention-grabbing gimmicks? Except for two songs featuring producer/guitarist Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, Charlie Musselwhite's 1997 album, Rough News, doesn't have any famous guests, but it stands out from the harmonica whiz's long and deep discography nonetheless.

Musselwhite has pared down his sound so radically that every instrument has become a rhythm instrument. When these lean, groove-based arrangements are applied to tunes as simple and catchy as "Both Sides of Fence," "I Sat & Cried" and "Natural Born Lover," the results jump at the listener with the bare-basics excitement of early rock & roll. Musselwhite displays his elegant command of the mouth harp on two instrumental standards, "Sleepwalk" and "Harlem Nocturne," but the highlights are the songs where the simplicity of the material and the masterfulness of the musicians bring the best out in each other. /Geoffrey Himes, Amazon

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Rough News mc
Rough News zippy

---

Harmonica Shah Feat. Howard Glazer - Deep Detroit

Year: 2000
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:03
Size: 120,5 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Dun Made My Getaway (4:28)
2. Flat Down On My Back (4:07)
3. Bloodstains Upside The Wall (4:58)
4. Mellow Down Easy (4:41)
5. What's On Your Mind (5:34)
6. Woman Let It Groove (3:29)
7. Don't Kick Me To The Curb (4:27)
8. Born Blind (3:58)
9. Do You Remember (4:40)
10. Once Upon A Time (6:51)
11. Repo Man (4:46)

Deep Detroit, Harmonica Shah’s debut release in 2000 on UK label Bluetrack Records was an important album which brought him to international attention for the first time. Detroit’s legendary Harmonica Shah is soulfully powerful as he sings with an authentic jagged-edged voice. His licks on the harp deliver highly charged sound with each breath. Harmonica Shah is backed by Detroit guitarist Howard Glazer who delivers modern high energy playing that seems to speak to you with every chord.

Deep Detroit is the kind of recording rarely heard today – straight blues. It contains no overdubs and no second chances so what you hear is authentic-raw energy and drive, the real thing, the blues. John Clark of the London Times said “just when you think the blues has no more surprises, out springs Harmonica Shah who has been blowing and singing for years in Detroit but has had to wait until now to show off his undoubted skills on record”.

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Deep Detroit mc
Deep Detroit zippy

---

Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - Live From Austin, TX

Year: 2012/2019
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:55
Size: 142,5 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Front, back

1. Ain't That Dandy (5:39)
2. Born In Louisiana (4:56)
3. Honky-Tonk (5:55)
4. Dark End Of The Hallway (5:09)
5. Bits And Pieces (6:37)
6. Leftover Blues (11:25)
7. There You Are (5:56)
8. Early In The Mornin' (5:14)
9. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (5:51)
10. Up Jumped The Devil (5:08)

Suffice it to say, in all of music there was only one Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Texas music has always been a melting pot of many styles, genres, cultural and ethnic influences, but Gatemouth was a one-man cauldron of sonic intensity and originality unmatched by anyone before or since. If you asked him who his musical influences were, he would say, "I never wanted to sound like nobody. I just play the kind of stuff that got into my blood and I'm still the only person I know who plays it."

Still, born in Louisiana, raised in Texas and bouncing around the Texas circuit explains a lot. Whether playing one of his blistering blues guitar solos or teasing a country or Cajun melody out of his ever-present fiddle, Gatemouth's versatility reflected the musical palette of his home turf - a potpourri of blues, jazz, Cajun, r&b, Texas funk and honky-tonk. His father taught him to play piano and guitar, but he was also listening intently to T-Bone Walker, Count Basie, Woody Herman, and Texas Playboy steel guitarist Leon McAuliffe.

Gate borrowed heavily from the Big Band sound, and his music could swing with the best of them, as he demonstrates in this show recorded on February 6, 1996 (the last of his four appearances on Austin City Limits). Gatemouth Brown's live shows were always a musical roller coaster, seamlessly bouncing from song to song and instrument to instrument, with his irrepressible banter sometimes competing with the music. His was a highly personal approach, and he was a larger-than-life personality. Keeping with show biz tradition, he "rocked till he dropped", maintaining a busy touring schedule until just before he died in 2005 at 81.

Live From Austin, TX mc
Live From Austin, TX zippy

---