Charlie Wood - Charlie Wood & Friends

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:24
Size: 117.7 MB
Styles: Memphis blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[2:57] 1. Do What's Right
[4:49] 2. Blindside
[3:36] 3. Somebody Rescue Me
[4:04] 4. Good Thing
[3:38] 5. Strange Brew
[3:39] 6. Logtown
[3:31] 7. Tell Me What To Do
[2:58] 8. Junk In The Trunk
[4:00] 9. Saturday Night Jam
[3:11] 10. Jezebel
[2:53] 11. How Lucky Can One Man Be
[4:03] 12. Ain't Got The Blues No More
[3:35] 13. Another Day In The South
[4:23] 14. Between Heaven And An Ol' Blues Song

Charlie Wood is a singer/songwriter and keyboardist whose eclectic musical style incorporates elements of jazz, blues, traditional r&b and popular music. Born in Memphis, TN in 1967, Charlie spent many years there performing nightly with his Hammond organ trio in a long-standing residency at King’s Palace on Beale Street. The gig became known to touring musicians and locals alike, attracting impromptu sit-ins from B.B. King, Georgie Fame, Joey DeFrancesco, George Coleman, Mulgrew Miller, Alvin Batiste, and many others. In October 2014, Wood became the 136th recipient of a Brass Note on Beale Street, the Memphis equivalent of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Previous recipients include such musical luminaries as B.B. King, Al Green, and Isaac Hayes.

Wood is an accomplished and prolific singer/songwriter and has received stellar reviews for his original releases, including “Southbound” and “Who I Am” on Ben Sidran’s GoJazz label and “Flutter and Wow” on Memphis-based Archer Records. He’s also becoming recognised as a talented and original arranger, with recent scores performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Brodsky Quartet, the Royal Marine Band, the Back To Basie Bigband, and numerous others.

Now living in the UK with his wife, singer Jacqui Dankworth, Charlie continues touring and recording regularly. Notable performances have included the London Jazz Festival’s “Jazz Voice” at the Barbican, BBC Radio 2’s “Friday Night Is Music Night” at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Radio 2’s “Jools Holland Show,” and numerous other performances throughout the UK and Europe. His most recent CD “New Souvenirs” (released on Perdido Records, co-produced by Ms. Dankworth) was recorded in London in 2014 and features an all-star lineup performing twelve new original Charlie Wood compositions.

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Giles Robson - For Those Who Need The Blues

Year: 2016
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:44
Size: 105,4 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Shady Heart (4:31)
2. Sarah Lee (4:43)
3. Where You Been? (6:07)
4. Andy Steps Out (3:01)
5. Bound For The Border (4:29)
6. Start A War (5:52)
7. G.R. Shuffle (4:53)
8. Summa That Good Stuff (4:17)
9. A Walter Shade Of Blue (7:49)

"For Those Who Need The Blues" features nine gloriously dirty, sweat-down-the-wall bar room blues tracks, uncontrived with absolutely no gimmicks. This is the realm of the twelve bar blues - blues in its most exquisite, raw and primal state. The album was recorded in the space of an afternoon completely live with no overdubs and all within one or two takes per track. The album feels how the blues should feel: spontaneous, full of attitude and grit, mightily groovy and is fronted by Robson's massive harp tone and soulful playing.

Robson's day job is with The Dirty Aces, but needing a band at the Great British Rock & Blues festival in January 2016, and with insufficient time to rehearse a full Dirty Aces set, Robson decided to hit the ground running by playing the sort of powerful classic blues that has always been a deep passion. The band and the deeply blues orientated material he arranged proved such a success with the 1,800 strong audience that Robson instantly booked studio time to get it down on tape. Two weeks later and still fresh from their festival performance Robson and his newly forged band recorded these tracks. Echoing the classic sounds of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Muddy Waters, The Red Devils and Little Walter this truly is an album, as the title suggests, "For Those Who Need The Blues".

Personnel: Giles Robson (vocals, harp), Andy Knight (guitar), Jeff Walker (bass), Darren Crome (drums)

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Bumble Bee Slim - The Essential

Bumble Bee Slim (Amos Easton, 1905-1968) was a star recording artist and songwriter in the 1930s. Considering the quality of his best work and the number of records he sold and his contribution to the early development of the Chicago blues style, it is surprising that he is not more prominent in blues history. Bumble Bee Slim recorded for various labels and was one of the most recorded bluesman of his generation. His music is accessible, entertaining and engaging to today's listeners, which gives this bluesman an undisputed claim to be more than just another footnote in the annals of the genre. He seldom played guitar on his own records, but he was an accomplished instrumentalist, influenced by the technique of Scrapper Blackwell. As a sideman he recorded with Big Bill Broonzy and Cripple Clarence Lofton. In the late 1930s, Eston left Chicago and moved to Los Angeles. In LA he issued three records, but these did not create much commercial impact. A later attempt in the 1950s, with a jazz band, also failed to rekindle his early recordings success and he restricted his music career to California club gigs.

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2002
Styles: Blues
Time: 53:32 + 53:25
Size: 123,5 MB + 123,3 MB
Covers: Full

Album: The Essential Disc 1
(3:08) 1. Bricks in My Pillow
(2:48) 2. Policy Dream Blues
(3:06) 3. Everybody's Fishing
(3:36) 4. Chain Gang Bound
(3:12) 5. Someday Things Will Be Breaking My Way
(3:06) 6. Tell What It's All About
(3:16) 7. Dba Blues
(3:06) 8. Can't You Trust Me No More
(2:51) 9. New BandO Blues
(2:50) 10. Rambling With That Woman
(2:51) 11. New Orleans Stop Time
(3:10) 12. I Done Caught My Death of Cold
(2:31) 13. Let's Pitch a Boogie Woogie
(2:38) 14. Back in Jail Again
(2:53) 15. When the Music Sounds Good
(3:17) 16. Steady Roll Mama Blues
(2:35) 17. Sometimes
(2:29) 18. Tiny's Boogie

Album: The Essential Disc 2
(2:50) 1. Sloppy Drunk Blues
(2:45) 2. Bleeding Heart Blues
(2:53) 3. Bad Girl
(3:30) 4. No Woman No Nickel
(3:22) 5. Baby So Long
(2:57) 6. Deep Bass Boogie
(3:24) 7. Squalling Panther Blues
(3:02) 8. Dead and Gone Mother
(2:51) 9. Hey Lawdy Mama
(2:55) 10. Mean Mistreatin' Woman
(2:56) 11. You Can't Take It Baby
(2:48) 12. When Somebody Loses
(2:51) 13. No Good Woman
(3:22) 14. I'se Gonna Break 'Em Down
(2:46) 15. This Old Life I'm Living
(2:32) 16. New Big 80 Blues
(2:52) 17. Wet Clothes Blues
(2:39) 18. No More Biscuit Rolling Here

The Essential Disc 1
The Essential Disc 2
The Essential artwork

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Ida Cox - The Essential

As is the case with most every "Essential" collection in the Classic Blues catalog, The Essential Ida Cox is a double-disc sampling of representative selections drawn from the artist's primary period of performing and recording activity. In her case, that formula is placed within a time frame from June 1923 through December 1940, across which 36 titles are strewn in vaguely chronological order, if only because the examples from 1939 and 1940 are tossed into the second half of the collection. Throughout much of this anthology Cox is backed by small groups under the leadership of pianist Lovie Austin and variously including trumpeter Tommy Ladnier, clarinetist Jimmy O'Bryant, and alto saxophonist Charles Harris. Cox's pianist during the late '20s was often Jesse Crump, who helped her compose the "Death Letter Blues," the "Deep Sea Blues," and the "Last Mile Blues." Examples of Crump's piano technique may be heard on the "Pleading Blues," "Hard Oh Lawd," "Seven Day Blues," "Mojo Hand Blues," "Lost Man Blues," the "Midnight Hour Blues," and the "Give Me a Break Blues." In February, 1924, Cox recorded "Down the Road Blues" and "Mean Lovin' Man Blues" with the Pruitt Twins, who were both named Miles. These intimate offerings will compare nicely with Ma Rainey's Pruitt Twins recordings ("Dream Blues" and "Lost Wandering Blues"), which were cut in March 1924. Other noteworthy presences include Papa Charlie Jackson, who is credited as the composer of "How Long, Daddy, How Long"; cornetists B.T. Wingfield, and (King Oliver's nephew) Dave Nelson; trombonists Roy Palmer and Charlie Green, and pianist Tiny Parham, as well as a quintet led by Fletcher Henderson billed as Ida Cox's Five Blue Spells. The later recordings were made by two powerful swing bands that collectively included trumpeters Henry "Red" Allen and Hot Lips Page, trombonist J.C. Higginbotham, clarinetist Edmond Hall, pianists James P. Johnson and Cliff Jackson, electric guitarist Charlie Christian, and, on some tracks, Lionel Hampton behind the drum set. An amazing lineup for a legendary vocalist. While other chronologically stacked Ida Cox retrospectives demonstrate the gradual evolution of her artistry, The Essential Ida Cox will work well as an all-purpose stash containing many of her very best recordings. -- Allmusic.

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2001
Styles: Blues
Time: 52:49 + 53:45
Size: 121,7 MB + 123,8 MB
Covers: Full

Album: The Essential Ida Cox Disc 1
(3:00) 1. Pleading Blues
(3:20) 2. Down the Road Bound Blues
(2:47) 3. Weary Way Blues
(2:43) 4. Moanin' Groanin' Blues
(2:58) 5. Last Time Blues
(3:03) 6. Worried Any How Blues
(3:10) 7. I'm So Glad
(2:44) 8. Fogyism
(2:33) 9. Hard Oh Lawd
(2:54) 10. Blue Kentucky Blues
(2:47) 11. I Got the Blues for Rampart Street
(2:49) 12. Mean Lovin' Man Blues
(3:04) 13. Seven Day Blues
(2:59) 14. So Soon This Morning
(2:58) 15. How Long Daddy, How Long
(3:14) 16. Mojo Hand Blues
(2:46) 17. Lost Man Blues
(2:53) 18. You Got to Swing and Sway

Album: The Essential Ida Cox Disc 2
(2:26) 1. Wild Women Don't Have the Blues
(2:57) 2. Confidential Blues
(3:02) 3. Mean Papa Turn Your Key
(2:51) 4. Midnight Hour Blues
(3:00) 5. Pink Slip Blues
(2:54) 6. Fare Thee Well Poor Gal
(2:54) 7. Can't Quit That Man
(2:58) 8. Kentucky Man Blues
(2:56) 9. Trouble Trouble Blues
(2:32) 10. Western Union Blues
(3:23) 11. Deep Sea Blues
(2:45) 12. Death Letter Blues
(2:52) 13. Give Me a Break Blues
(3:06) 14. One Hour Mama
(3:27) 15. Four Day Creep
(3:21) 16. Jail House Blues
(2:57) 17. Bone Orchard Blues
(3:14) 18. Last Mile Blues

The Essential Disc 1
The Essential Disc 2
The Essential artwork

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Jimmy Witherspoon - Baby, Baby, Baby

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:36
Size: 81.5 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues, Urban blues
Year: 1963/1990
Art: Front

[3:10] 1. Mean Old Frisco
[2:43] 2. Rocks In My Bed
[3:06] 3. Bad Bad Whiskey
[3:02] 4. Baby, Baby, Baby
[2:46] 5. Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On
[2:59] 6. One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer
[2:48] 7. Lonely Boy Blues
[2:52] 8. Blues And Trouble
[2:12] 9. Endless Sleep
[3:44] 10. I'll Go On Living
[2:39] 11. I Can't Hardly See
[3:30] 12. It's A Lonesome Old World

Alto Saxophone – Leo Wright; Bass – George Tucker; Drums – Jimmie Smith, Jimmy Miller; Guitar – Herman Mitchell, Kenny Burrell; Harmonica – Arthur Wright; Piano – Ernie Freeman, Gildo Mahones; Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Allen; Trumpet – Bobby Bryant; Vocals – Jimmy Witherspoon.

Veteran singer Jimmy Witherspoon is in good voice on this CD reissue, performing a dozen two- to four-minute songs that include such blues standards as Duke Ellington's "Rocks in My Bed," "Bad Bad Whiskey," "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" and "It's a Lonesome Old World." He is joined by a quintet featuring altoist Leo Wright and guitarist Kenny Burrell on the first eight numbers and a background septet (with trumpeter Bobby Bryant and Arthur Wright on harmonica) for the remainder of the set. The music is enjoyable if not classic, and should please Witherspoon's many fans. ~Scott Yanow

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The Hinton Hart Band - Let's Get Together

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:17
Size: 128.9 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[2:54] 1. Let's Get Together
[3:36] 2. The Train (I'm Leaving This Town)
[4:31] 3. Three Times Lucky
[3:43] 4. Nasty Boogie
[3:49] 5. Handyman Shuffle
[5:28] 6. Nadine
[3:01] 7. (You've Got To) Love Her With A Feeling
[4:21] 8. I Try
[3:06] 9. Wait On Time
[4:51] 10. Tired Of Begging
[3:17] 11. You Better Cut That Out
[3:22] 12. (It's Your) Voodoo Working
[2:29] 13. Sit Down Baby
[3:25] 14. Call My Job
[4:16] 15. Highway 99

Put on your dancing shoes cause there's a party going on. "Best live Blues album - Canada, 2009"... Blues Underground Network. The Hinton Hart Band is a Vancouver Canada based band serving up a tasty mix of electrified blues, old school R&B and original tunes.

Recorded live, "Let's Get Together" swings , shuffles and rocks over two nights. The Cottage Bistro tracks feature a four piece lineup with Andrew Hart on guitar, Steve Hinton on harmonica and vocals, Brent Lawrence on bass guitar and vocals, and Harold Haynes on drums and vocals. The show at the Yale Hotel adds the most excellent Jerry Cook on tenor saxophone and funky fingered Steve Ranta on keyboards and Hammond B3.

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Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club - The Vulture

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:25
Size: 83.4 MB
Styles: Roots rock, Electric blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[3:40] 1. Devil's In The Details
[1:47] 2. The Same Coming Up
[4:29] 3. All We Need To Do Is Love
[1:58] 4. This Ride
[4:07] 5. The Vulture
[4:43] 6. Arkansas Gas Card
[3:03] 7. Old Lady Sunrise
[3:33] 8. Deep Water
[3:50] 9. Ghetto Is Everywhere
[2:40] 10. Shalimar Dreams
[2:28] 11. Girl Of Mine

MARC FORD is one of the most gifted, celebrated and in-demand rock guitarists of his generation has switched gears to deliver what will undoubtedly stand as one of the finest Americana albums of 2014.

If you know Ford’s back story in full, you know it’s about a multi-faceted reputation forged on the frontline as the fabled lead guitarist with the Black Crowes; at the helm of his own bands such as the Neptune Blues Club and the Sinners; as a vital component of key records and/or tours by acts from Govt. Mule to Izzy Stradlin, from Booker T to Ben Harper; and as the producer of choice for artists such as the great roots-rocker Ryan Bingham and English country-soul talents Phantom Limb.

Therein lies the transatlantic connection. Ford produced the Bristol-based Phantom Limb’s second album ‘The Pines,’ released in 2012, and when it was time to give life to the songs he’d collected for ‘Holy Ghost,’ the inspirational thought occurred to him to offer the return job to the band’s Stew Jackson, aka Robot Club, in sessions at Rockfield in Wales and the Shed in Bath. Jackson plays on the album along with his fellow Limbs, so to speak, while Marc’s son Elijah adds guitars, and his wife Kirsten contributes vocals. Elijah, himself a fine new talent, has also been working with Jackson on his own album project. “I waited for a while until the timing was right for this,” says Ford. “I knew I wasn’t supposed to act on these songs for a while, so I kind of sat on them as a batch together. Most of them are brand new, but a couple are 15 years old. I just needed to drop out for a little bit and get home back together. I had a daughter, so this is the first time I got to be at home for the first five years.” Suddenly, Ford knew what he had to do. “I was sitting here one day and, like I said, I’d been waiting on these songs for a while. Then it just dawned on me, wait a minute, Phantom Limb is the perfect band for this. I’ve used a couple of bands here, and although I could have made the record with them, it didn’t seem right, there wasn’t the perfect fit. I would have had to tailor some people or some songs, and it didn’t seem to make sense. “So I just said ‘Stew, you allowed me to pull your baby apart and put it back together. I’ve never had a producer produce my own stuff. How about payback? You can do me now. I think I have some of the best songs I’ve ever written, and you’ve got a bitchin’ band.’ He just said ‘Get here.’”

The results are inspiring, often upbeat, always reflective. As Ford himself says, “it’s hopeful, in a dark way sometimes.” But it’s the work of an artist who’s found the inner strength to recharge, personally and professionally. “It’s a reflection of my life,” he says. “I pulled out of gigging and travelling and literally kind of stopped. “It was like, ‘I’ve got to regroup here, be at home and keep relationships good.’ Otherwise, if you keep running and running, even though it’s work, something has to suffer. So the holy grail now is to find how you keep a family and a musical career together. We moved to San Clemente, which is a little surf town, and the pace here is slower. It really is a small town feeling, a lot of acoustic guitar playing. I think all that reflects in the record.”

In the process of rethinking himself, Ford has learned all kinds of new music, but his earliest memories in the household of his west coast upbringing were of Beatles, Creedence and Simon & Garfunkel albums, and Miracles and Chuck Berry singles. Later inspiration came from Led Zeppelin and Elton John. “As I got older, I found the first two Jeff Beck records, ‘Truth’ and ‘Beck-Ola,’ and wore those out. Then a friend of mine took me to his house, his stepfather had this 400,000 watt stereo and he sat me down and put on Band of Gypsys. It scared me to death, it changed everything for me. I was like, ‘I didn’t know you could do this.’”

His time with the Black Crowes, including a second stint in the mid-2000s, are so well documented as to need little repetition here. Except for Ford to say that he can look back on his musical passage with them, and on all of his other stops along the way, with real satisfaction. “I’m proud of all the music that’s been made,” he says. “I think that stands, and the Crowes was a fantastic band. Ben Harper’s music was great, ‘There Will Be A Light’ [on which he plays, as he does the later ‘Both Sides Of The Gun'] is a fantastic record. Ryan Bingham, I heard at a club at one in the morning and it was like ‘Please let me record you.’” He did so, for Bingham’s lauded Lost Highway albums ‘Mescalito’ and ‘Roadhouse Sun.’

“There are a lot of factors involved when you’re in your early 20s and everything you’ve ever dreamed of happens. I got swept up in it, like many people do. There was just a point where I went ‘Wait a minute, you’ve reached the top of the mountain and the answers aren’t here, this isn’t really any kind of enlightenment I was looking for.’ Drugs and alcohol were a giant cover-up for a lack of self, and worth. So the only regrets I would have would be personal, wishing that I could have handled certain things better. But then again, I had to learn it.”

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The Blues Band - 2 albums: Fat City (Remastered) / Itchy Feet (Remastered)

England's the Blues Band is led by ex-Manfred Mann vocalist Paul Jones and guitarist/vocalist Dave Kelly, who, before forming the group in 1979, had been a member of the John Dummer Blues Band and issued several solo recordings on his own (Kelly had also received praise for his playing by such blues legends as Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker). After hooking up with friend/bassist Gary Fletcher, the seeds for the Blues Band were sown, resulting in countless albums (including such titles as 1980's Official Bootleg Album and Ready, 1981's Itchy Feet, 1982's Brand Loyalty which featured new member ex-Family drummer Rob Townsend, 1983's Bye Bye Blues, 1986's These Kind of Blues, 1989's Back for More, 1991's Fat City, 1993's Homage, and 1995's Wire Less, among others). In addition, Kelly formed the Dave Kelly Band in the mid-'80s (issuing four albums), penned music for commercials and such projects as BBC TV's King of the Ghetto and The Comic Strip Presents Strike!, has been voted Best Acoustic Artist by BBC polls throughout the '90s, and is an honorary patron of the London Guitar College with Hank Marvin. ~ Greg Prato

Album: Fat City (Remastered)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:43
Size: 125.3 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[5:23] 1. Fat City
[3:35] 2. Longing For You Baby
[3:53] 3. Help Me
[4:00] 4. I Can't Tell It All
[5:47] 5. Down To The River
[2:53] 6. Country Blues #48
[4:36] 7. Cold Emotions, Frozen Hearts
[3:37] 8. Killing Me By Degrees
[4:07] 9. The Duisburg Blues
[3:56] 10. So Lonely
[3:58] 11. Too Bad You're No Good
[5:02] 12. Long Time Gone
[3:50] 13. You've Got To Choose

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Album: Itchy Feet (Remastered)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:57
Size: 169.3 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:41] 1. Talkin' Woman Blues
[3:32] 2. Who's Right, Who's Wrong
[2:42] 3. Rock 'n' Roll Radio
[3:15] 4. Itchy Feet
[3:28] 5. Ultimatum Time
[3:51] 6. So Lonely
[2:50] 7. Come On
[3:44] 8. Turn Around
[3:21] 9. I Can't Be Satisfied
[3:30] 10. Got To Love You Baby
[4:05] 11. Nothing But The Blues
[4:21] 12. Let Your Bucket Down
[2:52] 13. Tobacco Road (Out-Takes From Itchy Feet Sessions)
[5:07] 14. Doing All Right (Out-Takes From Itchy Feet Sessions)
[2:50] 15. Stealing (Out-Takes From Itchy Feet Sessions)
[2:56] 16. Let The Four Winds Blow (Out-Takes From Itchy Feet Sessions)
[3:56] 17. Hardworking Man (Out-Takes From Itchy Feet Sessions)
[3:29] 18. These Kind Of Blues (Out-Takes From Itchy Feet Sessions)
[4:02] 19. Smokestack Lightning (Out-Takes From Itchy Feet Sessions)
[2:38] 20. Bad Penny Blues (Out-Takes From Itchy Feet Sessions)
[4:34] 21. Green Stuff (Live In Montreux At Mountain Studios)

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Johnny Nicholas - Fresh Air

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:50
Size: 148.4 MB
Styles: Contemporary blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[5:07] 1. Moonlight Train
[5:06] 2. Kid Man Blues
[3:50] 3. Blues Time
[3:06] 4. Red Light
[5:02] 5. Sweet Katrina
[5:45] 6. Broken Heart
[4:31] 7. Bayou Blues
[5:36] 8. Roll On Mississippi
[5:05] 9. Backdoor Man
[4:44] 10. Wake Up Bobby
[5:19] 11. Working In The Garden
[4:52] 12. Fresh Air
[6:40] 13. Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar

“Johnny Nicholas is one of the best bluesmen ever, black or white.” ~ Stephen Bruton

When it comes to Americana Roots Music and especially the Blues, the late great Stephen Bruton knew what he was talking about. Those who knew him knew that he always got to the point. His description of his long time friend and musical comrade in arms is succinct and quite a heady compliment, but then, Johnny Nicholas is an amazing talent. For four decades Johnny’s consummate musicianship and vocal skills have graced live music scenes across the country and abroad. He has toured, performed and recorded with many true blues and Americana Roots Music legends including: Mississippi Fred McDowell, Robert Lockwood Jr., Johnny Shines, Big Walter Horton, Roosevelt Sykes, Nathan Abshire, Robert Pete Williams, Eddie Taylor, Billy Boy Arnold, Hound Dog Taylor, Johnny Young, Houston Stackhouse, and Boogie Woogie Red. He recorded and toured with Johnny Shines and Snooky Pryor, producing and playing guitar on their W.C. Handy Award-winning album Back to the Country. He was a lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist with Asleep at the Wheel when they won their first of many Grammy Awards. He gave Blues Guitar Icon Ronnie Earl his first gig in the now legendary band Guitar Johnny and the Rhythm Rockers.

He has also shared the stage and performed with the likes of Howlin Wolf, BB King, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Rait, Eric Clapton, Pops and Mavis Staples, Delbert McClinton, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard,and Jimmie Vaughan among many others. He can wow a festival crowd of thousands or a small room of devotees. There are mysteries within this history, but remember that true history is written in the uncharted depths of a passionate spirit striving to fathom the mysteries, the pain and the joy of life and love. Here’s what you need to know about Johnny Nicholas—the rest and the best is all in his music.

Johnny discovered the blues at an early age, grooving to the great R&B that was blasting from the airwaves in the late 50’s and early 60’s—Jimmy Reed, Lightnin Slim, Slim Harpo, Lloyd Price, Larry Williams, Little Walter, Ray Charles and The Howling Wolf were all Big Blips on this impressionable young man’s radar screen. Like fellow Greek-American Johnny Otis had a generation earlier, this Johnny easily made the leap into the soulful world of the Blues, a music very similar in feeling and expression to the Rembetika music he heard as a child in the Greek community.

In 1966, he hopped the train to New York City to see his idol the Wolf. He ended up hanging with Wolf’s band at the Albert Hotel by day (where Wolf’s band AND Muddy’s band and Otis Spann were all staying) and at Ungano’s nightclub by night where the Wolf was holding musical court while on a two week prowl of the Big Apple. This experience cemented his love of the blues while providing inspiration and a gateway to friendships and musical adventures that would help mold a successful career and still smolder in this talented and restless soul. The common thread between all these influences is that of a true storyteller and troubadour, a living connection to the roots of American music that started in the Mississippi Delta and continues to flow down the river of traditional and contemporary sounds that emanate from Johnny Nicholas.

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Bobby Charles - See You Later, Alligator: 1955-1961 Chess & Imperial Recordings

Year: 2016
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:12
Size: 137,1 MB
Styles: R&B
Scans: Full

1. (See You) Later Alligator (2:52)
2. On Bended Knee (2:13)
3. Why Did You Leave (3:05)
4. Don't You Know I Love You (2:29)
5. Time Will Tell (2:00)
6. Take It Easy, Greasy (2:12)
7. Laura Lee (2:10)
8. No Use Knocking (2:13)
9. Why Can't You (2:31)
10. Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey (2:34)
11. No More (I Ain't Gonna Love You No More) (2:29)
12. You Can Suit Yourself (2:06)
13. One Eyed Jack (2:09)
14. Yea Yea Baby (Yeah Yeah) (2:29)
15. Since She's Gone (1:56)
16. At The Jamboree (1:51)
17. Since I Lost You (1:56)
18. Oh, Yeah! (2:00)
19. What Can I Do (1:44)
20. The Town Is Talking (1:56)
21. Bye, Bye Baby (2:03)
22. Those Eyes (1:53)
23. What A Party (1:42)
24. I Just Want You (1:54)
25. Nothing Sweet As You (2:00)
26. Four Winds (2:03)
27. Hey, Good Lookin' (2:05)
28. Watch It, Sprocket (2:05)
29. Teenagers (2:02)
30. Ain't Got No Home (2:36)
31. Lonely Street (2:28)
32. Mr. Moon (2:05)
33. I'll Turn Square For You (2:15)
34. Over Yonder (2:13)
35. Good Lovin' (2:04)

This collector's edition contains 35 remastered studio tracks by Bobby Charles, consisting of all the sensational singles (both A- & B-sides) he made for the Chess and Imperial labels between 1955 and 1961. Several hard-to-find numbers from the same period have also been included here. These magnificent songs are among the finest examples of the genre.

Some of the material here isn't available on other collections, nor have these recordings ever been previously compiled together on one CD. This is an essential set for devotees of southern rhythm & blues. /Excerpt from the liner notes.

See You Later, Alligator: 1955-1961 Chess & Imperial Recordings mc
See You Later, Alligator: 1955-1961 Chess & Imperial Recordings zippy

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John Mayall - So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 (4 CD Box)

Despite giving first exposure to a stellar string of UK musicians, John Mayall seemed to get more credit at the time than he does now for his unpredictable but ever-passionate crusade to further the blues music he loved. Whether redefining electric guitar blues with Eric Clapton on 1966’s "Bluesbreakers", or unexpectedly going unplugged on 1969’s drummer-free "The Turning Point", Mayall was never afraid to take chances with his ever-changing line-ups, releasing a staggering number of albums during the first decade of recording showcased in this box set, which acts as a perfect companion to 2007’s expanded reissues from the same period.

Two discs are given to each of Mayall’s five-year periods with Decca then Polydor, from "Crawling Up A Hill", recorded for his "John Mayall Plays John Mayall" debut at Hampstead’s Klook’s Kleek club in December 1964, to "Gasoline Blues" from 1974’s "The Turning Point". It’s always a thrill hearing the Clapton, Green and Taylor line-ups in full flight, but the real beauty of this set is how it effectively demonstrates what an unwavering powerhouse Mayall was in his own right. And the story doesn’t stop here as, in the grand blues tradition, he continues to work at 77 years old.

Album: So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 - CD 1
Year: 2010
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:23
Size: 172,9 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. Crawling Up A Hill (2:17)
2. Mr. James (2:51)
3. When I'm Gone (3:17)
4. R&B Time (Incorporating: Night Train & Lucille) (2:24)
5. Runaway (2:36)
6. What's The Matter With You (2:43)
7. Crocodile Walk (2:15)
8. Blues City Shake Down (2:23)
9. I'm Your Witchdoctor (2:11)
10. Telephone Blues (3:58)
11. On Top Of The World (2:48)
12. They Call It Stormy Monday (4:35)
13. Have You Ever Loved A Woman (6:43)
14. All Your Love (3:36)
15. Double Crossing Time (3:04)
16. Steppin' Out (2:30)
17. What'd I Say (4:28)
18. Key To Love (2:08)
19. Parchman Farm (2:21)
20. Looking Back (2:37)
21. So Many Roads (4:44)
22. Long Night (2:02)
23. Dust My Blues (2:47)
24. The Stumble (2:52)

So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 - CD 1 mc
So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 - CD 1 zippy

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Album: So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 - CD 2
Year: 2010
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:46
Size: 178,1 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. You Don't Love Me (2:50)
2. It's Over (2:50)
3. The Super-Natural (2:56)
4. Sitting In The Rain (2:57)
5. Ridin' On The Rain (2:28)
6. All My Life (4:24)
7. Double Trouble (3:22)
8. Suspicions (Pt.1) (2:48)
9. Oh Pretty Woman (3:33)
10. Snowy Wood (3:37)
11. Checkin' Up On My Baby (3:57)
12. No More Tears (3:10)
13. Brand New Start (3:24)
14. Picture On The Wall (3:04)
15. Look In The Mirror (4:02)
16. No Reply (3:08)
17. Hartley Quits (2:55)
18. 2401 (3:56)
19. Walking On Sunset (2:55)
20. Medicine Man (2:47)
21. Miss James (2:30)
22. Fly Tomorrow (9:02)

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Album: So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 - CD 3
Year: 2010
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:39
Size: 174,7 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. The Laws Must Change (7:16)
2. California (9:22)
3. Room To Move (4:42)
4. Sleeping By Her Side (5:02)
5. Don't Waste My Time (3:10)
6. Something New (4:38)
7. Waiting For The Right Time (5:34)
8. Counting The Days (5:31)
9. Off The Road (2:48)
10. Crying (6:26)
11. Nature's Disappearing (5:55)
12. Accidental Suicide (6:14)
13. Prisons On The Road (4:15)
14. Unanswered Questions (4:39)

So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 - CD 3 mc
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Album: So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 - CD 4
Year: 2010
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:05
Size: 178,0 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. Television Eye (7:30)
2. Memories (5:02)
3. Nobody Cares (3:57)
4. Good Time Boogie (9:10)
5. Got To Be This Way (6:51)
6. Mess Around (2:54)
7. Country Road (7:15)
8. Moving On (4:28)
9. Things Go Wrong (6:37)
10. High Pressure Living (6:47)
11. Driving 'Til The Break Of Day (5:05)
12. Burning Sun (5:08)
13. Little Kitten (2:34)
14. Gasoline Blues (3:40)

So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 - CD 4 mc
So Many Roads: An Anthology 1964-1974 - CD 4 zippy

So Many Roads - Artwork mc
So Many Roads - Artwork zippy

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Percy Mayfield - Lost Love: The Singles As & Bs 1948-1962

Size: 180,0+167,6 MB
Time: 76:08+70:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Blues, R&B
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Jack You Ain't Nowhere (Part 1) (2:36)
02. Jack You Ain't Nowhere (Part 2) (2:41)
03. Two Years Of Torture (Gru-V-Tone Version) (3:00)
04. Woman Get Way Back (2:28)
05. Half Awoke (Baby You're Still A Square) (2:35)
06. Two Years Of Torture (Supreme Version) (3:00)
07. How Wrong Can A Good Man Be (2:59)
08. Leary Blues (2:55)
09. Please Send Me Someone To Love (2:52)
10. Strange Things Happening (2:47)
11. Life Is Suicide (2:47)
12. Lost Love (Baby Please Come Back To Me) (2:54)
13. What A Fool I Was (2:45)
14. Nightless Lover (2:25)
15. Prayin' For Your Return (2:55)
16. My Blues (2:50)
17. Cry Baby (2:51)
18. Hopeless (Nappin' The Nickels) (3:00)
19. The Hunt Is On (2:12)
20. The Big Question (2:49)
21. Two Hearts Are Greater Than One (2:58)
22. Louisiana (2:03)
23. Lonesome Highway (2:30)
24. My Heart (2:59)
25. I Dare You, Baby (2:11)
26. The River's Invitation (2:51)
27. The Lonely One (2:20)
28. Lost Mind (2:44)

CD 2:
01. How Deep Is The Well (2:40)
02. The Batchelor Blues (2:47)
03. I Need Love So Bad (2:50)
05. Sugar Mama, Peachy Papa (2:31)
06. You Don't Exist No More (2:45)
07. You Were Lyin' To Me (2:55)
08. My Heart Is Cryin' (2:57)
09. Baby, You're Rich (1:54)
10. The Voice Within (2:29)
11. Are You Out There (2:52)
12. Double Dealing (2:14)
13. You Name It (2:51)
14. No.43 (My Story About A Woman) (2:53)
15. Look The Whole World Over (2:23)
16. The Bluest Blues (2:25)
17. Please Believe Me (2:27)
18. Diggin' The Moonglow (2:23)
19. One Love (2:37)
20. My Reward (2:11)
21. My Heart Is A Prisoner (2:13)
22. My Memories (2:30)
23. When Did You Leave Heaven (1:58)
24. What Must I Do (2:51)
25. Say You Love Me (2:32)
26. Ha Ha In The Daytime, Boo Hoo At Night (2:57)
27. Never No More (2:03)
28. I Reached For A Tear (2:25)

Percy Mayfield is commonly described as 'The Poet Laureate of the Blues', by contemporary writers and historians and he enjoyed a string of hits on the Los Angeles based, Specialty label during the early 50s and then enjoyed a major renaissance as a songwriter in the 60s thanks to Ray Charles.

This superb double CD features all of his greatest recordings and contains the original versions of such well known classics as "Please Send Me Someone To Love", "Strange Things Happening" and "The River's Invitation".

This is the most complete collection of Percy Mayfield's work yet released and is an absolute must for all blues and R&B fans.

Lost Love

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Little Jimmy Reed - School's Out

Size: 98,8 MB
Time: 37:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Big Boss Man (3:43)
02. Alabama's The Place To Be (3:05)
03. I'm A Fool For You, Baby (3:17)
04. School Is Out (3:53)
05. My Little Dog (5:42)
06. Mumblin' Word (2:49)
07. I Had A Dream (4:07)
08. I've Got Love On My Mind (4:06)
09. Help Me To Spend This Dough (2:58)
10. Honest I Do (4:01)

Born in the late 1930's, to the parents of Morris and Velma Atkins, Leon Atkins (aka- LiL Jimmy Reed), is a native of Hardwood Louisiana, a small town outside of the City Baton Rouge. He who now resides in Enterprise, AL, with his wife of 35 years (Imogene). Leon is the eldest of five siblings, one sister, and four brothers. Being the eldest child, Leon learned first hand the struggles and the discrimination of growing up poor and black in the deep South. At an early age, to escape the depressions which many of the blacks experienced in the poverty stricken South, Leon adopted a love for music. He favored the guitar and the harmonica immediately, and often dreamed of some day becoming a famous guitar player and travel far beyond the hatred of Southern Louisiana. For Leon growing up across the street of a nightclub fascinated him, hearing the sounds of the guitars, pianos, and the jukebox music echoing throughout the night was to him a pure joy. When he saw the local Men playing music he would often imitate them on his childlike imaginary guitar. But soon that would change. When he was just six years old, one of the older Men who had taken notice of Leon's love for music surprised him by making him his very first guitar out of a small cigar box. Leon loved it and that sparked the beginning of a life long relationship of a Man and his guitar.

As Leon grew into his teenage years, he spent most of his after school days working in the local saw mill and the town shoe shop after school. Growing tired of fixing shoes, Leon let it be known to his father that he wanted to play music. One Monday after his father returned home from a good days work with gifts for the family, Leon patiently waited his turn and was speechless, when his Dad handed him a brand new guitar. By that Saturday evening, Leon was playing the guitar as if he had taken music lessons for years. Leon played music by ear without any teachings or lessons ever taken. Soon he entertained the locals around town and realized there must be a better way to help provide for his family and himself.

In the year 1957, Leon turned 18 and went to Barber College in Little Rock Ark. He continued to pursue his musical talent as he quickly advanced with simple jobs such as playing in the local juke joints and blues alleys. In these lumber walls and saw dust covered floors, Leon became a favorite of the locals, and others who heard him play. One night in an upper scale blues club, Leon was able to get that one lucky break. A well known blues artist by the name of "Jimmy Reed" was scheduled to perform. Leon knew Jimmy Reed's music really well, from childhood listening to jukebox music from the nearby nightclub. Leon had always wanted to see the real Jimmy Reed and finally he'd gotten the chance to do just that. Be it unknown to Leon, this night would change his life forever. As Leon recalls, Mr. Reed had obviously gotten drunk, and Leon was asked to take his place. "They snuck him out back, and came and got me" Leon recalls clearly. Mr. Reed was just too drunk to play". The crowd couldn't tell the difference and the show was a hit. Leon gave a show stopping performance. And thus he was born "LIL' JIMMY REED".

Now as Lil Jimmy Reed, it afforded him the opportunity to venture outside of his hometown, which made a tremendous impact for becoming a renowned blues entertainer. Leon also realized that he would need something more stable and therefore decided to join the military and fulfill a 20 year career in the Army. Upon retiring from his military duties he then was free to follow through with his childhood dream of being a full time Blues Entertainer. Lil Jimmy Reed has done opening acts and performed with well known artists such as, (USA) - Bobby Blue Bland, Ike Turner, Little Milton, Marvin Sease, Shirley Murdock, Clarence Carter, Rafel Neal and Family, Lyn White, Tabby Thomas, The Love Doctor, Billy Soul Bonds, Willie Clayton; (UK) - Otis Grand (2006); (Iceland) - Andrea og Bluesman; (Denmark)- Troels Jenson to HpLange; (Sweden) - Sven Zetterberg Bluesband, Harry Banks Buzzers, Paul & The Blue Delivery (Finland) - Pepe Ahqvist and many more would be a much appreciated reality.
His accomplishments have been recording his own 45 record, and CD's. Leon also continues to enjoy playing, and performing for various shows, Blues and Jazz concerts, schools, parties, weddings, promotional events, and many more. Leon has also entertained many in the political arena including Gov. Don Seigelman or Alabama. He has also made appearances on the Ann Varmun Morning Show - Dothan, AL. In 1995, the Alabama Blue Society presented Leon with the Alabama Blue Treasure Award. The Alabama Blues Project is dedicated to helping provide a support for the lesser known bluesmen and women living and performing regularly in Alabama. Leon has also played for many of the festivals around the South including the New Orleans Jazz and heritage Festivals, The Tampa Florida Blues Ship and many small and local clubs in Europe and Korea.
Lil Jimmy Reed continues to play as states "it just get better with time!!".

School's Out

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Barry Goldberg & Harvey Mandel - Nothin' But The Blues

Size: 101,6 MB
Time: 40:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995/2016
Styles: Chicago Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Big Boss Man (Live) ( 5:12)
02. Low Down Funk (Live) ( 5:14)
03. Lost Love (Live) ( 4:25)
04. I'm Losing You (Live) ( 3:06)
05. You Got Me Cryin' (Live) ( 3:30)
06. Hootchie Kootchie Man (Live) ( 3:31)
07. Cherry Jam (Live) (15:46)

Barry Goldberg was a regular fixture in the white blues firmament of the mid-'60s that seemed to stretch from Chicago to New York. A keyboardist (organ seemed to be his specialty), Barry was an in-demand session man -- he appears with Michael Bloomfield on a Mitch Ryder album, for instance -- along with Al Kooper and his blues-playing contemporary from the original Butterfield band, Mark Naftalin. Goldberg was a member of Charlie Musselwhite's first band, contributing great piano and organ lines to the Stand Back! album (his work on "Cristo Redentor" is moody and introspective, with a strong jazz-inflected feel, while still retaining strong blues roots) and a handful of others throughout the decade. ~Cub Koda

Nothin' But The Blues

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The Terraplanes - Westlake Sessions

Size: 177 MB
Time: 26:34
File: FLAC
Released: 2016
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Water To Wine (3:32)
02. If I Had Me A Dollar (4:18)
03. Cockadoodle Do (3:29)
04. Dirty Brokedown Blues (4:09)
05. Street Legal (2:55)
06. Saving Grace (4:44)
07. Blues Trip (3:24)

The Terraplanes are a Los Angeles based band who plays authentic blues alla the Chess Records era.
Think Little Walter, Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley and of course, Muddy Waters. But that just scratches the surface, The Terraplanes can do blues from East Coast to West Coast, and from New Orleans to Chicago, but all of it with that something that you can't quite describe when you know you've heard blues done right.

Westlake Sessions

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Andres Roots - Winter

Size: 95,0 MB
Time: 40:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Acoustic/Electric Blues
Art: Front

01. Karlova Blues (2:19)
02. Winter Blues (2:54)
03. Thanks For Bringing Me Down (2:48)
04. Tea For Alex (3:13)
05. All In The Cards (2:58)
06. Morganfield Blues (3:13)
07. Get Me Back (2:34)
08. Spider In My Bed (4:33)
09. Spanish Run (3:54)
10. Solitaire (3:28)
11. Someplace Nice (3:04)
12. Alligator Blues (2:45)
13. Silver Lining (2:40)

Andres Roots is a slide guitarist, songwriter and bandleader based in Tartu, Estonia. Combining pre-war blues and swing with 1960's rock, his music has received airplay on five continents and featured in TV series and films, including the award-winning "Lonely Island" (2012), directed by the Berlinale-decorated Peeter Simm.

Roots has toured in the UK, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden and Finland, played with Honeyboy Edwards (USA) and Tuomari Nurmio (FIN), and opened for the likes of Dr. Feelgood (UK) and Otis Grand (USA). The 2015 Trad.alt.winter Tour saw the press in Finland, Sweden and Estonia greet the former Bullfrog Brown guitarist as the King of Estonian Blues.

In April 2016, Roots' latest release "Roots Music" entered the Estonian album chart at #1 - a rare feat for a semi-instrumental blues album, especially one that's only available on vinyl. Released to celebrate Roots' 40th birthday and 20 years on stage, "Roots Music" is a compilation LP of studio recordings made in 2010-2014. It is also the first-ever gramophone record manufactured in Estonia - while the first Estonian sound recording was released 115 years earlier, it wasn't until 2016 that the country got its own Vinyl Plant.

Preferring a guitar-and-drums duo format that highlights his "excellent slide technique complimented by great chording and simultaneously executed skillful basslines" (Sirp), with "the sound made with just drums and one guitar filling the stage more powerfully than your average rock band" (IDeeJazz), Roots also performs solo and continues to collaborate with harpists Ismo Haavisto (FIN) and Steve Lury (UK) in a more traditional blues vein.

Winter

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Mick Clarke - The Best: 20 Favourite Tracks

Size: 189,9 MB
Time: 81:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Steady Road (3:45)
02. Shake That Boogie (3:18)
03. Walking In The Dark (3:32)
04. Talking With The Blues (4:37)
05. Complicated Woman (4:15)
06. Gypsy Blues (4:49)
07. Loosen Up (3:23)
08. Journey (4:36)
09. New Star Over Texas (4:27)
10. Happy Home (4:33)
11. Rockin' The Blues (5:04)
12. Celebration (3:35)
13. See You Later Alligator (2:49)
14. Lovin' Heart (3:15)
15. Smoked Ham Blues (4:57)
16. Shake It On Down (2:33)
17. Begging Bowl (4:10)
18. Who's Educatin' Who (5:09)
19. It Don't Stop Rockin' (3:09)
20. Graveyard Shift (5:33)

In 2016 British Blues Guitarist Mick Clarke presents a new compilation - all three of his last studio albums on a double CD release, coming soon on BGO Records. His new live album "Ruff'n'Roar - Live at Scratchers" is also available on CD and through all digital outlets. Mick has become an established name on the international touring scene and has played regularly in Europe, Asia and the USA. Praised for his fiery "straight from the wood" guitar sound, Mick is the winner of the 2014 Artist Aloud Awards "Best International Act".

The Mick Clarke Band was established in the early 80s and has appeared on numerous festivals with artists such as Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter and Joe Bonamassa. Recent shows have included festival appearances in Italy, Belgium and India. Mick has released sixteen solo albums so far.

Mick began his career with KILLING FLOOR part of the British blues boom of the late 60s. The band backed Texas blues guitar star Freddie King and toured with legends Howlin' Wolf and Otis Spann. Two albums were released which have achieved cult status around the world - the first, "Killing Floor" is one of Classic Rock Magazines "20 greatest British blues albums 1967-1970". In 2003 Killing Floor reformed for recording and tour projects, and recent live work has included a performance at Sweden Rock Festival.

In the mid 70s Mick co-formed SALT a powerful blues-rock act who were a big hit on the London scene playing regularly at the Marquee and other top venues. The band played at the Reading Festival and also opened for Muddy Waters at two major London concerts. SALT has also reformed for occasional re-union tours.

THE MICK CLARKE BAND originally started working around the London area in the early 80s, but quickly received offers of work from mainland Europe and the United States. Early festival appearances such as the Belgium R&B Festival in Peer confirmed their appeal for continental audiences, while the US tours established a world wide reputation for the band.

Mick's first solo album "Looking For Trouble" came out on the Italian label Appaloosa in the early 80s and sold well. More albums quickly followed including "West Coast Connection" recorded in Portland, Oregon with an all star line-up including Curtis Salgado, Rod DeAth (Rory Gallagher Band) and Dover Weinberg (Robert Cray Band). Later releases were on the German label Taxim, including the classics "No Compromise" and "Roll Again". "Happy Home" on Mick's U.S. label Burnside featured just Mick with Lou Martin on piano and some old favourite songs. "Live in Luxembourg" was Mick's first live album, recorded in 2002 at the "Big Blues" in Luxembourg, and the 2007 "Solid Ground" contains thirteen original blues rock compositions.

"The Rambunctious Blues Experiment" was recorded at Mick's home studio in Surrey, "Rockfold" and features Mick with Russell Chaney on drums and Dangerous Dave Newman on harp. "Ramdango","Crazy Blues" and 2015's "Shake It Up" were also recorded at Rockfold, but by Mick alone, on a variety of instruments - real drums, but not necessarily all at once. The new "Ruff'n'Roar" showcases the band's down home blues side, live in a small club with Chris Sharley on drums and Eddie Masters on bass.

Recent tours have included appearances at the Baden Blues Festival in Switzerland, "Blues Express" Luxembourg, "Rock at Sea" in Stockholm, Sweden, "Seven Nights to Blues" in France and the Bragdoya Blues Festival in Norway. In 2005 Mick headlined the Saturday night at the Great British R&B Festival in Colne, England as part of the British Blues All Stars, also featuring Kim Simmonds and Maggie Bell. In 2014 the Mick Clarke Band headlined the "Simply The Blues" Festivals in Mumbai and Bangalore, India.

In the U.S.A. Mick has appeared with artists such as Johnny Winter, Canned Heat, Foghat and C.J.Chenier. The Southern California Blues Society called him "One of the finest blues players to come out of England".

The Mick Clarke Band usually features Chris Sharley on drums and Eddie Masters on bass, either as a three piece or augmented with Dave Lennox on keyboards or Dangerous Dave Newman on harp. New dates are being lined up for 2017 and a brand new studio album is on its way!

The Best

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The Bob Lanza Blues Band - Time To Let Go

Time: 44:44
Size: 102.4 MB
Source: LL
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Blues
Released: 2016
Covers: Full

1. Mind Your Own Business {3:57}
2. Time To Let Go {3:26}
3. When The Sun Comes Up {5:38}
4. Your Turn To Cry {4:24}
5. Rush'n The Blues {4:06}
6. Follow Your Heart {3:21}
7. Don't Go No FurTher {4:05}
8. Love Me or Leave Me {5:22}
9. You're Not In Texas {4:28}
10. Johnny Smith {3:01}
11. Walkin' Thru The Park {2:52}

The arrival of Bob Lanza’s “Time to Let Go” (his fourth studio effort by the way) may not stir excitement with the casual music enthusiast, but blues fans worldwide are unlikely to gripe.

Blues is the backbone, but this album seldom sounds weary or autopiloted. On “When the Sun Comes Up”, twittering guitar melds with a jumpy funk bassline. Indeed, the most memorable moments are those that step outside the archetype, such as the rusty shuffling of “Johnny Smith” and the overly conformist boogie-ness of “You’re Not in Texas”.

Still, Lanza proves he’s a strong songwriter – when he makes the effort – and a fruity guitarist. Pleasingly intense, Freddie King influences are rife, particularly with numbers like “Your Turn to Cry”. Lanza’s vocal harmonies are smooth, and lyrics to the point, and the production frames a gutsy, deeply impassioned display of blues know-how. Meanwhile, songs like the playful opener “Mind Your Own Business” show keen wit along with fruits of hard earned experience.

Time To Let Go

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The Bob Lanza Blues Band - 'Til The Pain Is Gone

Time: 57:46
Size: 132.3 MB
Source: LL
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Blues
Released: 2013
Covers: Full

1. Maudie {4:22}
2. I'll Take Care Of You {6:41}
3. 'Til The Pain Is Gone {6:08}
4. Snake Byte {3:00}
5. Outskirts Of Town {7:19}
6. I'm Ready {4:42}
7. Every Night And Every Day {4:48}
8. Build Me A Woman {4:40}
9. Sugar Sweet {3:11}
10. Lonesome {5:05}
11. Our Life {4:12}
12. Mojo {3:34}

Bob Lanza is a guitarist and singer from northern New Jersey. Bob spent four years as bandleader for Floyd Phillips and the Mudflaps, and has backed legends like James Cotton and Nashville’s Dave Perkins. He went out on his own after Floyd Philips died in 2001 and hasn’t looked back. Inspired as a child by a Muddy Waters concert, Lanza has loved the blues ever since. His style is based around Muddy’s urban blues, but he pulls in bits and pieces from Jump blues, Texas shuffles, and a deck stacked with Kings. Lanza’s blues are an amalgamation of traditional styles that form a singular vision of 21st Century Blues.

‘Til The Pain Is Gone is the latest offering from Bob Lanza and his band. It’s a sturdy mix of covers and originals centered on his powerful voice and ripping guitar. Surprisingly, the first lead guitar licks heard on the disc are from Bob Lanza’s son Jake. Jake Lanza gets three solo spots in lead track “Maudie.” Jake’s phrasing and tone is faultless and leaves the listener wanting more. Keyboardist Ed “Doc” Wall pulls double duty on organ and piano and guest vocalist Joe Cerisano pours out his lonesome soul to Maudie. It’s a credit to Bob Lanza’s confidence in his fellow musicians to highlight so many of them in the lead track of his new album. “Maudie” sets a high standard for the rest of the disc, which it unequivocally lives up to.

“‘Til The Pain Gone” is a rollicking piano shuffle that rolls on like the train in Lanza’s lyrics. The whistling harp warns the train is coming and you better get off the tracks. This is a steam engine running at full throttle and Lanza is wailing for all he’s worth. The ending solo is frantic; stoking the fire and pouring out the pain. “Snake Byte” showcases David “Snakeman” Runyan, harp player extraordinaire in a Chicago Blues harmonica work out with clean crisp solos from Lanza and tour de force harp blowing.

The disc visits all the blues neighborhoods of Chicago from the South side stomp of “I’m Ready” and the piano driven romp of “Sugar Sweet,” to Magic Sam’s West Side on “Every Night & Every Day” and into the suburbs with “Outskirts Of Town” which is a slow burn duel with PA/NJ favorite Lee Delray. This quartet of songs reminds us of the hard scrabble Chicago environment from which they came and the rough and tumble New Jersey environment of today where Lanza and his band ply their trade. This is no-nonsense blues.

‘Til The Pain Is Gone takes the volume down a few notches with a pair of acoustic tracks before wrapping the whole thing up in strutting style with “Mojo” – aka “Got My Mojo Working.” The first of the pair is “Lonesome,” and it lives up to its name. This old Memphis Slim number is low down, back porch blues with a little honky-tonk piano added for good measure. “Our Life” is a Lanza original that mixes well with the country blues of “Lonesome.” The Snakeman puts his indelible stamp on the tune, interacting on an almost telepathic level with Lanza. David “Snakeman” Runyan is the not so secret weapon of the Bob Lanza Blues Band. He’s the perfect tangy relish for Lanza’s Jersey Ripper.

The Bob Lanza Blues Band consists of Reverend Sandy Joren on bass, Noel Sagerman on drums and David “Snakeman” Runyan on harmonica. They lay down earthy, gritty, sweaty blues for those who toil the day away barely making ends meet. This isn’t uptown blues. Lanza refers to his music as Jersey Blues and it is indeed tough, gruff, bare-fisted, and in your face. It’s honest, a little over the top, and not for the faint of heart. ‘Til the Pain Is Gone might be the exact amount of time you’re going to drink at the bar but it’s also a tremendous new CD by a veteran band just starting to get national attention. If you’re looking for the real deal this is it.

'Til The Pain Is Gone

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Cow Cow Davenport - The Essential

Boogie blues and barrelhouse piano legend Charles "Cow Cow" Davenport's recorded legacy filled four CDs when reissued by Document during the '90s, with two volumes devoted to his primary sessions (1925-1945), a third filled with rare, privately recorded acetates from the late '40s, and a separate disc packed with examples of his skills as accompanist for singers of blues and hokum swing. A single album released in 2000 by the Wolf label sampled his career from 1926 through 1938. The best general purpose collection of all, however, is The Essential Cow Cow Davenport, a non-chronological, 36-track retrospective brought out on the Classic Blues label in 2002. This double-disc anthology incorporates elements of the Document and Wolf editions, and is highly recommended as an introduction for those who are new to this artist's work as well as a varied celebration for people who know and love their Cow Cow. The most important piano solo of his career, many people have reason to assert, is the "Atlanta Rag," recorded for Gennett in 1929. In addition to this and other solid examples of his archetypal technique, the pianist is heard with vocalists Ivy Smith, Dora Carr, Sam Theard (sometimes identified as Sam Tarpley); Hound Head Henry, Jim Towel, and a group identified as the Southern Blues Singers. Note Davenport's cover of Leadbelly's "Jim Crow Blues" with cornet accompaniment by B.T. Wingfield, the periodic participation of guitarist Tampa Red and the presence of Sam Price at the 88s on "Don't You Loudmouth Me," "I Ain't No Ice Man," "Jump Little Jitterbug," "The Mess Is Here," and a couple of other titles from a swinging session that took place in 1938 when Davenport was temporarily unable to negotiate the keyboard and confined himself to singing robustly like Fats Waller. While there are plenty of good reasons to track down Davenport's complete works in chronological order, his entry in the Classic Blues Essential series stands as the ideal choice for anyone who senses the need for a friendly little kick in the butt. -- Allmusic.

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2002
Styles: Blues
Time: 54:54 + 53:27
Size: 126,6 MB + 123,3 MB
Covers: Full

Album: The Essential Disc 1
(3:08) 1. Mama Don't Allow No Easy Riders
(3:09) 2. Cow Cow Blues
(3:15) 3. We Gonna Rub It
(2:29) 4. My Sweet Silver Dollar Mama
(3:33) 5. You Rascal You
(3:03) 6. State Street Jive
(3:10) 7. Chimin' the Blues
(2:57) 8. (If You Think You're Gonna Get What I Got) You Got Another Thought ...
(3:14) 9. Slow Drag
(2:55) 10. Back in the Alley
(2:49) 11. Low Down Hound Blues
(3:07) 12. Everybody Likes That Thing
(2:58) 13. Jeep Boogie
(3:09) 14. Atlanta Rag
(2:48) 15. That'll Get It
(3:08) 16. Gotta Girl for Every Day of the Week
(2:44) 17. I've Been Hoodooed
(3:09) 18. Texas Shout

Album: The Essential Disc 1
(3:18) 1. Chimes Blues
(2:52) 2. Cow Cow Blues
(3:06) 3. Jim Crow Blues
(3:09) 4. Steamboat Blues
(3:36) 5. The Lover and the Beggar
(2:54) 6. Mootch Piddle
(2:42) 7. Buckwheat Cakes
(3:12) 8. Slum Gullion Stomp
(3:07) 9. Lighthouse Blues
(2:57) 10. Jump Little Jitterbug
(2:44) 11. Railroad Blues
(2:46) 12. The Mess Is Here
(2:47) 13. Rooster Crowin' Blues
(2:01) 14. Boogie No. 3
(2:47) 15. I Ain't No Ice Man
(3:24) 16. I'm Gonna Tell You in Front So You Won't Feel Hurt Behind
(2:36) 17. Don't You Loudmouth Me
(3:18) 18. State Street Blues

The Essential Disc 1
The Essential Disc 2
The Essential artwork

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Little Willie Littlefield - Paris Streetlights

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:54
Size: 100.5 MB
Styles: Piano blues, Chicago blues
Year: 1980/1992
Art: Front

[2:57] 1. Paris Streetlights
[4:43] 2. I Got The Blues Over You
[6:13] 3. Cours De Vincennes
[4:17] 4. Sometimes
[3:37] 5. Messin' Around Town
[6:26] 6. Dirty
[3:37] 7. My Baby's Back In Town (And I Won't Be Lonely Now)
[4:33] 8. Paris
[3:30] 9. Little Willie's Boogie
[3:57] 10. So Long

Before he was 21 years old, Texas-born pianist Little Willie Littlefield had etched an all-time classic into the blues lexicon. Only trouble was, his original 1952 waxing of "Kansas City" (here titled "K.C. Loving") didn't sell sufficiently to show up on the charts (thus leaving the door open for Wilbert Harrison to invade the airwaves with the ubiquitous Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller composition seven years later). Influenced by Albert Ammons, Charles Brown, and Amos Milburn, Little Willie was already a veteran of the R&B recording wars by the time he waxed "K.C. Loving," having made his debut 78 in 1948 for Houston-based Eddie's Records while still in his teens. After a few sides for Eddie's and Freedom, he moved over to the Bihari Brothers' Los Angeles-headquartered Modern logo in 1949. There he immediately hit paydirt with two major R&B hits, "It's Midnight" and "Farewell" (he added another chart entry, "I've Been Lost," in 1951).

Littlefield proved a sensation upon moving to L.A. during his Modern tenure, playing at area clubs and touring with a band that included saxist Maxwell Davis. At Littlefield's first L.A. session for King's Federal subsidiary in 1952, he cut "K.C. Loving" (with Davis on sax), but neither it nor several fine Federal follow-ups returned the boogie piano specialist to the charts. Other than a few 1957-1958 singles for Oakland's Rhythm logo, little was heard from Little Willie Littlefield until the late '70s, when he began to mount a comeback at various festivals and on the European circuit. While overseas, he met a Dutch woman, married her, and settled in the Netherlands, where he remained active musically into the 2000s. He died of cancer in 2013. ~bio by Bill Dahl

Paris Streetlights mc
Paris Streetlights zippy

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Big Joe Fitz - 2 albums: Shoulda Known Better / This Is Big

Album: Shoulda Known Better
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:38
Size: 97.6 MB
Styles: Soul blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[3:15] 1. Don't Mess Around With Love
[4:43] 2. Funny How Time Slips Away
[3:53] 3. Members Only
[4:00] 4. Feeling Blue
[3:47] 5. I Wouldn't Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me)
[3:56] 6. Nothing Takes The Place Of You
[4:24] 7. You Better Move On
[4:30] 8. Lonesome Town
[4:40] 9. Never Make A Move Too Soon
[5:26] 10. Today I Started Loving You Again

Some classic tunes as well as a few obscure nuggets. Whether it's Blues, or Country, or Soul Music we always put our own particular - understated but funky - treatment on it.

Shoulda Known Better mc
Shoulda Known Better zippy

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Album: This Is Big
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:59
Size: 130.4 MB
Styles: Soul blues
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:48] 1. Leap Of Faith
[2:46] 2. The Chokin' Kind
[3:23] 3. Get It While You Can
[2:14] 4. Hard Times
[4:28] 5. Last Go Round
[4:41] 6. You Mean Everything To Me
[5:41] 7. I Cried Last Night
[4:30] 8. Lonesome Train
[4:28] 9. Body And Fender Man
[3:51] 10. I Almost Lost My Mind
[4:45] 11. Tweedle Dee
[4:12] 12. Imitation Of Love
[5:15] 13. Kidney Stew
[2:50] 14. I Choose To Sing The Blues

Some obscure nuggets and some soul classics all done with an understated elegance. This IS NOT in your face guitar driven blues/rock. What it is is a swinging, soulful collection of great tunes played by wonderful players in a relaxed seting. Enjoy.

This Is Big mc
This Is Big zippy

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The Jives UK - When One Door Closes...

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:45
Size: 95.6 MB
Styles: R&B/Soul/Blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:03] 1. As the Crow Flies
[3:54] 2. Mr Highwayman
[4:02] 3. Come Together
[3:12] 4. Temperature 110
[3:20] 5. Down On the Farm
[3:49] 6. Walk in My Shadow
[3:03] 7. Money
[3:15] 8. If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day
[3:18] 9. Times Gettin' Tough
[3:03] 10. Walking to My Baby
[3:44] 11. Walikin' Blues
[3:58] 12. She's Tuff'

When One Door Closes... mc
When One Door Closes... zippy

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Red House - Hits 1997-2012

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:24
Size: 140.6 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:06] 1. She Loves Me Overtime
[4:49] 2. Crazy Bed
[5:27] 3. The Day The Dream Come True
[4:08] 4. Running On Back
[5:21] 5. Hold On To The Light
[3:31] 6. Lovin' Money Just Can't Buy
[3:55] 7. Guitar Delta Tone
[3:40] 8. Drinkin' Whiskey
[5:40] 9. Rattlesnake Road
[3:43] 10. Secret Bluesman
[3:11] 11. Let The Blues Man Play
[4:58] 12. Black Cat Bone
[4:56] 13. Love's A Looney Toon
[3:52] 14. Chihuahua Boogie

Red House Hits 1997-2012 is a celebration of fifteen years together as a band and musical force. “Drinkin’ Whiskey” and “Guitar Delta Tone” were newly recorded in the studio for this CD while maintaining the spirit of Red House’s live performances. Other songs such as “Chihuahua Boogie” and “She Loves Me Overtime” were remastered for this special occasion. The CD also includs a previously unrealeased version of “Let The Bluesman Play”. Fifteen years of great music and history is a lot to celebrate!

Hits 1997-2012 mc
Hits 1997-2012 zippy

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Lucille Bogan & Walter Roland - The Essential

Rather than merely stacking up most of the recordings that Lucille Bogan and Walter Roland made together during the Great Depression, the Classic Blues label sifted through the discographies of both artists to assemble this useful 36-track overview of their respective careers, covering the years 1927-1935. Bogan sang the blues with passion and honesty; Roland was mainly a blues and boogie-woogie pianist who also handled the guitar. Their complete recordings were reissued by the Document label during the 1990s: three volumes for Bogan and two for Roland, who was the singer's primary accompanist during the early '30s. Released in 2002, The Essential is an expanded version of a much more modest edition presented by Yazoo in 1992. Part of the pleasure of studying musicians like these two is the way in which their lives and works were connected to those of other worthy artists. Bogan and Roland worked with guitarists Josh White and Sonny Scott, and show up on retrospective collections released under those names. This kind of research can be illuminating, entertaining, and pleasantly rewarding; the best place to start is with a well-constructed "Essential" anthology like this excellent Classic Blues edition. -- Allmusic.

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2002
Styles: Blues
Time: 52:49 + 52:27
Size: 121,9 MB + 121,1 MB
Covers: Full

Album: The Essential Lucille Bogan & Walter Roland Disc 1
(2:49) 1. Shave 'Em Dry
(2:55) 2. Piano Stomp
(2:50) 3. Early This Morning
(3:00) 4. Baking Powder Blues
(2:58) 5. Groceries on the Shelf
(3:09) 6. I Hate That Train Called the M. and O.
(2:56) 7. Changed Ways Blues
(2:58) 8. Jookit Jookit
(2:50) 9. School-Boy Blues
(3:01) 10. That's What My Baby Likes
(2:57) 11. Skin Game Blues
(2:50) 12. Cold Blooded Murder
(2:45) 13. Dice's Blues
(3:10) 14. Pot Hound Blues
(3:03) 15. Red Cross Blues No. 2
(2:49) 16. New Way Blues
(2:57) 17. 45 Pistol Blues
(2:44) 18. Stump Steady Daddy

Album: The Essential Lucille Bogan & Walter Roland Disc 2
(2:56) 1. Stew Meat Blues
(2:38) 2. Tired as I Can Be
(3:08) 3. They Ain't Walking No More
(3:06) 4. Alley Boogie
(2:57) 5. T. N. and O. Blues
(2:44) 6. Hungry Man's Scuffle
(2:42) 7. You Got to Die Some Day
(2:32) 8. Big Mama
(2:33) 9. Lonesome Midnight Blues
(2:48) 10. Rolling Water
(2:57) 11. Drinking Blues
(2:57) 12. Penniless Blues
(3:01) 13. Bo Easy Blues
(2:58) 14. Sail on Little Girl No. 2
(3:27) 15. Coffee Grindin' Blues
(2:57) 16. Pay Roll Blues
(3:02) 17. T. Model Blues
(2:53) 18. Boogan Ways Blues

The Essential Disc 1
The Essential Disc 2
The Essential artwork

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