Blues 235 Items

The earliest days of blues music has its roots in the deep South region of the United States. It was there that the likes of Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Big Bill Broonzy, and innumerable other performers cut their teeth, performing and recording largely across the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, and various other deep Southern states, gradually spreading to its most famed hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Oft forgotten in these stories is that of the Carolinas, and the surrounding Atlantic Coast. Frequently overshadowed by their Memphis, Chicago, and Mississippi contemporaries, it's an area that contains some of the blues' oldest traditions. This region was home to major traditional blues players like Blind Blake, Tampa Red, and Sam Butler, among many others, and are collected here in the tracks of Guitar Wizards: 1926-1935.

One of the earliest blues performers of the pre-war era, and an offspring of a family of freed slaves, Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas was one of the most influential, but also one of the most enigmatic practitioners of the blues genre. Much of Thomas' life was un-chronicled by historians (The exact date of his death is still a point of contention) except to say that much of his life he lived as a drifter, making his living by performing on street corners and for railway employees. Though his personal life is still shrouded in mystery, his music remains significant, so many decades later. Thomas stood out from his peers primarily by the way he strummed his guitar; as one would strum a banjo. His songs emphasized dance rhythm over complex picking, and often utilized instruments unorthodox to blues music, such as the Deep South folk instrument the quills. This sound proved to be instrumental in the development of the Texas blues sound, and would be his trademark across the 24 sides that he recorded for Vocalion Records, of which only 23 would be released commercially.

“Super Super Blues Band” started out merely as “Super Blues”, a conglomerate of blues pillars Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters and Little Walter. When Little Walter bowed out and was replaced by Howlin’ Wolf, they rightfully threw another Super on the name, and went on to release this burning, irreverent and even sometimes hilarious set of drunken, wild-eyed electric blues. Long form jams roll on in a trance as the trio of blues legends flex egos, talking shit to each other, trading off leads and ducking blasts of unexpected wah-wah guitar lines. Songs are peppered with an incredible level of banter between the trio of bandleaders that predicts the call and response sing- talking of early hip hop, laced with random screams in the background that teeter between celebration and danger. That these three ever got into the same room together is a miracle, and that they produced something so intense, energetic and weird is another almost unbelievable feat. The record is special enough as a stand-alone document of this meeting/melting of the minds before you find out the backing band consists of Hubert Sumlin, Otis Spann and freaking Buddy Guy. Lordy. Might have needed one more “super” in there. The record is pressed on limited colored vinyl.

Mighty Sam is a rhythm and blues legend who shook up the blues world with this 1993 release. The great torch bearer of deep soul is caught in top form on this classic album. And now, this gatefold 45rpm edition presented by Analogue Productions makes the album even greater! The four sides of wider-spaced grooves make for reduced distortion and better high frequency reproduction. It's a 200-gram masterpiece from our own Quality Record Pressings, our state-of-the-art LP pressing plant. And the gatefold jacket is hard-core, old-school style - thick cardboard, tip-on, with additional photos and liner notes inside. Sweet. McClain sings soul with incredible power - he knows when to pull the punches and when to cool it down. "Give It Up to Love", the title track, acknowledges his gospel roots; he performs it as a vocal prayer to God asking for wisdom, love, and strength. Bruce Katz's contributions on B-3 Hammond organ expands McClain's sound, particularly on the "Green Onions" - influenced "What You Want Me to Do". The sparsely effective arrangement on "Here I Go Falling in Love Again" brings McClain up front as he cries of being a soul stripped to the bare bones. Kevin Barry's funky bass blows while McClain declares himself as a child of God in "Child of the Mighty Mighty".

The Blues is a unique sound that comes from particular times, places, and people. However, that sound is universal in that it can be used to articulate every human emotion. In this album, I invite listeners from all walks of life to the world of The Blues as it is in 2024. I invite people to engage with the ups and downs we all experience, through this music.

The blues was a black-American innovation in our history that had many facets to it. There are technical components to the blues - standards and vocal phrasing. There are also components to the blues that are more abstract, such as history, geography, even intellectual movements. In this album, I endeavored to use those building blocks to articulate the humanity I see around me - past, present, and future - without compromising the quality, the foundation that the blues provides.

These fifteen original songs are my invitation to everyone out there - whether you’re a blues aficionado or just passing through the genre, I hope you find plenty to engage with.

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of three top 10 R&B singles - “Hobo Blues”, “Hoogie Boogie” and “Crawlin’ King Snake.” This 4-track EP includes the bonus track, “Hastings Street Boogie,” which is also celebrating its 75th anniversary.

It was sixty years ago, in June 1964, when John Lee Hooker entered the British singles charts for the first time with “Dimples,” peaking at #23. The track had been cut for the Vee-Jay label in America some eight years prior in Chicago. “Boom Boom,” issued in the UK in 1963, had already caught the ears and feet of the nascent mod movement. Both songs became live staples on the British blues scene, with The Animals covering both on their debut UK LP issued later in 1964.

But in 1952, way before the sharp-suited mods were attracted to John Lee Hooker’s equally well-cut look and infectious music, the British Vogue label had issued “Hoogie Boogie,” recorded in 1949, on a 78rpm disc. Blues music was for the aficionado back then, and the four tracks on this EP hark back to those earliest recordings by John Lee Hooker. “Hobo Blues,” “Hoogie Boogie,” and “Crawlin’ King Snake” all went Top 10 in the US R&B chart in 1949.

This is unadorned John Lee Hooker, getting to the heart of his blues and boogie, just guitar, vocal, and tapping foot, 15 years before his music caught the ears of a wider and enthusiastic British audience. Decades may have passed, but the music remains fresh and vital.

This EP is housed in a beautiful period-era sleeve drawn and designed by Niall McCormack.

The Blues is a unique sound that comes from particular times, places, and people. However, that sound is universal in that it can be used to articulate every human emotion. In this album, I invite listeners from all walks of life to the world of The Blues as it is in 2024. I invite people to engage with the ups and downs we all experience, through this music.

The blues was a black-American innovation in our history that had many facets to it. There are technical components to the blues - standards and vocal phrasing. There are also components to the blues that are more abstract, such as history, geography, even intellectual movements. In this album, I endeavored to use those building blocks to articulate the humanity I see around me - past, present, and future - without compromising the quality, the foundation that the blues provides.

These fifteen original songs are my invitation to everyone out there - whether you’re a blues aficionado or just passing through the genre, I hope you find plenty to engage with.

"Hoodoo Man Blues" is not only Junior Wells' initial LP appearance, it is damn near the first LP by a Chicago blues band. This is the album that started the collector blues label trend of the late '60s. Chess and a few other labels had reissued 45's by Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Elmore James, etc., but virtually no one had tried to capture the Chicago blues sound, free of the juke-box/airplay promotional mediums limitations of the 45. This album features the smoking guitar of the legendary Buddy Guy along with a crack rhythm section.

This release of Lightnin' Hopkins "Soul Blues" completes the series of 25 Prestige label stereo reissues from Analogue Productions. Of the 50 titles (25 stereo, 25 mono) in this reissue series, 49 of them were mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original analog tape. For "Soul Blues" Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound created a 24/192K hi-res file from a needle drop on a clean original LP.
This was done because the tape supplied for mastering proved to be from a needle drop itself, not the original, which has been lost since the early 1970s. Smith took the original LP, did a new needle drop and meticulously worked to eliminate the minimal tics and pops that remained. Then he mastered the album for LP and SACD from the hi-res file.

The 45rpm Analogue Productions reissue of Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Couldn't Stand The Weather" is so good, as are its 45rpm companions — "Texas Flood" and "Soul To Soul" — that they truly represent what Gregg Geller, producer and A&R representative described as »the best replication of the master tapes to date«"
We've already brought you the 33 1/3rpm box set "Texas Hurricane" featuring the greatest Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute ever reissued — six of Vaughan's most classic album titles remastered for ultimate blues and guitar fanatics. We've now taken the extra step and done 45rpm versions of these three standout LPs.
We've used the original 30 inches-per-second, half-inch analog master tapes for all of these albums. Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound cut the lacquers for the LPs using the ultimate VMS 80 cutting lathe. Gary Salstrom handled the plating and the vinyl was pressed of course at our Quality Record Pressings, maker of the world's finest-sounding LPs.
"Couldn’t Stand The Weather" is the remarkable sophomore album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. It follows their critically acclaimed debut, "Texas Flood". Incorporating the same winning formula of musicianship and songwriting, "Couldn’t Stand The Weather" cemented Vaughan’s place as one of music’s greatest. It is their first to earn gold certification and their first platinum-seller. It includes breathtaking renditions of Clark’s “Cold Shot” and Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child”. A staple on the Billboard charts, this definitive masterpiece received praise from Entertainment Weekly, Q, Down Beat and many others.
There's not a link in this production chain that wasn't absolute first-rate. The absolute best that money can buy.
But beyond that we've poured our passion into this project. Acoustic Sounds is a big fan of the blues and Stevie Ray Vaughan. It's a big dream come true to work on this project and to make these records sound and look the best they ever have.

Not known for his acoustic work, Buddy Guy unplugs for a rare album-length excursion into folk blues. The guitarist gets down and dirty with 12 tracks that sound like they were recorded after hours in his living room or on his back porch.

At age 82, bluesman LEO “BUD” WELCH rocks on stage like a teenager—dancing and spinning as he beats out jagged chords and grimy solos on his pink, sparkle-covered guitar. That raw youthful energy and Welch’s old-school juke-joint jones blend full-throttle in the 10 songs on I Don’t Prefer No Blues, his second release for Fat Possum Records’ subsidiary Big Legal Mess. The album is a garage-blues manifesto that weds waves of prickly six-string distortion and gutbucket drums with Welch’s smoke-and-ash voice and mud-crusted guitar—and lives up to Fat Possum’s history of producing edgy but deeply rooted recordings by artists like Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside.

Being back in the prairies after decades away opened up boxes of tightly wrapped insanity, delicate stuff, and bizarre things. The joy and sorrow of the place drives me into the Blues studio to make more art for you. It's made with big heart from way out West, to keep you alive and virile.”

Welcome back. Where's the party at? Son Of Dave's 11th album kicks off with homecoming outbursts. After 26 years in London UK he's back in the Canadian Prairies demanding as much attention as always. Themes of flat Midwest cities, classic-rock lovin' truckers, and a weird call for More Mayonnaise will keep his multitude of international fans chuckling. The usual Son Of Dave bag of tricks colours the album: Blues-harmonica, beat-box, cheap electric guitar, and that voice that shouts and croons his own brand of Blues infused old-school R&B.

As always, he messes with different rhythms: Funk, Boogaloo, Rock-Steady, or Techno, always doing it his own way. How do you categorize a Son of Dave album? He's become his own style, loved and shared by millions of fans worldwide. That's why you'll find his music in the Breaking Bad soundtrack and many more. You'll hear it on college radio or boomer generation blues radio programs from Switzerland to Argentina. A true maverick Bluesman.

Most of the record is done completely himself. All writing, instruments, editing, recording, mixing and artwork. You're welcome. Three exceptions are “Where's The Party At” , produced by long-time collaborator Tim Gordine in London, and two recorded on Vancouver Island by Zac Cohen at lovely Woodshop Studios, “Yahoos” and “I Told You All I Know”. The album will be released on July 12th. Four singles will lead up. Plenty of videos and fun coming. Shows and tours forthcoming.

Tinsley Ellis unplugs and channels his masterful guitar skills and soul-baring vocals into a bracing collection of solo acoustic tracks steeped in the traditions of Muddy Waters, Skip James, Son House, Robert Johnson and even Leo Kottke. Nine newly-written originals sit alongside reverent, yet spirited, versions of House's "Death Letter Blues," Willie Dixon's "Don't Go No Further" and Kottke's "Sailor's Grave On The Prairie."

Japanese Obi-Strip Pressed on Black Vinyl Originally released in 1976 Note: artwork to be updated This is the only album released by Charles Edwards, also known as Good Rockin' Charles who was an American blues singer and harmonica player. Because he missed chances by own, he left behind very few recordings that have survived. In 1956, he was appointed to recording session of "Walkin' By Myself" with Jimmy Rogers. However, for reasons unknown, he got cold feet or left to have a drink and canceled the session. After all, as many blues fans know, Big Walter Horton filled in for him and delivered a memorable performance on that song. In 1957, Cobra Records arranged another recording opportunity, but he was not particularly fond of studio recording and didn't show up to the session.



However, his unique and powerful blues harmonica flavor cannot be found anywhere else. While influenced by Sonny Boy Williamson I, his singing has a distinct and forthright vocal style that sets him apart, delivering a unique and compelling performance.

Songwriter. Guitarist. Singer. Bandleader. At only 20 years of age, Marcus King’s dazzling musical ability is evident throughout The Marcus King Band, the young phenom’s 2nd full-length LP. Raised in Greenville, South Carolina, King was brought up on the blues, playing shows as a pre-teen sideman with his father—bluesman Marvin King, who himself was the son of a regionally-known guitarist—before striking out on his own. Operating within the fiery brand of American roots music that King calls "soul-influenced psychedelic southern rock," the album highlights King’s gorgeous, rough-hewn vocals, soaring guitar work and heartfelt songwriting all amidst a group of masterful musicians who, together, are quickly becoming one of the country’s most sought after live acts.

United States at the beginning of the 1960s, the vibrant speeches of the great defenders of the black cause were soonrelayed by the artists of the time.... The groove revolution is underway!Dive into the heart of this era with the proud voices of the Artists who made the Protest Song!A fine selection with : GIL SCOTT-HERON - Angela Davis- Doris Duke- Seven Seas- Shirley Caesar- Skull Snaps- T-Connection- The Whatnauts...

Celebrated by fans and fellow musicians as being among the blues’ most talented and exciting guitarists, Chris Cain is, according to Living Blues magazine, “turning out the best work of his career.” Good Intentions Gone Bad debuts 13 striking new songs, with Cain delivering top-shelf performances on blistering shuffles, slow-burning blues and joyful soul. Fellow Alligator artist Tommy Castro guests on one track.

With his astonishingly accomplished guitar playing, Stevie Ray Vaughan ignited the blues revival of the '80s. Vaughan drew equally from bluesmen like Albert King, Otis Rush and Hubert Sumlin and rock 'n' roll players like Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack, as well as the stray jazz guitarist like Kenny Burrell, developing a uniquely eclectic and fiery style that sounded like no other guitarist, regardless of genre.
On 1989's "In Step", Vaughan found his own songwriting voice, blending blues, soul, and rock in unique ways, and writing with startling emotional honesty. Yes, there are a few covers, all well chosen, but the heart of the album rests in the songs he co-wrote with Doyle Bramhall, the man who penned the "Soul To Soul" highlight "Change It". Fueled by a desire to make up for lost time and delight in his reawakened commitment to life and sobriety, Vaughan turned in what many consider his greatest artistic statement, an album ensconced in sweat, soul, determination, and not an ounce of filler.
"Travis Walk" offers a heady rush of flat-picking, "The House is Rockin'" is full-tilt roots-boogie, "Let Me Love You Baby" and "Leave My Girl Alone" are sweet blues epiphanies, and the nine-minute instrumental "Riviera Paradise" is a truly soulful mix of blues and jazz. By now, just a year before his untimely death, Vaughan had also tamed his bawling voice into a rich instrument. In short, this 1989 session is Vaughan at his artistic peak.
As we did with our vaunted box set reissues, "Texas Hurricane", again Analogue Productions is bringing you the finest-sounding Stevie Ray Vaughan collections ever preserved on 200-gram vinyl. Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound cut the lacquers for the LPs using the ultimate VMS 80 cutting lathe. Gary Salstrom handled the plating and the vinyl was pressed of course at Quality Record Pressings.
"In Step" remains one of the five greatest blues records of the past quarter century. There's not a link in this chain that wasn't absolute first-rate. The absolute best that money can buy. We're passionate about the blues AND Stevie Ray and the passion shows up here in spades.

Includes four bonus tracks.

The SuperSoul Brothers is the most active soul-funk group in the South-West of France and returns with their new album "By The Way". This is the group"s third album. "By The Way" is a more mature album that explores themes of introspection, loss, sharing, joys, and the passage of time. Each track paints a picture of the group"s journey through life, filled with both moments of happiness and difficulties. This new opus features 12 tracks oscillating between Rock "n" Soul and Nola Funk. Each song is an event in itself, creating its own universe. This combo is a true band, united around their lead, vibrating and composing together. The SuperSoul Brothers formed in Pau at the end of 2015 and since 2021 have been propelled onto stages in France and around the world with the help of the legendary Dixiefrog Records label.

The music on this album is representative of the three main "lives" of Blues Incorporated. The first and most well-known is the outfit which made their debut album, R&B From The Marquee featuring vocals from Cyril Davies and Long John Baldry. Secondly, the late '63 to early '65 period when the band were fronted by experienced black American vocalist, Herbie Goins. Finally the spell from mid '65 to '66 when the band were effectively without a vocalist other than Alexis Korner himself. Blues Inc. released four studio LP's, one live LP and two UK singles from 1962 to 1966 but the disc you have in your hands is the first vinyl LP to zero-in on the band at the Beeb. All tracks excellent sound quality except for* Side A 1. Rockin' 2. Overdrive 3. I Need Your Loving 4. Turn On Your Lovelight 5. Roberta 6. Every Day I Have The Blues 7. Oh Lord, Don't Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me 8. Sappho* Side B 1. River's Invitation* 2. Blues A La King 3. The Organiser 4. Watermelon Man 5. Back At The Chicken Shack 6. Trouble In Mind 7. The Jailbird 8. Hey Hey* Mono Recordings

Harmonica Frank recorded these tracks for Sun Records in the early '50s! It's definitely blues at the core, but which also has links to Appalachian music.

Spend any time around Doug MacLeod and the stories from his years of road time with the likes of Big Joe Turner and Pee Wee Crayton start to flow as easily as a brook tickled by a breeze. And you know you're getting to the good part, the climax if you will, when Doug's eyes start to twinkle, his grin grows broader and out of his mouth pop the words »Come to find ...«. MacLeod was a widely acknowledged electric blues guitarist for many years, and the leader of his own band, yielding a number of U.S. and European tours and several albums to his credit. Doug disbanded the group to focus all his energies on his first love, acoustic blues. "Come To Find" is the debut fruit of that effort. And now it's made even more remarkable, with this 45 RPM 200-gram reissue by Analogue Productions. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately.The pressing sounds spectacular. You're holding a hefty 200-gram masterpiece from our own Quality Record Pressings, our state-of-the-art LP pressing plant. And the gatefold jacket is hard-core, old-school style — thick cardboard, tip-on, with additional photos and liner notes inside. Sweet. "Come To Find" is the sound of a consummate bluesman touching the core of his art in a program featuring ten originals by Doug. He is beautifully supported in this intimate setting by harmonica ace Charlie Musselwhite and the Mighty Flyer rhythm section, Jimi Bott and Bill Stuve. This is the album that deserves a place of honor in the music collections of even casual blues fans. And for those who love blues already, this is one of the best-sounding, most original works you'll ever hear.

Ivory Coast isn’t known for country music. But Jess Sah Bi & Peter One’s 1985 recording Our Garden Needs Its Flowers, a massive-selling regional hit, brought a burgeoning interest in folk and Americana into the mainstream and carried two young men to international prominence, culminating in stadium-filling concerts and performances for the first lady of Cote d’Ivoire and dignitaries.

The album was made following a chance introduction via Jess’s nephew, who heard Peter playing for fun around his university dormitory. At the time, Jess Sah Bi (Die Sah Bi) was Ivory Coast’s first political cartoonist, having already published in dozens of magazines and newspapers across West Africa and France. Meanwhile Peter One (Pierre-Evrard Tra) was a university student and soon-to-be high school history teacher. Both musicians had spent time singing and playing guitar and composing songs on their own until they came together to record their independently-released opus.

The music contrasted starkly with the popular sounds of the time, ranging from fast-paced regional dance music genres to ziglibithy to soukous to straight-up funk played by Abidjan’s plethora of bands. Country music and folk-rock weren’t very popular with the general public. But interest was bubbling up within the growing student population, who connected with the protest sentiments expressed by many English and American artists of the era. “It’s very nice music, with very nice harmonies, and it’s different from what you hear every day,” Peter says. “The language was a big barrier though. You had to learn English to understand the songs, and the students were the ones learning English.” Having access to education along with their awareness of social and political inequality and injustice made students the perfect audience for folk music in Ivory Coast.

Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Don Williams’ music could be heard on some radio programs around Ivory Coast’s major cities, and some younger people were getting hip to Simon & Garfunkel, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cat Stevens and Crosby Stills & Nash. The stage was set for Jess Sah Bi & Peter One’s homegrown country music to make a mark on Ivorians’ consciousness. Complete with slide guitar, soaring vocals and anthemic, politically-conscious lyrics in three languages, the recording became ubiquitous across French-speaking West Africa. “We expected the album to be a big success, but we could not have imagined how far it would go,” Peter says.

After Our Garden Needs Its Flowers release, Jess and Peter’s profile lifted rapidly, leading to stadium performances in Togo, Burkina Faso and elsewhere. Their ascent was accompanied by critical acclaim from the local press and television programs, appearances at galas organized by Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny, the wife of the late Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the first president of the Ivory Coast and even a performance during the 1988 ECOWAS (Economic Coalition of West African States) summit in Yamoussoukro at President Houphouët-Boigny’s request. Jess and Peter’s run lasted until the early 1990s, capped off with the BBC using their song African Chant as theme music the day Nelson Mandela was released from prison.

Jess and Peter now live in San Francisco and Nashville, respectively, and continue to make music on their own. Plans for shows reuniting the duo are in the works for later this year.

The 45rpm Analogue Productions reissue of Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Texas Flood" is so good, as are its 45rpm companions — "Couldn't Stand The Weather" and "Soul To Soul" — that they truly represent what Gregg Geller, producer and A&R representative described as »the best replication of the master tapes to date«.
We've already brought you the 33 1/3rpm box set "Texas Hurricane" featuring the greatest Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute ever reissued — six of Vaughan's most classic album titles remastered for ultimate blues and guitar fanatics. We've now taken the extra step and done 45rpm versions of these three standout LPs.
We've used the original 30 inches-per-second, half-inch analog master tapes for all of these albums. Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound cut the lacquers for the LPs using the ultimate VMS 80 cutting lathe. Gary Salstrom handled the plating and the vinyl was pressed of course at our Quality Record Pressings, maker of the world's finest-sounding LPs.
Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1983 debut album, "Texas Flood", was a phenomenal success, climbing into the Top 40 and spending over half a year on the charts, which was practically unheard of for a blues recording. The record plays like a dynamite club show, filled with crowd-pleasing originals and covers, all performed with unbridled enthusiasm. "Texas Flood" was certified gold on August 13, 1990, and certified platinum on January 22, 1992.
There's not a link in this production chain that wasn't absolute first-rate. The absolute best that money can buy.
But beyond that we've poured our passion into this project. Acoustic Sounds is a big fan of the blues and Stevie Ray Vaughan. It's a big dream come true to work on this project and to make these records sound and look the best they ever have.