Robert Cray - 34 years of Young Bob

Just one track each from 19 albums...I've always said this would result in a strong comp and it has. The fun thing is that Gus could do the same thing tomorrow and come up with a different, but equally good volume 2. It is an interesting way to listen to his body of work.

One thing that is clear to me is that he shares much more with the Southern Soul of ZZ Hill, OV Wright, and Little Johnny Taylor, than with the Blues of the Kings or even the Texas guys. 

...pssst,   gus has added a volume 2, so now there are 40 tracks!

Sherman Robertson - Going Back Home (1998) & Guitar Man Live (2006)

Sherman Robertson is an American blues guitarist, songwriter and singer, who has been described as "one part zydeco, one part swamp blues, one part electric blues and one part classic rhythm and blues." (Wikipedia)

Sherman  Robertson  is  a  blues singer/guitarist born in Louisiana in 1948 and raised in Houston, Texas . He started playing professionally in his teens in the local bar scene and spent some time, during his formative years, on the road as Bobby Bland’s  guitarist. Clifton Chenier heard Robertson at a Blues Festival in 1982 and invited him to join his band – He appeared on a couple of his albums and stayed with him for 5 years up until Chenier's illness and subsequent death in 1987.
Robertson went on to join the bands of Rockin’ Dopsie and Terrance Simien & the Mallet Playboys. He also made an appearance on Paul Simon’s ‘Graceland’ album (on the track Crazy Love Vol II).

After going  solo  Robertson released his first album ‘I’m The Man’ in 1993 on the UK Indigo label produced by Mike Vernon , famous for his productions of  John Mayall’s Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton , Peter Green/ Fleetwood Mac’s early recordings and many others. The album received numerous positive reviews, and was nominated  for a W C Handy Award  He has since toured internationally and released further albums, Here & Now (1996) Going Back Home (1998) Guitar Man - Live (2006) all receiving critical acclaim .
Bruce Iglauer , President of Alligator Records, had this to say about him :
“When I saw him...he was on fire .He ruled the stage. had the audience in the palm of his hand, and his just plain physical showmanship reminded  me of Albert Collins... He’s got that Texas energy, great guitar chops, and is a wonderful, soulful singer.”
It was reported back in 2012 that Robertson had suffered a Stroke but I have still been unable to find any up-to-date reports on his recovery – Here’s hoping  he’s doing well. Anyone know his current situation ? - Gus (back in 2012 with update)
This guy is a beaut ! Just get these gems in your collection...listen and tell me he's not essential to modern Blues history ! ..He's got classic Blues Soul Gospel in his vocals and a modern exciting edge in his guitar style...I first heard him on a Rockin' Dopsie album...and he caught my ear then as a sideman...And still does,,, Louisiana born but Texas is the main influence here ( Albert Collins et al)...What better roots can you have ?...Gus

Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland - Showdown!

AllMusic Review by Bill Dahl

Cray found himself in some pretty intimidating company for this Grammy-winning blues guitar summit meeting, but he wasn't deterred, holding his own alongside his idol Albert Collins and Texas great Johnny Copeland. Cray's delivery of Muddy Waters' rhumba-rocking "She's into Something" was one of the set's many highlights.

Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm

OH YES YES YES!!!! The Robert Cray who blew my mind some 20 years ago is BACK!!!. After those first 3 classic albums, it has been spotty at best....until now!!!  Bad Bob has finally seen his calling as the ZZ Hill of his generation! Can't recall being more thrilled by something NEW in this genre for a loooooong time!

Start to finish you gonna be MOVIN', I promise! Vocals better than ever, guitar work brings back the smoke....Damn this is good!!

Ollie Nightengale - Sweet Surrender 1973

This album is essentially a collection of the "Memphis" & "Pride" singles which followed Ollie's departure from Stax...The singles and LP were marketed thru MGM and produced by the Butler's (Jerry and Billy) and Gene 'Bowlegs' Miller, who was directly in charge of the sessions. This is all very high level Southern Soul from a time when that genre was both at it's peak and on the verge of it's decline. Despite having been recorded separately over around a 3 year span, these songs  actually hold together pretty well as an album too.

Simply a MUST HAVE!

Tyrone Davis - Can I Change Your Mind & Turn Back the Hands of Time

Tyrone Davis (May 4, 1938 – February 9, 2005), born Tyrone Fettson, was a leading American soul singer with a distinctive style, recording a long list of hit records over a period of more than 20 years. He had three no. 1 hits on the Billboard R&B chart: "Can I Change My Mind" (1968), "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" (1970), and "Turning Point" (1975).

Tyrone Fettson was born in a rural community twenty miles outside of Greenville, Mississippi to Willie Branch and Ora Lee Jones. He moved with his father to Saginaw, Michigan, before relocating to Chicago in 1959.

Working as a valet/chauffeur for blues singer Freddie King, he started singing in local clubs where he was discovered by record executive/musician Harold Burrage. His early records for small record labels in the city, billed as "Tyrone the Wonder Boy", failed to register. Successful Chicago record producer Carl Davis signed him in 1968 to a new label, Dakar Records that he was starting as part of a distribution deal with Atlantic, and suggested that he use the stage name Tyrone Davis. His first release, "A Woman Needs To Be Loved" was flipped when the b-side started to get radio attention. The song, "Can I Change My Mind" featured a change of vocal style for Davis with a softer, more pleading approach and tone. The record now shot up the listings and spent three weeks on the top of the Billboard R&B chart while climbing to #5 in the Hot 100. It sold over one million and received gold disc recognition. His biggest hit came in early 1970 when "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" also reached #1 in the R&B chart and went up to #3 in the Hot 100 pop chart. Written by Jack Daniels and Bonnie Thompson, this disc also sold over one million copies, and received a gold disc awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America in May 1970.

Davis released about 25 singles during his seven years with Dakar, most of them big R&B sellers produced by Willie Henderson. He finally returned to the top spot with "Turning Point" in 1975. Soon afterwards, Davis switched to the major Columbia record label and recorded seven albums over the next five years with producer Leo Graham and arranger James Mack who had collaborated with him for "Turning Point". Major hits with Columbia included "Give It Up" (#2), "This I Swear" (#6), and "In The Mood" (#6).

1982 brought a change of label to the newly-established independent, Highrise and another major hit, "Are You Serious" (#3 R&B, #57 pop), again produced by Leo Graham, and written by L.V. Johnson. When Highrise closed the following year, Davis switched to a tiny Los Angeles label Ocean Front which lacked promotional muscle to get behind arguably one of his best performances, "Let Me Be Your Pacifier". Davis' days as a major chart act were over but he continued to be a popular live attraction and finally signed in 1996 with Malaco Records, the southern-based blues label recording him on a number of albums.

A stroke in September 2004 curtailed his career, and following complications he died in a Chicago hospital in February 2005 at the age of 66. He left a widow, Ann, to whom he had been married for over 40 years, and several children and grandchildren

Down & Out - The Sad Soul of The Black South

A long overdue repost ....

I am going to attempt finding some way to explain just how over the top, beyond great, this compilation is. I take some pride in being able to assemble some coherent and powerful compilations myself --- were this one of mine I would be struttin' with my chest puffed out for months! The songs flow, but they offer great variety, the theme is consistent...really well done! If THIS don't float ya' boat then you have clearly been hanging out in the wrong place.

A good part of what runs through this set has seen SOME sort of exposure here, but a surprising bunch is new to me and I'd suspect to y'all too. At the end of the day, this is a marvelous listen that you would be foolish to miss out on.

KC gives it 5 stars!

Texas Gospel, Volume Three

A late service today....

Martha Davis - Chrono-Classics 1946-51

Davis was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. By the mid-1930s, she had met and been influenced by Fats Waller, and performed regularly as a singer and pianist in Chicago clubs. In 1939, she met, and later married, bass player Calvin Ponder (October 17, 1917 - December 26, 1970), who went on to play in Earl Hines' band.

In 1948, Davis and Ponder moved to California, and Davis developed her recording career on Jewel Records in Hollywood with a trio including Ponder, Ralph Williams (guitar) and Lee Young (drums). Their cover of Dick Haymes' pop hit "Little White Lies" reached # 11 on the Billboard R&B chart, followed by a duet with Louis Jordan, "Daddy-O" in 1948, which reached #7 on the R&B chart that year.

Davis and Ponder also began performing together on stage, developing a musical and comedy routine as "Martha Davis & Spouse" which played on their physical characteristics (she was large, he was smaller). The act became hugely popular, touring and having a residency at the Blue Angel in New York City. They appeared together in movies including Smart Politics (with Gene Krupa), and in the mid-1950s, variety films Rhythm & Blues Revue, Rock 'n' Roll Revue and Basin Street Revue. Several of their performances were filmed by Snader Telescriptions for video jukeboxes, and they also broadcast on network TV, particularly Garry Moore's CBS show.

In 1957, after a break of several years, they resumed recording for the ABC Paramount label, with whom they cut two LPs. Davis died from cancer in New York in 1960, aged 42, and Ponder died ten years later, aged 53.

Joey Gilmore - Brandon's Blues

b. Joshua Gilmore, c. 1947, Ocala, Florida, USA. After teaching himself to play guitar at an early age, Gilmore began performing in public with a small band of like-minded youths. At first, he played and sang in church, his repertoire largely religious music, but gradually incorporated secular music and thus widened his audience although he and his band’s club dates were usually in establishments they were too young to legally enter.
In the 60s, Gilmore moved to the southern end of his home state where he became a popular figure on the local blues scene and was often called upon to accompany visiting musicians. He recorded from the mid-70s, releasing some EPs and there was also a late 80s album but it was not until the early 90s that his recordings began to appear regularly. Gilmore has appeared at numerous blues and/or jazz festivals, including Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Mississippi Valley, Montreux, Riverwalk, Taiwan, and at the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, where he appeared in 2006 to great acclaim, winning the Best Band division.

Jimmy Burns - It Ain't Right 2015

 AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

It Ain't Right is Jimmy Burns' first studio set in a long time -- 12 years, to be precise, a belated sequel to 2003's Back to the Delta. It Ain't Right doesn't make any pretenses about returning to Burns' Mississippi roots but rather settles into a wonderfully textured soulful groove, something relaxed and elastic, a sound that gives plenty of space to both his clean, hopping guitar and robust vocals. Although the album is devoid of originals, he manages to spin songs by Bobby Rush, Jimmy Reed, Percy Mayfield, Little Walter, and Lowman Pauling toward his soulful style, even finding a way to turn Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" into a bit of an uptempo groover. Not everything here is sprightly, not by a long shot, but the things that stick recall the easy elegance of Sam Cooke, whether it's on the deceptively chipper "Will I Ever Find Somebody?" or the churchy closer "Wade in the Water," and they help turn It Ain't Right into something of a relaxed, heartfelt celebration.

Boyd Rivers - You Can't Make Me Doubt

Here is something from a backroads country church to light up your gospel Sunday.  One of the great mysteries to me is why Boyd Rivers, who possessed a truly great and unique county blues/gospel voice, hardly had a chance to record.  Alan Lomax was on to him in the 70s and documented him on a few tracks.  Rivers lived and performed well  into the 90s.  Yet only the German L+R label had the sense to allow him to record an album.  Where was Fat Possum when we needed it?

So this is it as far as Boyd Rivers albums go.  It is also a rare album that (I believe) never got an issue on CD, despite the fact that it is from the 1980s.  True, a few other Boyd Rivers tracks made it to a few compilations, most notably the Living Country Blues series.  Still...

Boyd Rivers was also a very powerful live performer, and was fortunately filmed in performance a number of times.  Some of the results are available on youtube.  Check this one out, for example:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCalc5JrDeM     Muddy Waters is my probably favorite blues singer, but if I were Muddy Waters and heard that, I would probably stop performing "You Got to Take Sick and Die" from that day on!

Sincerely,

Pres

The Legendary Meters featuring The JB Horns 1991

I was thinking it was about time for me to drop a bomb, just to maintain some cred out here...well my friends, this is a Mother Bomb! When it comes to fantasy funk collaborations, I don't know how you beat The Meters with The JB horns...let that sink in a minute....whew!

Now to be fair it isn't exactly The Meters, no Zig and no Art, but Russell Batiste and Dave Torkanowski ain't exactly chopped liver now are they? If you manage to sit still thru this then just call the coroner because son, you must be dead!

As I understand it, nobody ever got paid for this recording so I deem it fair game - I did alright tho, sold these two cd's for 100$!

It's been a while since I listened to this...it is a wonder that Leo's guitar didn't burst into flames because the man is on fire!

Dorothy Love Coates and The Gospel Harmonettes

Sorry about the cover, my scanner is broke.

Gospel Sunday returns!

The Johnny Copeland Collection - Working Man's Blues

"WORKING MAN'S BLUES is an excellent compilation of early recordings by the "Texas Twister" Johnny Copeland. Though he wouldn't make a name for himself until recording for Rounder in the 1980s, these recordings from the '60s prove that Copeland--only in his early 20s at the time--was already an impressive axe-slinger. Taking his cue from other local heroes like Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Albert Collins, Copeland possessed a raw, stinging style that fit firmly in the Texas six-string electric-blues tradition.
Copeland spent most of the '60s recording for small Texas labels (Golden Eagle, All Boy, Paradise), but the elements of his mature style were already in place. Copeland's ragged, appealing tenor carries tracks like "Down on Bending Knees" and "Please Let Me Know," while his fierce leads can be heard on cuts like "Mama Told Me." Interestingly, there is less emphasis on Copeland's guitar work here than on pop and R&B-influenced songcraft ("Heebie Jeebies" and "Your Game Is Working" resemble rock & roll radio hits). The comparative difference between these sides and Copeland's later work makes this set all the more appealing, and a fine early snapshot of one of Texas's best latter-day bluesmen." AMG

Johnny Moore - Lonely Heart In The City

Okay so the previous information supplied was the wrong Johnny Moore of Chicago (There are at least 3 or 4). This Moore is from Mississippi, 1940 - moves to Chicago 1960, but finds most of his success as a prolific songwriter - he wrote Turn Back The Hands of Time for Tyronne Davis and 100's of other songs for the like of Syl Johnson and other Hi Records stars. These are likely all there is of HIS recordings as he never really found success as a singer himself.

The only bio is in the cd sleeve, but links to those scans are now in the notes.