Greasy funky modern blues from Memphis! This is not the most polished band you've ever heard by any stretch of the imagination but you can tell they were houserockers!
"One of the few remnants of the homegrown Memphis blues scene since its virtual cessation at the end of the 1950s, the Fieldstones made some rough and ready electric blues with soul and rock influences from the mid-1970s through the early 1990s. Their sound was characterized by a two-guitar front line and a raw, chunky groove not too far removed from the sort of Mississippi juke joint blues that Fat Possum recorded in the 1990s. The Fieldstones did some recording in the 1980s for David Evans' Highwater label, but never established much of a following outside of Memphis, and disbanded in the early '90s." AMG .
"The Fieldstones were playing the bars and jook joints of Memphis from the 1970s until the early 1990s. I caught them several times at their home base of Green's Lounge, and can say without reservation that The Fieldstones are one of the best blues bands I've ever seen. They seemed to have absorbed every style of blues and soul that's made Memphis famous, and turned it into their own rhythmic, hypnotic and sometimes funky brand of music.
The opening cut, simply called "The Fieldstones," is a funky introduction to the band and their music. With it's rhythmic beat, this song has continually run through my head since first hearing it 15 years ago. Unlike the Brady Bunch theme, which I also can't wipe from my memory, this song evokes pleasant memories every time I hear it.
The raw, soulful vocals of guitarist Willie Roy Sanders highlights cut number two, "Dirt Road." Even better is his incredible pleading vocals on the Little Milton song, "Little Bluebird."
The Fieldstones had to provide music for the dancers at Green's Lounge, and "The Thing" is a funky number which I'm sure always packed the dance floor. The same goes for the instrumental "The Squeeze." Both of these songs have the same rhythmic sound of "The Fieldstones," and really define what this band was all about.
These recordings were made at three separate sessions in 1981 and 1982. In the liner notes there's mention of an upcoming album which will contain previously-unreleased tracks from the band's later years, when the excellent singer Little Applewhite was fronting the band. I can't wait for that one!
Memphis Blues Today! is truly an unknown gem, and belongs in any serious blues fan's collection."
--- Bill Mitchell
The opening cut, simply called "The Fieldstones," is a funky introduction to the band and their music. With it's rhythmic beat, this song has continually run through my head since first hearing it 15 years ago. Unlike the Brady Bunch theme, which I also can't wipe from my memory, this song evokes pleasant memories every time I hear it.
The raw, soulful vocals of guitarist Willie Roy Sanders highlights cut number two, "Dirt Road." Even better is his incredible pleading vocals on the Little Milton song, "Little Bluebird."The Fieldstones had to provide music for the dancers at Green's Lounge, and "The Thing" is a funky number which I'm sure always packed the dance floor. The same goes for the instrumental "The Squeeze." Both of these songs have the same rhythmic sound of "The Fieldstones," and really define what this band was all about.
These recordings were made at three separate sessions in 1981 and 1982. In the liner notes there's mention of an upcoming album which will contain previously-unreleased tracks from the band's later years, when the excellent singer Little Applewhite was fronting the band. I can't wait for that one!
Memphis Blues Today! is truly an unknown gem, and belongs in any serious blues fan's collection."
--- Bill Mitchell
