Pete 'Guitar' Lewis / Jimmy Nolen / Cal Green - Scratchin'

I've been trying to figure out what to feature next, just to keep it fresh. There are still plenty of loose ends and half done artists, I acknowledge, I will pick them up soon. I think a little time with some of the remarkable instrumentalists is in order, not to mention a daunting pile of compilations I'm looking at. So far the response to compilations broken into digestible pieces seems far better that tossing it all out at once. Neither the 3 disc Gospel Alive set nor The Bob Geddins Collection, garnered much reaction when presented as a whole so I am leaning to staggering the larger collections in smaller pieces so that the down loads are listenable.Comments?


this is a tasty little one here: While Cal Green is included for a pair of tracks, this one is all about two Johnny Otis guitar players, Pete "Guitar" Lewis and his successor Jimmy Nolen (later of James Brown fame).

"A sumptuous feast o' hot 'n greasy Texas jump blues guitars, these 22 Federal recordings (waxed between 1952 and 1958) showcase three of the best '50s T-Bone Walker devotees tearing off punchy li'l swirls o' swing on their fat axes. Johnny Otis's band backs stellar Otis-sideman Pete "Guitar" Lewis on eight performances, three of which showcase Lewis's harp chops (he was also a fine singer, a talent never displayed on his Otis sideman sides). Jimmy Nolen would invent the "chicken scratch" funk guitar style behind James Brown in the '60s, but the dozen mid-'50s performances here (supported by Chuck Higgins's combo) are solidly in the Walker tradition. Midnighter guitarist Cal Green is represented by a pair of instrumentals ("The Big Push" is a vamp around "Annie Had a Baby"). Ten tracks are strictly instrumental, ranging from moody "after hours" blues to high-octane rompers, all delivered with that full-bodied blend of grit and sheen that made the best Texas-gone-California blues such an unparalleled gas. Great sound, 'n if you love fat, horn-like guitars (anchored by fat horns 'n solid rhythm sections); here's an earful." AMG