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| Baker, LaVerne - See See Rider
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(Atlantic SD-8071 US-62 EX 500:-)
LaVern Baker was one of the sexiest divas gracing the mid-'50s rock & roll circuit, boasting a brashly seductive vocal delivery tailor-made for belting the catchy novelties for Atlantic Records during rock's first wave of prominence.
SEE SEE RIDER was LaVern Baker's last official album for Atlantic Records. There was a little something for everyone on the album, starting with the raunchy "You Better Stop," highlighted by Sam "The Man" Taylor and Dave McRae's tenor saxes, plus a hint of blues guitar opening the whole song -- very much period "big band" R&B-cum-rock & roll.
Original US pressing; both Sleeve and Vinyl are graded EX.
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| Brunning Sunflower Band - I Wish You Would
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(Saga Eros SAGA-8150 UK-70 VG+ 500:-)
The Brunning Sunflower Band was the part-time British blues-rock outfit led by former Fleetwood Mac bassist Bob Brunning.
Brunning worked briefly with Savoy Brown and became a schoolteacher, but still found time to release four albums: 1968's "Bullen Street Blues", 1969's "Trackside Blues", 1970's "I Wish You Would", and 1971's "The Brunning/Hall Sunflower Blues Band".
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| Hogg, Smokey - Folk Blues, vol 6
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(Time 6 US-62 wos EX 500:-)
Smokey Hogg was a rural bluesman navigating a postwar era infatuated by R&B, but he got along quite nicely nonetheless, scoring a pair of major R&B hits in 1948 and 1950 and cutting a thick catalog for a slew of labels. During the early '30s, Hogg, who was influenced by Big Bill Broonzy and Peetie Wheatstraw, worked with slide guitarist Black Ace at dances around Greenville, TX. Both his chart hits -- 1948's "Long Tall Mama" and 1950's "Little School Girl" -- were issued on Modern, but his rough-hewn sound seldom changed a whole lot no matter what L.A. logo he was appearing on. Hogg's last few sides were cut in 1958 for Lee Rupe's Ebb label.
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| Hopkins, Lightin' - Blues of Lightnin' Hopkins
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(Storyville SLP-174 UK-72 NM 500:-)
Sam Hopkins was a Texas country bluesman of the highest caliber whose career began in the 1920s and stretched all the way into the 1980s. Along the way, Hopkins watched the genre change remarkably, but he never appreciably altered his mournful Lone Star sound, which translated onto both acoustic and electric guitar. Hopkins' nimble dexterity made intricate boogie riffs seem easy, and his fascinating penchant for improvising lyrics to fit whatever situation might arise made him a beloved blues troubadour.
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| Jackson, Chuck - Teardrops keep Fallin'
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(V.I.P. VS-403 US-70 VG+ 300:-)
He's relatively forgotten today, and his brand of uptown soul is dismissed by the relatively vocal clique of critics who prefer their soul deep and down-home. But Chuck Jackson was a regular visitor to the R&B charts in the early '60s. His records were very much of a piece with New York pop/rock-soul production, with cheeky brass, sweeping strings, and female backup vocalists.
A rare album from Chuck Jackson on the Motown subsiduary label V.I.P.; includes the track played on the Northern Soul scene 'Have You Heard About The Fool'.
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| James, Elmore - Late Fantastically Great
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(Ember EMB-3397 UK-68 VG+ 275:-)
Elmore James was the best bottleneck player to pick up an electric guitar, and an exceptionally good singer and single note player as well. The combination of James's groundbreaking distorted guitar tone and energetic, loud-as-hell vocals changed the face of blues and rock music.
This is the first UK issue of the 1960 Crown album "Blues after Hours". Both sleeve and vinyl are graded VG+
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| James, Etta - Tell Mama
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(Cadet LPS-802 US-68 VG+ 1500:-)
A really unique album from the great Etta Jones – a session recorded down in Muscle Shoals, and not in Chicago – a setting that gives James an extra sort of deep soul power!
The backing is nicely different than some of the other Chess material – killer work from the legendary Fame Studios lineup that included Barry Beckett on organ, David Hood on bass, and Roger Hawkins on drums – all coming together with the great Rick Hall at the production helm!
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| Johnson, Ella - Swing Me
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(Mercury MG-20347 US-56 VG+ 400:-)
Ella Johnson made her mark as the vocalist with Buddy Johnson's big band during the '40s and '50s, and it is in that context she really shines. Although many of Ella's hits are uptempo, it is on ballads and torchy blues that she really brings it together. At her best, Ella sounds like a pouty, vulnerable, and very sexy young girl. Like so much of her life, it was no affectation. The comparison to Billie Holiday is inevitable, but Ella was her own singer.
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| Lewis, Furry - On the Road again
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(Adelphi AD-1007 US-69 EX 275:-)
Walter "Furry" Lewis was the only blues singer of the 1920s to achieve major media attention in the '60s and '70s. His stamping ground - despite the fact he had lost a leg - was in & around the Memphis scene, such as Pee Wee's near his home on Beale street, with a day job as a street-sweeper until his retirement in 1966.
This 1969 recording captures a relaxed blues session of Furry Lewis, Bukka White, and Gus Cannon that is full of warmth and gentle humor. These unwound acoustic tunes are sung and played neither for dancing to nor for damning you, but instead capture a mood akin to early-evening song swapping among these old-time gentlemen of country/folk blues.
Original US pressing; both sleeve and vinyl are graded EX.
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| Pryor, Snooky - Snooky Pryor
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(Flyright LP-100 UK-70 VG+ 300:-)
James Edward Pryor's blues developed during a stint with the army, when stationed near Chicago, jamming with the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson and Homesick James and playing on Maxwell Street. 1945 saw his musical career begin in earnest and in 1948 he made his recording debut with "Telephone Blues", now considered one of the postwar Chicago blues classics.
This album represents Pryor's entire recorded output under his own name, covering his first recording in 1948 to his last in 1963.
2nd UK pressing on the orange/black label.
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| Ross, Isaiah - Call the Doctor
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(Bounty BY-6020 UK-66 EX 500:-)
Doctor Ross (1925–1993) was an American Blues singer, guitarist, harmonica player and drummer — a one-man band — who was born Charles Isaiah Ross, in Tunica, Mississippi. Ross played various forms of the blues that have seen him compared to John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson I, and is perhaps best known for the recordings he made for Sun Records in the 1950s, notably "The Boogie Disease" and "Chicago Breakdown".
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| Sunnyland Slim - Be Careful how You Vote
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(Airway AR-4279 US-83 EX 275:-)
Exhibiting truly amazing longevity that was commensurate with his powerful, imposing physical build, Albert Luandrew's status as a beloved Chicago piano patriarch endured long after most of his peers had perished.
This album contains a variety of recordings cut by Sunnyland Slim during 1949-83 on his private label Airway Records. As is typical of the pioneer Chicago bluesman, he allocated plenty of solo space to his sidemen (which include Hubert Sumlin, Eddie Taylor, Lurrie Bell or Magic Slim on guitar) although there was never any doubt about who was in control.
Original US pressing. This copy has been signed on the front by Sunnyland Slim!
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| Terry, Sonny - On the Road
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(Xtra 1110 UK-67 EX 275:-)
Saunders "Sonny" Terry was one of the initial bluesmen who crossed over into areas not normally associated with the genre before he came along. Along with his partner, guitarist Brownie McGhee, Terry played on numerous folk recordings, developing an unique high-pitched penetrating harmonica style called whoopin'.
On this album, Terry's nephew J.C. Burris and Brownie McGhee's brother "Sticks" join him on harmonica, guitar and bones, and all three musicians contribute original songs!
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