Big Walter Horton - Blues Harmonica Giant: Classic Sides 1951-1956 (3 CD)

Album: Blues Harmonica Giant: Classic Sides 1951-1956
Size: 184,6 + 183,5 + 84,8 MB
Time: 79:11 + 78:55 + 36:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Art: Full

CD A:
1. Cotton Patch Hotfoot (2:37)
2. What's The Matter With You (Take 1) (2:30)
3. Little Boy Blue (Take 1) (3:01)
4. Blues In The Morning (2:51)
5. Now Tell Me Baby (3:07)
6. I'm In Love With You Baby (Take 1) (3:10)
7. Black Gal (2:58)
8. Hard Hearted Woman (2:42)
9. Jumpin' Blues (2:17)
10. So Long Woman (3:03)
11. What's The Matter With You (Take 2) (2:16)
12. Little Boy Blue (Take 2) (2:58)
13. I'm In Love With You Baby (Take 2) (2:39)
14. Grandmother Got Grandfather Told (Take 1) (2:59)
15. In The Mood (3:04)
16. Grandmother Got Grandfather Told (Take 2) (2:45)
17. We All Gotta Go (Take 3) (2:59)
18. Little Walter's Boogie (Take 1) (2:38)
19. We All Gotta Go (Take 4) (2:58)
20. Little Walter's Boogie (Take 2) (2:33)
21. West Winds Are Blowing (Take 1) (3:08)
22. Little Walter's Boogie (Take 3) (2:35)
23. West Winds Are Blowing (Take 2) (3:06)
24. Walter's Instrumental (2:56)
25. Off The Wall (2:16)
26. Off The Wall (2:36)
27. Hard Hearted Woman (3:03)
28. Back Home To Mama (3:09)

CD B:
1. Hard Hearted Woman (Alt.) (3:08)
2. Back Home To Mama (Alt.) (2:50)
3. Need My Baby (2:18)
4. Have A Good Time (2:19)
5. Need My Baby (Take 1) (2:34)
6. Selling My Whiskey (Incomplete) (1:14)
7. Midnight Showers Of Rain (3:02)
8. Prison Bound Blues (2:43)
9. Riding In The Moonlight (3:15)
10. Let's Take A Little Walk (2:31)
11. Easy (2:59)
12. Hydramatic Woman (2:32)
13. Tiger Man (King Of The Jungle) (3:12)
14. Seems Like A Million Years (Take 1) (2:49)
15. Seems Like A Million Years (Take 2) (2:49)
16. Worry You Off My Mind (3:13)
17. Shine Boy (2:27)
18. Evening Shuffle (Take 1) (2:28)
19. Evening Shuffle (Take 2) (2:16)
20. Evening Sun (2:31)
21. No Name Blues (2:49)
22. Brutal Hearted Woman (2:54)
23. Gonna Call The Angel (Rehearsal) (3:07)
24. Gonna Call The Angel (Take 3) (2:53)
25. Big Stars Falling Blues (3:10)
26. Rambler's Blues (2:44)
27. Evalena (2:30)
28. Highway 61 (3:03)
29. It's You Baby (2:21)

CD C:
1. Hard Hearted Woman (4:00)
2. Sick & Tired (8:20)
3. Walter's Jump (2:08)
4. Leaving In The Morning (3:16)
5. Walter & Carey (8:38)
6. Walking By Myself (3:58)
7. My Eyes Keep Me In Trouble (6:20)

Big Walter Horton was a giant on the amplified harmonica, bringing the electricity of the instrument into the modern blues era with his works as a sideman and as a bandleader. This three-disc box does a great job of looking at the length, breadth, and scope of his career with a disc of Horton solo and as a bandleader in the 1950s; a second disc of him working with the likes of Joe Hill Louis, Willie Nix, Mose Vinson, Johnny Shines, Tampa Red, Sunnyland Slim, and others during the same decade; and a third disc featuring Horton's 1970s work with Carey Bell. It’s a nice and rounded overview of a remarkable musician. /Steve Leggett, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Big Walter Horton - Live At The El Mocambo

Album: Live At The El Mocambo
Size: 156,3 MB
Time: 67:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1991
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Art: Full

1. Jukin' With Walter (4:21)
2. Have A Good Time (4:21)
3. Lonely Avenue (5:19)
4. Medley: Not That Easy/Ain't That A Shame (4:36)
5. Walter's Swing (4:11)
6. Can't Hold Out Much Longer (4:03)
7. Rockin' My Boogie (4:42)
8. Blues With A Feeling (4:32)
9. Kentucky Fried (2:26)
10. That Ain't It (3:31)
11. Easin' In Slow (2:51)
12. Little Boy Blue (5:12)
13. Going Back To Arkansas (5:30)
14. Turkey Scratch (4:53)
15. La Cucharacha (5:19)
16. Sweet Home Chicago (1:35)

Big Walter Horton, sometimes known as Shakey Walter Horton, is one of the most influential blues harmonica players of all time, and a particular pioneer in the field of amplified harmonica. He isn't as widely known as his fellow Chicago blues pioneers Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson II, due mostly to the fact that, as a rather shy, quiet individual, he never had much taste for leading his own bands or recording sessions. But his style was utterly distinctive, marked by an enormous, horn-like tone, virtuosic single-note lines, fluid phrasing, and an expansive sense of space.

Horton's amplified harp work graced sides by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Rush, Johnny Shines, Tampa Red, and many others; he was frequently cited as an inspiration by younger players, and most accounts of his life mention a testimonial from legendary bassist/songwriter Willie Dixon, who once called Horton "the best harmonica player I ever heard." /Excerpt from biography by Steve Huey, AllMusic

(Recorded at the El Mocambo club, Toronto Canada, July 25th, 1973.)

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Walter Horton & Paul Butterfield - An Offer You Can't Refuse

Album: An Offer You Can't Refuse
Size: 173,9 MB
Time: 74:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1972/1997
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Art: Full

1. Walter Horton - Easy (3:17)
2. Walter Horton - Have A Good Time (3:19)
3. Walter Horton - Mean Mistreater (3:04)
4. Walter Horton - In The Mood (3:08)
5. Walter Horton - West Side Blues (3:08)
6. Walter Horton - Louise (4:05)
7. Walter Horton - Tin Pan Alley (2:54)
8. Walter Horton - Walter's Boogie, This Is It (2:57)
9. Walter Horton - Jukin' With Walter (4:21)
10. Walter Horton - Going Back To Arkansas (5:33)
11. Walter Horton - Rockin' My Boogie (4:44)
12. Walter Horton - Blues With A Feeling (4:34)
13. Walter Horton - That Ain't It (3:33)
14. Walter Horton - Kentucky Fried (2:28)
15. Paul Butterfield - Everything's Gonna Be Alright (3:40)
16. Paul Butterfield - Poor Boy (3:53)
17. Paul Butterfield - Got My Mojo Working (3:09)
18. Paul Butterfield - Last Night (4:40)
19. Paul Butterfield - Loaded (2:55)
20. Paul Butterfield - One Room Country Shack (4:55)

An album released on the Red Lightnin' label in 1972 consisting of one side of Big Walter Horton and the other side with very early Paul Butterfield (1963). The Horton side consists of eight tracks of Horton with guitarist Robert Nighthawk (no bass or drums). Nighthawk is playing pure backup here, very little else. It is not clear when these were recorded. Perhaps not classic Walter, but any Big Walter is worth a listen. There are three instrumentals that make for good listening, including a version of "Easy" (not up to the original Walter recording). The instrumental "West Side Blues" has some interesting Walter harp licks that I have not heard elsewhere. The other five cuts are Walter singing. Of these, there is a great version of "Louise" and Walter singing "Tin Pan Alley" which never fails to raise the hair on the back of my neck. If you can find this album, it is good to have.

The Butterfield side contains six tracks with Butterfield, Smokey Smothers on guitar, Jerome Arnold on bass, and Sam Lay on drums. This was recorded at Big Johns, the North side Chicago club where the Butterfield Band first played in 1963 - some two years before the material on the first Paul Butterfield Blues Band album, which was released in 1965. The six tracks include two instrumentals, "Got My Mojo Working" and the Butterfield-authored tune "Loaded." Although this is very early Butterfield, the harp playing is excellent and already in his own unique style. The singing is a little rough and heavy sounding. Butterfield fans will want to find this rare vinyl for musical and historical reasons. /Michael Erlewine, AllMusic

Note: This CD reissue has six additional tracks by Walter Horton compared to the original LP release. Tracks 1-8 and 15-20 taken from the original LP "An Offer You Can't Refuse" (1972), tracks 9-14 taken from the CD "Live At The El Mocambo" (1991).

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VA - Bocce Boogie: Live 1978

Size: 162.0 MB
Time: 70:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Chicago Blues, Harmonica Blues
Art: Full

01. Sugar Ray - Every Day I Have The Blues (5:25)
02. Big Walter Horton - Walter's Boogie (4:08)
03. Big Walter Horton - Trouble In Mind (5:29)
04. Big Walter Horton - My Babe (3:54)
05. Johnny Nicholas - Cold Chills (3:40)
06. Johnny Nicholas - That's Why I'm Cryin' (7:41)
07. Johnny Nicholas - Bocce Boogie (4:06)
08. Big Walter Horton - La Cucaracha (2:48)
09. Big Walter Horton - Sweet Black Angel (7:20)
10. Big Walter Horton - Baby Please Don't Go (4:06)
11. Big Walter Horton - Hard Hearted Woman (4:37)
12. Big Walter Horton - Little Bitty Girl (4:36)
13. Big Walter Horton - Don`t Get Around (4:01)
14. Johnny Nicholas - Tell Me Why (3:52)
15. Ronnie 'Youngblood' Earl Horvath - Breakin' With The Earl (4:54)

This is the real deal, recorded live in 1978. The Blues the way it's supposed to be played. The way it's supposed to be enjoyed, in a setting that is, and has been, home to the blues throughout it's history, in the juke joints, lounges and bars throughout the USA. The Bocce Club is one of those places. The Artists: Big Walter Horton - Vocals & Harp, John "Guitar Johnny" Nicholas - Vocals & Guitar, Ronnie "Youngblood" Earl - Guitar, "Sugar Ray" Norcia - Vocal (Every Day I Have the Blues) Chromatic Harmonica (That's Why I'm Cryin'), Ted Harvey - Drums, Mudcat Ward - Bass and Anthony Giarossi - Piano.

Bocce Boogie: Live 1978 MP3
Bocce Boogie: Live 1978 FLAC

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VA - Low Blows: An Anthology Of Chicago Harmonica Blues

Size: 122,9 MB
Time: 53:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1994
Styles: Chicago Blues, Harmonica Blues
Art: Full

01. Big Guitar Red & Good Rockin' Charles - Found My Baby (Gone) (3:14)
02. Big Leon Brooks - Kicking Up Dust (3:18)
03. Mojo Buford - Don't Go No Farther (4:08)
04. Easy Baby - Good Morning Mr. Blues (5:20)
05. Good Rockin' Charles - She Loves Another Man (3:13)
06. Big Leon Brooks - Pink Champagne (4:11)
07. Joe Carter & Big John Wrencher - Take A Little Walk With Me (2:37)
08. Golden Wheeler - Good Lover (3:41)
09. Big Walter Horton & Carey Bell - Avenue Stomp (2:59)
10. Good Rockin' Charles - Ground Hog Blues (3:40)
11. Golden Wheeler - Evil Woman (3:37)
12. Big Leon Brooks - You Know (3:37)
13. Good Rockin' Charles - I Got To Go (3:23)
14. Good Rockin' Charles - Good Rockin' (2:02)
15. Joe Carter & Big John Wrencher - Honey Bee (4:00)

Low Blows

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Big Walter Horton & King Biscuit Boys - Well All Right! (The Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival Vol. 4)

Year: 1996
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:31
Size: 140,1 MB
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Intro/Little Car Blues (3:55)
2. Me & The Devil Blues (3:50)
3. Down So Long (3:29)
4. Cool Drink Of Water Blues (3:42)
5. Bricks In My Pillow (3:53)
6. Sweet Black Angel (4:17)
7. It's Too Bad (3:25)
8. Dr. Downchild (4:36)
9. Intro/Walter's Slow Blues (4:42)
10. Hard Hearted Woman (4:15)
11. Swingin' Blues (4:48)
12. That Ain't It (4:05)
13. Trouble In Mind (3:17)
14. St. Louis Blues (2:41)
15. The Honeydripper (Walter Jumps One) (1:37)
16. It Hurts Me Too (3:51)

Recorded at the 1973 Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival, this set is for the serious collector/historian only - it has excellent, informative liner notes but the sound quality is less than perfect. The King Biscuit Boys are all Mississippi Delta blues veterans who never really made it big but were local fixtures in the region from doing the King Biscuit radio show. Houston Stackhouse mentored Robert Nighthawk but made few recordings of his own. Joe Willie Wilkins was a sideman on many of Sonny Boy Williamson's early recordings. The music is programmatic rough and tumble electric Delta blues played by veterans of the Delta juke joints. These guys had played together forever. Its enjoyable music played by a good backup band lacking a star to backup.

Big Walter Horton is backed up by a group of local Ann Arbor neophytes (guitarist John Nicholas, bassist Sarah Brown and drummer Fran Christina) who became veterans of the Texas blues scene, recording and playing with Asleep at the Wheel, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Marcia Ball, to name a few. Walter isn't really in top form but on his worst day he was still an amazing technical and musical harp virtuoso. There is enough octave jumping and beautifully controlled note-bending here to reaffirm his place in the upper pantheon of harp wizards. He never rushes, goes for quality not quantity, and teaches a course in restraint and soul. Big Walter's vocals take some getting used to and many prefer him as an accompanist. Try his six masterpieces backing up Johnny Shines on Johnny Shines and Robert Lockwood on Paula.

Recorded at the Ann Arbor Jazz & Blues Festival 1973.
Tracks 1-8: King Biscuit Boys
Tracks 9-16: Big Walter Horton Blues Band

(For full personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Various - Blow'n The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:59
Size: 157.9 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues, Chicago blues
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. Junior Wells - Help Me
[2:23] 2. Junior Wells - Messin' With The Kid
[4:19] 3. Junior Wells - Stormy Monday Blues
[3:07] 4. Junior Wells - Checking On My Baby
[4:25] 5. Junior Wells - Early In The Morning
[2:18] 6. James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues
[4:03] 7. James Cotton - The Blues Keep Falling
[2:02] 8. James Cotton - Rocket 88
[2:47] 9. James Cotton - Honest I Do
[7:18] 10. James Cotton - Coast Blues
[2:21] 11. The Johnny Shines Blues Band - Hey, Hey
[3:29] 12. Big Walter Horton's Band - Rockin' My Boogie
[4:17] 13. Charlie Musselwhite - Chicken Shack
[2:15] 14. Charlie Musselwhite - Juke
[3:20] 15. Charlie Musselwhite - Christo Redemptor
[4:16] 16. Charlie Musselwhite - My Baby's Sweeter
[4:23] 17. Siegel-Schwall - Angel Food Cake
[3:46] 18. Siegel-Schwall - Tell Me
[3:56] 19. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Blues With A Feeling

There's something human about a well-played harmonica, filled with life's breath. Otis Spann, Muddy Waters's great bandleader, once called the harmonica the mother of all instruments. And this collection of modern harmonica players is a mother. (Although without either of the Sonny Boy Williamsons or Little Walter, this album is decidedly not definitive.) Eighteen of the nineteen tracks are from the 1960s, and we can hear the tone baton being passed from Big Walter Horton to Charlie Musselwhite, from Junior Wells to Paul Butterfield, though set against radically different backdrops. James Cotton's 1966 tracks are a highlight, filled with the excitement of stepping into a solo career after a decade with Muddy. He is backed by his former bandmates, constrained by nothing except his wind. --Robert Gordon

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Big Walter Horton - Live At The Knickerbocker

Year: 1980/2001/2014
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:12
Size: 120,2 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. I Cry For You (5:26)
2. Lord Knows I Tried (7:56)
3. Country Girl (5:11)
4. Walter's Shuffle (3:34)
5. Little Boy Blue (4:53)
6. It's Not Easy (4:46)
7. Two Old Maids (4:39)
8. What's On Your Worried Mind (7:45)
9. Walter's Swing (7:58)

It's 1980 and Big Walter undertakes a short tour of the North East. At this stage of his career, he's the King of the Blues Harmonica - Little Walter, the only serious contender for the title had died twelve years earlier. Here he's drawing on at least four decades in the business, having played with the likes of Little Buddy Doyle, Muddy Waters, Eddie Taylor and Johnny Shines.

Here he's backed by Sugar Ray Norcia's band and Sugar Ray himself contributes to three tracks. These are quality musicians, on the brink of wider fame. On bass there's 'Mudcat' Ward; on piano, Little Anthony and on drums the phenomenal Ola Dixon. The guitarist is a new kid, Ronnie Horvath, who's starting to get folks talking. Suffice to say he's now known as Ronnie Earl.

This is a classic live set - possibly Big Walter's last recording. These tracks feature the seemingly casual brilliance he could display on stage - his speed of thought and execution allied to his prodigious technique were always best heard live. Here is a genuine "Were you there?" moment. Even after more than thirty years, the excitement of that night is as fresh as ever. /Amazon

(Note: Originally released as "Little Boy Blue" in 1980.)

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Walter 'Shakey' Horton - The Soul of Blues Harmonica

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1964/1996
Styles: Blues
Time: 53:11
Size: 122,5 MB
Covers: Front,CD,Back,Tray

(3:21) 1. Groove Walk
(3:01) 2. Wee Baby Blues
(3:00) 3. It's All Right
(2:52) 4. Wrinkles
(3:18) 5. Hard Hearted Woman
(2:39) 6. John Henry
(4:14) 7. Good Moanin' Blues
(2:38) 8. Friday Night Stomp
(3:08) 9. Gonna Bring It on Home
(2:33) 10. La Cucuracha
(3:04) 11. West Winds Are Blowing
(2:26) 12. Little Walter's Boogie
(2:39) 13. Truckin' Little Woman
(3:04) 14. Just One Mistake
(2:04) 15. If It Ain't Me
(2:47) 16. Walkin' by Myself
(3:11) 17. Blow Wind Blow
(3:02) 18. Mad Love (I Want You to Love Me)

Walter Horton, better known as Big Walter (Horton) or Walter "Shakey" Horton. A quit, shy man, but one of the premier blues harmonica players in history of blues. In the 1930s he performed with guitar player Little Buddy Doyle. Horton was among the first to be recorded by Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis. In the early 1950s Horton appeared on the Chicago blues scene, playing with Eddie Taylor and Johnny Shines. In 1952, Walter Horton replaced Junior Wells in Muddy Waters band. From the early 1960s, he recorded as a sideman with several Chicago blues musicians.
Big Walter's first album from 1964 and with an all star cast -- Buddy Guy (guitar), Jack Myers (bass), Willie Dixon (vocals), and Willie Smith (drums). Although not definitive, this album is worth seeking out for Horton fans. It features Walter in a variety of musical styles, including a good rendition of "Hard Hearted Woman" and a wild version of "La Cucaracha".

The Soul of Blues Harmonica

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Various - Music Of The World: Blow That Harmonica

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:16
Size: 170.0 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:11] 1. Sleepy John Estes - Policy Man
[4:40] 2. Saffire - I'll Be Your Sweet Black Angel
[2:31] 3. Dr. Ross - Juke Box Boogie
[3:02] 4. Harmonica Frank - Rockin Chair
[2:58] 5. Howlin' Wolf - All In The Mood
[2:25] 6. Junior Wells - Messin' With The Kid
[3:40] 7. Billy Boy Arnold - I Wish You Would
[3:12] 8. Big Walter Horton - Little Boy
[3:32] 9. James Cotton - West Helena Blues
[3:57] 10. Charlie Musselwhite - Just You
[4:08] 11. Lazy Lester - Raining In My Heart
[4:48] 12. Carey Bell - Bad Habits
[6:53] 13. Big Mama Thornton - Rock Me Baby
[4:46] 14. Sonny Terry - Sonny's Whoopin' The Doop
[2:34] 15. Coy Love - Harmonica Jam
[2:49] 16. Joe Hill Louis - Boogie In The Park
[3:15] 17. Raful Neal - You Don't Love Me (Anymore)
[1:56] 18. Frank Frost - Crawl Back
[7:30] 19. The Siegel-Schwall Band - Hush, Hush
[2:19] 20. Onie Wheeler - Jump Right Out Of This Jukebox

Beginning sometime in the late 1940s, harmonica players started using amplification in a new way. With a small, portable amplifier and a cheap microphone, they would cup the mic in their hands, together with the harmonica, to create a highly concentrated sound that was loud enough to project over the din on street corners and in small nightclubs. By the start of the 1950s, electric guitars and amplified harmonicas were the rule in Chicago blues bands, backed by drums, bass, and piano.

Early postwar attempts at recording transplanted rural artists reveal an uncomfortable grafting of country blues onto an urbane, jazz-influenced backing that doesn’t serve the direct, earthy character of the featured artists. Small, independent record companies have long been important vehicles for blues artists to get their music to consumers. Some of the better-known regional companies highlighted blues harmonica and promoted early rock-and-roll. This combination later influenced the adoption of the harmonica by rock artists in the 1960s, who heard blues harmonica alongside the latest hits. By the late 1950s, white teenagers were obsessed with rock-and-roll, while black audiences had largely moved on from the blues. The folk music movement of the 1950s presented Americans with an alternative to current popular music. Folk fans began to see blues musicians as a part of the folk movement. European and British music fans, who had been fascinated for several years with American music, especially jazz and blues, began promoting blues concerts in the UK and on the European continent. Young British musicians started emulating the blues records they heard, resulting in British rock bands with notables on the mouth harp.

Musicians worldwide have been bitten by the blues harp bug, and the virus often mutates and starts to interact with its new host. Artists and the stylistic crossbreeding they’ve been working between blues and other styles include jump and swing’s Dennis Gruenling, beatboxing’s Son of Dave, and soul’s Bobby Rush.

Music Of The World: Blow That Harmonica

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Johnny Young - Chicago Blues (With Otis Spann, James Cotton, Big Walter)

Size: 154,9 MB
Time: 65:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1968/1990
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Wild, Wild Woman (2:40)
02. Keep Your Nose Out Of My Business (3:20)
03. I'm Having A Ball (2:57)
04. My Trainfare Out Of Town (2:46)
05. I'm Doing All Right (3:34)
06. Stealin' (2:45)
07. Keep On Drinking (3:25)
08. Hot Dog! (2:04)
09. Come Early In The Morning (3:07)
10. Moaning And Groaning (3:20)
11. Crosscut Saw (2:38)
12. Slam Hammer (1:50)
13. Strange Girl (3:40)
14. Ring Around My Heart (4:50)
15. Sometimes I Cry (2:52)
16. Don't You Lie To Me (3:44)
17. On The Road Again (4:55)
18. Waiter's Boogie (3:42)
19. Stockyard Blues (3:25)
20. Drinking Straight Whiskey (3:37)

This is an excellent '60s recording by the down-home urban singer, guitarist, and mandolinist, accompanied by Otis Spann on piano and James Cotton and Big Walter Horton on harmonicas.

Biog by Barry Lee Pearson:
Although the mandolin is not an instrument commonly associated with Chicago blues, it has been used by Chicago-based string bands or on Chicago-made recordings by artists such as Carl Martin, Charles and Joe McCoy, and Yank Rachell. However, the only artist to use it successfully in the later electric blues format was Mississippi-born bluesman Johnny Young.

An important figure in blues history, Young loved the rough-and-tumble string band tradition of the Delta, a style that readily co-existed with blues.

Young's initial 1947 Chicago classic, "Money Taking Women," exhibits the same exuberant down-home sound, fusing blues with the older country breakdown traditions. The string band ensemble sound suited street performance as well, whether in Memphis or in Chicago's open air Maxwell Street Market, where Young and his cronies were brought in off the streets to record. Over the years, Young's mandolin activity declined as Chicago's African-American blues audience demanded a more modern and urban sound. Since Young was also a skilled guitarist and a fine vocalist, he easily weathered the transition.

During the late '60s, an emerging white blues-revival audience proved eager for Young's mandolin styling. Unlike Yank Rachell, whose mandolin playing retained an older string band feel, Young's style was firmly grounded in a more contemporary postwar blues idiom, and he interacted well with other electric blues artists. Throughout his life, he had worked with the major figures of blues history, including Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Walter Horton, and Otis Spann. He was, he insisted, born to be a musician. When interviewed shortly before he died, he said he had struggled all his life trying to make it in the music business. An emotional man, he hoped he would live long enough to make enough money to buy a house. He never made it.

Chicago Blues

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VA - Lost Blues 1950 To 1970

Size: 110,4 MB
Time: 47:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

01 James Cotton - Blow Wind Blow (3:47)
02 Joe Carter - Stormy Monday (5:57)
03 Big Bill Broonzy - It's A Low Down Dirty Shame (2:54)
04 Billy Boy Arnold - Back Door Friend (3:40)
05 Big Walter 'Shakey' Horton - That Ain't It (3:29)
06 Robert Lockwood Jr. - Take A Little Walk With Me (3:26)
07 Memphis Slim - El Capitan (2:54)
08 Sammy Price - How Long Blues (3:48)
09 Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign (5:26)
10 Fenton Robinson - Somebody Loan Me A Dime (3:46)
11 Mississippi Fred McDowell - I Asked For Whiskey, She Brought Me Gasoline (2:55)
12 Lightnin' Hopkins - One Eyed Woman (5:19)

Lost Blues 1950 To 1970

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Floyd Jones, Eddie Taylor - Masters Of Modern Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:31
Size: 115.7 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1994/2014
Art: Front

[2:49] 1. Train Fare Home
[2:31] 2. Big Town Playboy
[2:39] 3. Peach Tree Blues
[2:58] 4. Bad Boy
[3:34] 5. Feel So Bad
[2:37] 6. After Hours
[3:06] 7. Take Your Hand Down
[1:59] 8. Bad Boy
[3:20] 9. Rising Wind
[3:37] 10. Dark Road
[3:57] 11. Stockyard Blues
[3:29] 12. Sweet Talkin' Woman
[3:54] 13. Hard Times
[2:53] 14. M & O Blues
[3:33] 15. Playhouse Blues
[3:29] 16. Dark Road

Tracks 1-8 - Eddie Taylor; Tracks 9-16 - Floyd Jones.

Eight priceless 1966 tracks by tragically underrecorded guitarist Floyd Jones are paired for this CD with eight more by sessionmate Eddie Taylor. Produced in both cases by Testament boss Pete Welding with Big Walter Horton on harp, pianist Otis Spann, and drummer Fred Below lending their collective hands, Jones re-creates his dour, uncompromising "Dark Road," "Hard Times," and "Stockyard Blues" with an early-'50s sense of purpose. ~Bill Dahl

Masters Of Modern Blues

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Various - Memphis Blues: The Backstreets

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:42
Size: 157.3 MB
Styles: Memphis blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:35] 1. Johnny O'neal - Dead Letter Blues
[2:44] 2. Earl Hooker - Blue Guitar
[2:49] 3. Gordon, Rosco - The Chicken
[2:56] 4. Little Milton - Homesick For My Baby
[3:05] 5. Houston Boines - Crying In The Courthouse
[2:36] 6. Coy Hot Shot Love - Wolf Call Boogie
[3:11] 7. Sleepy John Estes - Policy Man Blues
[2:58] 8. Raymond Hill - The Snuggle
[1:57] 9. Big Lucky Carter - Gonna Break That Lock
[2:49] 10. Calvin Leary - Cummins Prison Farm
[2:05] 11. Cliff Thomas - Treat Me Right
[2:09] 12. Cliff Jackson - Nine Below Zero
[2:30] 13. Don Hosea - Uh Huh Unh
[2:36] 14. Doctor Ross - Juke Box Boogie
[2:29] 15. Frank Frost - Jelly Roll King
[2:59] 16. Big Walter Horton - Easy
[3:02] 17. Harmonica Frank Floyd - Rockin' Chair Daddy
[2:09] 18. Willie Johnson Combo - So Long Baby Goodbye
[3:14] 19. Handy Jackson - Got My Application Baby
[2:48] 20. Ed Kirby (Prince Gabe) - Mean Old Gin
[2:34] 21. Coy Hot Shot Love - Harmonica Jam
[2:39] 22. Carolyn Porter - Man I'm Looking For
[3:07] 23. Boyd Gilmore - Believe I'll Settle Down
[2:58] 24. Big Memphis Ma Rainey - Call Me Anything, But Call Me
[2:30] 25. Albert Williams - Rhumba Chillen

Memphis Blues: The Backstreets mc
Memphis Blues: The Backstreets zippy

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Big Walter Horton - King Of The Harmonica Players

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2009
Styles: Blues
Time: 69:43
Size: 161,5 MB
Covers: Full

(1:48) 1. Juke
(1:27) 2. La Cucaracha - La Paloma
(2:56) 3. I Hate To The Sun Go Down
(3:07) 4. Goin' Back To St. Louis
(2:46) 5. Crawling King Snake
(2:56) 6. Ain't It Shame
(2:38) 7. She Left Me A Mule To Ride
(2:09) 8. That's Wrong Little Mama
(4:11) 9. She's Got A Nickel (Telephone Blues)
(1:51) 10. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(3:50) 11. Stockyard Blues
(3:25) 12. When The Moon Rises High
(4:50) 13. Talk About Your Daddy
(3:18) 14. Mr. Freddy's Blues
(3:56) 15. Hey Little Girl
(3:22) 16. Overseas Blues
(2:30) 17. Talk A Little Walk
(3:00) 18. Easy
(2:30) 19. Evalena
(2:20) 20. Have A Good Time
(2:18) 21. Need My Baby
(2:20) 22. It's You Baby
(3:00) 23. Highway 61
(3:05) 24. Back Home To Mama

Big Walter Horton (aka Shakey Walter Horton) is one of the most influential blues harmonica players of all time, and a pioneer of the amplified harmonica. He isn't as widely known as he should be, because he had never much taste for leading his own band of spending time in recording studios. His style is distinctive, marked by an horn-like, virtuosic single note lines, fluid phrasing and an expansive sense of space. Two obscure vinyls by Harmonica master Walter Horton have found their way onto CD. This compilation covers never before re-issued recordings of Horton from 1966-1975. Most of the recordings feature either Floyd Jones (rec 1970 & 1975) or Johnny Young (rec 1966) accompanying him and are intimate, down home masterpieces.
This cd re-issue contains bonus tracks. Track 18 is Horton with Jimmy De Berry and Willie Nix in Memphis in 1953. The last 6 tracks are classic Chicago 50's Horton recordings with a band. Legendary bassist/songwriter Willie Dixon once called Horton “the best harmonica player I ever heard.”

King Of The Harmonica Players
King Of The Harmonica Players artwork

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VA - Blind Pig Presents: Harmonica Blues

Size: 156,1 MB
Time: 67:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Harmonica Blues
Art: Front

01. Charlie Musselwhite - Harpin' On A Riff (Instrumental) (3:35)
02. George Smith - Blowing The Blues (4:13)
03. Norton Buffalo - Hoodoo Roux (6:56)
04. Big Walter Horton - The Honeydripper (Instrumental) (3:38)
05. Carey Bell - So Easy To Love You (5:25)
06. James Cotton - Honest I Do (4:11)
07. Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers - Baby Please Don't Go (4:59)
08. John Nemeth - Blues Hit Big Town (3:40)
09. Carey Bell - St. Louis Blues (Instrumental) (4:32)
10. Big Walter Horton - Tin Pan Alley (4:42)
11. Norton Buffalo - Harmonica Mambo (Instrumental) (3:16)
12. Snooky Pryor - Telephone Blues (4:29)
13. Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers - Buzzin' (Instrumental) (9:51)
14. Harper - Last Cup Of Coffee (3:34)

Blind Pig Presents: Harmonica Blues

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Big Walter Horton & Alfred 'Blues King' Harris - Harmonica Blues Kings

Size: 115,6 MB
Time: 47:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Styles: Harmonica Blues, Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Back Home To Mama (Big Walter Horton) (3:11)
02. Hard-Hearted Woman (Big Walter Horton) (3:04)
03. Southern Women (Tommy Brown) (2:42)
04. Remember Me (Tommy Brown) (2:32)
05. Card Game (Tommy Brown) (2:48)
06. Nosey Neighbors (Tommy Brown) (2:54)
07. Hard-Hearted Woman (Alternate) (Big Walter Horton) (3:07)
08. Back Home To Mama (Alternate) (Big Walter Horton) (3:07)
09. My Life Blues (Alfred Harris) (3:05)
10. Up Side The Wall (Alfred Harris) (2:28)
11. Gold Digger (James Bannister) (3:30)
12. Sundown Boogie Blues (Alfred Harris) (3:11)
13. Miss Ida (Alfred Harris) (3:27)
14. Great Lakes Boogie (Alfred Harris) (3:07)
15. Blues And Trouble (James Bannister) (2:51)
16. Up Side The Wall (Alternate) (Alfred Harris) (2:05)

Personnel: Big Walter HORTON - Harmonica, Vocals
with on tr.1,2,7,8 Red Halloway, John Cameron - Tenor Sax;
Lafayette leake - Piano;
Lee Cooper - Guitar;
Willie Dixon - Bass; Fred Below - Drums
with on tr.3-6 Tommy Brown - Vocals;
Memphis Slim - Piano;
Harold Ashby - Tenor Sax; Lee Cooper; Willie Dixon

on tracks 9-16 Alfred HARRIS - Harmonica, Vocals
with: Earl Dranes; James Bannister.

Less feted than Little Walter or SB Williamson II but in talent at least their equal, Horton was at his best when working as an accompanist. Records by Waters, Rogers and Shines, among many others, were immeasurably enhanced by his presence. Horton was one of very few musicians capable of elevating the slighest material into something approaching a masterpiece. His own records were relatively few and workmanlike, as if the burden of leadership restricted his creativity. Alcoholism and a delicate constitution (whence the nickname 'Shakey') hampered his last years but he remained capable of moments of fitful brillance.
Despite top billing, Horton's eight tracks consist of two takes of 'Hard Hearted Woman' and 'Back Home To Mama' and four on which he accompanies singer Tommy Brown. His song benefit from Dixon's arrangements but vary little in performances. Horton concentrates on the low and middle ranges of his amplified harmonica, producing long, saxophonic notes, with just one treble squeak. Tommy Brown is an ahthusiastic but mundane singer whose 'Southern Woman' provides Horton with his only solo of session. Otherwise his varied and persistent embellishments are too low in the mix to be fully appreciated, hampered as they are by Harold Ashby's equally active tenor sax.

Harmonica Blues Kings

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Walter Horton - Mouth Harp Maestro

Year: 1988
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:12
Size: 108,3 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Jumpin' Blues (2:17)
2. Black Gal (2:59)
3. Hard Hearted Woman (2:42)
4. Go Long Woman (3:03)
5. What's The Matter With You (Take 2) (2:17)
6. Cotton Patch Hot Foot (2:36)
7. Little Boy Blue (Take 2) (2:58)
8. Walter's Blues (Take 1) (3:10)
9. Blues In The Morning (2:52)
10. Now Tell Me Baby (3:07)
11. Walter's Blues (Take 2) (2:39)
12. What's the Matter With You (Take 1) (2:30)
13. Little Boy Blue (Take 1) (3:01)
14. Boogie Woogie Boogie (2:45)
15. Sufficient Clothes (3:57)
16. Miss Darling (4:12)

Long before he arrived in Chicago, Horton was knocking 'em dead with his amplified harmonica wizardry in Memphis. Sam Phillips produced the classic sides that comprise much of this album in 1951, when Horton was billed as "Mumbles." Sizzling backup by guitarists Joe Hill Louis and Calvin Newborn urged the introverted harp giant on to dazzling heights on his earliest sides as a leader. /Bill Dahl

Mouth Harp Maestro mc
Mouth Harp Maestro zippy

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Various - Chicago The Blues Today! 3 albums

Album: Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 1
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1966
Styles: Blues
Time: 46:25
Size: 106,7 MB
Covers: Full

(4:08) 1. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - Help Me
(2:50) 2. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - It Hurts Me Too
(2:25) 3. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - Messin' With the Kid
(5:01) 4. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - Vietcong Blues
(3:48) 5. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - All Night Long
(2:07) 6. J.B. Hutto - Going Ahead
(2:56) 7. J.B. Hutto - Please Help
(2:33) 8. J.B. Hutto - Too Much Alcohol
(3:10) 9. J.B. Hutto - Married Woman Blues
(2:51) 10. J.B. Hutto - That's the Truth
(2:31) 11. Otis Spann - Marie
(3:18) 12. Otis Spann - Burning Fire
(2:55) 13. Otis Spann - S.P. Blues
(3:29) 14. Otis Spann - Sometimes I Wonder
(2:21) 15. Otis Spann - Spann's Stomp

The first volume in the groundbreaking, definitive series Chicago: The Blues Today! contains selections from J.B. Hutto, Junior Wells and Otis Spann. All three contribute stellar performances, but for Hutto it's truly the place to start, because it doesn't get much better than this; "Too Much Alcohol," "Please Help," "Going Ahead" and "That's The Truth" are all classics, and Hutto is in perfect form throughout, with swinging support from the Turner's Blue Lounge version of the Hawks, bass-rhythm guitarist Herman Hassell and former Bo Diddley drummer Frank Kirkland. Sound is crystal clear. -- Allmusic.

Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 1

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Album: Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 2
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1967
Styles: Blues
Time: 46:10
Size: 106,2 MB
Covers: Full

(2:23) 1. James Cotton Blues Band - Cotton Crop Blues
(4:05) 2. James Cotton Blues Band - The Blues Keep Falling
(3:30) 3. James Cotton Blues Band - Love Me or Leave
(2:06) 4. James Cotton Blues Band - Rocket 88
(3:31) 5. James Cotton Blues Band - West Helena Blues
(3:57) 6. Otis Rush - Everything's Going to Turn Out Alright
(2:26) 7. Otis Rush - It's a Mean Old World
(3:18) 8. Otis Rush - I Can't Quit You Baby
(3:37) 9. Otis Rush - Rock
(6:00) 10. Otis Rush - It's My Own Fault
(3:20) 11. Homesick James Williamson - Dust My Broom
(2:19) 12. Homesick James Williamson - Somebody Been Talkin'
(2:48) 13. Homesick James Williamson - Set a Date
(2:49) 14. Homesick James Williamson - So Mean to Me

After his tenure at Chess, Otis Rush signed with Duke Records in Houston, who only released one 45 during his entire five year stay at the label. This Vanguard session from 1966 was his first in several years and finds him in exemplary form. Backed by a tough little club band, Otis' guitar tone is crystal clear and well focused, while his singing is simply superb. With two excellent instrumentals aboard ("Rock" is Otis' version of Earl Hooker's "Universal Rock"), the other big ticket highlight is the version of "I Can't Quit You, Baby" that Led Zepplin would later copy note for note on their first album. This is part of a three volume series and also features excellent tracks by James Cotton ("Cotton Crop Blues" and a wild version of "Rocket 88") and Homesick James. -- Allmusic.

Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 2

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Album: Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 3
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1967
Styles: Blues
Time: 41:10
Size: 94,7 MB
Covers: Full

(2:30) 1. Johnny Young - One More Time
(3:04) 2. Johnny Young - Kid Man Blues
(3:45) 3. Johnny Young - My Black Mare
(3:22) 4. Johnny Young - Stealin' Back
(4:23) 5. Johnny Young - I Got Mine In Time
(3:14) 6. Johnny Young - Tighten Up On It
(2:40) 7. Johnny Shines Blues Band - Dynaflow Blues
(3:07) 8. Johnny Shines Blues Band - Black Spider Blues
(2:28) 9. Johnny Shines Blues Band - Layin' Down My Shoes and Clothes
(3:28) 10. Johnny Shines Blues Band - If I Get Lucky
(3:31) 11. Big Walter Horton - Rockin' My Boogie
(3:15) 12. Big Walter Horton - Mr. Boweevil
(2:22) 13. Big Walter Horton - Hey, Hey

This is one of the all-time great blues series ever recorded. Aside from the classic Chess albums (Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, etc.), there is no better introduction to Chicago-style blues than this three-volume set. Each one is incredible. This third album contains the Johnny Shines Blues Band, Johnny Young's South Side Blues Band, and Big Walter Horton's Blues Harp Band with Memphis Charlie Musselwhite. Here are the original Chicago artists who have grown up and played together for most of their lives, so the musical time is spacious -- wide open. This is South Side Chicago blues with a trace of country at its best. Big Walter Horton plays some of the best harmonica of his career on this album. Listening to Horton on backup and solo harp is an education. This album is definitive. -- Allmusic.

Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 3

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David Honeyboy Edwards - Don't Mistreat a Fool

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Blues
Time: 51:28
Size: 118,0 MB
Covers: Full

Personnel:
Honeyboy Edwards - vocals & guitar
Big Joe Williams - guitar
Johnny Shines - guitar
Big Walter Horton - harmonica

(5:20) 1. Myrtle Mae
(2:44) 2. Bull Cow Blues, No. 2
(3:58) 3. Hot Springs (Arkansas) Blues
(4:03) 4. Must I Break 'Em on Down
(3:22) 5. 61 Highway, No. 2
(3:53) 6. Little Boy Blue
(2:23) 7. You Gonna Catch Trouble
(6:17) 8. B & O Blues
(2:50) 9. Love Honeyboy Slow
(2:28) 10. Don't Mistreat a Fool
(6:02) 11. Howlin' Wind
(4:40) 12. You're the One
(3:22) 13. (Meet the) Mornin' Train

David Honeyboy Edwards. Honey, a gifted guitarist and storyteller, knocked around the Mississippi Delta with the likes of Charley Patton and Robert Johnson back in their day, and now, at 84, he still delights in kicking it with the kids. Aside from his encyclopedic songlist, played in all keys with ageless finesse, Honey is a living history book of American music and folklife, a man who shares his gifts with uncommon joy. At the time of these recordings, Edwards was laboring in Chicago’s Great Society construction boom, separated from the music scene by realities such as changing tastes, family life and just plain bad luck. Good friend Big Joe Williams lured him out of obscurity and into a mobile recording studio set up in Chicago’s old Thunderbird Motel for the first sessions included in this album. The young people making the recordings were enchanted by Honey’s musical abilities, vast knowledge and personal charm and invited him to Washington, DC, for additional sessions over the next few years. This priceless analog treasury, the rumored lost rediscovery tapes, has been carefully mastered for digital audio and packaged with rare photographs and wonderful anecdotes from the life and times of this great artist. -- Adelphi.
Honeyboy is like scotch, it takes awhile to get use to the unique taste but once you do it is worth the effort! This effort is as good as any he has recorded. He guitar work is at its best, fluid when it needs to be and able to attack when required. The tone and timber of his voice is pure delta and city street blues. Honeyboy's claim to fame is usually that he knew Robert Johnson. He needs no claim to fame other than his own work. -- Amazon

Don't Mistreat a Fool

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