Buster Benton - Spider In My Stew

Size: 129,5 MB
Time: 55:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1979/1994
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Spider In My Stew (3:32)
2. Sweet 94 (5:05)
3. Born With the Blues (4:42)
4. Love Like I Wanna (4:58)
5. Leave Me Alone (4:25)
6. Sorry (4:47)
7. Funny About My Money (3:35)
8. Lonesome For A Dime (4:51)
9. Do It In The Rain (3:32)
10. Disco Blues (5:04)
11. Dangerous Woman (4:06)
12. Going Fishin (3:22)
13. Money Is The Name Of The Game (3:52)

Without a doubt, this album, originally released on Ronn in 1979, stands as the best place to begin an in-depth examination of Benton's legacy. "Spider in My Stew," and obviously, is here, along with the wonderful Cooke-influenced R&B outing "Lonesome for a Dime;" an irresistibly funky "Sweet 94" (Ron Scott's gurgly electric saxophone gives this cut and several others a unique feel), a driving "Funny About My Money," and the mournful minor-key blues "Sorry." Ronn has beefed the CD program up still further with three additions: the doomy, Bobby Bland-styled "Money Is the Name of the Game," a shuffling "Dangerous Woman," and Benton's happy-go-lucky cover of David Dee's "Going Fishin'." /Bill Dahl, AllMusic

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Buster Benton - That's The Reason

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:40
Size: 77.1 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1997/2006
Art: Front

[4:05] 1. Going Fishin'
[3:32] 2. Spider In My Stew
[2:17] 3. Hole In My Head
[2:42] 4. Erase My Name
[3:00] 5. Looking For My Baby
[2:47] 6. That's The Reason
[2:24] 7. It's Your Thing
[2:54] 8. Loving You Baby
[2:47] 9. Catherine
[2:14] 10. You Ain't Ready
[2:11] 11. The Football
[2:42] 12. Get Yourself Together

Despite the amputation of parts of both his legs during the course of his career, Chicago guitarist Buster Benton never gave up playing his music -- an infectious hybrid of blues and soul that he dubbed at one point "disco blues" (an unfortunate appellation in retrospect, but useful in describing its danceability). In the late '70s, when blues was at low ebb, Benton's waxings for Ronn Records were a breath of fresh air.

Inspired by the music of Sam Cooke and B.B. King, the gospel-bred Benton began playing the blues during the mid-'50s while living in Toledo, Ohio. By 1959, he was leading his own band in Chicago. During the '60s, he cut a series of soul-slanted singles for local concerns (Melloway, Alteen, Sonic, Twinight) before hooking up with the great Willie Dixon in 1971.

Benton was a member of Dixon's Blues All-Stars for a while, and Dixon is credited as songwriter of Benton's best-known song, the agonized slow blues "Spider in My Stew." Its release on Stan Lewis' Shreveport-based Jewel Records gave Benton a taste of fame; its follow-up, "Money Is the Name of the Game," solidified his reputation. A 1979 LP for Jewel's Ronn subsidiary (logically titled Spider in My Stew) stands as one of the most engaging Chicago blues LPs of its era, its contemporary grooves abetting Benton's tasty guitar work and soulful vocals.

Benton cut three albums later on for Ichiban, but compared to his Ronn output, they were disappointing. On the Chicago circuit, Benton's extreme courage in the face of physical adversity will long be cited. He was on kidney dialysis for the last few years of his life as a result of diabetes, and a portion of his right leg was amputated in 1993 due to poor circulation (he had already lost part of the other a decade earlier). Still, he continued to play his brand of uplifting blues until the end. ~ Bill Dahl

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Various - The Jewel-Paula Soul Story (2-Disc Set)

Stan Lewis, who owned and ran Stan’s Record Shop in downtown Shreveport, Louisiana, also started and operated three local independent record labels, the Jewel, Paula, and Ronn imprints, beginning with Jewel in 1963. He had a couple of big national hits with his labels, including Dale Hawkins' “Susie-Q” and John Fred's “Judy in Disguise,” but most of his attention went to the blues, R&B, and soul music that was closest to his heart. This two-disc, 36-track set focuses on that side of the Jewel/Paula catalog, and includes classic sides by John Lee Hooker, Sunnyland Slim, Otis Spann, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Big Joe Turner, Roosevelt Sykes, and others. ~Steve Leggett

Album: The Jewel-Paula Soul Story (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:33
Size: 113.5 MB
Styles: Soul, R&B
Year: 2015

[3:19] 1. Toussaint McCall - Nothing Takes The Place Of You
[2:34] 2. The Objectives - Oh My Love (Come Back To Me)
[3:00] 3. Little Charles - Guess I'll Have To Take What's Left
[3:03] 4. Billy Joe Young - I Had My Heart Set On You
[2:53] 5. Johnny And Jon - Why Did You Leave Me
[2:41] 6. Carter Brothers - Don't Pity Me
[2:37] 7. Toussaint McCall - I'll Do It For You
[2:56] 8. Joe Valentine - I Can't Stand To See You Go
[3:33] 9. Barbara West - The Love Of My Life
[2:25] 10. Lonnie & Floyd - What You Gonna Do
[2:50] 11. Jerry McCain - Put It Where I Can Get It
[3:03] 12. Ted Taylor - Without A Woman
[2:04] 13. Barbara West - Congratulations Baby
[2:33] 14. Tommy Ridgley - In The Same Old Way
[2:32] 15. Wallace Brothers - I Need Someone
[2:27] 16. Ola V. Harper - I Wanna Keep
[2:21] 17. Billy Keene - Losers Win Sometimes
[2:36] 18. Little Johnny Taylor - How Can A Broke Man Survive

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Album: The Jewel-Paula Soul Story (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:54
Size: 128.0 MB
Styles: Soul, R&B
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:49] 1. Ted Taylor - Something Strange Is Goin' On In My House
[3:02] 2. Clay Hammond - You've Got Me Tamed
[2:42] 3. Little Johnny Taylor - How Are You Fixed For Love
[2:58] 4. Buddy Ace - Do What You Think Is Best
[3:45] 5. Jackie Day - Guilty
[3:30] 6. Willie Rogers - That's When I'll Stop Loving You
[3:40] 7. Albert Washington - Loosen These Pains And Let Me Go
[2:20] 8. Bobby Patterson - How Do You Spell Love
[2:49] 9. Shay Holiday - It's Not How Long You Make It
[3:13] 10. The Montclairs - Dreaming Out Of Season
[3:02] 11. Fontella Bass - I Want Everybody To Know
[2:07] 12. Bobby Patterson - It Takes Two To Do Wrong
[2:55] 13. Roscoe Robinson - (Standing In The) Safety Zone
[2:35] 14. Jesse Anderson - Help Wanted
[2:28] 15. Lee Shot Williams - Checking Out
[3:40] 16. Tommie Young - Do You Feel The Same Way
[3:12] 17. Bobby Rush - It's Alright
[4:59] 18. Buster Benton - Sweet 94

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Willie Dixon - Mr. Dixon's Workshop

Size: 135,8 MB
Time: 57:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2001
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01 Otis Rush - I Can't Quit You Baby ( 2:57)
02 Harold Burrage - I Don't Care Who Knows ( 2:26)
03 Charles Clark - Hidden Charms ( 2:37)
04 Jessie Fortune - Too Many Cooks ( 2:50)
05 George 'Wild Child' Butler - Axe And The Wind ( 2:29)
06 Willie Mabon - Just Got Some ( 2:36)
07 Magic Sam - Easy Baby ( 2:44)
08 Lee Jackson - Fishin' In My Pond ( 2:39)
09 Junior Wells - Two-Headed Woman ( 2:38)
10 Walter 'Shakey' Horton - Have A Good Time ( 2:17)
11 Buddy Guy - Sit And Cry (The Blues) ( 3:00)
12 Betty Everett - My Love ( 2:17)
13 Buster Benton - Spider In My Stew ( 3:30)
14 Harold Burrage - Satisfied ( 2:56)
15 Mickey Gilley - My Babe ( 2:15)
16 Magic Sam - All Night Long ( 2:45)
17 Junior Wells - She's A Sweet One ( 3:01)
18 Otis Rush - My Love Will Never Die (Alternate Take) (11:51)

As a handy compilation of the prolific producer/songwriter/musician/A&R man's work for his non-Chess label clients, Mr. Dixon's Workshop is a captivating exploration into how productive Willie Dixon was on the '60s Chicago blues scene. While many of these tracks have appeared on other anthologies, specifically The Cobra Records Story box set, and some, like Otis Rush's "I Can't Quit You Baby," are ubiquitous, others are far more rare, making this a terrific collection of some relatively difficult to find music from one of post-war blues' most essential musicians. Charles Clark's pre-Howlin' Wolf version of "Hidden Charms," along with Jessie Fortune's "Too Many Cooks" ---the latter featuring young guitarist Buddy Guy and Big Walter Horton on harp -- popularized later by Robert Cray, are just two of the dusty gems found here. Guy also shows up on an early, earthy 1958 solo recording of "Sit and Cry the Blues." The fascinating final track, a previously unreleased studio session, is comprised of three alternate takes and shows the development of Otis Rush's "My Love Will Never Die" from a stark, solo piano-based ballad to the raging slow blues with horns it became, which puts the listener in an intriguing fly-on-the-wall position. Magic Sam, Junior Wells, and even a young Betty Everette are here, but it's the deep catalog items from obscure bluesmen like Harold Burrage, Lee Jackson, and Buster Benton (whose fiery "Spider in My Stew," featuring Carey Bell on eerie harp, is one of the album's highlights) that are the most welcome finds. Interestingly, a very Jerry Lee Lewis-sounding Mickey Gilley romps through a rockabilly version of "My Babe." Dixon's own rubbery standup basslines, along with his distinctive songwriting, are the constants that tie these rather diverse artists together. Liner notes from the knowledgeable Bill Dahl provide pertinent background information; however, clear notation of who plays on each song is sadly missing. You have to search through the five pages of text in the poorly designed booklet. Otherwise this is a wonderful single-disc compilation exhibiting just how multifaceted and talented Willie Dixon was, even beyond his groundbreaking and better-known work for Chess. ~Review by Hal Horowitz

Mr. Dixon's Workshop

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Various Artists - Born With The Blues Vol. 1

Year: 1994
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:30
Size: 161,3 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. King Biscuit Boy & The Ronnie Hawkins Band - Neighbour Neighbour (3:06)
2. Louisiana Red - Sometimes I Wonder (5:33)
3. Houston Stackhouse - Cool Drink Of Water (3:16)
4. Tommy Tucker - Alimony (4:33)
5. Earl Hooker - The Foxtrot (1:57)
6. Screamin' Jay Hawkins - She Put The Wammee On Me (3:00)
7. Buster Benton & Carey Bell - Born With The Blues (4:48)
8. Lightnin' Hopkins - Got Me A Louisiana Woman (3:04)
9. Albert Collins - The Things I Used To Do (3:43)
10. The Paul deLay Band - Rode Myself Crazy (2:38)
11. Muddy Waters - Honey Bee (4:00)
12. Billy Boy Arnold - Sweet Miss Bea (4:23)
13. Jimmy Reed - Down At The Corner Grocery Store (3:22)
14. Matt 'Guitar' Murphy - Taking Off (3:49)
15. The Mighty Houserockers - Play The Blues For You (5:39)
16. Paul Butterfield - Loaded (2:51)
17. The Clovers - He Sure Could Hypnotize (3:06)
18. Eddy Clearwater - Came Up The Hard Way (6:35)

Haven't been able to find any specific info for this compilation, but I think the featured artists will give you an idea of what this is all about. This is a good un folks!

Born With The Blues Vol. 1 mc
Born With The Blues Vol. 1 zippy

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Willie Dixon - Live In Atlanta '73

Size: 172,0 MB
Time: 74:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. Slow Instrumental (7:03)
02. Blues After Hours (4:37)
03. Trouble (5:03)
04. Everyday I Have The Blues (4:31)
05. Spyder In My Stew (4:35)
06. Crazy 'bout My Baby (4:27)
07. Rock Me, Baby (6:12)
08. I Don't Trust Nobody (When It Comes To My Girl) (5:56)
09. Wang Dang Doodle, Pt. 1 (4:49)
10. Wang Dang Doodle, Pt. 2 (0:53)
11. Fast Instrumental (5:39)
12. Baby, Everything Is Gonna Be Alright (5:46)
13. It's So Easy To Love You, Woman (Five Long Years) (7:54)
14. Baby Do It, Do The Very Last Cup (3:52)
15. Sweet Sixteen (3:14)

Willie Dixon not only wrote songs majority of which later became Blues standards, he is not only the person considered by many "Poet of the Blues", he was also one of the few who knew how to play that music, how to present that music to the audience, one of the great arrangers, and this is felt in every tune here. Willie Dixon's playing and singing comes from the bottoms of Mississippi River. Although recorded legacy of Mr. Dixon is rich and of top standards, inimitable and imperishable like the waters of the ocean.

With some fantastic piano work by Lafayette Leake, one of the most underrated artists in Blues history, with Carey Bell's tornado-like harp blowing, and solid contribution from young Buster Benton, this musical outing could be considered the work constituting international Blues legacy.

This album is situated in a different dimension where usual categories could not be used. Just absorb it, there is so few of such high-quality music left.

Personnel: Willie Dixon - bass, vocals; Carey Bell - harmonica, vocals; Lafayette Leake - piano; Buster Benton - guitar, vocals; Unknown drums. ~Dimitri

Live In Atlanta '73

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Buster Benton - I Like To Hear My Guitar Sing

Size: 95,8 MB
Time: 40:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1991
Styles: Chicago Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Full

01. I Gotta Find Me A Big Leg Woman (4:23)
02. My Friends Call Me Crazy (4:52)
03. Little Bluebird (6:04)
04. How Old Buster Feels (5:01)
05. Dust My Broom (3:45)
06. A Woman Can't Live On Love Alone (5:17)
07. Feels So Bad (3:11)
08. Sail On (Honey Bee) (3:27)
09. I Like To Hear My Guitar Sing (4:16)

Despite the amputation of parts of both his legs during the course of his career, Chicago guitarist Buster Benton never gave up playing his music -- an infectious hybrid of blues and soul that he dubbed at one point "disco blues" (an unfortunate appellation in retrospect, but useful in describing its danceability). In the late '70s, when blues was at low ebb, Benton's waxings for Ronn Records were a breath of fresh air. Inspired by the music of Sam Cooke and B.B. King, the gospel-bred Benton began playing the blues during the mid-'50s while living in Toledo, Ohio. By 1959, he was leading his own band in Chicago. During the '60s, he cut a series of soul-slanted singles for local concerns (Melloway, Alteen, Sonic, Twinight) before hooking up with the great Willie Dixon in 1971. Benton was a member of Dixon's Blues All-Stars for a while, and Dixon is credited as songwriter of Benton's best-known song, the agonized slow blues "Spider in My Stew." Its release on Stan Lewis' Shreveport-based Jewel Records gave Benton a taste of fame; its follow-up, "Money Is the Name of the Game," solidified his reputation. A 1979 LP for Jewel's Ronn subsidiary (logically titled Spider in My Stew) stands as one of the most engaging Chicago blues LPs of its era, its contemporary grooves abetting Benton's tasty guitar work and soulful vocals. Benton cut three albums later on for Ichiban, but compared to his Ronn output, they were disappointing. On the Chicago circuit, Benton's extreme courage in the face of physical adversity will long be cited. He was on kidney dialysis for the last few years of his life as a result of diabetes, and a portion of his right leg was amputated in 1993 due to poor circulation (he had already lost part of the other a decade earlier). Still, he continued to play his brand of uplifting blues until the end. ~ Bill Dahl

MC
Ziddu

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Buster Benton - The Very Best Of Buster Benton (Expanded Edition)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:55
Size: 132.6 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:28] 1. Spider In My Stew
[3:17] 2. Going Fishin'
[3:54] 3. Money Is The Name Of The Game
[2:42] 4. Good To The Last Drop
[4:59] 5. Sweet 94
[4:38] 6. Born With The Blues
[4:53] 7. Love Like I Wanna
[4:19] 8. Leave Me Alone
[4:41] 9. Sorry
[3:29] 10. Funny About My Money
[4:46] 11. Lonesome For A Dime
[3:26] 12. Do It In The Rain
[4:58] 13. Disco Blues
[4:19] 14. Lean On Me

Buster Benton's version of Chicago blues had a decided soul edge, and was imminently danceable, so much so that it was labeled "disco blues," although there was nothing remotely disco about Benton's sound. His early tracks for the Ronn imprint, including his signature tunes "Spider in My Stew" (penned by Willie Dixon) and "Money Is the Name of the Game," were the high points of his recorded legacy, and both are included in this 14-track introduction to this interesting Chicago bluesman. ~ Steve Leggett

The Very Best Of Buster Benton (Expanded Edition) mc
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Various - Play The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:16
Size: 126.5 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:15] 1. Jimmy Dawkins - Lonely Guitar Man
[3:35] 2. Luther 'Guitar Junior' Johnson - Drivin' Me Crazy
[4:50] 3. Jerry 'Boogie' McCain - Three Wives
[5:39] 4. Noble 'Thin Man' Watts - Keep It
[4:22] 5. Drink Small - Little Red Rooster
[6:21] 6. Theodis Ealey - Looking Up At The Bottom
[9:07] 7. Gary B.B. Coleman - The Sky Is Crying
[2:59] 8. Bob 'Chicago' Nelson - Locksmith
[3:16] 9. Sonny Rhodes - Ain't No Blues In Town
[5:32] 10. Troy Turner - House Without A Home
[4:14] 11. Buster Benton - I Like To Hear My Guitar Sing

Play The Blues mc
Play The Blues zippy

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Buster Benton - Bluesbuster

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:22
Size: 101.6 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1979/2006
Art: Front

[3:30] 1. Spider In My Stew
[4:46] 2. Born With The Blues
[5:04] 3. Sweet 94
[4:56] 4. Love Like I Wanna
[4:22] 5. Leave Me Alone
[4:45] 6. Sorry
[3:31] 7. Funny About My Money
[4:52] 8. Lonesome For A Dime
[3:29] 9. Do It In The Rain
[5:01] 10. Disco Blues

Despite the amputation of parts of both his legs during the course of his career, Chicago guitarist Buster Benton never gave up playing his music -- an infectious hybrid of blues and soul that he dubbed at one point "disco blues" (an unfortunate appellation in retrospect, but useful in describing its danceability). In the late '70s, when blues was at low ebb, Benton's waxings for Ronn Records were a breath of fresh air. Inspired by the music of Sam Cooke and B.B. King, the gospel-bred Benton began playing the blues during the mid-'50s while living in Toledo, Ohio. By 1959, he was leading his own band in Chicago. During the '60s, he cut a series of soul-slanted singles for local concerns (Melloway, Alteen, Sonic, Twinight) before hooking up with the great Willie Dixon in 1971.

Benton was a member of Dixon's Blues All-Stars for a while, and Dixon is credited as songwriter of Benton's best-known song, the agonized slow blues "Spider in My Stew." Its release on Stan Lewis' Shreveport-based Jewel Records gave Benton a taste of fame; its follow-up, "Money Is the Name of the Game," solidified his reputation. A 1979 LP for Jewel's Ronn subsidiary (logically titled Spider in My Stew) stands as one of the most engaging Chicago blues LPs of its era, its contemporary grooves abetting Benton's tasty guitar work and soulful vocals.Benton cut three albums later on for Ichiban, but compared to his Ronn output, they were disappointing. On the Chicago circuit, Benton's extreme courage in the face of physical adversity will long be cited.

He was on kidney dialysis for the last few years of his life as a result of diabetes, and a portion of his right leg was amputated in 1993 due to poor circulation (he had already lost part of the other a decade earlier). Still, he continued to play his brand of uplifting blues until the end. ~bio by Bill Dahl

Bass – Nolan Struck; Drums – Ray Allison; Guitar – Jimmy Johnson; Guitar [Lead], Vocals – Buster Benton; Harmonica – Carey Bell; Piano – Lafayette Leake; Saxophone [Tenor] – Ron Scott.

Bluesbuster mc
Bluesbuster zippy

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Buster Benton - Blues & Trouble (1983-1985)

Album: Blues & Trouble (1983-1985)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 70:49
Size: 162.1 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2002/2008
Art: Front

[5:07] 1. You're My Lady
[4:49] 2. That's Your Thing
[4:55] 3. Can't Wait To See My Baby's Face
[6:17] 4. Blues And Trouble
[3:33] 5. It's Good In My Neighborhood
[7:20] 6. Lonesome For A Dime
[4:34] 7. I Wish't I Knew
[3:44] 8. From Missouri
[5:04] 9. Dangerous Woman
[4:36] 10. Honey Bee
[5:45] 11. Hard Luck Blues
[3:28] 12. I Must Have A Hole In My Head
[5:32] 13. Cold Man Ain't No Good
[6:00] 14. Money Is The Name Of The Game

Inspired by the music of Sam Cooke and B.B. King, the gospel-bred Benton began playing the blues during the mid-'50s while living in Toledo, OH. By 1959, he was leading his own band in Chicago. During the '60s, he cut a series of soul-slanted singles for local concerns (Melloway, Alteen, Sonic, Twinight) before hooking up with the great Willie Dixon in 1971.

Benton was a member of Dixon's Blues All-Stars for a while, and Dixon is credited as songwriter of Benton's best-known song, the agonized slow blues "Spider in My Stew." Its release on Stan Lewis's Shreveport-based Jewel Records gave Benton a taste of fame; its follow-up, "Money Is the Name of the Game," solidified his reputation. A 1979 LP for Jewel's Ronn subsidiary (logically titled Spider in My Stew) stands as one of the most engaging Chicago blues LPs of its era, its contemporary grooves abetting Benton's tasty guitar work and soulful vocals.

Benton cut three albums later on for Ichiban, but compared to his Ronn output, they were disappointing. On the Chicago circuit, Benton's extreme courage in the face of physical adversity will long be cited. He was on kidney dialysis for the last few years of his life as a result of diabetes, and a portion of his right leg was amputated in 1993 due to poor circulation (he had already lost part of the other a decade earlier). Still, he continued to play his brand of uplifting blues until the end.

Blues & Trouble (1983-1985)

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