Byther Smith - Working Man's Blues (2 CD)

Album: Working Man's Blues
Size: 147,6 + 150,0 MB
Time: 64:00 + 64:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

CD 1 - The Soto Sound Session 1989:
1. What Have I Done (7:01)
2. Addressing The Nation With The Blues (5:42)
3. Hello Mrs. Brown (4:46)
4. I Was Coming Home (5:59)
5. I Wish My Mother Was There (6:28)
6. Looking For A Woman (4:00)
7. Movin' (5:12)
8. Ain't No Sunshine (Instrumental) (2:22)
9. Play The Blues On The Moon (6:18)
10. Put Your Arms Around Me (5:04)
11. What Is This (4:42)
12. You Should Be Proud Of Your Daughter (6:19)

CD 2 - The 45s:
1. Thanks You Mr. Kennedy (2:25)
2. Champion Girl (2:23)
3. Give Me My White Robe Pt.1 (2:58)
4. Give Me My White Robe Pt.2 (2:50)
5. Money Tree (3:04)
6. I'm So Unhappy (3:10)
7. What Have I Done (3:43)
8. Sweet Sixteen (4:36)
9. Tell Me How You Like It (4:17)
10. Come On In This House (4:05)
11. This Little Voice (4:53)
12. Movin' On (6:25)
13. It's My Own Fault (6:25)
14. Messin' With The Kid (2:52)
15. The Thrill Is Gone/Talk To Your Daughter (10:41)

Byther Smith (1932-2021), an orphan, was shown the right path by his aunt. Byther aspired to a boxing career, but his aunt managed to interest him in the guitar. After taking lessons from JP Lenior, Robert Lockwood, and Hubert Sumlin, he went on to play as a rhythm guitarist in Otis Rush’s band. In the 1970s, he was a guitarist for Big Mama Thornton and George “Harmonica” Smith, among others. After his retirement, he continued as a full-time musician.

The album “Working Man’s Blues” refers to this; despite his steady job, he continued to play in the blues clubs of Chicago. Byther Smith’s style is recognizable by his crisp, plucking playing style and songs with long intros, but above all, Byther was also a gifted singer. In addition to his guitar playing, his clear voice was also his trademark. The album consists of 2 CDs with 27 tracks, well over two hours of fine Chicago blues. CD 1 is a reissue of his 1988 album Addressing the Nation With the Blues. CD 2 contains so-called pre-fame recordings, alternate takes, and funky live club tracks.

The album opens with one of his biggest hits, "What Have I Done", where the classic blues idiom is filled with saxophone and guitar. "Addressing the Nation with the Blues" is the title track of the reissued album and, along with "I Am Coming Home" and "I Wish My Mother Was Here", is timeless blues and delightful tracks to dream away to. In addition to these characteristic style numbers, the album contains shuffles and songs with a funky edge. The closing track, "You Should Be Proud of Your Daughter", features one of those characteristic long musical intros; it is a song with a hypnotic repeating groove and top-notch vocals from Byther. The only song not on "Addressing the Nation With the Blues" is a beautiful instrumental rendition of Bill Wither's "Ain't No Sunshine".

CD 2 opens with two pre-fame tracks, Thank You Mr. Kennedy and Champion Girl from 1962, two songs in the style of Little Richard with that rock 'n' roll sound. "Give Me a White Robe Part One and Two", "Money Tree", "Come in This House" - delicious blues. It is the entire feel of this compilation album, by this relatively unknown bluesman; the album breathes pure blues. As for the live recordings, it is not known where they were recorded, but the sound and the experience in the recordings are fantastic; it makes you feel like you are sitting in a Chicago blues bar. The closing track, "The Thrill Is Gone", and JB Lenoir’s "Talk to Your Daughter" are masterful. Byther Smith, sadly deceased, was a hardworking Chicago bluesman, and his blues shines through on this album. /Jos Verhagen, The Blues Magazine

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Byther Smith - Big Shot Smitty

Album: Big Shot Smitty
Size: 94,6 MB
Time: 40:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1984
Styles: Blues, Chicago blues
Art: LP front & back

1. Walk Streets At Midnight (4:40)
2. Killin' Floor (3:32)
3. Come On In This House (4:00)
4. Mississippi Kid (3:31)
5. Thrill Is Gone (4:26)
6. You Ought To Be Ashamed (3:47)
7. Tell Me How You Like It (4:09)
8. So Unhappy (4:30)
9. All The Love (4:37)
10. Got My Mojo Workin' (3:38)

Byther Claude Earl John Smith (April 17, 1932 – September 10, 2021) was an American blues musician who worked with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Otis Rush, and Junior Wells. Born in Monticello, Mississippi, Smith's early music experiences revolved around gospel music. Orphaned, Smith was brought up by his uncle and aunt. In his teenage years he moved to Arizona to work on a cattle ranch and played in a country and western band on weekends. He worked in construction and local farmhands taught him to play the double bass. Around this time Smith showed an interest in boxing, so his aunt bought Smith an electric bass guitar to encourage him to follow a musical path instead.

Smith migrated to Chicago in the mid-1950s with his wife, Etta Mae. In the early 1960s he began performing in clubs, learning guitar from J. B. Lenoir (his first cousin who had encouraged him to migrate), Robert Lockwood, Jr., and Hubert Sumlin. He worked regularly as a rhythm guitarist for Otis Rush. During this period he recorded a number of singles with labels such as Bea & Baby, Cruise and Apex but in 1965 returned to his gospel roots with a group called the Gospel Travellers. In the 1970s he joined the house band at Theresa’s Tavern where he worked for five years, often playing with Junior Wells. In 1974 he recorded various tracks with Sunnyland Slim for Slim's later album 'She Got A Thing Goin' On'. In the late 1970s, Smith toured with the likes of Big Mama Thornton and George "Harmonica" Smith.

After years playing in clubs all over the world, a demo tape Smith recorded became the album Tell Me How You Like It, released by the Texas-based Grits record label. His next release in the United Kingdom was Addressing the Nation with the Blues for JSP Records. In 1995, Smith retired from his job at Economy Folding Box Company after twenty-five years, allowing him to focus fully on music. Smith retired from touring in 2015. Delmark Records boss Bob Koester observed, "There's a mellowness there that is disappearing in all but B.B. King". Byther Smith died in Chicago on September 10, 2021, aged 89.

Personnel: Byther Smith (guitar, vocals): Mike Baietto (guitar); Bruce Felgen (bass); Joe Pusateri (drums).

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Byther Smith - Byther Smith On Black and Tan, Vol. 2

Size: 211 MB
Time: 40:12
File: Flac
Released: 2015
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

1. I Can't Understand You Baby (4:36)
2. I Don't Like to Travel (5:30)
3. Mean Old Daddy (3:58)
4. Never Stopped Loving You (4:23)
5. Running to New Orleans (4:33)
6. Ought to Be Ashamed (4:46)
7. Same Thing on My Mind (3:09)
8. I Live Here (4:10)
9. The Man Wants Me Dead - Remix #2 (5:03)

Byther Smith was a true Living Legend of the Chicago blues scene and during his long lasting career he worked with the greatest of the Chicago blues artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed and Otis Rush. Born in Monticello, Mississippi on April 17, 1933 young Byther Smith got his first musical experiences with gospel music, a music that he returned to at various stages of his career. As a teenager Byther moved to Arizona, working on a cattle ranch and playing with a country & western band at weekends. In 1957 he moved to Chicago at the advice of his cousin, the legendary J.B. Lenoir. He began gigging and taking guitar lessons from Robert Lockwood and Hubert Sumlin presumably on the basis that if you’re going to get a guitar teacher you might as well get the best. In the early 1960’s Byther Smith was working the clubs on guitar and bass both as a leader and in various bands as sideman. A group of highly prized recordings were made resulting in 45’s on labels such as Bea & Baby, Cruise and Apex. In 1965 it was back to gospel with the Gospel Travellers for a time. In the 1970’s he spent five years in the house band at Theresa’s Tavern, which often meant playing with Junior Wells. 1979 found Byther Smith determined to make it under his own name and a steady stream of coast to coast gigging and touring commenced. He made several recordings and his releases, “Addressing the nation with the blues” (JSP) and “Housefire” and “I’m a mad man” (both on Bullseye), were very successful. Byther released three CDs (“Mississippi Kid”, All Night Long and Hold that train) on Delmark Records. During the years Byther Smith has toured all over the world. In Europe several times, among others as a member of the Chicago Blues Festival. Byther Smith did several very successful European tours between Nov ’94 and Sept ’99. During these tours he performed in Holland, Belgium, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Byther released two CDs on Black and Tan Records; Smitty’s Blues (2001) and Throw Away The Book (2004).

Byther Smith On Black and Tan, Vol. 2 FLAC

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Byther Smith - I'm A Mad Man

Album: I'm A Mad Man
Size: 104,5 MB
Time: 45:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1993
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. I Got So Much Love (3:53)
2. Comin' Home (5:10)
3. I'm In A Hole (4:10)
4. Mad Man (3:30)
5. Get Outta My Way (4:56)
6. Play The Blues In Paris (6:17)
7. You Don't Know Me, Mary (4:21)
8. Your Mama's Crazy (3:52)
9. Funky Man (2:58)
10. 35 Long Years (5:59)

Strictly judging from the lyrical sentiment of his recordings, it might be wise not to make Chicago guitarist Byther Smith angry. Smitty's uncompromising songs are filled with threats of violence and ominous menace (the way blues used to be before the age of political correctness), sometimes to the point where his words don't even rhyme. They don't have to, either - you're transfixed by the sheer intensity of his music. Smitty came to Chicago during the mid-'50s after spending time toiling on an Arizona cattle ranch. He picked up guitar tips from J.B. Lenoir (his first cousin), Robert Jr. Lockwood, and Hubert Sumlin, then began playing in the clubs during the early '60s. Theresa's Lounge was his main haunt for five years as he backed Junior Wells; he also played with the likes of Big Mama Thornton, George "Harmonica" Smith, and Otis Rush.

A couple of acclaimed singles for C.J. (the two-part "Give Me My White Robe") and BeBe ("Money Tree"/"So Unhappy") spread his name among aficionados, as did a 1983 album for Grits, Tell Me How You Like It. The rest of the country then began to appreciate Smitty, thanks to a pair of extremely solid albums on Bullseye Blues: 1991's Housefire (first out on Grits back in 1985) and I'm a Mad Man two years later. With two sets on Delmark and a stepped-up touring itinerary, Smitty really hit his stride. He continued with strong performances and recordings during the new millennium, issuing two albums on Black & Tan, 2001’s Smitty’s Blues and 2004’s Throw Away the Book; returning to Delmark for 2008’s Blues on the Moon: Live at the Natural Rhythm Social Club; and issuing Got No Place to Go on Fedora, also in 2008. /Biography by Bill Dahl, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Byther Smith - Throw Away The Book

Album: Throw Away The Book
Size: 119,6 MB
Time: 51:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2004
Styles: Electric blues
Art: Full

1. Running To New Orleans (4:35)
2. All For Business (3:19)
3. Things I Used To Do (4:06)
4. The Man Wants Me Dead (5:01)
5. Love Me Like I Love You (4:39)
6. I Didn't Get None (3:23)
7. Close To You Baby (3:43)
8. Never Stopped Loving You (4:25)
9. Put Your Arms Around Me (4:26)
10. Mean Old Daddy (4:00)
11. I Can't Understand You Baby (4:38)
12. I Don't Like To Travel (5:32)

"Throw away the book" said Byther Smith to the band before they started. "Don't play with your head, but from the heart!" Smitty is one of the last blues legends out of Chicago who lived the "golden years" of the blues. He came to Chicago in the mid-fifties and picked up guitar licks from blues legends like his cousin JB Lenoir and Robert Jr. Lockwood. Before striking out on his own, he backed great blues artists as Otis Rush and the late Junior Wells. /Amazon

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Byther Smith - Got No Place To Go

Album: Got No Place To Go
Size: 116,3 MB
Time: 50:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. I'm A Honey Bee (2:52)
2. I Had My Fun aka Goin' Down Slow (5:28)
3. Monticello Lonely (6:27)
4. I Know That's Grace! (4:25)
5. Got No Place To Go (3:03)
6. Byther Boogie (4:26)
7. How Much More (3:02)
8. 35 Long Years (5:25)
9. Every Woman I Meet (6:31)
10. Come On In This House (4:24)
11. Red!! You Let The Dogs Out (4:11)

Strictly judging from the lyrical sentiment of his recordings, it might be wise not to make Chicago guitarist Byther Smith angry. Smitty's uncompromising songs are filled with threats of violence and ominous menace (the way blues used to be before the age of political correctness), sometimes to the point where his words don't even rhyme. They don't have to, either - you're transfixed by the sheer intensity of his music. Smitty came to Chicago during the mid-'50s after spending time toiling on an Arizona cattle ranch. He picked up guitar tips from J.B. Lenoir (his first cousin), Robert Jr. Lockwood, and Hubert Sumlin, then began playing in the clubs during the early '60s. Theresa's Lounge was his main haunt for five years as he backed Junior Wells; he also played with the likes of Big Mama Thornton, George "Harmonica" Smith, and Otis Rush.

A couple of acclaimed singles for C.J. (the two-part "Give Me My White Robe") and BeBe ("Money Tree"/"So Unhappy") spread his name among aficionados, as did a 1983 album for Grits, Tell Me How You Like It. The rest of the country then began to appreciate Smitty, thanks to a pair of extremely solid albums on Bullseye Blues: 1991's Housefire (first out on Grits back in 1985) and I'm a Mad Man two years later. With two sets on Delmark and a stepped-up touring itinerary, Smitty really hit his stride. He continued with strong performances and recordings during the new millennium, issuing two albums on Black & Tan, 2001’s Smitty’s Blues and 2004’s Throw Away the Book; returning to Delmark for 2008’s Blues on the Moon: Live at the Natural Rhythm Social Club; and issuing Got No Place to Go on Fedora, also in 2008. /Biography by Bill Dahl, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

R.I.P. Byther Smith (April 17, 1933 - September 9, 2021)

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Byther Smith - Tell Me How You Like It

Album: Tell Me How You Like It
Size: 104,5 MB
Time: 45:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1983/1985
Styles: Blues
Art: LP front & back

1. Tell Me How You Like It (4:15)
2. I Don't Like To Travel (4:16)
3. Cut You Loose (3:48)
4. Walked All Night Long (4:06)
5. Close To You (4:03)
6. Come On In This House (4:04)
7. 300 Pounds Of Joy (4:04)
8. Hold That Train (5:27)
9. You Ought To Be Ashamed (3:50)
10. What My Mamma Told Me (3:50)
11. This Little Voice (3:19)

Strictly judging from the lyrical sentiment of his recordings, it might be wise not to make Chicago guitarist Byther Smith angry. Smitty's uncompromising songs are filled with threats of violence and ominous menace (the way blues used to be before the age of political correctness), sometimes to the point where his words don't even rhyme. They don't have to, either - you're transfixed by the sheer intensity of his music. Smitty came to Chicago during the mid-'50s after spending time toiling on an Arizona cattle ranch. He picked up guitar tips from J.B. Lenoir (his first cousin), Robert Jr. Lockwood, and Hubert Sumlin, then began playing in the clubs during the early '60s. Theresa's Lounge was his main haunt for five years as he backed Junior Wells; he also played with the likes of Big Mama Thornton, George "Harmonica" Smith, and Otis Rush.

A couple of acclaimed singles for C.J. (the two-part "Give Me My White Robe") and BeBe ("Money Tree"/"So Unhappy") spread his name among aficionados, as did a 1983 album for Grits, Tell Me How You Like It. The rest of the country then began to appreciate Smitty, thanks to a pair of extremely solid albums on Bullseye Blues: 1991's Housefire (first out on Grits back in 1985) and I'm a Mad Man two years later. With two sets on Delmark and a stepped-up touring itinerary, Smitty really hit his stride. He continued with strong performances and recordings during the new millennium, issuing two albums on Black & Tan, 2001’s Smitty’s Blues and 2004’s Throw Away the Book; returning to Delmark for 2008’s Blues on the Moon: Live at the Natural Rhythm Social Club; and issuing Got No Place to Go on Fedora, also in 2008. /Biography by Bill Dahl, AllMusic

R.I.P. Byther Smith (April 17, 1933 - September 9, 2021)

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Byther Smith - Blues On The Moon

Album: Blues On The Moon
Size: 151,6 MB
Time: 65:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Judge Of Honor (5:23)
2. If You Love Me (5:55)
3. Blues On The Moon (6:44)
4. Give Up My Life For You (6:02)
5. Hard Times (6:43)
6. Your Mama's Crazy (5:03)
7. If I Misused Someone (4:33)
8. Monticello (8:15)
9. So Mean To Me (5:51)
10. Rock Me Baby (6:34)
11. Don't Start Me Talkin' (4:46)

Urban Chicago electric blues is alive and well in the 21st century, and Byther Smith is assuring fans that this style is still full of energy, spirit, and the many topics that make life in the big city both difficult and able to overcome. Smith's electric guitar sound borrows from several sources, but his slightly gruff but endearing, shouted out, distinctive vocal style is all his own. He's another of the many bluesmen originally from Mississippi who headed north for a better life, and has endured the hardships and the thinning of the ranks of the true veterans. He's come out on the other side true to himself without pandering to more R&B flavored commercial pop blues.

These live recordings at the Natural Rhythm Social Club on the venerable African-American south side of Chicago has Smith with a solid five-piece band with second guitarist Anthony Palmer, utilizing many of the familiar devices, techniques, and rhythm changes that set bona fide blues apart from other affectations. The funkiest blues "Judge of Honor" is the opener, but then Smith digs in on his cousin J.B. Lenoir's 12 bar classic about his baby "If You Love Me," and keeps the groove going on the repeat two-chord based title track.

Adopting a B.B. King solo guitar style, Smith plays his personalized poignant "Hard Times," a talkin', autobiographical "Monticello" about being lonely upon leaving dear ol' Mississippi, offers up a typical Chicago blues "Your Mama's Crazy," singing at the top of his lungs, and does the slow and dirty downhearted "If I Misused Someone" with some outstanding piano from Daryl Coutts. The keyboardist also plays organ on several tracks including the preaching "Give Up My Life for You," with a lyric based on the Biblical tale of Jesus dying for our sins.

The performance ends with three classics - a John Lee Hooker styled "So Mean to Me," the Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup mellow down easy evergreen "Rock Me Baby," and Sonny Boy (Rice Miller) Williamson's steady rollin' "Don't Start Me to Talkin'," which is similar to "Rock Me Baby." A DVD of this show is also available with an extra track. Byther Smith consistently delivers, whether in performance or on CD time after time, and should always remain a well-liked and authentic figure of the real blues world. /Michael G. Nastos, AllMusic

R.I.P. Byther Smith (April 17, 1933 - September 9, 2021)

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Byther Smith - Chicago Blues Legend

Size: 123.8 MB
Time: 53:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. All For Business (3:17)
02. I Don't Like To Travel (5:32)
03. The Man Wants Me Dead (4:59)
04. Ought To Be Ashamed (4:46)
05. I Can't Understand You Baby (4:36)
06. Love Me Like I Love You (4:37)
07. Put Your Arms Around Me (4:24)
08. Your Daughter Don't Want Me No More (4:32)
09. I Didn't Get None (3:21)
10. Mean Old Daddy (3:58)
11. Wait And See (4:36)
12. Don't Hurt Me No More (5:13)

Byther Smith is a true Living Legend of the Chicago blues scene and during his long lasting career he worked with the greatest of the Chicago blues artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed and Otis Rush.

Born in Monticello, Mississippi on April 17, 1933 young Byther Smith got his first musical experiences with gospel music, a music that he returned to at various stages of his career.

As a teenager Byther moved to Arizona, working on a cattle ranch and playing with a country & western band at weekends. In 1957 he moved to Chicago at the advice of his cousin, the legendary J.B. Lenoir. He began gigging and taking guitar lessons from Robert Lockwood and Hubert Sumlin presumably on the basis that if you're going to get a guitar teacher you might as well get the best.

In the early 1960's Byther Smith was working the clubs on guitar and bass both as a leader and in various bands as sideman. A group of highly prized recordings were made resulting in 45's on labels such as Bea & Baby, Cruise and Apex. In 1965 it was back to gospel with the Gospel Travellers for a time. In the 1970's he spent five years in the house band at Theresa's Tavern, which often meant playing with Junior Wells.

1979 found Byther Smith determined to make it under his own name and a steady stream of coast to coast gigging and touring commenced. He made several recordings and his releases, "Addressing the nation with the blues" (JSP) and "Housefire" and "I'm a mad man" (both on Bullseye), were very successful. Byther released three CD=s ("Mississippi Kid", AAll Night Long@ and AHold that train@) on Delmark Records.

During the years Byther Smith has toured all over the world. In Europe several times, among others as a member of the Chicago Blues Festival. Byther Smith did several very successful European tours between Nov '94 and Sept '99. During these tours he performed in Holland, Belgium, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden and the UK.

Chicago Blues Legend

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Byther Smith - Smitty's Blues / Byther Smith On Black And Tan, Vol. 1

Album: Smitty's Blues
Size: 132,1 MB
Time: 56:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2001
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Ought To Be Ashamed (4:47)
02. Little Voice (3:40)
03. So Many Roads, So Many Trains (5:11)
04. She's A Good 'un (4:56)
05. Five Long Years (6:16)
06. Your Daughter Don't Want Me No More (4:34)
07. Same Thing On My Mind (3:11)
08. You Don't Love Me No More (4:45)
09. Tramp (4:34)
10. Sell My Monkey (5:26)
11. Don't Hurt Me No More (5:15)
12. I Live Here (4:11)

Byther really flies on this set and you can really feel the energy he and his band laid down on these tracks. Byther even recorded an acoustic song on this album, something he never has done before. If you love that raw, brooding Chicago blues sound, played and sung with lots of soul and emotion., you'll love this set. It's as rough and tough as you can get it today. And it's definitely 'Smitty's blues'.

Smitty's Blues MP3
Smitty's Blues FLAC

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Album: Byther Smith On Black And Tan, Vol. 1
Size: 100,2 MB
Time: 43:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. All For Business (3:17)
02. The Man Wants Me Dead (5:01)
03. Wait And See (4:36)
04. Don't Hurt Me No More (5:14)
05. I Didn't Get None (3:21)
06. Put Your Arms Around Me (4:24)
07. Little Voice (3:38)
08. Same Thing On My Mind (4:37)
09. Love Me Like I Love You (4:36)
10. Things I Used To Do (4:05)

Strictly judging from the lyrical sentiment of his recordings, it might be wise not to make Chicago guitarist Byther Smith angry. Smitty's uncompromising songs are filled with threats of violence and ominous menace (the way blues used to be before the age of political correctness), sometimes to the point where his words don't even rhyme. They don't have to, either -- you're transfixed by the sheer intensity of his music. Smitty came to Chicago during the mid-'50s after spending time toiling on an Arizona cattle ranch. He picked up guitar tips from J.B. Lenoir (his first cousin), Robert Jr. Lockwood, and Hubert Sumlin, then began playing in the clubs during the early '60s. Theresa's Lounge was his main haunt for five years as he backed Junior Wells; he also played with the likes of Big Mama Thornton, George "Harmonica" Smith, and Otis Rush.

A couple of acclaimed singles for C.J. (the two-part "Give Me My White Robe") and BeBe ("Money Tree"/"So Unhappy") spread his name among aficionados, as did a 1983 album for Grits, Tell Me How You Like It. The rest of the country then began to appreciate Smitty, thanks to a pair of extremely solid albums on Bullseye Blues: 1991's Housefire (first out on Grits back in 1985) and I'm a Mad Man two years later. With two sets on Delmark and a stepped-up touring itinerary, Smitty really hit his stride. He continued with strong performances and recordings during the new millennium, issuing two albums on Black & Tan, 2001’s Smitty’s Blues and 2004’s Throw Away the Book; returning to Delmark for 2008’s Blues on the Moon: Live at the Natural Rhythm Social Club; and issuing Got No Place to Go on Fedora, also in 2008. ~by Bill Dahl

Byther Smith On Black And Tan, Vol. 1 MP3
Byther Smith On Black And Tan, Vol. 1 FLAC

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Byther Smith, Larry Davis - Blues Knights

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:14
Size: 124.2 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1994/2008
Art: Front

[4:00] 1. As The Years Go Passing By
[3:05] 2. I Tried
[5:46] 3. Givin' Up On Love
[2:39] 4. I'm A Honey Bee
[4:33] 5. Addressing The Nation With Blues
[3:25] 6. What Is This
[7:21] 7. Teardrops
[4:27] 8. Killin' Floor
[7:59] 9. That's All Right
[3:05] 10. Don't Make Me Talk Too Much
[4:47] 11. I Don't Have A Mother
[3:02] 12. I'm Broke

Bass – Douglas Watson; Drums – Julian Vaughn; Guitar – Maurice John Vaughn; Guitar, Vocals – Byther Smith (tracks: 4-5, 10-12), Larry Davis (tracks: 1-3, 7-9); Tenor Saxophone – A.C. Reed.

This, despite the appearance, is not a duet album. Instead, this captures a session from November 20, 1985, with guitarists Larry Davis and Byther Smith fronting the same studio band consisting of guitarist Maurice John Vaughn, bassist Douglas Watson, drummer Julian Vaughn, and tenor saxophonist A.C. Reed. As Bill Dahl points out in the liner notes to the 1994 Evidence reissue Blues Knights, the two frontmen keep true to their essential style, with their supple supporting band following suit. As such, the four Davis cuts are pretty relaxed and jazzy, usually quite alluring but at times a little sleepy. The Smith sessions drive harder with some up-tempo shuffles and swinging grooves offering a nice change of pace (and it sounds like the band welcomes shifting the tempo a little bit, too), but that doesn't necessarily make it a greater session; both musicians acquit themselves well by offering a bit of what they do best. This does not mean that they're at their best -- they simply are doing what they do, and since they're good at it, it's pretty enjoyable. Ultimately, this is just a curiosity for fans of either Davis or Smith, and while it's nice to spin once or twice, it's not something they'll put on a whole lot, either. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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Byther Smith - Hold That Train

Size: 148,7 MB
Time: 64:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1981/2004
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. This Little Voice (3:20)
02. 300 Pounds Of Joy (4:05)
03. So Unhappy (4:29)
04. Tell Me How You Like It (4:16)
05. What My Mamma Told Me (4:16)
06. Hold That Train Conductor (5:28)
07. Mississippi Kid (3:41)
08. Come On In This House (5:05)
09. You Ought To Be Ashamed (3:42)
10. Walked All Night Long (4:09)
11. So Mean To Me (4:46)
12. Thrill Is Gone (4:19)
13. Close To You (4:03)
14. I Don't Like To Travel (4:53)
15. Killing Floor (3:39)

Recorded in 1981 and issued that same year on LP, the CD release of Hold That Train has been a long time comin'. Byther Smith is the great unsung Mississippi-cum-Chicago bluesman. Coming to the Windy City from the Delta, he has toured the world countless times, played with everyone from Dr. John to Malachi Thompson and Son Seals, and performs not only classic material from the blues canon, but writes amazing tunes as well. But outside the blues world he is an unknown, despite having some of the heaviest credentials on the planet and being one of the last Delta bluesmen still playing and recording. Smith is one of those bluesmen whose recordings are a potent, snaky brew of pure sweat, grit, and spirit. Hold That Train is a case in point. Here are 15 tracks covering 60 minutes that feature not only his signature slashing guitar style that embodies the entire history of electric blues with its wrist-wrangling attack, but his unbelievable singing voice, which is clear, cool, and full of the moaning power of raw sexuality and fierce independence. His versions here of "Tell Me How You Like It," Willie Dixon's "300 Pounds of Joy," Howlin' Wolf's "Killin' Floor," Amos Blakemore's "Come on in This House," and the old trad nugget "What My Mamma Told Me," become his in the execution. His own tunes, "I Don't Like to Travel," "Mississippi Kid," and "Walked All Night Long," are classics in their own right -- even if nobody's ever heard them outside of one of his gigs. The songs carry within them a reverence for the time-honored, rough-hewn migration of Delta music to northern climes, and an immediacy that takes them outside history and puts them on the stage at the corner bar, or the after hours blind pig. Bottom line is, this set is one of the most welcome issues on compact disc in recent memory, and if there is one Byther Smith disc to own, this is it, whether you are a diehard or recent convert. ~Review by Thom Jurek

Hold That Train

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VA - Keeping Living Music Alive Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Album:Keeping Living Music Alive Vol. 1
Size: 125,9 MB
Time: 54:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

01. Boo Boo Davis - We're In Hell (4:44)
02. Percy Strother - I Ain't Superstitous (3:06)
03. Percy Strother - Take My Love (2:36)
04. Roscoe Chenier - Stick To You Baby (2:30)
05. Roscoe Chenier - A Mother's Love (2:41)
06. Big George Jackson - Rubbish Truck (4:05)
07. Byther Smith - So Many Roads, So Many Trains (5:07)
08. Byther Smith - Five Long Years (6:13)
09. Big George Jackson - Tell Me (3:50)
10. Erskine Oglesby - It's Good To See You (3:18)
11. The Sunset Travelers - I Washed My Hands In Muddy Waters (3:54)
12. The Sunset Travelers - Get Up Jake (3:36)
13. Boo Boo Davis - Can Man (4:25)
14. Doug MacLeod - East Texas Sugar (3:55)

Keeping Living Music Alive Vol. 1

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Album:Keeping Living Music Alive Vol. 2
Size: 121,0 MB
Time: 51:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

01. Byther Smith - Close To You Baby (3:40)
02. Boo Boo Davis - The Snake (4:49)
03. Boo Boo Davis - Leave It Alone (3:53)
04. Percy Strother - Blow Wind Blow (2:25)
05. Roscoe Chenier - Rainin' In My Heart (3:10)
06. Erskine Oglesby - Two Franc Blues (2:33)
07. Big George Jackson - Friday Evening (2:27)
08. The Sunset Travelers - I Got A Sure Thing (2:55)
09. Big George Jackson - You Ain't All That (3:24)
10. Doug MacLeod - North County Woman (3:33)
11. Doug MacLeod - The Devil Is Beating His Wife (5:01)
12. Billy Jones - Ain't Good Lookin´ (3:26)
13. Billy Jones - Ain't No Secret (2:58)
14. Ernie Payne - Curse Of Hamm (4:05)
15. Ernie Payne - Coercion Street (3:27)

Keeping Living Music Alive Vol. 2

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Byther Smith - All Night Long

Year: 1997
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:06
Size: 145,3 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Cried Like A Baby Child (5:01)
2. I'm Your New Lover (5:01)
3. Walked All Night Long (5:40)
4. Hey Mr. Dee Jay (5:20)
5. Look Over Your Shoulder (5:21)
6. Live On This Man's Name (4:34)
7. Something's Wrong With This Picture (5:23)
8. What Did I Do? (5:21)
9. Mother You Say You Don't Like The Black Colors (2:17)
10. Daddy's Gone (6:16)
11. Daddy, You Got A Son (4:18)
12. Is He White Or Is He Black? (2:30)
13. Thinking Real Hard (4:58)

Byther Smith, the former boxer, is a scrapper, a hard worker and a musician who now fights his fight from stage and studio, sweating out his rage as he dances in his corner, sparring with the audience, battling with the world. He takes his anger and muscles it into his instrument, knocking off hunks of raw emotions in dissonant chords and in jabbed, stabbed, and lacerated notes. He spits it into his lyrics, and shouts it in strangled, unashamed cries and fiery exhortations.

Byther worked with many of the greats including Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed and, for six years, Junior Wells. His first Delmark album, Mississippi Kid, received critical acclaim including this quote from David Whiteis of the Chicago Reader: "'Smitty' is as powerful a blues poet as any working today". All Night Long features thirteen new Byther Smith original compositions.

All Night Long mc
All Night Long zippy

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Byther Smith - Byther Smith In Europe Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Strictly judging from the lyrical sentiment of his recordings, it might be wise not to make Chicago guitarist Byther Smith angry. Smitty's uncompromising songs are filled with threats of violence and ominous menace (the way blues used to be before the age of political correctness), sometimes to the point where his words don't even rhyme. They don't have to, either -- you're transfixed by the sheer intensity of his music. Smitty came to Chicago during the mid-'50s after spending time toiling on an Arizona cattle ranch. He picked up guitar tips from J.B. Lenoir (his first cousin), Robert Jr. Lockwood, and Hubert Sumlin, then began playing in the clubs during the early '60s. Theresa's Lounge was his main haunt for five years as he backed Junior Wells; he also played with the likes of Big Mama Thornton, George "Harmonica" Smith, and Otis Rush.

A couple of acclaimed singles for C.J. (the two-part "Give Me My White Robe") and BeBe ("Money Tree"/"So Unhappy") spread his name among aficionados, as did a 1983 album for Grits, Tell Me How You Like It. The rest of the country then began to appreciate Smitty, thanks to a pair of extremely solid albums on Bullseye Blues: 1991's Housefire (first out on Grits back in 1985) and I'm a Mad Man two years later. With two sets on Delmark and a stepped-up touring itinerary, Smitty really hit his stride. He continued with strong performances and recordings during the new millennium, issuing two albums on Black & Tan, 2001’s Smitty’s Blues and 2004’s Throw Away the Book; returning to Delmark for 2008’s Blues on the Moon: Live at the Natural Rhythm Social Club; and issuing Got No Place to Go on Fedora, also in 2008. ~by Bill Dahl

Album: Byther Smith In Europe Vol. 1
Size: 138,4 MB
Time: 59:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. Never Stopped Loving You (4:22)
02. So Many Roads, So Many Trains (5:07)
03. Don't Hurt Me No More (5:05)
04. Running To New Orleans (4:33)
05. Mean Old Daddy (3:57)
06. Five Long Years (6:13)
07. Wait And See (4:36)
08. All For Business (3:15)
09. I Can't Understand You Baby (4:35)
10. I Don't Like To Travel (5:30)
11. Tramp (4:30)
12. Ought To Be Ashamed (4:48)
13. Same Thing On My Mind (3:08)

Byther Smith In Europe Vol. 1

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Album: Byther Smith In Europe Vol. 2
Size: 130,3 MB
Time: 56:13
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. Put Your Arms Around Me (4:27)
02. She's A Good 'un (4:53)
03. I Live Here (4:07)
04. Things I Used To Do (4:04)
05. The Man Wants Me Dead (4:57)
06. Your Daughter Don't Want Me No More (4:28)
07. Cora (3:53)
08. Close To You Baby (3:40)
09. I Didn't Get None (3:19)
10. Love Me Like I Love You (4:37)
11. Sell My Monkey (5:22)
12. Little Voice (3:37)
13. You Don't Love Me No More (4:42)

Byther Smith In Europe Vol. 2

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Byther Smith - 2 albums: Hold That Train / Housefire

Album: Hold That Train
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:42
Size: 145.8 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1981/2004
Art: Front

[3:18] 1. This Little Voice
[4:03] 2. 300 Pounds Of Joy
[4:27] 3. So Unhappy
[4:14] 4. Tell Me How You Like It
[4:14] 5. What My Mama Told Me
[5:26] 6. Hold That Train Conductor
[3:38] 7. Mississippi Kid
[5:03] 8. Come On In This House
[3:39] 9. You Ought To Be Ashamed
[4:06] 10. Walked All Night Long
[4:44] 11. So Mean To Me
[4:17] 12. Thrill Is Gone
[4:01] 13. Close To You
[4:50] 14. I Don't Like To Travel
[3:36] 15. Killing Floor

Recorded in 1981 and issued that same year on LP, the CD release of Hold That Train has been a long time comin'. Byther Smith is the great unsung Mississippi-cum-Chicago bluesman. Coming to the Windy City from the Delta, he has toured the world countless times, played with everyone from Dr. John to Malachi Thompson and Son Seals, and performs not only classic material from the blues canon, but writes amazing tunes as well. But outside the blues world he is an unknown, despite having some of the heaviest credentials on the planet and being one of the last Delta bluesmen still playing and recording. Smith is one of those bluesmen whose recordings are a potent, snaky brew of pure sweat, grit, and spirit. Hold That Train is a case in point. Here are 15 tracks covering 60 minutes that feature not only his signature slashing guitar style that embodies the entire history of electric blues with its wrist-wrangling attack, but his unbelievable singing voice, which is clear, cool, and full of the moaning power of raw sexuality and fierce independence. His versions here of "Tell Me How You Like It," Willie Dixon's "300 Pounds of Joy," Howlin' Wolf's "Killin' Floor," Amos Blakemore's "Come on in This House," and the old trad nugget "What My Mamma Told Me," become his in the execution. His own tunes, "I Don't Like to Travel," "Mississippi Kid," and "Walked All Night Long," are classics in their own right -- even if nobody's ever heard them outside of one of his gigs. The songs carry within them a reverence for the time-honored, rough-hewn migration of Delta music to northern climes, and an immediacy that takes them outside history and puts them on the stage at the corner bar, or the after hours blind pig. Bottom line is, this set is one of the most welcome issues on compact disc in recent memory, and if there is one Byther Smith disc to own, this is it, whether you are a diehard or recent convert. ~Thom Jurek

Hold That Train mc
Hold That Train zippy

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Album: Housefire
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:19
Size: 90.0 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1991/2011
Art: Front

[4:06] 1. Money Tree
[5:00] 2. Live On And Sing The Blues
[4:38] 3. Martha Dear
[6:00] 4. Look All Around You
[4:22] 5. The Man Wants Me Dead
[3:30] 6. Knockdown
[2:54] 7. Wait And See
[4:17] 8. Love Me Like I Love You
[4:27] 9. Here I Am

An unheralded gem that fell through the cracks during its initial issue in 1985 and definitely deserved its higher Bullseye Blues profile six years later. Except for a stinging cover of Detroit Junior's "Money Tree" that leads off, Smitty wrote the entire disc, and it's typically singular stuff: a paranoid "The Man Wants Me Dead," a promise to "Live On and Sing the Blues," all solidly backed by a sympathetic combo. ~Bill Dahl

Housefire mc
Housefire zippy

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