Showing posts with label Doctor Ross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doctor Ross. Show all posts

Friday, August 13, 2021

Dr. Ross - Rockin Blues Essentials

Album: Rockin Blues Essentials
Size: 88,3 MB
Time: 37:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Art: Front

1. Chicago Breakdown (2:54)
2. The Boogie Disease (2:34)
3. New York Breakdown (2:59)
4. Call The Doctor (3:22)
5. Numbers Blues (2:17)
6. Cannonball (2:56)
7. The Sunnyland (2:37)
8. Cat Squirrel (Mississippi Blues) (2:21)
9. Thirty-Two Twenty (2:44)
10. Industrial Boogie (2:37)
11. Come Back Baby (2:50)
12. Juke Box Boogie (2:31)
13. Country Clown (2:31)
14. Doctor Ross Boogie (2:39)

Isaiah "Doc" Ross was a throwback to a bygone era; a true one-man band, he played harmonica, acoustic guitar, bass drum, and hi-hat simultaneously, creating a mighty racket harking back to the itinerant country-blues players wandering the Delta region during the earlier years of the 20th century. Born Charles Isaiah Ross on October 21, 1925 in Tunica, Mississippi, he took early inspiration from the music of Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, and Sonny Boy Williamson I; primarily a harpist - hence his nickname "The Harmonica Boss" - he only added the other instruments in his arsenal in order to play a USO show while a member of the Army during World War II. (The "Doc" moniker was acquired because he carried his harmonicas in a doctor's bag.)

Upon his release from the military, Ross settled in Memphis, where he became a popular club fixture as well as the host of his own radio show on station WDIA; during his club residency he was witness to a number of brutal murders, however, and swore off appearances in such venues during the later years of his life. During the early '50s, Ross recorded his first sides - among them "Chicago Breakdown" - for labels including Sun and Chess; in 1954 he settled in Flint, Michigan, where he went to work as a janitor for General Motors, a position he held until retiring.

In 1965 he cut his first full-length LP, Call the Doctor, and that same year mounted his first European tour; as the years passed Ross performed live with decreasing frequency, however, and was infamous for backing out of shows to catch his beloved Detroit Tigers on television. Upon winning a Grammy for his 1981 album Rare Blues, he experienced a career resurgence, and played festival dates to great acclaim prior to his death on May 28, 1993. /Biography by Jason Ankeny, AllMusic

Rockin Blues Essentials mc
Rockin Blues Essentials zippy

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Dr. Ross - Boogie Disease

Album: Boogie Disease
Size: 153,8 MB
Time: 66:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1992
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Art: Full

1. Boogie Disease (2:36)
2. Going To The River (3:31)
3. Good Thing Blues (5:01)
4. Turkey Leg Woman (2:36)
5. Country Clown (2:38)
6. My Bebop Gal (2:44)
7. Memphis Boogie (2:55)
8. Shake 'Em On Down (2:51)
9. Down South Blues (3:05)
10. Shake A My Hand (2:34)
11. Little Soldier Boy (3:03)
12. Mississippi Blues (2:28)
13. Going Back South (2:36)
14. Dr. Ross (Chicago) Break Down (3:02)
15. Taylor Mae (2:51)
16. Texas Hop (2:50)
17. Chicago Breakdown (3:02)
18. Juke Box Boogie (3:03)
19. Feel So Sad (2:33)
20. Polly Put Your Kettle On (3:06)
21. Industrial Avenue Boogie (4:24)
22. Downtown Boogie (2:32)

This one will make your teeth rattle. A veteran of the early-'50s Sun Studio in Memphis, Ross became known as the "one-man band," a routine gleaned from his mentor Joe Hill Louis. He plays both fine harp (out of the Sonny Boy I mold) and exciting rhythm guitar characterized by churning, mesmerizing rhythms spiced by treble fills. These 22 infectious tracks are the good doctor's very first recordings, and they present him with rhythm section - a style that predates his "one-man" days. /Larry Hoffman, AllMusic

(For personnel and recording details, see artwork included.)

Boogie Disease mc
Boogie Disease zippy

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

VA - National Downhome Blues Festival, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Album: National Downhome Blues Festival, Vol. 1
Size: 161,8 MB
Time: 70:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Acoustic/Electric Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. Lonnie Pitchford - That Train Coming Around The Bend (3:06)
02. Lonnie Pitchford - My Babe (2:19)
03. Lonnie Pitchford - Mary Had A Little Lamb (3:46)
04. Lonnie Pitchford - One-String Boogie (1:48)
05. Lonnie Pitchford - Walking Blues (2:09)
06. Lonnie Pitchford - Last Fair Deal (2:12)
07. Precious Bryant - Baby, Please Come Home To Me (2:22)
08. Precious Bryant - Ain't That Loving You, Baby (3:07)
09. Precious Bryant - Black Rat Swing (3:04)
10. Precious Bryant - You Don't Have To Go (2:26)
11. Precious Bryant - Long Distance Call (2:40)
12. Precious Bryant - Staggering Blues (2:15)
13. Thomas Burt - Hooks In The Water (3:43)
14. Thomas Burt - Hate To See The Evening Sun Go Down (6:22)
15. Thomas Burt - Ain't Got No Loving Baby Now (2:14)
16. Jessie Mae Hemphill - Train, Train (3:43)
17. Junior Kimbrough - All Night Long (3:36)
18. Sunnyland Slim - You Put That Thing On Me (3:22)
19. Sunnyland Slim - She's Got Things Going On (2:46)
20. Frank Edwards - Chicken Raid (3:13)
21. John Cephas & Phil Wiggins - Burning Bridges (4:10)
22. John Cephas & Phil Wiggins - Stagolee (6:07)

Recorded live at the National Downhome Blues Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, October 19-24, 1984.

The National Downhome Blues Festival was a one- time event held in 1984 in Atlanta, GA. Stretching over five days, the festival featured traditional blues artists in a small venue setting, and the shows were recorded, eventually released on four LPs in 1984. Southland has combined the first two of those LPs on a single disc (the second two have also been made into a single disc), and the result is an impressive primer on modern vernacular blues. The opening act, Mississippi's Lonnie Pitchford, steals the show right out of the gate with a wonderful set of six songs, four of which feature Pitchford on a one-string electric guitar (essentially a diddley bow). Blessed with a plaintive, convincing voice, Pitchford gives a glimpse of what traditional blues sounds like stripped of commercial aspirations. Precious Bryant, who follows Pitchford, sounds almost tame by comparison, but she delivers a crowd-pleasing set highlighted by her version of "Black Rat Swing." Jessie Mae Hemphill's rendition of "Train, Train" is another obvious highlight, as is Junior Kimbrough's signature "All Night Long" and Frank Edwards' surreal "Chicken Raid." This is blues that is still in service of its local communities, and the offhand, loose charm of these artists sets them aside from the bluster that usually passes for contemporary blues these days. ~Steve Leggett

National Downhome Blues Festival, Vol. 1 MP3
National Downhome Blues Festival, Vol. 1 FLAC

Album: National Downhome Blues Festival, Vol. 2
Size: 166,0 MB
Time: 70:13
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2001
Styles: Acoustic/Electric Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. John Jackson - Bad Water Blues (2:52)
02. John Jackson - Rocks And Gravel (3:26)
03. John Jackson - I'm A Bad Man (3:09)
04. Robert Thomas & Albert Macon - She Wanna Do The Boogie Woogie (5:02)
05. Robert Thomas & Albert Macon - My Baby Don't Wear No Drawers (1:49)
06. Robert Junior Lockwood - Big Legged Woman (2:39)
07. Homesick James & Snooky Pryor - Why You Want To Do Me Like That (3:01)
08. Homesick James & Snooky Pryor - Boogie Twist (3:40)
09. Piano Red - Right String But The Wrong Yo Yo (2:12)
10. Piano Red - Lowdown Dog (3:10)
11. Eddie Kirkland - I Got My Eyes On You (4:43)
12. Doctor Ross - Chicago Breakdown (4:37)
13. Doctor Ross - That's All Right Mama (3:56)
14. Doctor Ross - Biscuit Baking Woman (2:52)
15. Booker T. Laury - Woman I Love Lives In Memphis, Tennessee (3:09)
16. Booker T. Laury - Disco Strut (2:32)
17. Son Thomas - Roll And Tumble (2:58)
18. Henry Townsend & Vernell Townsend - The Tears Come Rolling Down (2:48)
19. Henry Townsend - Standing Looking Out The Window (2:46)
20. Larry Johnson - The Wrong Woman (2:35)
21. Larry Johnson - Can't You Hear The Angels Singing (2:41)
22. Hezekiah & The Houserockers - Downhome Blues (3:29)

Recorded at the Moonshadow Saloon, Atlanta, Georgia, during the National Downhome Festival, on October 10-21, 1984.

The National Downhome Blues Festival was presented by the Georgia Folklore Society and funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulton County Arts Council, and the City of Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs.

National Downhome Blues Festival, Vol. 2 MP3
National Downhome Blues Festival, Vol. 2 FLAC

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Various - Classic Delta & Deep South Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:34
Size: 154.7 MB
Styles: Acoustic delta blues
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[2:37] 1. Big Bill Broonzy - C.C. Rider
[2:26] 2. Roosevelt Sykes - Woman In Elaine, Arkansas
[3:01] 3. Son House - Death Letter Blues
[2:46] 4. K.C. Douglas - Your Crying Won't Make Me Stay
[3:33] 5. Bukka White - Columbus, Mississippi Blues
[1:57] 6. Cat-Iron - I'm Goin’ To Walk Your Log
[3:20] 7. Clifton Chenier - Why Did You Go Last Night
[3:54] 8. Sam Chatmon - I Stand And Wonder
[3:59] 9. Johnny Young - Sleeping With The Devil
[2:47] 10. Shortstuff Macon - Short Stuff's Corinna
[2:01] 11. Big Joe Williams - Married Woman Blues
[3:01] 12. Little Brother Montgomery - Up The Country Blues
[4:48] 13. John Littlejohn - Dream
[3:40] 14. Doctor Ross - Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
[3:31] 15. David Honeyboy Edwards - Catfish Blues
[3:41] 16. Memphis Slim - M & O Blues
[4:19] 17. Scott Dunbar - Forty-Four
[5:03] 18. Son House - Sun Goin' Down
[4:03] 19. Mississippi Fred Mcdowell - Frisco Line
[2:58] 20. Big Bill Broonzy - Diggin' My Potatoes

Mississippi, particularly the Delta, lays claim to being the land where the blues began. Forged in the crucible of poverty and racial oppression, blues flourished there as nowhere else, evolving into what most critics consider the deepest or most intense strain of the blues tradition. During the Great Migration, music changed consistently, adapting to its new surroundings like St. Louis and Chicago, while retaining its connection to its down home Delta roots. This collection celebrates the diversity and dissemination of the blues’ most powerful and influential voices.

Classic Delta & Deep South Blues mc
Classic Delta & Deep South Blues zippy

Friday, October 28, 2016

Various Artists - Don't Worry 'Bout the Bear

This compilation contains 33 tracks of rare 1970s blues, courtesy of the long-lost Big Bear label! Includes sides by Homesick James, Doctor Ross. Eddie "Playboy" Taylor, Lightnin' Slim, Snooky Pryor, Billy Boy Arnold, Mickey Baker, Billy Emerson and others.

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2003
Styles: Blues
Time: 60:02
Size: 138,4 MB
Covers: Front, CD, Tray, Inside

Album: Don't Worry 'Bout the Bear Disc 1
(3:20) 1. Snooky Pryor - Shake Your Boogie
(3:55) 2. Homesick James & Snooky PryorAfter You There Won't Be Nobody Else
(3:48) 3. Homesick James - Crossroads
(4:19) 4. Homesick James - Highway 51
(2:18) 5. Big John Wrencher - Honeydripper
(4:00) 6. Eddie Taylor - Seems Like a Million Years
(3:29) 7. Eddie Taylor - Ready for Eddie
(5:29) 8. Doctor Ross - Don't Worry 'Bout the Bear
(4:14) 9. Doctor Ross - I'm a Mannish Boy
(4:12) 10. Doctor Ross - Got Something to Tell You
(2:01) 11. Erwin Helfer - Sneaky Pete
(2:56) 12. Erwin Helfer & Bob Hall - Homage to AA and PJ
(3:47) 13. Whispering Smith - Texas Flood
(2:27) 14. Lightnin' Slim - Walkin' in the Park
(2:25) 15. G.P. Jackson - 12th Street Boogie
(7:13) 16. Johnny Mars & Boogie Woogie Red & Baby Boy Warren - Meet Me in the Alley

Album: Don't Worry 'Bout the Bear Disc 2
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2003
Styles: Blues
Time: 61:58
Size: 142,8 MB
Covers: Full

(4:33) 1. Eddie 'Guitar' Burns - She's in L.A.
(3:29) 2. Eddie 'Guitar' Burns - Do It If You Wanna
(1:58) 3. Boogie Woogie Red - Viper Song
(3:42) 4. Billy Boy Arnold - I Wish You Would
(6:03) 5. Johnny Mars - It's My Own Fault
(2:29) 6. Johnny Mars - I've Been Down So Long
(3:54) 7. Willie Mabon - Klickety Klock
(3:48) 8. Mickey Baker - Blues Fell This Morning
(3:29) 9. Mickey Baker - I'll Always Be in Love With You
(4:32) 10. Tommy Tucker - Alimony
(3:51) 11. Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - Buzzard Luck
(5:24) 12. Charles Brown - Blues for My Baby
(3:02) 13. Gene Connors - So Tired
(3:51) 14. Gene Connors - Let the Good Times Roll
(4:22) 15. Gene Connors - Honky Tonk
(3:23) 16. Cousin Joe - When a Woman Loves a Man

Don't Worry 'Bout the Bear Disc 1
Don't Worry 'Bout the Bear Disc 2
Don't Worry 'Bout the Bear Disc artwork

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Doctor Ross - I Want All My Friends To Know

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:25
Size: 92.5 MB
Styles: Juke joint blues
Year: 1999/2005
Art: Front

[3:51] 1. My Little Woman
[4:03] 2. Cat Squirrel
[2:42] 3. I Want All My Friends To Know
[3:49] 4. Boogie For The Doctor
[3:32] 5. Hobo Blues
[3:39] 6. Break 'em Down
[5:00] 7. G.M. Blues
[3:10] 8. Baby Please Don't Go
[3:01] 9. That's Alright Mama
[3:44] 10. Burnley Boogie
[3:48] 11. Little School Girl

Isaiah "Doc" Ross was a throwback to a bygone era; a true one-man band, he played harmonica, acoustic guitar, bass drum, and hi-hat simultaneously, creating a mighty racket harking back to the itinerant country-blues players wandering the Delta region during the earlier years of the 20th century. Born Charles Isaiah Ross on October 21, 1925 in Tunica, Mississippi, he took early inspiration from the music of Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, and Sonny Boy Williamson I; primarily a harpist -- hence his nickname "The Harmonica Boss" -- he only added the other instruments in his arsenal in order to play a USO show while a member of the Army during World War II. (The "Doc" moniker was acquired because he carried his harmonicas in a doctor's bag.) Upon his release from the military, Ross settled in Memphis, where he became a popular club fixture as well as the host of his own radio show on station WDIA; during his club residency he was witness to a number of brutal murders, however, and swore off appearances in such venues during the later years of his life. During the early '50s, Ross recorded his first sides -- among them "Chicago Breakdown" -- for labels including Sun and Chess; in 1954 he settled in Flint, Michigan, where he went to work as a janitor for General Motors, a position he held until retiring. In 1965 he cut his first full-length LP, Call the Doctor, and that same year mounted his first European tour; as the years passed Ross performed live with decreasing frequency, however, and was infamous for backing out of shows to catch his beloved Detroit Tigers on television. Upon winning a Grammy for his 1981 album Rare Blues, he experienced a career resurgence, and played festival dates to great acclaim prior to his death on May 28, 1993. ~bio by Jason Ankeny

I Want All My Friends To Know

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Doctor Ross - Blues And Boogie From Detroit

Year: 1991 (Rec. 1972)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:23
Size: 114,1 MB
Styles: One-man band, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Chicago Breakdown (4:23)
2. 30:20 Blues (4:56)
3. Got Somethin' To Tell (3:37)
4. Mama Blues (3:17)
5. Hobo Blues (4:01)
6. Boogie Disease No. 3 (2:58)
7. Trouble, Trouble (4:45)
8. Sweet Black Angel (7:17)
9. China Blues (3:35)
10. Little Schoolgirl (5:00)
11. Biscuit Bakin' Woman (5:29)

Isaiah "Doc" Ross was a throwback to a bygone era; a true one-man band, he played harmonica, acoustic guitar, bass drum, and hi-hat simultaneously, creating a mighty racket harking back to the itinerant country-blues players wandering the Delta region during the earlier years of the 20th century. Born Charles Isaiah Ross on October 21, 1925 in Tunica, Mississippi, he took early inspiration from the music of Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, and Sonny Boy Williamson I; primarily a harpist - hence his nickname "The Harmonica Boss" - he only added the other instruments in his arsenal in order to play a USO show while a member of the Army during World War II. (The "Doc" moniker was acquired because he carried his harmonicas in a doctor's bag.)

Upon his release from the military, Ross settled in Memphis, where he became a popular club fixture as well as the host of his own radio show on station WDIA; during his club residency he was witness to a number of brutal murders, however, and swore off appearances in such venues during the later years of his life. During the early '50s, Ross recorded his first sides - among them "Chicago Breakdown" - for labels including Sun and Chess; in 1954 he settled in Flint, Michigan, where he went to work as a janitor for General Motors, a position he held until retiring.

In 1965 he cut his first full-length LP, Call the Doctor, and that same year mounted his first European tour; as the years passed Ross performed live with decreasing frequency, however, and was infamous for backing out of shows to catch his beloved Detroit Tigers on television. Upon winning a Grammy for his 1981 album Rare Blues, he experienced a career resurgence, and played festival dates to great acclaim prior to his death on May 28, 1993. /Bio by Jason Ankeny, AllMusic

Blues And Boogie From Detroit mc
Blues And Boogie From Detroit zippy

Friday, September 25, 2015

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

Friday, May 29, 2015

Various - American Blues Legends '74

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:25
Size: 136.0 MB
Styles: Chicago blues, Louisiana blues, Electric blues
Year: 1974/2001
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Big John Wrencher - Big John's Boogie
[4:01] 2. Big John Wrencher - I'm A Root Man
[4:17] 3. Big John Wrencher - How Many More Years
[4:29] 4. Cousin Joe From New Orleans - I Can't Lose With The Stuff I Use
[2:18] 5. Cousin Joe From New Orleans - Problems
[3:30] 6. Doctor Ross - It Seems Like A Dream
[5:45] 7. Doctor Ross - On My Way To School
[3:06] 8. Doctor Ross - Boogie Disease #2
[5:03] 9. Eddie Taylor - I Used To Have Some Friends
[5:21] 10. Eddie Taylor - I Know My Baby
[3:16] 11. Eddie Taylor - You Don't Love Me
[2:22] 12. G.P. Jackson - 12th Street Boogie
[2:58] 13. G.P. Jackson - A Letter Dressed In Red
[2:24] 14. G.P. Jackson - Leavin' Kansas City
[4:07] 15. Cousin Joe From New Orleans - Railroad Avenue
[3:38] 16. Cousin Joe From New Orleans - Blues Legends '74

You can hear Bob Brunning's funky bass line real good on this platter on Big John Wrencher's "Big John's boogie" and the slower Wrencher tune "I'm a root man". These are preferable to the three G.P. Jackson recordings that Bob is on because "12th street boogie" & "A letter dressed in red" are virtually the same tempo (and right next to each other to boot) "Leavin' Kansas City" is a little faster but it doesn't help differentiate the three much. Eddie Taylor's great guitar work is distinctive and featured well on the John Wrencher tapes as well as his own two songs which are "I used to have some friends" & "I know my baby" to good effect. Cousin Joe has got three songs ("I can't lose with the stuff I use", "Problems" & "Blues legends") and Doctor Ross has two ("It seems like a dream" & "On my way to school"). These aren't really high points for me but there's a good mix here so people will probably like one or the other style that's on show. ~ John Fitzgerald

American Blues Legends '74 mc
American Blues Legends '74 zippy

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Various - Classic Harmonica Blues From Smithsonian Folkways

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 62:25
Size: 142.9 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:53] 1. Doctor Ross - Theme Song
[3:00] 2. Sonny Terry - Heart In Sorrow
[2:51] 3. Will Shade - Take Your Fingers Off It
[3:34] 4. Eddie Burns - Nine Below Zero
[3:11] 5. Charlie Sayles - Bye Bye Bird
[2:16] 6. Jazz Gillum - Gillum Blues
[2:01] 7. Sonny Terry - Crow Jane Blues
[4:12] 8. John Cephas - Dog Days Of August
[3:43] 9. John Sebastian And The J-Band - Minglewood Blues
[3:39] 10. Doctor Ross - Good Morning Little School Girl
[4:17] 11. Phil Wiggins - Sweet Home Chicago
[2:28] 12. Eddie Burns - One Way Out
[2:33] 13. Sonny Terry - Boogie Baby
[4:07] 14. Neal Pattman - Low Down Blues
[2:28] 15. Chambers Brothers - Hooka Tooka
[5:06] 16. Charlie Sayles - Train Piece
[3:40] 17. Doctor Ross - Chicago Breakdown
[2:04] 18. Warner Williams - I Feel So Good
[1:25] 19. Roscoe Holcomb - Barbara Allen Blues
[2:46] 20. Sonny Terry - Custard Pie

Classic Harmonica Blues from Smithsonian Folkways brims with the creativity of soulful harmonica greats of the 20th century, including Sonny Terry, Doctor Ross, Eddie Burns, Phil Wiggins, and more. Culled from the historic Folkways Records collection and live performances at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, these recordings take us to the heart of the classic American blues tradition.

Classic Harmonica Blues From Smithsonian Folkways mc
Classic Harmonica Blues From Smithsonian Folkways zippy

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Doctor Ross - The Harmonica Boss

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:23
Size: 101.6 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues, Country blues
Year: 1980
Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Boogie Disease No.2
[1:40] 2. Baby Please Don't Go
[2:24] 3. Harmonica Boogie
[4:05] 4. Decoration Day
[3:42] 5. How Much More Long
[5:29] 6. Don't Worry 'bout The Bear
[4:06] 7. That's All Right Now Mama
[3:36] 8. Blues In The Night
[3:12] 9. Do The Boogie Woogie
[4:32] 10. Rockin' After Midnight
[4:28] 11. Ethel Mae
[3:58] 12. San Francisco Breakdown

Isaiah "Doc" Ross was a throwback to a bygone era; a true one-man band, he played harmonica, acoustic guitar, bass drum, and hi-hat simultaneously, creating a mighty racket harking back to the itinerant country-blues players wandering the Delta region during the earlier years of the 20th century. Born Charles Isaiah Ross on October 21, 1925 in Tunica, Mississippi, he took early inspiration from the music of Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, and Sonny Boy Williamson I; primarily a harpist -- hence his nickname "The Harmonica Boss" -- he only added the other instruments in his arsenal in order to play a USO show while a member of the Army during World War II. (The "Doc" moniker was acquired because he carried his harmonicas in a doctor's bag.) Upon his release from the military, Ross settled in Memphis, where he became a popular club fixture as well as the host of his own radio show on station WDIA; during his club residency he was witness to a number of brutal murders, however, and swore off appearances in such venues during the later years of his life. During the early '50s, Ross recorded his first sides -- among them "Chicago Breakdown" -- for labels including Sun and Chess; in 1954 he settled in Flint, Michigan, where he went to work as a janitor for General Motors, a position he held until retiring. In 1965 he cut his first full-length LP, Call the Doctor, and that same year mounted his first European tour; as the years passed Ross performed live with decreasing frequency, however, and was infamous for backing out of shows to catch his beloved Detroit Tigers on television. Upon winning a Grammy for his 1981 album Rare Blues, he experienced a career resurgence, and played festival dates to great acclaim prior to his death on May 28, 1993. ~bio by Jason Ankeny

Bass Drum, Cymbal, Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals – Doctor Ross; Piano – Bob Hall

The Harmonica Boss mc
The Harmonica Boss zippy

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Various - Blues With A Message

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 72:01
Size: 164.9 MB
Styles: Assorted blues
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[2:46] 1. Sam Chatman - I Have To Paint My Face
[3:50] 2. John Jackson - John Henry
[3:04] 3. Mercy Dee - Walked Down So Many Turn Rows
[3:37] 4. Mance Lipscomb - Tom Moore's Farm
[4:55] 5. Lightnin' Hopkins - Tom Moore's Blues
[5:13] 6. Lowell Fulson - River Blues
[5:31] 7. Mississippi Fred Mcdowell - Levee Camp Blues
[3:58] 8. Essie Jenkins - The 1919 Influenza Blues
[5:55] 9. Willie Eason - Why I Like Roosevelt
[2:59] 10. Doctor Ross - Little Soldier Boy
[5:09] 11. Robert Pete Williams - Prisoner's Talking Blues
[3:11] 12. Johnie Lewis - I Got To Climb A High Mountain
[4:41] 13. Herman E. Johnson - Depression Blues
[3:19] 14. Johnny Young & Big Walter Horton - Stockyard Blues
[3:26] 15. Juke Boy Bonner - What Will I Tell The Children
[2:55] 16. Juke Boy Bonner - It's Enough
[3:06] 17. Bee Houston - Things Gonna Get Better
[4:19] 18. Big Joe Williams - Back Home Blues

Blues With a Message isn't just about lost love and the toils of specific lives, the blues (particularly within the folk-blues traditions) spent some time dealing with sociopolitical issues on the side, primarily before the rise of electric blues. Here, Arhoolie has compiled a set of pieces related to a surprisingly large number of issues. Among them: Minstrel shows, the mechanization of cotton farming, and its related exodus to the North, sharecropping, segregation, the Korean War, the influenza epidemic, the New Deal, civil rights movements, Chicago employment opportunities -- all are given a song or two here. The music quality is roughly equivalent to many of the folk-blues recordings available, though the "big name" artists are largely absent from this one (Lightnin Hopkins does make an appearance singing about sharecropping, however). The songs are deliberately focused on the issues more than the music, but the music can still carry its soul. This one probably won't be on many highest-sales lists in the blues, but it's both historically important and musically enjoyable. ~Adam Greenberg

Blues With A Message mc
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