Eddie C. Campbell - Hopes & Dreams

Album: Hopes & Dreams
Size: 104,6 MB
Time: 45:28
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Did I Hurt You? (3:29)
2. Hopes And Dreams (3:59)
3. Geese In The Ninny Bow (Hey!) (5:52)
4. You Worry Me (5:29)
5. Cool Cool Mama (4:03)
6. Slow & Easy (4:33)
7. Those Was The Days (3:37)
8. Spend (3:08)
9. I'm Your Santa (3:44)
10. Lost Soul (4:07)
11. Cougar (3:21)

Eddie C. Campbell’s Hopes & Dreams reveals the guitarist-singer as a clever songwriter as well as an exponent of the tough West Side Chicago sound. Campbell’s aggressive, stinging attack summons up comparisons to the likes of Magic Sam, Jimmy Dawkins and Luther Allison, though his songwriting puts a fresh twist on that old tradition. He stakes out his most distinctive territory on the title track, the funky and mysterious “Geese in the Ninny Bow” (based on a riff from Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”), “Cool Cool Mama” and the catchy shuffle “Lost Soul.”

He tosses in one acoustic folk-blues offering, summoning up a relaxed, down-home Sonny-Brownie vibe with Billy Boy Arnold on “Those Was the Days.” He overdubs all the instruments himself on the lighthearted “I’m Your Santa” and closes the collection with an upbeat instrumental, “Cougar.” This one marks Campbell as one of the best bluesmen of his generation. /Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Hopes & Dreams mc
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Eddie C. Campbell - Baddest Cat On The Block (2021 Remix)

Size: 150.3 MB
Time: 64:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. Hey Baby (3:30)
02. Nineteen Years Old (5:04)
03. I'm In Love With You Baby (3:46)
04. Tears Are For Losers (4:53)
05. Look What You Done (2:56)
06. Early In The Morning (4:57)
07. Cha Cha In Blues (5:26)
08. Same Thing (4:28)
09. Cheaper To Keep Her (4:39)
10. Can't Sit Down (3:47)
11. All Your Love-Easy Baby Medley (3:58)
12. If You Don't Slow Down (4:49)
13. King Of The Jungle (4:21)
14. You Worry Me (7:42)

"It was the mid 1980s and suddenly the London Blues scene was enlivened by the arrival of a great Chicago Blues legend... Eddie C. Campbell. It didnt take long for me and Eddie to hook up. He refused my offer to manage him, but I still set up some nice things for him. He made an album in Holland, did some English gigs and European work through my contacts. And we made an album. I dug out the 35 years old original multi-track session tapes, and had them transferred to digital so we could work safely without risking the tapes. This has given us a much more powerful mix, a totally new sound. Eddie of course is really strong, he plays that West Side guitar style superbly. We also add four live tracks from the Tamines Blues Festival in 1992. Eddie is in a more standard blues mode, but its a great contrast and fits in really well." John Stedman, 2021.

Baddest Cat On The Block (2021 Remix) MP3
Baddest Cat On The Block (2021 Remix) FLAC

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Eddie C. Campbell - Show De Bola

Year: 2005
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:05
Size: 150,3 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Front

1. Show De Bola (3:47)
2. The River's Invitation (2:55)
3. Things I Used To Do (3:52)
4. I Feel Like A Wolf (3:54)
5. Rock 'N' Roll Medley (3:32)
6. The Sky Is Crying (5:21)
7. Just Your Fool (3:39)
8. Mellow Down Easy (2:38)
9. Summertime (5:03)
10. Little Red Rooster (5:12)
11. Sister Taught Me Guitar (6:33)
12. Funky In D (4:22)
13. Big Boss Man (4:03)
14. Rock Me (4:00)
15. Hey Baby (6:07)

Eddie C. Campbell (May 6, 1939 – November 20, 2018) was an American blues guitarist and singer in the Chicago blues scene. Campbell was born in Duncan, Mississippi. He moved to Chicago at the age of ten, and by age 12 was learning from the blues musicians Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, and Otis Rush. In his early years as a professional musician, he played as a sideman with Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Little Johnny Taylor, and Jimmy Reed. In 1976, Willie Dixon hired him to play in the Chicago Blues All-Stars. Campbell's debut album, King of the Jungle, featuring Carey Bell on harmonica and Lafayette Leake on piano, was released the next year.

In 1984, Campbell left Chicago for Europe, living first in the Netherlands and later in Duisburg, Germany, where he remained for ten years before returning to Chicago. Campbell's last album was Spider Eating Preacher (Delmark, 2012). It was nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2013 in the category Traditional Blues Album. In February 2013, Campbell suffered a stroke and a heart attack while on tour in Germany, leaving him paralyzed on the right side of his body. His wife, Barbara Basu, started the Eddie C. Campbell Assistance Fund to raise money to fly him back to Chicago for further medical treatment. He died in Oak Park, Illinois on November 20, 2018, aged 79. /Wikipedia

Show De Bola mc
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Eddie C. Campbell - Let's Pick It!

Size: 107,7 MB
Time: 45:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1984/1993
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Messin' With My Pride (2:25)
02. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong (4:47)
03. All My Whole Life (2:12)
04. All Of My Life (5:38)
05. Double Dutch (2:48)
06. Red Light (3:24)
07. Cold And Hungry (4:08)
08. Love Me With A Feeling (2:22)
09. Dream (6:36)
10. Let's Pick It! (3:11)
11. Big Leg Mama (4:12)
12. That Will Never Do (3:43)

Recorded while Eddie Campbell was on a European sojourn that lasted a decade or so, this disc, cut back in 1984 for Black Magic with an overseas combo, is a very convincing effort mixing Campbell's own "Cold and Hungry," "Dream," and "Messin' with My Pride" with songs by Albert King, Jimmy Reed, Jimmie Lee Robinson, and Magic Sam. ~Bill Dahl

Let's Pick It!

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Lil Ed Williams & Willie Kent - Who's Been Talking

Year: 1998
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:27
Size: 123,7 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. Who's Been Talking (3:14)
2. Someday (5:43)
3. Bobby's Rock (4:06)
4. As The Years Go Passing By (4:51)
5. My Bleeding Heart (4:50)
6. The Ghetto (4:34)
7. Newspaper Blues (4:35)
8. Going Shopping (5:31)
9. I Wanna Get Married (5:06)
10. Your Love Is Strong (3:43)
11. My Life, My Love (3:27)
12. Bird Nest On The Ground (3:43)

This blues-oriented set has the feel of a jam session. Bassist Willie Kent and Lil Ed Williams split the vocals on a date that features contrasting guitar voices in the relatively clean Eddie C. Campbell and the more distorted playing of Williams; both have plenty of solo space. Pianist Allen Batts and drummer Baldhead Pete Williams are quite solid behind the lead voices who get to stretch out on the basic but highly appealing material. Who's Been Talking, which includes songs by Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James and J.B. Hutto in addition to the newer songs, is easily recommended to modern blues collectors. /Scott Yanow, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Eddie C. Campbell - Mind Trouble

Year: 1986/2008
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:05
Size: 144,2 MB
Styles: Electric blues, Chicago blues
Scans: Full

1. Do What You Wanna Do (3:54)
2. Mind Trouble (3:04)
3. You Worry Me (5:36)
4. The Bug (3:17)
5. Head Clear (3:12)
6. Everything Gonna Be Allright (3:14)
7. Alimony (3:25)
8. Life Is Like A Game (5:20)
9. Shake For Me (4:14)
10. Five And A Half (3:48)
11. Vibrations In The Air (3:50)
12. Devil's Walk (4:13)
13. Loneliness And Me (5:26)
14. Eddie's Rock (2:57)
15. Head Clear (Horn Mix) (3:12)
16. Please Love Me (3:15)

Re-issue of the great set originally released on the Dutch Double Trouble label. Featuring Campbell's crystal-clear Westside Chicago guitar sound, 'Mind Trouble' can keep up with his superb US recordings. The studio band sounds very good, and Campbell wrote most of the material. Westside Chicago blues, as good as can be.

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Eddie C. Campbell - King Of The Jungle

Year: 1977/1996
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:56
Size: 104,2 MB
Styles: Electric blues, Chicago blues
Scans: Full

1. Santa's Messin' With The Kid (3:24)
2. Still A Fool (4:58)
3. Cheaper To Keep Her (3:02)
4. Poison Ivy (3:21)
5. The Red Rooster (4:17)
6. Smokin' Potatoes (3:06)
7. King Of The Jungle (4:01)
8. She's Nineteen Years Old (4:51)
9. Look Whatcha Done (2:42)
10. We Both Must Cry (4:40)
11. Weary Blues (3:54)
12. Blues On The Highway (2:35)

Flamboyant West Side-styled guitarist's debut album, first issued on the short-lived Mr. Blues logo, remains his best, with his slashing guitarist and lowdown vocals beautifully presented on covers of material by Magic Sam, Muddy Waters, Percy Mayfield, Willie Mabon, and his own Yuletide perennial "Santa's Messin' with the Kid." Great band, too: harpist Carey Bell, pianist Lafayette Leake, bassist Bob Stroger, and drummer Clifton James. /Bill Dahl, AllMusic

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Eddie C. Campbell - Spider Eating Preacher

Size: 143,8 MB
Time: 61:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. I Do (3:21)
02. Spider Eating Preacher (4:24)
03. Call My Mama (4:57)
04. Cut You A-Loose (3:52)
05. Soup Bone (Reheated) (4:56)
06. I Don't Understand This Woman (5:09)
07. Boomerang (3:54)
08. Starlight (4:51)
09. Skin Tight (3:49)
10. All My Life (5:17)
11. My Friend (For Jim O'Neal) (3:41)
12. Downtown (3:56)
13. Brownout (3:16)
14. Been Gone A Lone Time (3:12)
15. Playing Around These Blues (3:10)

Spider Eating Preacher is the new album by Chicago blues legend Eddie C. Campbell and it's a family affair. Eddie & Barbara's musical partnership is in full blossom as Barbara plays bass on 6 songs. Barbara learned the authentic Chicago blues bass 'bump' from Eddie! Spider Eating Preacher features 12 new compositions, including the title track, a song about Barbara's blindness. Their son, David, plays violin on two songs. This is the first time Eddie has played with his godson, Lurrie Bell, since the title track on Eddie's classic 1977 album King of the Jungle. This album is the follow-up to Tear This World Up, a finalist for Album of the Year in the 2010 Blues Music Awards.

Spider Eating Preacher

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Eddie C. Campbell - That's When I Know

Size: 100,8 MB
Time: 41:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1994
Styles: Modern Electric Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. Sister Taught Me Guitar (4:59)
02. Hey, The Blues Is All Right (2:31)
03. That's When I Know (4:19)
04. Busted (5:02)
05. Sleep (3:27)
06. Early In The Morning (2:10)
07. I Been Thinking (3:20)
08. Son of Sons (4:15)
09. You Make Me Feel All Right (3:54)
10. Running Wild (3:32)
11. Devil's Walk (3:59)

Personnel:
Bass – Bill Watkiss (tracks: 1 to 6, 8 to 11), John Pazdan (tracks: 7)
Drums – Keith Hudson (4) (tracks: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10), Robert "Huckleberry Hound" Wright (tracks: 1,3, 5, 7, 9, 11)
Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals – Eddie C. Campbell
Horns – Tom Elferdink
Organ – Karl Outten (tracks: 4, 5, 10), Ron Scott* (tracks: 1 to 3, 6 to 9, 11)

During that long decade away from home, Eddie C.'s skills as a unique blues songwriter certainly blossomed. His triumphant homecoming set contains some highly distinctive material -- a homespun "Sister Taught Me Guitar," and the incandescent title track, a forceful "Sleep," and "Busted," and a decidedly mystical "Son of Sons." ~Bill Dahl

That's When I Know

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Various - Sweet Home Chicago: A History Of Chicago Blues (3-CD set)

This 2003 compilation highlights the rich heritage of the Chicago blues scene with 70 tracks from the likes of 'Big' Bill Broonzy, Bessie Smith, Sonny Boy Williamson, Memphis Slim, Memphis Minnie, Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup, 'Big' Joe Turner, 'Big Joe' Williams, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Rogers, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, 'Mighty' Joe Young, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed, Joe Carter, & many more.

Album: Sweet Home Chicago: A History Of Chicago Blues - CD 1: Roots & 'Race Recordings' 1925-45
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:00
Size: 169.4 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2003
Art: Full

[2:58] 1. Tommy McClennan - Baby Don't You Want To Go
[2:47] 2. Papa Charlie Jackson - Maxwell Street Blues
[2:46] 3. Pinetop And Lindberg - East Chicago Blues
[3:06] 4. Bessie Smith - Chicago Bound Blues
[2:41] 5. Jazz Gillum - Key To The Highway
[2:55] 6. Peetie Wheatstraw - Chicago Mill Blues
[3:00] 7. Big Bill Broonzy - C&A Blues
[3:12] 8. Tampa Red - Boogie Woogie Dance
[2:37] 9. Big Maceo - Kid Man Blues
[2:55] 10. Chippie Hill - Hard Time Blues
[3:12] 11. Sparks Brothers - Chicago's Too Much For Me
[3:03] 12. Sonny Boy Williamson - Western Union Man
[2:52] 13. Little Bill Gaither - Creole Queen
[3:06] 14. Cow Cow Davenport - - Jim Crow Blues
[3:12] 15. Rosa Henderson - Chicago Monkey Man Blues
[2:56] 16. Washboard Sam - Diggin' My Potatoes
[2:57] 17. Memphis Slim - See My Great Mistake
[3:02] 18. Big Bill Broonzy - I.C. Blues
[3:04] 19. Roosevelt Sykes - Drivin' Wheel
[3:12] 20. Big Boy Crudup - Chicago Blues
[2:47] 21. Memphis Minnie - Me & My Chauffeur
[2:48] 22. Robert Nighthawk - Friar's Point Blues
[2:48] 23. Sonny Boy Williamson - Little Low Woman Blues
[2:54] 24. Robert Lockwood - Take A Little Walk With Me
[2:59] 25. Joe Turner - Goin' To Chicago Blues

thank you mrwalker.
Sweet Home Chicago: A History Of Chicago Blues - CD 1: Roots & 'Race Recordings' 1925-45

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Album: Sweet Home Chicago: A History Of Chicago Blues - CD 2: The Golden Age 1946-52
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:50
Size: 164.5 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2003
Art: Full

[2:55] 1. Eddie Boyd - Chicago Is Just That Way
[2:56] 2. Big Bill Broonzy - You've Been Mistreating Me
[2:56] 3. Lee Brown - Horse Shoe Boogie
[3:11] 4. Big Joe Williams - P Wine Blues
[2:36] 5. Jazz Gillum - The Blues What Am
[3:02] 6. St Louis Jimmy - One Doggone Reason
[2:57] 7. Big Maceo - Chicago Breakdown
[2:19] 8. Snooky & Moody - Boogie
[2:42] 9. Muddy Waters - I Can't Be Satisfied
[2:35] 10. Sonny Boy Williamson - Mellow Chick Swing
[3:03] 11. Robert Nighthawk - Black Angel Blues
[2:41] 12. Man Young - Let Me Ride Your Mule
[2:55] 13. Roosevelt Sykes - Fine & Brown
[2:28] 14. Floyd Jones - Hard Times
[2:54] 15. J.B. Lenoir - Let's Roll
[3:08] 16. Tony Hollins - Crawlin' King Snake
[2:50] 17. Baby Face Leroy - Rollin' & Tumblin'
[2:54] 18. Little Walter - I Just Keep Lovin' Her
[3:14] 19. Baby Face Leroy - Rollin' & Tumblin'
[2:20] 20. Tampa Red - She's Dynamite
[2:34] 21. Howlin' Wolf - Saddle My Pony
[3:16] 22. Delta Joe - Roll Tumble & Slip
[2:51] 23. Memphis Slim - Nobody Loves Me
[3:20] 24. Jimmy Rogers - Chance To Love
[2:59] 25. Big Boy Crudup - I'm Gonna Dig Myself A Hole

thank you mrwalker.
Sweet Home Chicago: A History Of Chicago Blues - CD 2: The Golden Age 1946-52

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Album: Sweet Home Chicago: A History Of Chicago Blues - CD 3: Into The Rock Era, The 60s And Beyond
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:28
Size: 181.9 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2003
Art: Full

[4:33] 1. Muddy Waters - She's Nineteen Years Old
[4:08] 2. David Honeyboy Edwards - Big Katie Allen
[2:41] 3. Hound Dog Taylor - My Baby's Coming Home
[2:58] 4. Jimmy Reed - Hard Walking Hannah
[2:45] 5. Eddie Boyd - The Blues Is Here To Stay
[4:48] 6. Willie Dixon - Spoonful
[6:21] 7. Buddy Guy - First Time I Met The Blues
[3:07] 8. Homesick James - My Baby's Gone
[3:22] 9. Junior Wells - Hoodoo Man
[4:03] 10. Koko Taylor - Wang Dang Doodle
[4:23] 11. Fenton Robinson - Somebody Please Loan Me A Dime
[3:11] 12. Eddie C Campbell - Look What You Done
[4:49] 13. Eddie Clearwater - I Don't Know Why
[3:06] 14. James Cotton - One More Mile
[5:43] 15. Luther Allison - You're Gonna Need Me
[2:24] 16. Little Mac - Times Are Gettin' Tougher
[3:47] 17. Sunnyland Slim - Too Late To Pray
[4:13] 18. Carey Bell - You Went Away Baby
[4:16] 19. Byther Smith - Tell Me How You Like It
[4:39] 20. Joe Carter - Sweet Home Chicago

thank you mrwalker.
Sweet Home Chicago: A History Of Chicago Blues - CD 3: Into The Rock Era, The 60s And Beyond

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Eddie C. Campbell - 2 albums: Baddest Cat On The Block / Tear The World Up

Album: Baddest Cat On The Block
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 57:45
Size: 132.2 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1985
Art: Front

[3:29] 1. Hey Baby
[5:05] 2. Nineteen Years Old
[3:45] 3. I'm In Love With You Baby
[4:52] 4. Tears Are For Losers
[2:55] 5. Look At What You Done
[4:35] 6. Early In The Morning
[4:26] 7. Same Thing
[5:26] 8. Cha Cha In Blues
[4:31] 9. Cheaper To Keep Her
[3:04] 10. Millionaire's Blues
[3:01] 11. You Must Be Shampoo Baby (with Hip Linkchain)
[3:03] 12. My Girl (with Hip Linkchain)
[2:48] 13. Confusion Blues (with Hip Linkchain)
[3:04] 14. Little Car Blues (with Hip Linkchain)
[3:33] 15. Bright Light City Jam (with Hip Linkchain)

This is a strange CD because it is really a compilation of two artists, but it is not listed as such. The second half of the CD is by Hip Linchain, who, like Eddie C. Campbell, was a great West Side (of Chicago) blues guitarist in his own right.

The Eddie C. Campbell material is good, but not Eddie's best. The band doesn't really click here -- they don't back up Eddie as well as they should, and the overall sound suffers. Nevertheless, Eddie's reverb-drenched guitar cuts through pretty well, and true fans will want this CD to complete their collection.

The Hip Linkchain cuts are pretty good, also. He had a great, soulful, albeit rough voice, and his guitar work was excellent. If you've never heard him before, this might not be a bad place to start. ~kmeyer99/amazon

Born in Duncan, Mississippi in 1939, guitarist Eddie C. Campbell was raised in Chicago, where he played with nearly every seminal figure who defined Chicago's West Side sound -- his friend Magic Sam, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, and Little Walter, among others. Although Campbell's music is strongly reminiscent of that classic West Side blues sound, he would prefer to call it "black culture" music.

Campbell specializes in jaunty, irresistibly danceable rhythms overlaid with lithe guitar lines, often placed so tightly in the pocket of the beat that his lead guitar almost doubles as a rhythm instrument.

Baddest Cat On The Block mc
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Album: Tear This World Up
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 60:39
Size: 138.9 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:02] 1. Makin' Popcorn
[3:27] 2. Big World
[4:59] 3. Easy Baby
[3:49] 4. Tie Your Time Up
[4:56] 5. Voodoo
[3:05] 6. Love Me With A Feeling
[4:48] 7. Vibrations In The Air
[3:47] 8. Care
[4:50] 9. It's So Easy
[5:02] 10. My Last Affair
[4:18] 11. I'm Just You Fool
[4:06] 12. All Nite
[4:51] 13. Summertime
[4:34] 14. Bluesman

In the liner notes for Tear This World Up, Eddie C. Campbell makes an interesting observation about 21st century guitarists who try to emulate the West Side Chicago blues of the 1960s. "Not too many people can play it," Campbell asserts, "A lot try, but then, they get mad and change it into Jimi Hendrix." Indeed, going for that Magic Sam-type of sound isn't easy -- add too much psychedelic feedback, amplification, and distortion, and you can end up in Hendrix/hard rock/early heavy metal territory. Don't add enough, and the results can sound like electric Chicago blues in the 1950s rather than West Side Chicago blues in the 1960s. But having worked with Magic Sam himself and having been very active on Chicago's West Side in the 1960s (and Chicago's South Side as well), Campbell has no problem achieving that type of sound on Tear This World Up. If Campbell's electric guitar solos bring to mind Hendrix in any way, it would be pre-1967 Hendrix -- that is, before the formation of the Jimi Hendrix Experience (when Hendrix was a sideman for Curtis Knight and Lonnie Youngblood). But the most obvious stylistic comparisons on this 2008 session include Magic Sam (Campbell even performs Sam's "Easy Baby"), Buddy Guy, and Junior Wells. Like Sam circa 1967-1968, this is a blues-oriented CD that occasionally detours into straight-up soul. Campbell, who was 69 when Tear This World Up was recorded, isn't oblivious to non-Chicago blues; "Makin' Popcorn" has a John Lee Hooker-ish appeal (electric Detroit by way of Mississippi), and the unplugged "Bluesman" is Mississippi country blues. But 1960s-style electric Chicago blues is the main focus of Tear This World Up, which recalls that era with enjoyable results. ~Alex Henderson

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Eddie C. Campbell - Gonna Be Alright

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 61:03
Size: 139.8 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[3:50] 1. Do What You Wanna Do
[3:00] 2. Mind Trouble
[5:32] 3. You Worry Me
[3:13] 4. The Bug
[3:08] 5. Head Clear
[3:10] 6. Everything Gonna Be Alright
[3:20] 7. Alimony
[5:16] 8. Life Is Like A Game
[4:09] 9. Shake For Me
[3:45] 10. Five And A Half
[3:46] 11. Vibrations In The Air
[4:10] 12. Devil's Walk
[5:23] 13. Loneliness And Me
[2:53] 14. Eddie's Rock
[3:08] 15. Head Clear
[3:14] 16. Please Love Me

How’s this for blues pedigree: born to sharecroppers in Duncan, Mississippi, in 1939, Eddie C Campbell was raised on Chicago’s West Side, alongside the likes of Magic Sam, Willie Dixon, Little Walter and others. Shortly after moving to the windy city, his mother brought him to the 1125 Club on Madison Avenue to meet legendary bluesman Muddy Waters, who told Eddie he could sit in with the band if he learned to play. Four years later and with guitar in hand, Eddie returned to the club, played a scorching rendition of “Still a Fool” and earned a spot on the bandstand. He was twelve years old. The rest, you could say, is blues history: his teen’s years on the nightclub circuit honing his chops with such top-players as Luther Allison, Magic Sam, Big Monroe, Willie Buckner and Pee Wee Madison.Eddie soon became one of the west side’s most popular and flamboyant musicians, riding around on a purple motorcycle, sporting a red Fender Jazzmaster guitar, learning karate and – all music aside – wining sixteen knockouts as an amateur boxer.

Campbell toured with Otis Rush and Mighty Joe Young before becoming band director for Jimmy Reed. He visited Europe in 1979 with the Amercian Blues Legends Tour; the audiences proved so warm to his music that he moved overseas in 1984, living first in England and then later in Holland. Campbell ended up in Germany, where he accompanied a travelling theatre production of William Faulkner’s Requiem for a Nun for three years, writing songs and playing acoustic guitar.

By the time he returned to Chicago in 1992, Eddie C Campbell had established a playing style all his own: jaunty, irresistibly danceable rhythms overlaid with lithe guitar lines, often placed so tightly in the pocked of the beat that his lead guitar almost double as a rhythm instrument.

Eddie C. Campbell (vocals, guitar); Elijah Blue (vocals, guitar); Johnny Mars (harmonica); Rinus Groeneveld, Tommy Jones (tenor saxophone); Angelo Verploegen, Saskia Laroo (trumpet); Jan Voeten (trombone); Han VanDam, Al Copley (piano); Olaf Keus, John McColgan (drums).

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