Showing posts with label Floyd Lee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Floyd Lee. Show all posts

Friday, October 28, 2022

Floyd Lee & His Mean Blues Band - The Amogla Sessions, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Album: The Amogla Sessions, Vol. 1
Size: 179.3 MB
Time: 77:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Empty Well (3:06)
02. Red Sun (3:59)
03. Bird With A Broken Wing (1:47)
04. Sometimes I Love You (4:21)
05. Mean Blues (5:00)
06. Ridin' On Empty (2:17)
07. How Low Can You Go (3:32)
08. Mean Ol' Frisco Blues (4:07)
09. Got Love Now Waitin' (2:39)
10. Lights Out (3:16)
11. It Hurts Me Too (4:29)
12. The Counting Song (1:54)
13. Down In Lamar (5:56)
14. Don't You Know (5:16)
15. A String To Your Heart (4:37)
16. Full Moon Lightnin' (3:53)
17. Devil At Your Doorstep (5:17)
18. Blues Is A Beautiful Woman (2:30)
19. Think I Got Somethin' On My Mind (4:27)
20. Can't Stand To See You Go (3:04)
21. Shake Your Money Maker (2:00)

The Amogla Sessions, Vol. 1 MP3
The Amogla Sessions, Vol. 1 FLAC

Album: The Amogla Sessions, Vol. 2
Size: 171.0 MB
Time: 73:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Am I Tough Enough (4:24)
02. In Trouble Again (3:29)
03. Mean Blues (Alternate Version) (7:58)
04. My Weakness (3:52)
05. Don't Answer The Door (5:55)
06. Come Home (5:30)
07. The Red Rooster (2:02)
08. Come Back Baby (3:44)
09. Key To The Highway (4:02)
10. Pea Patch Blues (Feat. Joel Poluck) (3:30)
11. Jaws Of The Black Dog (4:59)
12. Someday (3:10)
13. Lose My Number (2:19)
14. Nowhere Is Where I Belong (3:24)
15. Tell Me Baby (3:56)
16. One Of These Days (4:46)
17. Candy Coated Lover (Feat. Joel Poluck) (3:08)
18. Forever Falling (3:38)

Born in August 1933 and given away by his mother when only a few months old, Floyd spent the first 10 years of his life growing up in Lamar Mississippi near Holly Springs. During the summer, he would often hear his adopted father sing blues songs while working in the cotton fields. Going to school in Memphis during the winter months living in a house located in Webbs Alley, Floyd would sneak out at night to watch his father, who was known in the local blues scene as Guitar Floyd, perform with other bluesmen such as young Guitar Slim.

Inspired by his father he would play his guitar when he wasn't looking. He remembers the guitar neck being too big for his hands. "Back in Mississippi, I remember a bluesman that would go from house to house, selling his 78 and would let you listen to it on a wind-up victrola, which he would carry with him. You'd hold up a tin can to your ear that he had hooked up to it and you could hear what he recorded. I don't remember his name." Floyd also recalls, "In Memphis my school was right on Beale Street. There was a park close to the school with a piano in it and there would always be this guy playing it. I would go watch him as much as I could. Then I'd also go down to the New Daisy (movie theatre) and me and my cousins would sneak in the side door."

Floyd left the South early on, put on a bus at the age of ten and sent on his own, with a sign around his neck that simply read "Chicago". Staying with relatives briefly, "right up there under the L train", he earned a living by shining shoes on 43rd and Indiana. "I was always a working man." He spent some time in Flint Michigan before moving on to Cleveland Ohio in 1947.

One of his early memories of living in Cleveland was winning a contest by selling the most newspapers (Cleveland Plain Dealer) to be a batboy for the Cleveland Indians for two weeks. "They won the world series that year. That was 1948. I still remember the lineup."

Floyd sang in the church choir where his talents as a singer were recognized. The preacher thought so highly of him that he gave Floyd his first guitar (a Gibson T125 electric with one pick up in the middle). Floyd converted the pulpit's PA system into a portable amplifier by hooking it up to a battery. This allowed him to play anywhere outdoors where electricity wasn't available. This was quite a novelty in the 1950's.

Cutting his teeth on Nat King Cole songs and later moving into Jimmy Reed material, Floyd made a name for himself around town as a singer and a guitar player at various gigs and rent parties using his portable system. Word got around, eventually landing him some regular gigs with Jimmy Reed, sitting in for Eddie Taylor when he couldn't make it (Eddie was Jimmy's main sideman). One of the more prestigious gigs was a show that included Stevie Wonder, The Supremes along with Jimmy Reed on the bill. "Jimmy would swing by the house and pick me up." While living in Columbus one memorable gig was opening for Wilson Pickett at the Club Regal.

Floyd moved to New York in the early seventies finding work in Spring Valley, eventually settling down in Harlem. Working for twenty-seven years as a doorman at the Normandy Apartments (86th & Riverside Dr.), Floyd continued to play the blues whenever he could and has made himself known around New York City as a true blues original. Floyd Lee has been there and done that. Retiring a few years back, he has been pushing himself harder than ever in keeping the blues alive. He is a self-driven bluesman who follows his own path. He has a distinct style all his own. Known locally as the "King of Harlem" or "Mississippi Delta Blues" or simply "Bluesman", Floyd has played constantly in NYC for the past 30 some years. He was a founding member of the Music Under New York program in the mid 1980's and has performed at such events as NYC Mayor Dinkins Inauguration and entertained visiting dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela. Yet for all these years keeping a low profile... until now when Floyd is ready to take on the world.

The Amogla Sessions, Vol. 2 MP3
The Amogla Sessions, Vol. 2 FLAC

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Floyd Lee - Ain't Doin' Nothin' Wrong

Year: 2003
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:25
Size: 126,6 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. Ridin' On Empty (2:15)
2. In Trouble Again (3:27)
3. Red Sun (3:57)
4. Tell Me Baby (3:56)
5. Crack Alley (4:05)
6. Someday (3:08)
7. Bad Little Girls (5:23)
8. Am I Tough Enough (4:21)
9. Tie A String (4:35)
10. My Weakness (3:50)
11. Nowhere Is Where I Belong (3:22)
12. Sometimes I Love You (4:19)
13. Got Love Now Waitin' (2:37)
14. Shake Your Moneymaker (2:00)
15. Can't Stand To See You Go (3:02)

Hailing from New York City, the Floyd Lee Band was formed in early 2001. Fronted by 75 year old Mississippi bluesman Floyd Lee, and at his side the dynamic guitarist Joel Poluck who represents the next generation of guitar heroes, they have created their own sound and style without compromise. With the release of their debut "Mean Blues", they carried on the tradition of pure, raw blues and the album reached #1 on Blues Radio Charts around the world including XM Satellite Bluesville.

"Ain't Doin' Nothin' Wrong" is the follow-up to the sensationally good 2001 debut. Slightly different in style, but still a very good record containing mainly self-penned material, including a few great almost hypnotic slow tunes, but also three covers - two by Jimmy Reed and one by Elmore James.

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Ain't Doin' Nothin' Wrong mc
Ain't Doin' Nothin' Wrong zippy

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Floyd Lee & Joel Poluck - Full Moon Lightnin' (Limited Edition Soundtrack)

Year: 2009
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:21
Size: 104,9 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Nella (1:38)
2. Lunar Landing (8:20)
3. Ridin' On Empty (2:18)
4. Bird With A Broken Wing (1:48)
5. Down In Lamar (5:57)
6. Mean Ol' Frisco (4:08)
7. Red Sun (4:00)
8. Full Moon Lightnin' (3:54)
9. Can't You See (5:44)
10. Mean Blues (5:01)
11. Blues Is A Beautiful Woman (2:28)

A spiritual journey of two tortured souls... one seeking to discover what will make him whole again... the other desperate to hold on to what he already has. It has been over 60 years since New York City blues man, Floyd Lee, left the hill country of Mississippi and with his exodus he turned his back on a troubled childhood and a harsh life in the cotton fields. Abandoned by a mother he never knew, Floyd still wrestles with unanswered questions to his mysterious and painful past.

Now at the age of 73, Floyd and his band embark on a deeply personal journey back home to Mississippi to reconnect with the family he left behind and search for the family he never knew. Throughout, guitarist Joel Poluck steers Floyd's career towards musical success while his personal life spins out of control. /Movie synopsis by John C. Gardiner, Producer

Full Moon Lightnin' (Limited Edition Soundtrack) mc
Full Moon Lightnin' (Limited Edition Soundtrack) zippy

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Crack Alley (Floyd Lee) - Blues: Mississippi Tokyo

Size: 137,9 MB
Time: 59:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2003
Styles: Modern Electric Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. Crack Alley (3:58)
02. Mojo Working (3:23)
03. Down Home Blues (4:13)
04. Bring It Home To Me (4:13)
05. Breaking Up Somebody's Home (4:11)
06. Bullfrog (4:15)
07. Took Everybody Down But Me (2:59)
08. Don't You Know That I Love You (3:36)
09. Going Up, Going Down (3:09)
10. Nobody Cares About Me - Japanese Mix (4:41)
11. Big Boss Man (4:25)
12. I Found A Love (3:41)
13. Before You Acuse Me (3:26)
14. Come Back Baby (4:55)
15. Key To The Highway (4:31)

Ted Williams a.k.a. Floyd Lee was born 1933 in Mississippi. Captivated by the sound and feel of the genre, he started to play blues as a teenager and wandered the U.S. playing music.

In 1972 He moved to Harlem New York and fell in love with musical culture of the city. Ted was one of the first musicians to start the ART FOR TRANSIT, now called MUSIC UNDER NEW YORK. Since then, he has been playing blues at subway stations, including Times Square and Grand Central Station as an official musician of MTA’s Music Under New York. He has been playing in the subway for almost 20 years. He also plays at clubs, street fairs, and teaches children at schools in Harlem. He once played for an inauguration of the mayor of New York City. Ted is a cousin of John Lee Hooker, and loves Japan.

Ted’s music has taken him all over the world. He has played in several countries including Japan, Russia, and most recently North Korea. In September 2002, Ted and fellow band mate Clara E. were the first to represent New York City at Moscow’s first blues festival.

Blues: Mississippi Tokyo

Friday, June 17, 2016

Floyd Lee - Blues On 30th Street (Feat. Elliott Sharp & Kenny Aaronson)

Size: 101,6 MB
Time: 43:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

01. She Got The Nerve (4:02)
02. Going Up (3:39)
03. Bright Lights Big City (3:24)
04. Crack Alley Blues (4:07)
05. Bullfrog Blues (3:00)
06. Blues In New York City (6:22)
07. Insurance Blues (1:33)
08. Come Back Baby (5:21)
09. I'll Be There (2:30)
10. Nobody Nobody (5:23)
11. Better Luck (4:16)

Born in August 1933 and given away by his mother when only a few months old, Floyd spent the first 10 years of his life growing up in Lamar Mississippi near Holly Springs. During the summer, he would often hear his adopted father sing blues songs while working in the cotton fields. Going to school in Memphis during the winter months living in a house located in Webbs Alley, Floyd would sneak out at night to watch his father, who was known in the local blues scene as Guitar Floyd, perform with other bluesmen such as young Guitar Slim.

Inspired by his father he would play his guitar when he wasn't looking. He remembers the guitar neck being too big for his hands. "Back in Mississippi, I remember a bluesman that would go from house to house, selling his 78 and would let you listen to it on a wind-up victrola, which he would carry with him. You'd hold up a tin can to your ear that he had hooked up to it and you could hear what he recorded. I don't remember his name." Floyd also recalls, "In Memphis my school was right on Beale Street. There was a park close to the school with a piano in it and there would always be this guy playing it. I would go watch him as much as I could. Then I'd also go down to the New Daisy (movie theatre) and me and my cousins would sneak in the side door."

Floyd left the South early on, put on a bus at the age of ten and sent on his own, with a sign around his neck that simply read "Chicago". Staying with relatives briefly, "right up there under the L train", he earned a living by shining shoes on 43rd and Indiana. "I was always a working man." He spent some time in Flint Michigan before moving on to Cleveland Ohio in 1947.

One of his early memories of living in Cleveland was winning a contest by selling the most newspapers (Cleveland Plain Dealer) to be a batboy for the Cleveland Indians for two weeks. "They won the world series that year. That was 1948. I still remember the lineup."

Floyd sang in the church choir where his talents as a singer were recognized. The preacher thought so highly of him that he gave Floyd his first guitar (a Gibson T125 electric with one pick up in the middle). Floyd converted the pulpit's PA system into a portable amplifier by hooking it up to a battery. This allowed him to play anywhere outdoors where electricity wasn't available. This was quite a novelty in the 1950's.

Cutting his teeth on Nat King Cole songs and later moving into Jimmy Reed material, Floyd made a name for himself around town as a singer and a guitar player at various gigs and rent parties using his portable system. Word got around, eventually landing him some regular gigs with Jimmy Reed, sitting in for Eddie Taylor when he couldn't make it (Eddie was Jimmy's main sideman). One of the more prestigious gigs was a show that included Stevie Wonder, The Supremes along with Jimmy Reed on the bill. "Jimmy would swing by the house and pick me up." While living in Columbus one memorable gig was opening for Wilson Pickett at the Club Regal.

Floyd moved to New York in the early seventies finding work in Spring Valley, eventually settling down in Harlem. Working for twenty-seven years as a doorman at the Normandy Apartments (86th & Riverside Dr.), Floyd continued to play the blues whenever he could and has made himself known around New York City as a true blues original. Floyd Lee has been there and done that. Retiring a few years back, he has been pushing himself harder than ever in keeping the blues alive. He is a self-driven bluesman who follows his own path. He has a distinct style all his own. Known locally as the "King of Harlem" or "Mississippi Delta Blues" or simply "Bluesman", Floyd has played constantly in NYC for the past 30 some years. He was a founding member of the Music Under New York program in the mid 1980's and has performed at such events as NYC Mayor Dinkins Inauguration and entertained visiting dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela. Yet for all these years keeping a low profile... until now when Floyd is ready to take on the world.

MC
Ziddu

Friday, August 7, 2015

Floyd Lee & His Mean Blues Band - Full Moon Lightnin'

Year: 2004
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:17
Size: 109,7 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Full Moon Lightnin' (3:51)
2. Lights Out (3:15)
3. Mean Ol' Frisco (4:05)
4. It Hurts Me Too (4:27)
5. Crawlin' Kingsnake (3:21)
6. Don't Answer The Door (5:53)
7. Come Back Baby (3:41)
8. The Red Rooster (2:00)
9. You're So Sweet (2:36)
10. Key To The Highway (4:00)
11. You Don't Have To Go (2:05)
12. Mean Blues (Bonus) (7:58)

With the success of 70 year old NYC based bluesman Floyd Lee's two Amogla Records releases (his 2001 debut CD Mean Blues and 2003's Ain't Doin' Nothin' Wrong) questions started being asked... questions of Floyd's past... questions he wasn't ready to answer... some he didn't have the answers. Floyd decided it was time to go in search of his roots and to confront the demons that have haunted him his entire life. Who is Floyd Lee? You're about to find out...

Recorded live (Oct. 20th, 2003) at 257 Delta Avenue, Clarksdale Mississippi, in the old WROX building in which DJ Early Wright ran his blues show in this location from 1948 to 1954. On air guests included Robert Nighthawk, Houston Stackhouse, Sonny Boy Williamson 1&2, Robert Jr. Lockwood, BB King, Elvis Presley and Ike Turner. The building is now on the National Register of Historic Places and current plans are to turn it into a museum.

Inspired from hearing a recording of the song Full Moon Lightnin' (included here) cut a few months earlier, film maker John Gardiner rounded up his crew and returned with Floyd to the deep South in search of his family and past. The recordings presented here are part of what was documented. Floyd had spent that afternoon reminiscing at the farm where he grew up in Lamar, Mississippi (near Holly Springs) and returned to Clarksdale that evening to head into the studio (Jimbo Mathus's recently opened recording studio was chosen as the backdrop). Boarded up since the mid-fifties everything was as it had been in its WROX days right down to the sound proof tiles on the walls. Floyd reaches back to his early years and pours out his soul on these 11 cuts, pulling all who listen back with him. He shows us something he has carried around inside since abruptly leaving his birthplace over 60 years ago. Floyd is joined by his long time sideman, guitarist Joel Poluck, bassman Brad Vickers and the legendary Sam Carr on drums. The result is a classic blues recording. Using only two microphones, there was no worrying about getting it down crystal clear. You'll hear the occasional distortion and background noise which only adds to its immediacy and will feel as though you're listening to a vintage radio broadcast from the golden era of blues. That's Full Moon Lightnin'!

Full Moon Lightnin' mc
Full Moon Lightnin' zippy

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Floyd Lee - Mean Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 47:13
Size: 108.1 MB
Styles: Contemporary blues
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[5:52] 1. Down In Lamar
[3:24] 2. How Low Can You Go
[4:51] 3. Mean Blues
[2:53] 4. High Maintenance Woman
[5:10] 5. Devil At Your Doorstep
[2:42] 6. Third Degree Charm
[3:26] 7. See Saw Sally
[2:07] 8. Lose My Number
[2:17] 9. Hard Working Woman
[3:32] 10. Pea Patch Blues
[5:28] 11. When You Break A Young Girl's Heart
[5:26] 12. Come Home

Hailing from New York City, the Floyd Lee Band formed in early 2001. Fronted by 75 year old Mississippi bluesman powerhouse Floyd Lee and at his side the dynamic guitarist, Joel Poluck, who represents the next generation of guitar heroes. The Floyd Lee Band has created their own sound and style without compromise and with this release they carry on the tradition of pure, raw blues. Mean Blues is the first release of the Floyd Lee Band for Amogla Records. This album reached #1 on Blues Radio Charts around the world including XM Satellite Bluesville. When it was released Bill Wax from XM Satellite considered it to be the finest blues album in a decade. Hear for yourself.

Mean Blues