Koko Taylor - Crown Jewels

Album: Crown Jewels
Size: 117,8 MB
Time: 50:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2025
Styles: Blues, Chicago blues
Art: Front

1. Wang Dang Doodle (4:24)
2. Mother Nature (4:42)
3. You Can Have My Husband (2:46)
4. Born Under A Bad Sign (4:56)
5. I'm A Woman (4:34)
6. Voodoo Woman (3:48)
7. I'd Rather Go Blind (Live) (4:42)
8. Can't Let Go (4:59)
9. Hey Bartender (2:52)
10. Ernestine (5:03)
11. Come To Mama (4:48)
12. Let The Good Times Roll (3:03)

GRAMMY-award winning blues icon Koko Taylor was a force of nature. The legendary Queen of the Blues was one of the genre’s best-selling and most recognizable artists. With her huge, gritty voice and the backing of her powerhouse band, The Blues Machine, she delivered tough Chicago blues over a 45-year career, ending with her death in 2009. For people all over the world, her music IS the blues as much as BB King’s or Buddy Guy’s. Crown Jewels is the first new Koko Taylor vinyl to be released in 35 years, and as the title makes clear, it’s packed with over 50 minutes of the finest performances from her celebrated Alligator years.

These are songs blues fans know and love by heart, from “Wang Dang Doodle” to “Hey Bartender” to “Let The Good Times Roll.” It’s gritty, unvarnished, old-school blues and proud of it, every track infused with Koko’s ageless energy and passion. Fellow Chicago blues greats Buddy Guy and Carey Ball guest. /Amazon

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VA - Blues Avalanche: Recorded Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland

Source: Vinyl
Size: 165.0 MB
Time: 70:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1972
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

A1. Bo Diddley - Hear You Knoockin' (3:53)
A2. Bo Diddley - You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover (3:09)
A3. Bo Diddley - Diddley Daddy (2:18)
A4. The Aces & Lafayette Leake - Early In The Morning (5:07)
B1. The Aces & Lafayette Leake - Baby What You Want Me To Do (2:46)
B2. Koko Taylor With Muddy Waters - Wang Dang Doodle (7:10)
B3. Koko Taylor With Muddy Waters - I Got What It Takes (6:19)
C1. Lafayette Leake - Wrinkles (9:12)
C2. Lafayette Leake - Swiss Boogie (6:10)
C3. Muddy Waters - County Jail (6:06)
D1. Muddy Waters With T-Bone Walker - Trouble No More (2:32)
D2. Muddy Waters With T-Bone Walker - Got My Mojo Working (4:39)
D3. Muddy Waters With T-Bone Walker - (They Call It) Stormy Monday (6:45)
D4. Muddy Waters With T-Bone Walker - She Says She Loves Me (4:22)

Recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux, Switzerland, June 16 & 17, 1972.

Blues Avalanche: Recorded Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland [Vinyl] MP3
Blues Avalanche: Recorded Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland [Vinyl] FLAC 24bit

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Shun Kikuta - Rising Shun Plus / In A Room

Album: Rising Shun Plus Size: 175.5 MB
Time: 76:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Electric Blues, Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. When You Feel Lonely (Feat. Billy Branch) (5:33)
02. Hard Hard Miles (Feat. Gerald McClendon) (4:37)
03. Love On Track (Feat. Gerald McClendon) (3:47)
04. Voodoo Woman (Feat. Koko Taylor) (4:03)
05. Yer Blues (Feat. JP Williams) (4:29)
06. Let's Jam (6:21)
07. Old Soul (6:35)
08. Love Love Love (Feat. Gerald McClendon) (4:04)
09. Nikko Waraku Shuffle (5:10)
10. You My Love (4:36)
11. Look Out Baby (4:22)
12. Rockin' Nikko (1:26)
13. Double Faced (5:12)
14. Japablues (New Take) (4:59)
15. Slip My Mind (5:58)
16. Gyoza Blues (New Recording) (4:46)

This work was released in 2018 by remastering 11 songs of "Rising Shun" released in 2007 and adding 5 new songs. Japanese and American artists such as Koko Taylor, Billy Branch, JW Williams, and Jamsbee gather. Recordings were made in Chicago and Utsunomiya.

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Album: In A Room Size: 105.3 MB
Time: 45:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. I Just Wanna Make Love To You (5:16)
02. Chicago Midnight (6:14)
03. Blues Ni Koishite (4:24)
04. Look Out Baby (Feat. El Jose) (5:00)
05. Stormy Monday (4:08)
06. People Get Ready (3:46)
07. Old Mississippi Road (4:53)
08. Delta Lightning (0:45)
09. In A Room (3:36)
10. One Day Is Hot, One Day Is Cold (5:02)
11. You Are The One (2:07)

One of the top blues guitarist, Shun Kikuta's first acoustic solo album. In 2020 while his touring was limited by COVID 19, he decided to focus making an acoustic album. Total of eleven songs and eight of his own and other three are the well known covers. One of them features France's young blues ace, El Jose and recorded duo in France.

Shun is an internationally renowned musician traveling around the world. Shun resided in Chicago, known as a home of blues, over two decades and he was a regular guitarist of Koko Taylor, "Queen of the blues" for nine years until her passing. He also was a long time member of 2010 Chicago Music Awards winning band J.W.Williams & Chi-Town Hustlers. Currently he focuses on his own group "Shun Kikuta Band" and "Blues Company". Performed with: B.B.King, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Koko Taylor, Otis Rush, Bo Didley, Robert Lockwood Jr, Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, Kenny Wayne Shepperd etc.. Recorded with: Koko Taylor "Old School"-Grammy Award nominated, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Billy Branch, Eddie Shaw, Nellie"Tiger"Travis, etc.. ? TV and movie appearance: "An evening with B.B.King" as a band leader and performed with B.B.King. "Kennedy Center Honors" to honor Morgan Freeman sharing a stage with Koko Taylor, Pinetop Perkins, Honey Boy Edwards and Willie "Big Eye" Smith. "Father and Sons", a part of the seven series of "THE BLUES" movie directed by Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood and 5 other directors. Performed on: Chicago Blues Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Notodden Blues Festival(Norway), Japan Blues Festival, Jakarta International Blues Festival, Beijing Blues Festival etc... ? Discography: Live In France (2020), Good Times Roll/Blues Project (2019), Blues Company (2018) , Rising Shun Plus (2018), Best of Shun's Blues (2013) and 12 leader/collaborated albums. Instructional materials: Lively Blues Guitar (CD+Book, 2017), Call & Response (DVD, 2014) and 6 other books and DVDs. Shun was on the cover and featured musician of BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE Dec 29th 2011 issue. ? Besides performing, Shun teaches guitar, blues history and ensemble in regular basis through workshops and private lessons. Shun also is a music writer in last two decades. He has published his book "The World's Blues Alleys"(Rittor Music-Japanese) and has had his own articles on magazines and papers as well.

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Koko Taylor - Basic Soul

Size: 76,7 MB
Time: 33:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1972
Styles: Blues, soul-blues
Art: LP front & back

1. It's A Poor Dog (3:50)
2. Let Me Love You Baby (2:46)
3. Bills, Bills And More Bills (2:51)
4. I Need More And More (2:43)
5. Love Me To Death (3:33)
6. That's The Way Love Is (3:21)
7. Uh Huh My Baby (3:48)
8. Tease Your Man (4:19)
9. Pollution (3:10)
10. Violent Love (2:45)

Accurately dubbed "the Queen of Chicago blues" (and sometimes just the blues in general), Koko Taylor helped keep the tradition of big-voiced, brassy female blues belters alive, recasting the spirits of early legends like Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Big Mama Thornton, and Memphis Minnie for the modern age. Taylor's rough, raw vocals were perfect for the swaggering new electrified era of the blues, and her massive hit "Wang Dang Doodle" served notice that male dominance in the blues wasn't as exclusive as it seemed. After a productive initial stint on Chess, Taylor spent several decades on the prominent contemporary blues label Alligator, going on to win more W.C. Handy Awards than any other female performer in history, and establishing herself as far and away the greatest female blues singer of her time.

Koko was born Cora Walton on September 28, 1928, on a sharecropper's farm in Memphis, TN. Her mother died in 1939, and she and her siblings grew up helping their father in the fields; she got the nickname "Koko" because of her love of chocolate. Koko began singing gospel music in a local Baptist church; inspired by the music they heard on the radio, she and her siblings also played blues on makeshift instruments. In 1953, Koko married truck driver Robert "Pops" Taylor and moved with him to Chicago to look for work; settling on the South Side, Pops worked in a slaughterhouse and Koko got a job as a housemaid.

The Taylors often played blues songs together at night, and frequented the bustling South Side blues clubs whenever they could; Pops encouraged Koko to sit in with some of the bands, and her singing - which reflected not only the classic female blues shouters, but contemporaries Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf - quickly made a name for her. In 1962, Taylor met legendary Chess Records songwriter/producer/bassist Willie Dixon, who was so impressed with her live performance that he took her under his wing. He produced her 1963 debut single, "Honky Tonky," for the small USA label, then secured her a recording contract with Chess.

Taylor made her recording debut for Chess in 1964 and hit it big the following year with the Dixon-penned "Wang Dang Doodle," which sold over a million copies and hit number four on the R&B charts. It became her signature song forever after, and it was also the last Chess single to hit the R&B Top Ten. Demand for Taylor's live act skyrocketed, even though none of her follow-ups sold as well, and as the blues audience began to shift from black to white, the relatively new Taylor became one of the first Chicago blues artists to command a following on the city's white-dominated North Side. Eventually, she and her husband were able to quit their day jobs, and he served as her manager; she also put together a backing band called the Blues Machine.

With the release of two albums - 1969's Koko Taylor, which featured a number of her previous singles; and 1972's Basic Soul - Taylor's live gigs kept branching out further and further from Chicago, and when she played the 1972 Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival, the resulting live album on Atlantic helped bring her to a more national audience. /Excerpt from biography by Steve Huey, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Koko Taylor - Old School

Size: 145,4 MB
Time: 62:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2007
Styles: Electric blues, Chicago blues
Art: Front

1. Piece Of Man (4:29)
2. Gonna Buy Me A Mule (4:33)
3. Black Rat (5:07)
4. Money Is The Name Of The Game (6:45)
5. You Ain't Worth A Good Woman (5:33)
6. Better Watch Your Step (4:53)
7. Bad Avenue (5:19)
8. Bad Rooster (5:20)
9. Don't Go No Further (3:38)
10. All Your Love (6:33)
11. Hard Pill To Swallow (5:50)
12. Young Fashioned Ways (4:41)

Old School is Koko Taylor's first new album in seven years, and after a series of health issues that sidelined her for a while, it could be viewed as a comeback of sorts, but if so, there aren't any signs of rust here. She still belts out her trademark Chicago blues like she always has, sidestepping any 21st century recording tricks for a straightforward set that wouldn't sound out of place next to her classic Chess sides from the early '60s. It's also encouraging that she wrote nearly half the tunes here, while turning in solid covers of a pair of Willie Dixon songs ("Don't Go No Further" and "Young Fashioned Ways"), one by Magic Sam ("All Your Love") and a scorching performance of Lizzie Lawler's classic "Black Rat" that rivals Big Mama Thornton's version.

A rendition of "Bad Rooster" is also top notch. Of the originals, the lead track, "Piece of Man," is the most impressive, setting the tone and feel for an album that clearly celebrates Taylor's unshakable Chicago blues roots. Old School isn't sleek, pretty, posed or polished, but is instead raw, ragged and as real as a biting winter wind off of Lake Michigan. Call it a comeback if you want, but this is the territory that Koko Taylor has lived in for nearly fifty years. She owns this stuff. Call it a continuance. This CD was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 for Best Traditional Blues Album. /Steve Leggett, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Koko Taylor - Queen Of The Blues

Size: 93,2 MB
Time: 40:13
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1985
Styles: Electric blues, Chicago blues
Art: Full

1. Evil (5:00)
2. Beer Bottle Boogie (3:32)
3. I Cried Like A Baby (5:14)
4. I Can Love You Like A Woman (Or I Can Fight You Like A Man) (3:50)
5. Flamin' Mamie (3:29)
6. Something Inside Me (3:47)
7. The Hunter (3:28)
8. Queen Bee (3:51)
9. I Don't Care No More (3:09)
10. Come To Mama (4:49)

Co-producer Bruce Iglauer anticipated a future trend by making this a set filled with cameos - but the presence of Lonnie Brooks, James Cotton, Albert Collins, and Son Seals is entirely warranted and the contributions of each work quite well in the context of the whole. Taylor's gritty "I Cried like a Baby" and a snazzy remake of Ann Peebles' "Come to Mama" are among the many highlights. /Bill Dahl, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Koko Taylor - South Side Lady

Size: 165,5 MB
Time: 71:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1973/1992
Styles: Electric blues
Art: Front, tray

1. I'm A Little Mixed Up (3:42)
2. Wonder Why (3:23)
3. What Kind Of Man Is This? (4:58)
4. Black Nights (3:58)
5. Love Me To Death (4:08)
6. I Got What It Takes (4:28)
7. Big Boss Man (5:00)
8. I'm Gonna Get Lucky (5:24)
9. Twenty-Nine Ways (3:54)
10. I Love A Lover Like You (Bonus) (2:48)
11. What Kind Of Man Is This? (Bonus) (4:08)
12. Wonder Why (4:55)
13. Wang Dang Doodle (7:06)
14. I Got What It Takes (5:09)
15. Twenty-Nine Ways (4:51)
16. I Got My Mojo Working (3:43)

Cut during the period when she was between Chess and Alligator, this 15-song selection, cut in a French studio and live in the Netherlands in 1973, is a potent set that finds Koko Taylor ably backed by the Aces, guitarist Jimmy Rogers, and pianist Willie Mabon. Lots of familiar titles - a live "Wang Dang Doodle," studio remakes of "I'm a Little Mixed Up" and "Twenty-Nine Ways" - and a few numbers that aren't usually associated with Chicago's undisputed blues queen. /Bill Dahl, AllMusic

Tracks 1-10 recorded at Condorcet Studio, Toulouse, France on December 13, 1973. Tracks 11-15 recorded live at Casmir Hall, Amstelveen, Netherlands on December 1, 1973.

Personnel: Koko Taylor (vocals), Jimmy Rogers, Louis Myers (guitar), Willie Mabon (piano), Dave Myers (bass), Fred Below (drums).

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Koko Taylor - From The Heart Of A Woman

Year: 1981/1989
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:14
Size: 90,8 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. Something Strange Is Going On (4:03)
2. I'd Rather Go Blind (5:00)
3. Keep Your Hands Off Him (3:52)
4. Thanks, But No Thanks (4:17)
5. If You Got A Heartache (3:41)
6. Never Trust A Man (3:21)
7. Sure Had A Wonderful Time Last Night (3:06)
8. Blow Top Blues (4:18)
9. If Walls Could Talk (3:30)
10. Took A Long Time (4:01)

Another very credible outing, though Taylor's not quite convincing on the jazzily swinging "Sure Had a Wonderful Time Last Night." Far more suited to her raspy growl are her own "It Took a Long Time," a funky "Something Strange Is Going On," and Etta James's moving soul ballad "I'd Rather Go Blind" (beautifully complemented by Criss Johnson's liquidic guitar). /Bill Dahl, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Koko Taylor - Live From Chicago: An Audience With The Queen

Size: 122,0 MB
Time: 52:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1987
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Let The Good Times Roll (4:14)
02. I'm A Woman (5:58)
03. Going Back To Iuka (4:38)
04. The Devil's Gonna Have A Field Day (5:30)
05. Find A Fool, Bump Her Head (4:29)
06. I Cried Like A Baby (5:39)
07. Come To Mama (5:39)
08. I'd Rather Go Blind (4:46)
09. Let Me Love You (4:31)
10. Wang Dang Doodle (6:39)

There were good reasons to call Koko Taylor the Queen of the Blues during her long reign: to quote Rolling Stone, which put it better than I can, “Deep soul, raw vocal power, blustery swagger...the great female blues singer of her generation.” Chicago, of course, has long been known for its muscular blues that traveled up the Mississippi and its blues shouters, and Taylor (1928-2009) was the greatest Chicago female blues shouter of them all. She was lauded for her rough powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings.

On this recorded-live CD, with the swinging backing of Michael (Mr. Dynamite) Robinson on guitar; Eddie King on guitar; Jerry Murphy on bass and Clyde (Youngblood) Tyler Jr. on drums, Taylor shows us how she earned her acclaim. She gives us a rollicking “Let the Good Times Roll,” which I believe also traveled upriver from New Orleans. Powerful renderings of “I’m a Woman,” “Come to Mama,” and “I’d Rather Go Blind.” And “Wang Dang Doodle,” recorded with call and answer audience response. According to Wikipedia, Taylor originally recorded this song in 1965, when she was signed by Chicago’s Chess Records subsidiary Checker Records. It had been written by Willie Dixon, who discovered her, and recorded by Howlin' Wolf five years earlier. The record became a hit for her, reaching number four on the R&B charts and number 58 on the pop charts in 1966, and selling a million copies. ~Stephanie De Pue

Live From Chicago

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VA - 1970s Slow Blues Jams

Size: 245,4 MB
Time: 105:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Front

01. John Hammond - Guitar King (3:36)
02. Big Mama Thornton - Jail (Live) (5:56)
03. Hound Dog Taylor - Sadie (6:12)
04. Son Seals - Sitting At My Window (4:30)
05. Albert Collins - When The Welfare Turns Its Back On You (5:24)
06. Jimmy Johnson - Your Turn To Cry (5:51)
07. Big Walter Horton - Little Boy Blue (3:12)
08. Left Hand Frank - One Room Country Shack (4:28)
09. Koko Taylor - Walking The Back Streets (6:46)
10. Johnny 'Big Moose' Walker - Worry, Worry (4:14)
11. Lovie Lee - Nobody Knows My Troubles (5:15)
12. Pinetop Perkins - Blues After Hours (5:00)
13. Lacy Gibson - Drown In My Own Tears (4:40)
14. Fenton Robinson - Going To Chicago (3:50)
15. Lonnie Brooks - Cold, Lonely Nights (4:42)
16. Hound Dog Taylor - Held My Baby Last Night (4:17)
17. Son Seals - Going Back Home (7:03)
18. Koko Taylor - That's Why I'm Crying (4:25)
19. Albert Collins - Conversation With Collins (8:49)
20. Big Mama Thornton - Rock Me Baby (6:42)

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Koko Taylor - Wang Dang Doodle

Year: 1990
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:01
Size: 132,8 MB
Styles: Blues, Chicago blues
Scans: Full

1. I Got What It Takes (3:06)
2. What Kind Of Man Is This (3:04)
3. Don't Mess With The Messer (2:44)
4. Whatever I Am, You Made Me (2:25)
5. I'm A Little Mixed Up (2:39)
6. Wang Dang Doodle (3:00)
7. Blues Heaven (2:21)
8. (I Got) All You Need (2:15)
9. Tell Me The Truth (2:03)
10. Good Advice (2:28)
11. Egg Or The Hen (2:26)
12. Just Love Me (2:43)
13. Fire (2:29)
14. Insane Asylum (4:20)
15. Separate Or Integrate (3:07)
16. I Don't Care Who Knows (2:11)
17. Love You Like A Woman (2:07)
18. Yes, It's Good For You (2:42)
19. Twenty-Nine Ways (3:12)
20. Nitty Gritty (2:44)
21. I Love A Lover Like You (2:46)

Accurately dubbed "the Queen of Chicago blues" (and sometimes just the blues in general), Koko Taylor helped keep the tradition of big-voiced, brassy female blues belters alive, recasting the spirits of early legends like Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Big Mama Thornton, and Memphis Minnie for the modern age.

Taylor's rough, raw vocals were perfect for the swaggering new electrified era of the blues, and her massive hit "Wang Dang Doodle" served notice that male dominance in the blues wasn't as exclusive as it seemed. After a productive initial stint on Chess, Taylor spent several decades on the prominent contemporary blues label Alligator, going on to win more W.C. Handy Awards than any other female performer in history, and establishing herself as far and away the greatest female blues singer of her time. /Excerpt from biography by Steve Huey, AllMusic

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Various - Blues In The Bar: Drinkin' Songs

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 83:25
Size: 191.0 MB
Styles: Assorted blues styles
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:26] 1. Floyd Dixon - Hey, Bartender
[2:42] 2. Johnny Otis - Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee
[4:08] 3. Albert Collins - I Ain't Drunk
[3:30] 4. Koko Taylor - Beer Bottle Boogie
[4:24] 5. Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials - 20% Alcohol
[2:33] 6. Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women - Let The Gin Do The Talking
[4:50] 7. Rusty Zinn - Drinking My Last Dime
[4:51] 8. Roy Buchanan - Beer Drinking Woman
[8:13] 9. Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King - Stop Drinking
[3:48] 10. Bob Margolin - Brown Liquor
[3:19] 11. Cephas & Wiggins - No Ice In My Bourbon
[2:39] 12. Roomful Of Blues - Juice, Juice, Juice
[4:29] 13. Billy Boy Arnold - Whiskey, Beer And Reefer
[5:47] 14. William Clarke - Drinking By Myself
[2:35] 15. Lonnie Brooks - One More Shot
[3:56] 16. Joe Louis Walker - Too Drunk To Drive Drunk
[2:41] 17. Johnny Jones - Sloppy Drunk Blues
[5:24] 18. Elvin Bishop - My Whiskey Head Buddies
[5:16] 19. Carey Bell - When I Get Drunk
[4:47] 20. Little Charlie & The Nightcats - I Don't Drink Much

Booze Blues: The sorrow one occasionally feels when drunk. Usually occurs when one drinks when he/she is in a bad mood. The affected person will often be saddened by anything and/or everything wrong in that person's life, no matter how important or trivial (most often trivial). Often accompanied (but not remedied) by more drinking.

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Koko Taylor - Royal Blue

Styles: Chicago blues
Released: 2000
File: MP3 @ 320K/s from LL
Size: 121,9 MB
Time: 53:14
Scans: full

1. Save Your Breath - 4:09
2. Hittin' On Me - 3:32
3. Bring Me Some Water - 5:21
4. But on the Other Hand - 4:43
5. Don't Let Me Catch You With Your Drawers Down - 4:12
6. Blues Hotel - 4:04
7. Fuel to Burn - 3:51
8. The Man Next Door - 5:15
9. Old Woman - 4:31
10. Ernestine - 5:04
11. Keep Your Booty Out of My Bed - 4:38
12. Keep Your Mouth Shut and Your Eyes Open - 3:48

The world’s undisputed queen of the blues, Koko Taylor, roars with typical gale force on Royal Blue (Alligator ALCD 4873; 53:14). From a ferocious “Hittin’ On Me,” her antidomestic violence song, to a simmering slow blues on the Ray Charles-Percy Mayfield tune “But on the Other Hand,” Taylor is in classic earth-shakin’ form on this, her first album in seven years. A special guest appearance by guitar hotshot Kenny Wayne Shepherd on a cover of Melissa Etheridge’s “Bring Me Some Water” seems gratuitous and overblown, while Koko’s duet with B.B. King on “Blues Hotel” feels far cozier. Other highlights here include her stark duet with Keb’ Mo’ on “The Man Next Door,” the urgent blues rocker “Fuel to Burn,” the old school Chicago blues number “Ernestine,” featuring Johnnie Johnson’s piano and Matthew Skoller’s wailing harmonica, and “Don’t Let Me Catch You (With Your Drawers Down),” Koko’s answer to Willie Dixon’s “Wang Dang Doodle.” A lot of versatility.

Royal Blue

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Koko Taylor - Koko Taylor

Year: 1969/2001
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:52
Size: 92,5 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Scans: Full

1. Love You Like A Woman (2:11)
2. I Love A Lover Like You (2:48)
3. Don't Mess With The Messer (2:47)
4. I Don't Care Who Knows (2:14)
5. Wang Dang Doodle (3:02)
6. I'm A Little Mixed Up (2:43)
7. Nitty Gritty (2:46)
8. Fire (2:32)
9. Whatever I Am, You Made Me (2:29)
10. Twenty-Nine Ways (To My Baby's Door) (3:15)
11. Insane Asylum (4:23)
12. Yes, It's Good For You (2:44)
13. Love Sick Tears (Previously Unreleased) (Bonus) (2:47)
14. He Always Knocks Me Out (Previously Unreleased) (Bonus) (3:04)

To point out that Koko Taylor is the queen of Chicago blues is a bit like mentioning that the sky is blue: it's something that anyone with a passing familiarity with the genre knows, even if they've been living under a rock for the past 30 years. This record is a reissue of her self-titled 1969 debut, which definitively marked the beginning of her reign. In truth, she'd already been making waves on the scene for several years, teaming with producer Willie Dixon to record the classics "I Got What It Takes" and "What Kind of Man Is This" in 1964, but this album includes what would become her signature tune, "Wang Dang Doodle," recorded in 1965.

Other songs that would develop a permanent association with Taylor's gut-deep, growling delivery include "I Love a Lover Like You" and the salty "Twenty-Nine Ways," but there are other gems here as well. Not the least of these is the downright spooky duet "Insane Asylum," with Dixon, as well as the previously unreleased "Love Sick Tears" and "He Always Knocks Me Out."

The record also includes session appearances from some of the other household names of Chicago blues; Sunnyland Slim, Buddy Guy, Johnny Shines, Walter Horton, and, yes, Dixon himself doing bass and vocal duties. Although some of the material is somewhat dated, there's a timeless quality to Taylor's performance that illustrates why she's reigned for so long. /Amazon

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Various - Five Star Blues Rock

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 110:17
Size: 252.5 MB
Styles: Blues rock
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[5:55] 1. Jonny Lang - A Quitter Never Wins
[5:06] 2. Lucky Peterson - Compared To What
[7:16] 3. Roy Buchanan - Roy Buchanan - Pete's Blue
[3:42] 4. Eric Clapton - Rockin' Daddy
[9:43] 5. Ten Years After - I May Be Wrong, But I Won't Be Wrong Always
[4:54] 6. The Allman Brothers Band - One Way Out
[3:33] 7. Savoy Brown Blues Band - The Doormouse Rides The Rails
[4:46] 8. Susan Tedeschi - Love Me Don't Hate Me
[4:47] 9. Clarence Gatemouth Brown - Don't Think Twice
[2:08] 10. Eric Clapton - Key To Love
[3:54] 11. Robert Cray - I Wonder
[4:45] 12. Takats Tamas Dirty Blues Band - Roadhouse Blues
[3:04] 13. Buddy Guy - I Got A Strange Feeling
[2:44] 14. Otis Rush - You Been An Angel
[2:49] 15. Muddy Waters - Short Dress Woman
[4:28] 16. John Scofield - I Don't Need No Doctor
[3:01] 17. Albert Collins - Frosty
[3:00] 18. Koko Taylor - What Kind Of Man Is That
[4:10] 19. Howlin' Wolf - I Ain't Superstitious
[5:34] 20. John Mayall - Force Of Nature
[5:16] 21. Luther Allison - Easy Baby
[3:26] 22. Bobby Blue Bland - Driftin' Blues
[3:59] 23. Johnny Copeland - Blues Ain't Nothin'
[3:29] 24. Joe Louis Walker - Yveline
[4:34] 25. Robben Ford - Lovin' Cup

Though much early rock & roll was based in the blues, Blues-Rock didn't fully develop into a subgenre until the late-'60s. Blues-rock emphasized two specific things -- the traditional, three-chord blues song and instrumental improvisation. Borrowing the idea of an instrumental combo and loud amplification from rock & roll, the original blues-rockers -- bands like Cream that grew out of the Alexis Korner and John Mayall tradition of British blues, as well as American bands like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Canned Heat -- also attempted to play long, involved improvisations which were commonplace on jazz records, as well as live blues shows. The hybrid became quite popular and the bands that immediately followed them were louder and more riff-oriented. Out of this approach came heavy metal and Southern rock, which both used basic blues riffs and featured extended solos. In the early '70s, the lines between blues-rock and hard rock were barely visible, as boogie-based bands like ZZ Top employed album-rock production techniques that tended to obscure their blues roots. However, blues-rock soon backed away from hard rock, and there was a set number of acts that continued to play (and rewrite) blues standards as well as write their own songs in the same idiom. In the '80s and '90s, blues-rock was more roots-oriented than in the '60s and '70s, even when artists like the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan flirted with rock stardom. By the '80s, blues-rock had become an accepted tradition, much like the blues.

Five Star Blues Rock

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Koko Taylor - Jump For Joy

Year: 1990
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:02
Size: 108,4 MB
Styles: Electric blues, Chicago blues
Scans: Full

1. Can't Let Go (4:59)
2. Stop Watching Your Enemies (5:14)
3. Hey Baby (4:19)
4. Tired Of That (5:50)
5. It's A Dirty Job (4:21)
6. Jump For Joy (4:20)
7. Time Will Tell (4:48)
8. The Eyes Don't Lie (3:43)
9. Fishing Trip (5:25)
10. I Don't Want No Leftovers (3:59)

A slightly slicker Koko Taylor than we've generally been accustomed to, with nice horn arrangements by Gene Barge that farme the blues queen's growl effectively. A Taylor duet with Lonnie Brooks would normally be something to savor, but they're saddled here with an extremely corny "It's a Dirty Job" that's beneath both their statures. Taylor wrote four of thet disc's best numbers herself, including "Can't Let Go" and the title cut. /Bill Dahl, AllMusic

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Various - Paula Records Presents Chicago Blues Of The 1960s

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:15
Size: 142.5 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:48] 1. Homesick James - Crossroads
[2:14] 2. T.V. Slim - You Can't Love Me
[2:15] 3. J.B. Lenoir - I Feel So Good
[2:19] 4. Koko Taylor - Honky Tonky
[2:43] 5. Detroit Junior - The Way I Feel
[2:58] 6. Detroit Junior - Call My Job
[2:55] 7. Jesse Fortune - Too Many Cooks
[2:47] 8. Jesse Fortune - Good Things
[2:58] 9. Jesse Fortune - Heavy Heart Beat
[2:49] 10. Lillian Offitt - Oh Mama
[2:32] 11. Harold Burrage - I Cry For You
[2:42] 12. Various - Say Your're Leavin
[3:28] 13. Willie Mabon - New Orleans Blues
[2:35] 14. Willie Mabon - Some More
[3:01] 15. Willie Mabon - Something For Nothing
[3:18] 16. Mighty Joe Young - Hard Times
[3:30] 17. Big Moose - Ramblin Woman
[2:59] 18. Andrew Brown - You Better Stop
[2:29] 19. Willie Mabon - Somebody Gotta Pay
[2:56] 20. Willie Mabon - Some Time I Wonder
[3:01] 21. Homesick James - My Baby's Sweet
[2:47] 22. Koko Taylor - Like Heaven To Me

This 22-track collection brings together many of the rare singles from the seldom-anthologized USA label from Chicago. The only exceptions to this are the inclusion of a TV Slim track ("You Can't Love Me") from the Speed label, Lillian Offitt's "Oh Mama" from Chief and Harold Burrage's Cobra recording of "I Cry For You." Kicking off with Homesick James' interpretation of "Crossroads," the compilation also features equally stellar tracks from J.B. Lenoir ("I Feel So Good"), Koko Taylor ("Honky Tonky" and "Like Heaven to Me," her first single), Detroit Junior ("Call My Job"), Jesse Fortune, Fenton Robinson ("Say You're Leavin'"), Big Moose Walker, Mighty Joe Young, Andrew Brown and five tracks from Willie Mabon. The other side of Chicago's heyday away from the Chess studios. ~Cub Koda

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Koko Taylor - Force Of Nature

Size: 149,8 MB
Time: 64:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1993
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Mother Nature (4:41)
02. If I Can't Be First (3:40)
03. Hound Dog (5:33)
04. Born Under A Bad Sign (6:22)
05. Let The Juke Joint Jump (6:09)
06. 63 Year Old Mama (4:30)
07. Don't Put Your Hands On Me (2:55)
08. Bad Case Of Loving You (4:24)
09. Fish In Dirty Water (5:44)
10. Tit For Tat (4:32)
11. Put The Pot On (3:48)
12. Nothing Takes The Place Of You (4:41)
13. Spellbound (4:06)
14. Greed Man (3:30)

A solid contemporary blues album that ranges from Koko Taylor's own "Spellbound" and "Put the Pot On," a rendition of Toussaint McCall's tender soul lament "Nothing Takes the Place of You," and a saucy revival of the old Ike & Tina Turner R&B gem "If I Can't Be First." Gene Barge once again penned the horn charts, Carey Bell contributes his usual harp mastery to Taylor's remake of Little Milton's "Mother Nature," and only Buddy Guy's over-the-top guitar histrionics on "Born Under a Bad Sign" grate. Long may the queen reign! ~Review by Bill Dahl

Force Of Nature

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Koko Taylor - Live At The Chicago Blues Festival 94

Year: 2016
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:22
Size: 137,0 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Scans: Full

1. Introduction (0:46)
2. Something I Can't Let Go (8:08)
3. Mother Nature (7:04)
4. Don't Put Your Hands On Me (4:43)
5. I'm A Woman (Mannish Boy) (6:46)
6. Bad Case Of Loving You (5:56)
7. Hound Dog (6:31)
8. Wang Dang Doodle (7:32)
9. Big Boss Man (4:18)
10. I'm A Queen Bee (7:33)

Before her roar was silenced in 2009, the Queen of the Blues reigned over the annual Chicago Blues Festival weekend. In 1994, she had arrived with a new album, Force of Nature, and been honoured by the Chicago City mayor as well as being awarded with the W.C. Handy Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year. Koko Taylor was also about to open her own club in Chicago, but she put time aside to headline the last night. As with all of her performances, it's a jubilant and powerful Taylor that stands at the mic spreading an education and joy to others. God save the Queen of the Blues!

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Bob Corritore And Friends - Harmonica Blues

Year: 2010
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:34
Size: 142,8 MB
Styles: Harmonica Blues
Scans: Full

1. What Kind Of Man Is This? (4:18)
2. Tell Me 'Bout It (4:09)
3. Things You Do (3:01)
4. Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes (2:50)
5. 1815 West Roosevelt (3:58)
6. That's All Right (3:17)
7. Tin Pan Alley (5:30)
8. Sundown San Diego (3:50)
9. That's My Baby (4:42)
10. Things Have Changed (3:09)
11. Big Fat Mama (3:51)
12. No More Doggin' (4:24)
13. Bumble Bee (3:37)
14. I Need To Be Be'd With (3:32)
15. 6 Bits In Your Dollar (7:20)

Over two-plus decades, Bob Corritore has become one of the most reliable sidemen as a talented blues harmonica player, popular with younger musicians and veterans. This compilation features Corritore in a variety of settings over that 20-year period, with all-star bluesmen galore. Each track singles out his exploits with such notable blues legends as Koko Taylor, Louisiana Red, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Eddy Clearwater, Henry Gray, Pinetop Perkins, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, and Little Milton among countless others.

There's no way to pick the best songs (they're all great) unless you favor certain types of blues from boogie, choogling struts, or rough-edged, down-and-dirty Southside Chicago shouts. The funniest track is Nappy Brown's feature "Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes," sung in a deep, ribald manner. In an ultimately classic style, vocalist Lockwood and pianist Gray team up on "That's All Right," while Clearwater takes the cake on an upbeat and joyous "That's My Baby." The lesser known Chief Schabuttie Gilliame cops Howlin' Wolf during "No More Doggin'" and "Tell Me 'Bout It" whiles Louisiana Red comes closest to the immortal style of Muddy Waters.

Throughout is Corritore's biting, literate, clean harmonica playing that fortifies, glues together, and inspires these-well known artists. Nothing less than a fantastic collection of authentic American music, Harmonica Blues is a must-have item for any fan of this music. /Michael G. Nastos, AllMusic

(See booklet for recording info and personnel details.)

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