Showing posts with label J.B. Hutto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J.B. Hutto. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

J.B. Hutto - Hip Shakin'

Album: Hip Shakin'
Size: 127,5 MB
Time: 55:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Honey Bee (6:22)
2. Dust My Broom (4:14)
3. Garbage Man (6:30)
4. Too Much Alcohol (3:32)
5. The Things I Used To Do (5:37)
6. Dim Lights (3:51)
7. Long Distance Call (6:14)
8. J.B.'s Boogie (5:29)
9. Mistake In Life (6:02)
10. Hip Shakin' (3:25)
11. Milkman Blues (3:40)

J.B. Hutto - along with Hound Dog Taylor - was one of the last great slide guitar disciples of Elmore James to make it into the modern age. Hutto's huge voice, largely incomprehensible diction, and slash-and-burn playing was Chicago blues with a fierce, raw edge all its own. He entered the world of music back home in Augusta, GA, singing in the family-oriented group the Golden Crowns Gospel Singers. He came north to Chicago in the mid-'40s, teaching himself guitar and eventually landing his first paying job as a member of Johnny Ferguson & His Twisters.

His recording career started in 1954 with two sessions for the Chance label supported by his original combo the Hawks (featuring George Mayweather on harmonica, Porkchop Hines on washboard traps, and Joe Custom on rhythm guitar), resulting in six of the nine songs recorded being issued as singles to scant acclaim. After breaking up the original band, Hutto worked outside of music for a good decade, part of it spent sweeping out a funeral parlor! He resurfaced around 1964 with a stripped-down version of the Hawks with two guitars and drums but no bass, working regularly at Turner's Blue Lounge and recording blistering new sides for the first time in as many years.

From there, he never looked back and once again became a full-time bluesman. For the next 12 years Hutto gigged and recorded with various groups of musicians - always billed as the Hawks - working with electric bass players for the first time and recording for small labels, both in the U.S. and overseas. After fellow slide man Hound Dog Taylor's death in 1976, J.B. "inherited" his backup band, the Houserockers. Although never formally recorded in a studio, this short-lived collaboration of Hutto with guitarist Brewer Phillips and drummer Ted Harvey produced live shows that would musically careen in a single performance from smolderingly intense to utter chaos.

Within a year, Hutto would be lured to Boston, where he put together a mixed group of "New Hawks," recording and touring America and Europe right up until his death in the mid-'80s. Hutto was an incredibly dynamic live performer, dressed in hot pink suits with headgear ranging from a shriner's fez to high-plains drifters' hats, snaking through the crowd and dancing on tabletops with his 50-foot guitar cord stretched to the max. And this good-time approach to the music held sway on his recordings as well, giving a loose, barroom feel to almost all of them, regardless of who was backing him. /Biography by Cub Koda, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Hip Shakin' mc
Hip Shakin' zippy

Monday, February 7, 2022

J.B. Hutto & The Houserockers - Live 1977

Album: Live 1977
Size: 119,8 MB
Time: 51:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1991
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. J.B.'s Boogie (5:34)
2. You Don't Have To Go (4:24)
3. Sixteen Year Old Boy (4:49)
4. Kansas City (3:37)
5. Dust My Broom (4:36)
6. Killing Floor (5:41)
7. Hip Shakin' (4:07)
8. Worried Life Blues (3:21)
9. Don't You Lie To Me (6:34)
10. Walking The Dog (4:26)
11. Too Much Alcohol (4:35)

Culled from a couple of nights in a Boston jazz club and recorded on a cassette deck with two microphones, this stunning document of Hutto with Hound Dog Taylor's band in support gives new meaning to the phrase raw'n'steamy. Although the trio is fleshed out at this point by the addition of a fairly obtrusive bass player (Mark Harris) and a guest piano man on a couple of tracks, the sheet metal tone of Phillips' and Hutto's twin Telecaster attack cuts through the murkiest of mixes and Ted Harvey swings mightily. /Cub Koda, AllMusic

Live 1977 mc
Live 1977 zippy

Friday, February 19, 2021

J.B. Hutto - High & Lonesome

Size: 125,7 MB
Time: 54:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1992
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. High & Lonesome (4:27)
2. J.B.'s Boogie (4:19)
3. Feel So Good (5:28)
4. Too Much Alcohol (4:23)
5. Hide And Seek (5:28)
6. Laundromat Blues (6:47)
7. Coo Coo Baby (4:39)
8. Walking The Dog (9:07)
9. Come Back Baby (5:14)
10. Kansas City (4:33)

J.B. Hutto - along with Hound Dog Taylor - was one of the last great slide guitar disciples of Elmore James to make it into the modern age. Hutto's huge voice, largely incomprehensible diction, and slash-and-burn playing was Chicago blues with a fierce, raw edge all its own. He entered the world of music back home in Augusta, GA, singing in the family-oriented group the Golden Crowns Gospel Singers. He came north to Chicago in the mid-'40s, teaching himself guitar and eventually landing his first paying job as a member of Johnny Ferguson & His Twisters.

His recording career started in 1954 with two sessions for the Chance label supported by his original combo the Hawks (featuring George Mayweather on harmonica, Porkchop Hines on washboard traps, and Joe Custom on rhythm guitar), resulting in six of the nine songs recorded being issued as singles to scant acclaim. After breaking up the original band, Hutto worked outside of music for a good decade, part of it spent sweeping out a funeral parlor! He resurfaced around 1964 with a stripped-down version of the Hawks with two guitars and drums but no bass, working regularly at Turner's Blue Lounge and recording blistering new sides for the first time in as many years.

From there, he never looked back and once again became a full-time bluesman. For the next 12 years Hutto gigged and recorded with various groups of musicians - always billed as the Hawks - working with electric bass players for the first time and recording for small labels, both in the U.S. and overseas. After fellow slide man Hound Dog Taylor's death in 1976, J.B. "inherited" his backup band, the Houserockers. Although never formally recorded in a studio, this short-lived collaboration of Hutto with guitarist Brewer Phillips and drummer Ted Harvey produced live shows that would musically careen in a single performance from smolderingly intense to utter chaos.

Within a year, Hutto would be lured to Boston, where he put together a mixed group of "New Hawks," recording and touring America and Europe right up until his death in the mid-'80s. Hutto was an incredibly dynamic live performer, dressed in hot pink suits with headgear ranging from a shriner's fez to high-plains drifters' hats, snaking through the crowd and dancing on tabletops with his 50-foot guitar cord stretched to the max. And this good-time approach to the music held sway on his recordings as well, giving a loose, barroom feel to almost all of them, regardless of who was backing him. /Biography by Cub Koda, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

High & Lonesome mc
High & Lonesome zippy

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Brewer Phillips & Ted Harvey - Good Houserockin' (Feat. J.B. Hutto)

Size: 141,0 MB
Time: 59:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995
Styles: Chicago Blues, Rockin' Blues
Art: Full

01. In The Evening (3:15)
02. Kitchen Sink Boogie (Take 1) (3:22)
03. Fanny's Blues (4:16)
04. I'm Gonna Find My Baby (4:44)
05. Crazy 'Bout You Baby (2:42)
06. South Side Blues (2:19)
07. No Luck Blues (5:11)
08. Highway Blues (2:40)
09. Hello Pretty Baby (2:21)
10. Ingleside Boogie (2:46)
11. Cotton Sack (2:34)
12. Mama Talk To Your Daughter (2:23)
13. You Don't Have To Go (2:26)
14. Boogie Chillen (1:48)
15. Sweet Home Chicago (5:07)
16. That's All Right (4:05)
17. Kansas City (3:35)
18. Kitchen Sink Boogie (Take 2) (2:39)
19. Lunch Bucket Blues (1:33)

Personnel: Brewer Philips (guitar, vocal) , Steve Plair (guitar, slide guitar on 1-11) , J.B. Hutto (guitar on 12-17) , Cub Coda (guitar on 18,19) , Right Hand Frank (bass on 1-11) , Mark Harris (bass on 17) , Mike Allen (piano on 17) , Ted Harvey (drums).

This combines various late-'70s and early-'80s recordings into one package. The first 11 tracks are from Phillips's 1982 solo album for the label, Ingleside Blues. The next six tracks were recorded live in 1977 in Vienna and Boston, featuring Brewer fronting J.B. Hutto and the Houserockers. The last two sides are unissued leftovers from the 1980 Cub Koda and the Houserockers' It's the Blues! album. Phillips's longtime playing partner, drummer Ted Harvey, is present on all 19 tracks and shares billing with him on this disc. Some of the recording quality (especially on the live Hutto tracks) is unbelievably crude and harsh sounding, making the overall sound of this disc very spotty and uneven. This collection is probably the most complete -- though not necessarily the best -- collection of Phillips's solo work. ~All Music Guide

Good Houserockin'

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Various Artists - Chicago Blues Bash

Year: 1992
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:13
Size: 93,1 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Front, back

1. Junior Wells - Good Morning Schoolgirl (3:54)
2. Big Joe Williams - I Done Stopped Hollering (4:16)
3. J.B. Hutto - Blues Do Me A Favor (3:42)
4. Jimmy Johnson - Poor Boy's Dream (4:35)
5. Big Joe Williams - Jumpin' In The Moonlight (3:39)
6. Junior Wells - Early In The Morning (4:48)
7. Big Joe Williams - Indiana Woman Blues (4:39)
8. J.B. Hutto - Young Hawks' Crawl (3:20)
9. Jimmy Johnson - Take Five (3:59)
10. Big Joe Williams - You're Gonna Need Big King Jesus (3:16)

The title Chicago Blues Bash sounds as if this material was taken from live performances by some of the Windy City's finest electric bluesmen. Unfortunately, that's not the case. These ten studio tracks, taken from the vaults of Delmark Records, include Big Joe Williams, J.B. Hutto, Jimmy Johnson, Buddy Guy, and Junior Wells.

While Chicago Blues Bash contains excellent music of the genre, pass on this Laserlight issue and go directly to the source; there are many great compilations available directly from Delmark. /Al Campbell, AllMusic

Chicago Blues Bash mc
Chicago Blues Bash zippy

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

J.B. Hutto & The New Hawks - Keeper Of The Flame

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:28
Size: 120.1 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1980/1998
Art: Front

[3:59] 1. You Don't Love Me
[4:49] 2. Love Retirement
[4:49] 3. Summertime
[3:27] 4. Fifteen Cent Phone Call
[3:48] 5. Dim Lights
[6:16] 6. Let Me Love You
[7:14] 7. Tumbleweed
[5:24] 8. The Sky Is Crying
[4:39] 9. Please Don't Leave Me
[4:48] 10. Baby How Long
[3:08] 11. No Good Man

Bass – Bob Case (2) (tracks: 1 to 4), Norman McClound (tracks: 5 to 11); Drums – Leroy Pina; Guitar – "Silvertone" Steve Coveney; Guitar, Vocals – J.B. Hutto. Tracks 1 to 4 recorded at Viscount Recording Studios, Cranston, Rhode Island, February 1980. Tracks 5 to 11 recorded "live" at Vegetable Buddies, South Bend, Indiana, July 11, 1979.

J.B. Hutto — along with Hound Dog Taylor — was one of the last great slide guitar disciples of Elmore James to make it into the modern age. Hutto's huge voice, largely incomprehensible diction, and slash-and-burn playing was Chicago blues with a fierce, raw edge all its own. He entered the world of music back home in Augusta, GA, singing in the family-oriented group the Golden Crowns Gospel Singers. He came north to Chicago in the mid-'40s, teaching himself guitar and eventually landing his first paying job as a member of Johnny Ferguson & His Twisters. His recording career started in 1954 with two sessions for the Chance label supported by his original combo the Hawks (featuring George Mayweather on harmonica, Porkchop Hines on washboard traps, and Joe Custom on rhythm guitar), resulting in six of the nine songs recorded being issued as singles to scant acclaim. After breaking up the original band, Hutto worked outside of music for a good decade, part of it spent sweeping out a funeral parlor! He resurfaced around 1964 with a stripped-down version of the Hawks with two guitars and drums but no bass, working regularly at Turner's Blue Lounge and recording blistering new sides for the first time in as many years.

From there, he never looked back and once again became a full-time bluesman. For the next 12 years Hutto gigged and recorded with various groups of musicians — always billed as the Hawks — working with electric bass players for the first time and recording for small labels, both in the U.S. and overseas. After fellow slide man Hound Dog Taylor's death in 1976, J.B. "inherited" his backup band, the Houserockers. Although never formally recorded in a studio, this short-lived collaboration of Hutto with guitarist Brewer Phillips and drummer Ted Harvey produced live shows that would musically careen in a single performance from smolderingly intense to utter chaos. Within a year, Hutto would be lured to Boston, where he put together a mixed group of "New Hawks," recording and touring America and Europe right up until his death in the mid-'80s. Hutto was an incredibly dynamic live performer, dressed in hot pink suits with headgear ranging from a shriner's fez to high-plains drifters' hats, snaking through the crowd and dancing on tabletops with his 50-foot guitar cord stretched to the max. And this good-time approach to the music held sway on his recordings as well, giving a loose, barroom feel to almost all of them, regardless of who was backing him.

Keeper Of The Flame

Thursday, September 28, 2017

J.B. Hutto & His Hawks - Hawk Squat (With Sunnyland Slim) (Bonus Tracks)

Size: 140,9 MB
Time: 61:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1968/2015
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Speak My Mind (2:18)
02. If You Change Your Mind (3:17)
03. Too Much Pride (3:54)
04. What Can You Get Outside That You Can't Get At Home (3:28)
05. The Same Mistake Twice (3:31)
06. 20% Alcohol (3:30)
07. Hip Shakin' (2:25)
08. The Feeling is Gone (3:22)
09. Notoriety Woman (3:57)
10. Too Late (3:18)
11. Send Her Home To Me (3:06)
12. Hawk Squat (4:48)
13. I'll Cry Tomorrow (3:08)
14. Speak My Mind (alt) (2:16)
15. Too Much Pride (alt) (3:48)
16. Hawk Squat (alt) (4:32)
17. Same Mistake Twice (alt) (3:27)
18. Speak My Mind (alt 2) (3:18)

Electric slide guitar master recorded with Sunnyland Slim, Lee Jackson, Junior Pettis, Maurice McIntyre, and Frank Kirkland. The rough and rowdy blues heard at Turner's Blues Lounge in the 60's has been captured in these explosive '66 and '68 sessions. J.B. tears the joint up!

Reviews:
Simply put, Augusta, Georgia-born J.B. Hutto was a master of the slide guitar. And, Chicago's Delmark Records guru Bob Koester has captured J.B. and his band in twelve scorching cuts that show why his slide playing has been an inspiration to many other guitarists as well. J.B. is on vocals and slide here, joined by Chicago veterans Lee Jackson on guitar, Alabama Jr. Pettis and Dave Myers on bass and Frank Kirkland on drums. Also of historical note is the presence of the venerable Sunnyland Slim on organ as well as piano, an instrument with which he was not always identified... Grab up a copy and - enjoy!! --Don Crow, Music City Blues

This album 'moves out' from start to finish. There is no need to discuss each cut; suffice it to say that each is an exciting representation of the rough and raw sound that this group features. The musicians are all veteran Chicago bluesmen: Sunnyland Slim, piano and organ; Dave Myers and Junior Pettis on bass... JB. Hutto is truly one of the greatest exponents of the slide electric guitar I have ever heard, and certainly has learned much from the old master Muddy Waters. Hutto's singing is also first rate, with his 'rough' voice, which is perfect for the blues. Hawk Squat is one of the finest urban blues albums to come out in a long time. It is more like a labor of love or a jam session between talented, veteran bluesmen, and as a result, a happy, informal feeling permeates the recording. It's a must for the urban blues collector. --Marshall Miller, Broadside

As blues artists go J.B. Hutto is definitely hardcore with an uncompromising guitar style born out of Elmore James, transformed into an edgy cutting bottleneck tone that formed the basis of a distinctive driving style of blues and found an outlet in the Chicago blues clubs in the 50's and 60's... --Keith Fitton, Rock 'n' Reel

Hawk Squat

Thursday, December 15, 2016

J.B. Hutto & The New Hawks - Rock With Me Tonight

Size: 106,2 MB
Time: 46:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1983/1999
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Pretty Baby (4:38)
02. Why Do Things Happen To Me (5:20)
03. New Hawlk Walk (3:45)
04. Eighteen Year Old Girl (4:19)
05. Black's Ball (2:59)
06. Soul Lover (3:03)
07. Somebody Loan Me A Dime (3:02)
08. Jealous Hearted Woman (5:53)
09. Little Girl Dressed In Blue (3:10)
10. I'm Leaving You (2:48)
11. Floating Fruit Boogie (3:53)
12. Radar (3:07)

This 1999 reissue of Hutto's final album on Varrick captures him in rare form, even more surprising and courageous in light of the fact that he was to die of cancer only a few months after these sessions. It finds Hutto with the last edition of his regular road band (Brian Besesi on guitar, Kenny Krumbholz on bass and Leroy Pina on drums) with sit-ins from Ron Levy and the Roomful of Blues reed section on selected cuts, taking his brand of Chicago tavern blues once step further. Tunes like "Soul Lover" and "Black's Ball" show Hutto stretching out beyond the usual boogies and slow blues, while his takes of Junior Parker's "Pretty Baby," Fenton Robinson's "Somebody Loan Me a Dime" and Howlin' Wolf's "I'm Leaving You" are all stamped with the signature Hutto touch. This reissue also brings to light two previously unreleased tracks recorded at the same session, the whole package showing that Hutto was a bluesman to the end. ~Review by Cub Koda

Rock With Me Tonight

Monday, October 10, 2016

J.B. Hutto - Bluesmaster: The Lost Tapes

Size: 100,1 MB
Time: 41:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. Look On Yonders Wall (3:42)
02. Two Headed Woman (5:01)
03. You Sure Hurt Me Bad (5:20)
04. Hip Shakin' (3:46)
05. Screamin' And Crying (5:18)
06. Shake, Rattle & Roll (3:42)
07. Howling Wolf Blues (6:47)
08. What In The World (John Littlejohn) (3:10)
09. Can't Be Still (John Littlejohn) (2:25)
10. Bloody Tears (John Littlejohn) (2:39)

I worked with JB Hutto twice. Two sets of gigs at London's 100 Club. This would have been the very late 1970's into the very early 1980's when great Americans like him were coming in regularly. JB was a lovely man and a great performer who should have been a major legend.

When I had the chance to acquire the rights to this session I did it with enthusiasm. Who had the tapes? Max Jones. You may recall Max as the Melody Maker's resident blues and jazz writer. He knew everyone and, it seemed, everything.

Of course, I then approached JB's widow, Lulabell Hutto, to make sure all was fine with her and double- check the legalities. She was pleased to see this set released.

The origins of the session are slightly obscure but the music gives us no mysteries - just good, rock solid JB Hutto Chicago Blues. Added to the six tracks on the album tape was a live track from the 100 Club, a really tough slow blues.

As a bonus there are three tracks by another Chicago slide great, Johnny Littlejohn. Later, he recorded a great Soto Studio album for me.

All this material is on CD for the first time. I doubt if the original releases went to pressings of much more than a thousand or so, two thousand maximum, so the originals are not common. ~John Stedman

Bluesmaster

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

J.B. Hutto - Slidewinder / Hip Shakin' Music Vol. 1

Album: Slidewinder
Size: 85,0 MB
Time: 36:09
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1972/1990
Styles: Chicago Blues, Slide Guitar Blues
Art: Full

01. Slidewinder (5:59)
02. Blues Do Me A Favor (3:46)
03. Precious Stone (3:29)
04. Young Hawks' Crawl (3:24)
05. Too Late (4:40)
06. Letter From My Baby (3:37)
07. Shy Voice (4:49)
08. Boogie Right-On (6:22)

J.B. Hutto -- along with Hound Dog Taylor -- was one of the last great slide guitar disciples of Elmore James to make it into the modern age. Hutto's huge voice, largely incomprehensible diction, and slash-and-burn playing was Chicago blues with a fierce, raw edge all its own. He entered the world of music back home in Augusta, GA, singing in the family-oriented group the Golden Crowns Gospel Singers. He came north to Chicago in the mid-'40s, teaching himself guitar and eventually landing his first paying job as a member of Johnny Ferguson & His Twisters. His recording career started in 1954 with two sessions for the Chance label supported by his original combo the Hawks (featuring George Mayweather on harmonica, Porkchop Hines on washboard traps, and Joe Custom on rhythm guitar), resulting in six of the nine songs recorded being issued as singles to scant acclaim. After breaking up the original band, Hutto worked outside of music for a good decade, part of it spent sweeping out a funeral parlor! He resurfaced around 1964 with a stripped-down version of the Hawks with two guitars and drums but no bass, working regularly at Turner's Blue Lounge and recording blistering new sides for the first time in as many years.

From there, he never looked back and once again became a full-time bluesman. For the next 12 years Hutto gigged and recorded with various groups of musicians -- always billed as the Hawks -- working with electric bass players for the first time and recording for small labels, both in the U.S. and overseas. After fellow slide man Hound Dog Taylor's death in 1976, J.B. "inherited" his backup band, the Houserockers. Although never formally recorded in a studio, this short-lived collaboration of Hutto with guitarist Brewer Phillips and drummer Ted Harvey produced live shows that would musically careen in a single performance from smolderingly intense to utter chaos. Within a year, Hutto would be lured to Boston, where he put together a mixed group of "New Hawks," recording and touring America and Europe right up until his death in the mid-'80s. Hutto was an incredibly dynamic live performer, dressed in hot pink suits with headgear ranging from a shriner's fez to high-plains drifters' hats, snaking through the crowd and dancing on tabletops with his 50-foot guitar cord stretched to the max. And this good-time approach to the music held sway on his recordings as well, giving a loose, barroom feel to almost all of them, regardless of who was backing him. ~by Cub Koda

Slidewinder

Album: Hip Shakin' Music Vol. 1: Live At Jonathan Swift's Harvard Square, Cambridge
Size: 125,5 MB
Time: 54:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Slide Guitar Blues, Chicago Blues
Label: New Rose Records
Art: Full

01. Summertime ( 4:44)
02. Hide And Seek ( 5:26)
03. The Sixteen Year Old Boy ( 5:35)
04. Mother-In-Law Blues ( 4:34)
05. Blue Suede Shoes ( 4:38)
06. The Sky Is Crying ( 5:39)
07. Got My Mojo Working ( 6:09)
08. Blues Got Soul!! (17:13)

Hip Shakin' Music Vol. 1

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Various - Chicago The Blues Today! 3 albums

Album: Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 1
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1966
Styles: Blues
Time: 46:25
Size: 106,7 MB
Covers: Full

(4:08) 1. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - Help Me
(2:50) 2. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - It Hurts Me Too
(2:25) 3. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - Messin' With the Kid
(5:01) 4. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - Vietcong Blues
(3:48) 5. Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - All Night Long
(2:07) 6. J.B. Hutto - Going Ahead
(2:56) 7. J.B. Hutto - Please Help
(2:33) 8. J.B. Hutto - Too Much Alcohol
(3:10) 9. J.B. Hutto - Married Woman Blues
(2:51) 10. J.B. Hutto - That's the Truth
(2:31) 11. Otis Spann - Marie
(3:18) 12. Otis Spann - Burning Fire
(2:55) 13. Otis Spann - S.P. Blues
(3:29) 14. Otis Spann - Sometimes I Wonder
(2:21) 15. Otis Spann - Spann's Stomp

The first volume in the groundbreaking, definitive series Chicago: The Blues Today! contains selections from J.B. Hutto, Junior Wells and Otis Spann. All three contribute stellar performances, but for Hutto it's truly the place to start, because it doesn't get much better than this; "Too Much Alcohol," "Please Help," "Going Ahead" and "That's The Truth" are all classics, and Hutto is in perfect form throughout, with swinging support from the Turner's Blue Lounge version of the Hawks, bass-rhythm guitarist Herman Hassell and former Bo Diddley drummer Frank Kirkland. Sound is crystal clear. -- Allmusic.

Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 1

Album: Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 2
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1967
Styles: Blues
Time: 46:10
Size: 106,2 MB
Covers: Full

(2:23) 1. James Cotton Blues Band - Cotton Crop Blues
(4:05) 2. James Cotton Blues Band - The Blues Keep Falling
(3:30) 3. James Cotton Blues Band - Love Me or Leave
(2:06) 4. James Cotton Blues Band - Rocket 88
(3:31) 5. James Cotton Blues Band - West Helena Blues
(3:57) 6. Otis Rush - Everything's Going to Turn Out Alright
(2:26) 7. Otis Rush - It's a Mean Old World
(3:18) 8. Otis Rush - I Can't Quit You Baby
(3:37) 9. Otis Rush - Rock
(6:00) 10. Otis Rush - It's My Own Fault
(3:20) 11. Homesick James Williamson - Dust My Broom
(2:19) 12. Homesick James Williamson - Somebody Been Talkin'
(2:48) 13. Homesick James Williamson - Set a Date
(2:49) 14. Homesick James Williamson - So Mean to Me

After his tenure at Chess, Otis Rush signed with Duke Records in Houston, who only released one 45 during his entire five year stay at the label. This Vanguard session from 1966 was his first in several years and finds him in exemplary form. Backed by a tough little club band, Otis' guitar tone is crystal clear and well focused, while his singing is simply superb. With two excellent instrumentals aboard ("Rock" is Otis' version of Earl Hooker's "Universal Rock"), the other big ticket highlight is the version of "I Can't Quit You, Baby" that Led Zepplin would later copy note for note on their first album. This is part of a three volume series and also features excellent tracks by James Cotton ("Cotton Crop Blues" and a wild version of "Rocket 88") and Homesick James. -- Allmusic.

Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 2

Album: Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 3
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1967
Styles: Blues
Time: 41:10
Size: 94,7 MB
Covers: Full

(2:30) 1. Johnny Young - One More Time
(3:04) 2. Johnny Young - Kid Man Blues
(3:45) 3. Johnny Young - My Black Mare
(3:22) 4. Johnny Young - Stealin' Back
(4:23) 5. Johnny Young - I Got Mine In Time
(3:14) 6. Johnny Young - Tighten Up On It
(2:40) 7. Johnny Shines Blues Band - Dynaflow Blues
(3:07) 8. Johnny Shines Blues Band - Black Spider Blues
(2:28) 9. Johnny Shines Blues Band - Layin' Down My Shoes and Clothes
(3:28) 10. Johnny Shines Blues Band - If I Get Lucky
(3:31) 11. Big Walter Horton - Rockin' My Boogie
(3:15) 12. Big Walter Horton - Mr. Boweevil
(2:22) 13. Big Walter Horton - Hey, Hey

This is one of the all-time great blues series ever recorded. Aside from the classic Chess albums (Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, etc.), there is no better introduction to Chicago-style blues than this three-volume set. Each one is incredible. This third album contains the Johnny Shines Blues Band, Johnny Young's South Side Blues Band, and Big Walter Horton's Blues Harp Band with Memphis Charlie Musselwhite. Here are the original Chicago artists who have grown up and played together for most of their lives, so the musical time is spacious -- wide open. This is South Side Chicago blues with a trace of country at its best. Big Walter Horton plays some of the best harmonica of his career on this album. Listening to Horton on backup and solo harp is an education. This album is definitive. -- Allmusic.

Chicago The Blues Today! Vol 3

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Brunning Hall Band & J.B. Hutto - Hipshakin': Live In London

Size: 110,7 MB
Time: 47:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1972/2010
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Guitar Workout (5:41)
02. Pet' Cream Man (9:37)
03. Hipshakin (8:43)
04. Too Much Alcohol (6:40)
05. Walkin' And Talkin' (6:02)
06. Dim Light's (5:44)
07. Combination Boogie (5:01)

The Brunning/Hall Band:
Bob Hall - Piano (Ex-Savoy Brown, Groundhogs, John Dummer)
Robert Brunning - Bass (Ex-Savoy Brown, Brunning Sunflower Blues Band, Fleetwood Mac)
John Hunt - Drum (Ex-Stackhouse)
Pat Grover - Guitar (Ex-Stackhouse)

In London, J.B. settled in permanently with the Brunning-Hall band, making no effort to disguise his delight in finding a band with whom he could work easily, frequently stating that he wished he could take them back to the U.S.A., as they would make a tighter band than the one that he currently had.

The band was never obtrusive: Robert Brunning set a solid bass pattern together with John Hunt's Below-styled drumming; Bob Hall's right-hand featured prominently in many piano breaks and Pat Grover's guitar steadily supported J.B. and occasionally wheeled-off into well-constructed, valid breaks as on 'Pet Cream Man', where J.B. lets him build into perhaps his most effective solo. Whether playing before a faithful following at the 100 Club or the Marquee, or in front of rather cold audiences as at Chelsea College Of Art, J.B. never held himself back. His stage performance added much more to his music - sometimes heightened by guitar'battles' with his bass player, sometimes audaciously stepping off0stage into the audience to complete the solo from the front row of chairs - always delighted by his reception, warming instantly to his audience, reluctant to go, until the club management was forced to plead as much with J.B. to leave, as with the audience to go home.

A very self-effacing, modest man, sitting quietly in the bar sipping orange-juice, J.B. constantly belied the passion, intensity and guts of his music. Always seemingly shy of his capabilities and slightly embarrassed by the enthusiasm shown by his audiences, he personified the opposite of the aggression, bigotry and egotism sometimes too often typical of the music scene. Perhaps that is why he has yet to reach a larger audience.

If this album renews memories of some of the finest Chicago blues ever to be heard in London, or perhaps better, introduces newcomers to the real music of J.B. Hutto, then that is all one could ask. ~Bruce Bastin

Hipshakin': Live In London

Saturday, January 24, 2015

J.B. Hutto - Chicago Slide: The Final Shows 1982 (2-Disc Set)

J. B. Hutto (April 26, 1926 – June 12, 1983) was an American blues musician. Hutto was influenced by Elmore James, and became known for his slide guitar work and declamatory style of singing. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame two years after his death.

Album: Chicago Slide: The Final Shows 1984 (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:15
Size: 170.0 MB
Styles: Slide guitar blues
Year: 2015

[ 5:30] 1. High & Lonesome
[ 3:34] 2. Boogie Shuffle #1
[ 7:08] 3. Help Wanted
[ 5:16] 4. Hide & Seek
[ 4:57] 5. I Feel So Good
[ 5:08] 6. Early In The Morning
[ 4:43] 7. Jb's Crawl
[13:39] 8. Say Goodbye
[ 6:44] 9. Summertime
[ 8:37] 10. Married Woman Blues
[ 2:40] 11. Too Much Alcohol
[ 6:12] 12. Hip Shakin'

Chicago Slide: The Final Shows 1982 (Disc 1)

Album: Chicago Slide: The Final Shows 1984 (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:37
Size: 175.4 MB
Styles: Slide guitar blues
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[ 5:09] 1. J.B.'s Shuffle
[ 7:41] 2. Blue Hawk Blues
[ 6:10] 3. Frankie And Johnny
[ 6:49] 4. I've Got A Right To Love Her
[15:59] 5. J.B.'s Bonsoir Blues
[ 7:56] 6. Caldonia
[ 7:13] 7. Blue & Lonely
[ 4:20] 8. Got My Mojo Working
[ 9:48] 9. One Room Country Shack
[ 2:14] 10. Combination Boogie
[ 3:13] 11. Now She's Gone

Chicago Slide: The Final Shows 1982 (Disc 2)

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Various - And This Is Free: The Life And Times Of Chicago's Legendary Maxwell Street

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 50:16
Size: 115.1 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[2:26] 1. J.B. Hutto - Pet Cream Man
[3:11] 2. Floyd Jones - Dark Road
[2:44] 3. Baby Face Leroy Trio - Rollin' & Tumblin' Part 1
[2:50] 4. Snooky Pryor - Cryin' Shame
[3:01] 5. Robert Nighthawk - Prowling Nighthawk
[3:42] 6. Arvella Gray - John Henry
[2:32] 7. Johnny Young - Money Taking Woman
[4:13] 8. Big John Wrencher - Maxwell Street Alley Blues
[2:49] 9. Daddy Stovepipe - The Spasm
[2:35] 10. Johnny Williams - Worried Man Blues
[2:51] 11. John Lee Granderson - Hard Luck John
[2:43] 12. John Henry Barbee - Against My Will
[3:06] 13. Boll Weevil - Christmas Time Blues
[2:56] 14. Baby Face Leroy Trio - Rollin' & Tumblin' Part 2
[2:50] 15. Papa Charlie Jackson - Maxwell Street Blues
[2:33] 16. Jimmy Rogers - Little Store Blues
[3:06] 17. Blind Percy - Fourteenth St. Blues

Probably every major American city has a seedy, shady yet colorful neighborhood that isn't missed until it's gone. For Boston, that neighborhood was the lively, raunchy Scollay Square; only after the area was razed in the name of urban renewal in the 1970s were its honky-tonk dives and burlesque joints celebrated. In New York City in the 1970s, politicians vowed to clean up Times Square, but now, the influx of chain stores and upscale mini-malls around 42nd Street has people reminiscing about the good, bad old days.

Chicago's legendary Maxwell Street on the city's Near West Side was one of those places that people love to remember – an open-air marketplace for bargain hunters and hustlers, for street musicians and sidewalk preachers, for someone shopping for shoes, for another seeking to save souls. In the early 1900s, the area near Halsted Street became the place for immigrants to begin their search for the American dream by running large open-air stores and flea markets as well as restaurants, delicatessens and other businesses. Then it was dubbed Jew Town -- in those politically incorrect days, a label considered no more insulting than Chinatown is today. Later, African-Americans moving north found Maxwell Street a haven for commercial activities, entertainment and music, as blues and gospel singers filled the street with song and salvation. By the early 1960s, the seven-block area was a bustling carnival of all kinds of commerce, legal, illicit and somewhere in between. By the 1990s, the market was moved to accommodate expansion of the University of Illinois and an era seemed to be over, much mourned by long-time Chicagoans.

That era is revived in And This is Free, a new "MultiPac" published by Shanachie Entertainment, which features a DVD, CD and booklet chronicling Maxwell's colorful history. The DVD contains several documentaries, starting with Mike Shea's 1964 film, "And This is Free," an exquisitely shot, black-and-white tribute to the market's unique flavor. Kicking the DVD off with Shea's 50-minute feature is a bit of a gamble. This documentary contains no narrative; Shea just takes you to the street and lets the story unfold, something with the potential to bewilder the non-Chicagoan watcher. ~Stephanie Schorow

And This Is Free: The Life And Times Of Chicago's Legendary Maxwell Street mc
And This Is Free: The Life And Times Of Chicago's Legendary Maxwell Street zippy