Johnny Shines & Robert Lockwood - Johnny Shines & Robert Lockwood

Album: Johnny Shines & Robert Lockwood
Size: 127,2 MB
Time: 54:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1991
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Johnny Shines - Ramblin' (2:34)
2. Johnny Shines - Fish Tail (2:31)
3. Johnny Shines - Cool Driver (2:56)
4. Johnny Shines - Ain't Doin' No Good (2:35)
5. Johnny Shines - Evening Sun (2:32)
6. Johnny Shines - No Name Blues (2:50)
7. Johnny Shines - Brutal Hearted Woman (2:55)
8. Johnny Shines - Gonna Call The Angel (3:09)
9. Johnny Shines - Gonna Call The Angel (3:29)
10. Johnny Shines - Evening Shuffle (2:14)
11. Robert Lockwood - Dust My Broom (2:28)
12. Robert Lockwood - Pearly B (2:26)
13. Robert Lockwood - Aw Aw Baby (2:39)
14. Robert Lockwood - Sweet Woman From Maine (3:01)
15. Robert Lockwood - You've Got To Stop This Mess (2:44)
16. Robert Lockwood - Glad I Don't Worry No More (2:20)
17. Robert Lockwood - Down Home Child (2:53)
18. Robert Lockwood - Sunny Land Special (2:38)
19. Robert Lockwood - Leaving Your Town (3:04)
20. Robert Lockwood - Dust My Broom (Alt.) (2:39)

Shines has half of this 20-track disc, the remainder being devoted to sides from the same era featuring Robert Lockwood. Recorded in 1952 and 1953 for the JOB label, this is Shines at his most primal, working with a drumless trio; Big Walter Horton plays harmonica on the 1953 sides. These tracks decidedly outshine the Lockwood efforts (also recorded for JOB in the early '50s), some of which only feature Robert as a sideman. /Richie Unterberger, AllMusic

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

Johnny Shines & Robert Lockwood mc
Johnny Shines & Robert Lockwood zippy

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Johnny Shines - Johnny Shines

Album: Johnny Shines
Size: 93,1 MB
Time: 40:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1974/1991
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Give My Heart A Break (2:46)
2. Too Lazy (2:59)
3. Moaning & Groaning (3:26)
4. Just A Little Tenderness (3:50)
5. I Know The Winds Are Blowing (2:53)
6. Just Call Me (3:45)
7. My Love Can't Hide (3:38)
8. Skull & Crossbones Blues (2:53)
9. Vallie Lee (3:14)
10. Can't Get Along With You (2:53)
11. Have To Pay The Cost (4:20)
12. Ramblin' (3:19)

On this eclectic and largely electric 1970 set, Shines is joined by an all-star West Coast band comprised of guitarist Phillip Walker, pianist Nat Dove, bassist Charles Jones, drummer Murl Downy and sax player David II. The music dips into soul balladry ("Just a Little Tenderness") and Chicago boogie ("Give My Heart a Break"), and on a handful of tracks, including "Too Lazy," "Skull and Crossbones Blues," "Vallie Lee" and "Ramblin'," the band steps aside to allow Shines to go it alone. /Jason Ankeny, AllMusic

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Johnny Shines - Takin' The Blues Back South (Blues Reference)

Size: 120,6 MB
Time: 51:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Styles: Delta Blues
Art: Full

01. I Believe I'll Make A Change (3:56)
02. Nobody's Fault But Mine (4:45)
03. The Devil's Daughter (3:08)
04. Back To The Steel Mill (3:45)
05. Blood Ran Like Wine (3:37)
06. Abide My Wish (4:33)
07. Mean Black Gobbler (4:47)
08. Lost Letter Blues (2:39)
09. Freight Train (4:50)
10. My Best Friend (3:04)
11. The Blue Horizon (5:42)
12. Mean Black Gobbler (Unissued Version) (6:35)

Guitar – Luther Johnson (tracks: 7, 9, 11 & 12); Vocals, Guitar – Johnny Shines. Recorded December 4, 1972 in Bordeaux, France except #7 and #9 recorded November 14, 1972 in Gan, France.

This album and "Standing At The Crossroads" are Johnny Shines' two best works. I'm not sure why his work with Walter Horton is considered to be better than his solo efforts. On Shines' solo outings, his vocals are much stronger, his lyrics are more developed, and his guitar playing is superb. This particular album really shows off his vocal power. You might find yourself backing away from your speaker in order to not bust an eardrum. The two versions of "Mean Black Gobbler" are great! I'm not a musician, but it sounds like one of the versions of the song is performed in a Hill Country fashion. In other words, the guitar accompaniment sounds closer to Hill Country Blues or perhaps just diddley bow playing than it does to the typical Johnny Shines or Robert Johnson guitar work. "Back To The Steel Mill" is simply ferocious. The second guitarist on this album works very well with Johnny. It's a shame that this album isn't better known, and that it keeps going out of print. I waited over two years to purchase this, and it was most definitely worth the wait. The packaging is also very nice. You certainly can't go wrong with any of Johnny's albums. ~DB Pepper

Originally posted by Mat Tiggas June 4, 2018. Updated with full covers and FLAC file.

Takin' The Blues Back South MP3
Takin' The Blues Back South FLAC

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Johnny Shines - The Blues Came Falling Down: Live 1973

Size: 186,7 MB
Time: 79:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Front

01. Big Boy Boogie (4:53)
02. Seems A Million Years (5:08)
03. Cold In Hand Blues (4:19)
04. Kind Hearted Woman Blues (3:08)
05. Have You Every Loved A Woman (2:59)
06. Stay High All Day Long (6:06)
07. Stand By Me (4:49)
08. I'm A Steady Rollin' Man (2:37)
09. Happy Home (3:15)
10. Someday Baby Blues (2:55)
11. They're Red Hot (Hot Tamales) (1:29)
12. You're The One I Love (6:33)
13. Sweet Home Chicago (2:14)
14. The Blues Came Falling Down (5:15)
15. Big Star Falling (3:47)
16. Tell Me Mama (5:39)
17. Ramblin' (3:20)
18. It's Nobody's Fault But Mine (4:19)
19. Goodbye Boogie (1:01)
20. How You Want Your Rollin' Done (5:36)

Blues singer and slide guitarist Johnny Shines had quite the career; his accomplishments include touring with Robert Johnson, recording for Columbia, Vanguard, and Chess Records, as well as playing with blues legends like Little Walter and Willie Dixon. Following his success in the 1930s and ‘40s, however, Shines experienced a series of commercial failures before stepping away from music. A few years later, at a show in Chicago, he was “rediscovered” and began actively touring and recording music again. It was at the peak of Shines rediscovery that The Blues Came Falling Down – Live 1973 was captured.

Recorded at Washington University’s Graham Chapel in St. Louis and overseen by Nighthawk Records founder Leroy Jodie Pierson, The Blues Came Falling Down is a 20-track album drawn primarily from Shines’ solo performance. The tracks are a mix of previously unreleased original compositions interspersed with songs penned by Robert Johnson, Hammie Nixon, and Willie Johnson.

Following his 1992 death, Johnny Shines was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame that same year. A testament to his skill as a blues musician and a record of his “rediscovery” era, The Blues Came Falling Down is an important addition to the Johnny Shines discography. ~Chloe McCormick

The Blues Came Falling Down

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Johnny Shines - Takin' The Blues Back South

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:11
Size: 117.2 MB
Styles: Delta blues
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:53] 1. I Believe I'll Make A Change
[4:45] 2. Nobody's Fault But Mine
[3:06] 3. The Devil's Daughter
[3:43] 4. Back To The Steel Mill
[3:35] 5. Blood Ran Like Wine
[4:31] 6. Abide My Wish
[4:47] 7. Mean Black Gobbler
[2:37] 8. Lost Letter Blues
[4:49] 9. Freight Train
[3:05] 10. My Best Friend
[5:40] 11. The Blue Horizon
[6:34] 12. Mean Black Gobbler (Unissued Version)

Guitar – Luther Johnson (tracks: 7, 9, 11 & 12); Vocals, Guitar – Johnny Shines. Recorded December 4, 1972 in Bordeaux, France except #7 and #9 recorded November 14, 1972 in Gan, France.

This album and "Standing At The Crossroads" are Johnny Shines' two best works. I'm not sure why his work with Walter Horton is considered to be better than his solo efforts. On Shines' solo outings, his vocals are much stronger, his lyrics are more developed, and his guitar playing is superb. This particular album really shows off his vocal power. You might find yourself backing away from your speaker in order to not bust an eardrum. The two versions of "Mean Black Gobbler" are great! I'm not a musician, but it sounds like one of the versions of the song is performed in a Hill Country fashion. In other words, the guitar accompaniment sounds closer to Hill Country Blues or perhaps just diddley bow playing than it does to the typical Johnny Shines or Robert Johnson guitar work. "Back To The Steel Mill" is simply ferocious. The second guitarist on this album works very well with Johnny. It's a shame that this album isn't better known, and that it keeps going out of print. I waited over two years to purchase this, and it was most definitely worth the wait. The packaging is also very nice. You certainly can't go wrong with any of Johnny's albums. ~DB Pepper

Takin' The Blues Back South mc
Takin' The Blues Back South zippy

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Various - Blow'n The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:59
Size: 157.9 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues, Chicago blues
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. Junior Wells - Help Me
[2:23] 2. Junior Wells - Messin' With The Kid
[4:19] 3. Junior Wells - Stormy Monday Blues
[3:07] 4. Junior Wells - Checking On My Baby
[4:25] 5. Junior Wells - Early In The Morning
[2:18] 6. James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues
[4:03] 7. James Cotton - The Blues Keep Falling
[2:02] 8. James Cotton - Rocket 88
[2:47] 9. James Cotton - Honest I Do
[7:18] 10. James Cotton - Coast Blues
[2:21] 11. The Johnny Shines Blues Band - Hey, Hey
[3:29] 12. Big Walter Horton's Band - Rockin' My Boogie
[4:17] 13. Charlie Musselwhite - Chicken Shack
[2:15] 14. Charlie Musselwhite - Juke
[3:20] 15. Charlie Musselwhite - Christo Redemptor
[4:16] 16. Charlie Musselwhite - My Baby's Sweeter
[4:23] 17. Siegel-Schwall - Angel Food Cake
[3:46] 18. Siegel-Schwall - Tell Me
[3:56] 19. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Blues With A Feeling

There's something human about a well-played harmonica, filled with life's breath. Otis Spann, Muddy Waters's great bandleader, once called the harmonica the mother of all instruments. And this collection of modern harmonica players is a mother. (Although without either of the Sonny Boy Williamsons or Little Walter, this album is decidedly not definitive.) Eighteen of the nineteen tracks are from the 1960s, and we can hear the tone baton being passed from Big Walter Horton to Charlie Musselwhite, from Junior Wells to Paul Butterfield, though set against radically different backdrops. James Cotton's 1966 tracks are a highlight, filled with the excitement of stepping into a solo career after a decade with Muddy. He is backed by his former bandmates, constrained by nothing except his wind. --Robert Gordon

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Johnny Shines - Mr. Cover Shaker

Size: 102,3 MB
Time: 43:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1992
Styles: Chicago Blues, Delta Blues
Art: Full

01. The Devil's Daughter (3:15)
02. Look Behind The Door (2:54)
03. Two Steps To Hell (4:13)
04. The Face In The Courthouse (2:07)
05. Blood Ran Like Wine #1 (2:49)
06. May I Apologize (3:21)
07. Blood Ran Like Wine #2 (4:26)
08. I'm Getting Old (2:14)
09. Mother's Place (4:26)
10. Mr. Cover Shaker (3:08)
11. Shotgun Whupin' (2:21)
12. Lost Love Letter Blues (3:29)
13. Stand By Me (4:37)

Personnel: Johnny Shines (acoustic guitar); Jean Leiberman, Beverly Rohlehr, Jane Simms (vocals); David Bromberg (acoustic guitar); Richard Tiven (violin); Jay Ungar (fiddle); John Payne (reeds); Peter Ecklund (cornet); Lou Terricciano (piano); Tony Markellis (electric bass); Mark Bell (drums).

Tracks 1-6: Vocal and National Steel Guitar by Johnny Shines. Recorded 1972.
Tracks 7-13: Johnny Shines backed by Dave Bromberg and his band. Recorded 1974.

Mr. Cover Shaker

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Johnny Shines - Skull & Crossbones Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:42
Size: 84.0 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[2:43] 1. Give My Heart A Break
[3:27] 2. Walkin' Blues
[2:50] 3. Skull And Crossbones Blues
[2:30] 4. What Kind Of Little Girl Are You
[3:34] 5. My Black Mare
[2:50] 6. Standing At The Crossroads
[3:10] 7. Rollin' And Tumblin'
[3:47] 8. Trouble Is All I See
[2:48] 9. Fat Mama
[3:21] 10. Drunken Man's Prayer
[3:16] 11. Two Trains Runnin'
[2:22] 12. You Don't Have To Go

Johnny Shines (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars); Luther Allison, Philip Walker (electric guitar); Big Walter Horton (harmonica); David Li (baritone saxophone); Otis Spann, Nat Dove (piano); Lee Jackson, Prince Candy (bass); Fred Below, Bill Brown (drums). Tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11 and 12 recorded at Onederful Studios, Chicago, IL June 1966; Tracks: 9 recorded in Los Angeles, CA January 1969; Tracks: 1, 3 recorded at Vault Studio November 1970; Tracks: 6, 10 recorded in Altadena, CA November 1970.

As part of the Heritage of the Blues series on Hightone Records, Skull & Crossbones Blues provides a well-rounded retrospective of blues guitarist and onetime Robert Johnson cohort Johnny Shines. These 12 tracks capture Shines in a number of different settings, including both acoustic and electric, solo, and fronting a legendary Chicago band with Big Walter Horton, Otis Spann, and Fred Below. Shines' Robert Johnson influence is investigated on versions of "Standing at the Crossroads" and "Rollin' & Tumblin'," while material recorded in Los Angeles in the 1970s includes a snippet of guitarist Luther Allison at the beginning of his career. The tracks have been digitally remastered and lovingly compiled by fan and Hightone artist Dave Alvin. ~Al Campbell

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Various - The Finest Southern Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 85:30
Size: 195.7 MB
Styles: Southern blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[2:44] 1. Charlie Musselwhite - Taylor, Arkansas
[3:23] 2. Johnny Shines - If I Get Lucky
[4:21] 3. Big Leon Brooks - Country Boy
[3:19] 4. Clarence Gatemouth Brown - Louisiana Zydeco
[2:44] 5. Willie Nix - Seems Like A Million Years
[5:52] 6. W.C. Clark - Tip Of My Tongue
[9:31] 7. Tinsley Ellis - Time To Quit
[3:21] 8. Phillip Walker - Roll, Roll, Roll
[6:28] 9. Johnny Copeland - Blackjack
[3:49] 10. William Clarke - Lollipop Mama
[7:13] 11. Big Mama Thornton - Ball 'n' Chain
[2:54] 12. The Song Trust - Dawg Tired
[2:37] 13. Carey Bell - That Ain't It
[2:36] 14. Bobby Lee Trammell - Come On And Love Me
[3:55] 15. C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band - Louisiana Down Home Blues
[2:09] 16. Willie Johnson Combo - So Long Baby Goodbye
[3:40] 17. Andrew Brown - Morning, Noon And Night
[4:34] 18. Carey & Lurrie Bell - Five Long Years
[6:29] 19. Hound Dog Taylor - Phillips' Theme
[3:42] 20. Rev. Gary Davis - I Won't Be Back No More

When you think of the blues, you think about misfortune, betrayal and regret. You lose your job, you get the blues. Your mate falls out of love with you, you get the blues. Your dog dies, you get the blues. While blues lyrics often deal with personal adversity, the music itself goes far beyond self-pity. The blues is also about overcoming hard luck, saying what you feel, ridding yourself of frustration, letting your hair down, and simply having fun. The best blues is visceral, cathartic, and starkly emotional. From unbridled joy to deep sadness, no form of music communicates more genuine emotion.

The blues has deep roots in American history, particularly African-American history. The blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th Century. Its inventors were slaves, ex-slaves and the descendants of slaves—African-American sharecroppers who sang as they toiled in the cotton and vegetable fields. It's generally accepted that the music evolved from African spirituals, African chants, work songs, field hollers, rural fife and drum music, revivalist hymns, and country dance music. The blues grew up in the Mississippi Delta just upriver from New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. Blues and jazz have always influenced each other, and they still interact in countless ways today. Unlike jazz, the blues didn't spread out significantly from the South to the Midwest until the 1930s and '40s. Once the Delta blues made their way up the Mississippi to urban areas, the music evolved into electrified Chicago blues, other regional blues styles, and various jazz-blues hybrids. A decade or so later the blues gave birth to rhythm 'n blues and rock 'n roll. ~Ed Kopp

The Finest Southern Blues

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Johnny Shines & Snooky Pryor - Back to the Country

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1991
Styles: Blues
Time: 48:06
Size: 111,1 MB
Art: Full

(3:54) 1. Trouble in Mind
(2:22) 2. Corrine Corrina
(3:05) 3. Cool Driver
(2:21) 4. They're Red Hot
(3:11) 5. Crossroads
(4:19) 6. Lost a Good Woman
(2:59) 7. Evening Sun
(2:29) 8. Peace in Hell
(3:09) 9. Send Your Man to War
(3:00) 10. Come on in My Kitchen
(3:22) 11. Blues Come to Texas
(3:38) 12. Moon Is Rising
(3:16) 13. Hey Bobba Re Bop
(3:43) 14. Terraplane
(3:11) 15. I Make You Happy

Back to the Country finds Johnny Shines, accompanied by Snooky Pryor, running through a selection of standards, many of which they had played in their prime. At the time they made Back to the Country, they were well into old age, and had suffered some losses. Shines, in particular, was hit hard by the ravages of old age, suffering a stroke in the late '80s. As a result, Shines couldn't play guitar for this session, so producer John Nicholas and Kent Du Chane pick up the slack. This doesn't really hurt the music, but it's disheartening and awkward to listen to the album knowing that Shines isn't able to perform. That said, there are some nice moments on the record -- Shines and Pryor have a nice rapport which shines through despite difficulties, but overall, it's hard not to view this as a nostalgia exercise. -- Allmusic.

Back to the Country

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Various - Vanguard Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:09
Size: 94.2 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[5:34] 1. Buddy Guy - Sweet Little Angel
[2:35] 2. The Johnny Shines Blues Band - Dynaflow Blues
[4:16] 3. John Hammond, Jr. - Back Door Man
[4:34] 4. Judy Roderick - Rock Me Baby
[1:53] 5. Skip James - I'm So Glad
[2:39] 6. Junior Wells - (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
[1:48] 7. Mississippi John Hurt - Corrina, Corrina
[5:30] 8. Siegel-Schwall Band - I'm A King Bee
[2:15] 9. Charlie Musselwhite - Juke
[2:50] 10. Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog
[2:02] 11. James Cotton Blues Band - Rocket 88
[2:19] 12. Otis Spann - Spann's Stomp
[2:49] 13. Pee Wee Crayton - Let The Good Times Roll

A dozen-plus-one tracks drawn from Vanguard Records' '60s-era rediscovery blues catalog, this sampler is OK as far as it goes, but it isn't anything special, save for Skip James' delicate version of his "I'm

So Glad," Mississippi John Hurt's gentle and mellow take on "Corrina, Corrina," and Otis Spann's piano workout on "Spann's Stomp." ~Steve Leggett

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Johnny Shines - Live 1970: Acoustic & Electric

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2014
Styles: Blues
Time: 77:41
Size: 179,4 MB
Covers: Full

(2:23) 1. Rollin' & Tumblin'
(4:45) 2. No Name Blues
(3:23) 3. Pony Blues
(4:05) 4. Little Girl
(3:02) 5. Shelby County Blues
(3:03) 6. Vicksburg Blues
(3:34) 7. Sweet Home Chicago
(3:00) 8. Worried Blues
(4:08) 9. Shake 'Em On Down
(3:25) 10. Steady Rollin' Man
(3:58) 11. I Love the World
(2:52) 12. What's the Matter Now
(2:12) 13. Terraplane Blues
(2:35) 14. Hello Central
(4:11) 15. My Rat
(2:59) 16. Too Lazy
(4:46) 17. High Road
(3:35) 18. Hoo-Doo Shake Doctor Blues
(2:11) 19. You Don't Have To Go
(3:55) 20. Crossroad Blues
(3:49) 21. Milk Cow Blues
(3:15) 22. Tell Me Baby
(2:27) 23. Dust My Broom

This 1970 recording is the earliest known live set by Johnny Shines. It catches him during the era when he released great albums like "Standing At The Crossroads" (1970), and the later album "To Wet To Plow" (1975), both probably his best solo albums. This set, from an unknown concert, is broken into an acoustic set and an electric set. So fans can now hear Shines' visceral guitar sound--both single note picking and his slide work--on both types of guitars. His shiver-inducing/crossroads-at-midnight vocals are equally fine. The sound is clean and crisp with a "live" sound to his vocals and his guitar close-mic'd which gives an immediate, up close sound and feel to his playing. Johnny Shines is one of the prime examples of Delta blues--his declamatory vocals and his rough and ready acoustic/electric guitar style (especially his slide work)--are a perfect example of Mississippi Delta blues at it's best. Shines is best known for his travels with Robert Johnson in the thirties, and Shines' versions of some of Johnson's songs (especially), and his own work are greatly influenced by him. This set is a no frills example of pure blues played by someone directly connected to Delta blues. To my ears Shines always sounded best solo or with very minimal accompaniment. You can hear strains of Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Charlie (or "Charly") Patton in his performances. And on the first 12 tracks his acoustic guitar and vocals are redolent of another era. The last 11 songs are accented by Shines stinging electric playing, especially his slide work, which he uses to accent his vocals. And there's no let up to Shines' power when he begins a song. He transports listeners to another time when this type of music was everywhere in the South. And that's what makes this live set so good and important. For the real thing, listen to Johnny Shines solo. That's the real Delta blues. -- Amazon.

Live 1970: Acoustic & Electric

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Johnny Shines - Johnny Shines 1915-1992

Size: 118,6 MB
Time: 50:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. Won't You Tell Me Mama (6:37)
02. Goin' Down In The Bottom (2:32)
03. Bumble Bee Blues (4:05)
04. Workin' On The Station (6:14)
05. Moanin' The Blues (5:55)
06. Talkin' (3:26)
07. Just A Little Tenderness (8:15)
08. Guitar Boogie (1:20)
09. Worried Life Blues (3:14)
10. Fat Mama (2:19)
11. High Road Blues (3:35)
12. Hello Central (2:57)

(1970s 'Wolf Records') JOHNNY SHINES - guitar/vocals (8 tracks) Live at Webster College, St. Louis, Missouri. JOHNNY SHINES - gtr/voc w/ WWALTER HORTON- hca, SUNNYLAND SLIM - pno, WILLIE DIXON - bass, CLIFTON JAMES - drums 4 tracks live in Boston (lousy quality)

Blues Musician. Taught to play guitar at an early age by his mother, he honed his guitar playing skills on the streets of Memphis for anyone who cared to listen, earning tips and the occasional opportunity to play in a local bar for cash. Over the years he gained musical inspiration from the bluesmen of the day including Charley Patton, Lonnie Johnson, Howlin' Wolf and Blind Lemon Jefferson. In 1932, he and his family moved across the Mississippi River to Hughes, Arkansas, where his music career was put on hiatus for several years as he worked on local farms to help support the family. Having a chance encounter with future blues legend Robert Johnson in 1935, he began traveling with Johnson, touring throughout the Southern U.S., the Northern states, and eventually into Canada. The pair parted company in 1937, and although he and Johnson toured together only two short years, the time that he spent on the road with Johnson, and the unique knowledge he gained of the man would keep him in the public eye for the remainder of his life. He returned to play throughout the South until 1941 when he settled in Chicago, Illinois. While there he began working construction as a primary daytime occupation, but continued to play the nightly bar scene for cash and to pacify his musical drive. By this time he was a seasoned musician, and an accomplished slide guitarist and emotional vocalist. In 1946 he recorded his first album with Columbia records, but the sessions were never released to market. He tried again with the Chess label, but again the sessions were withheld from release. Another try on the J.O.B. label was considered perhaps his best work up to that date, but again the sessions failed to be released. Frustrated, and with no tangible success, he sold all his music equipment and returned to a construction occupation full time in 1958. Returning to music in the blues revival of the 1960s and 70s, he frequented the club and festival stage and was finally noticed for being the great bluesman that he was. He recorded several records during this time, and in the late 60s toured with the Chicago Blues All-Stars. However, after the sudden death of his daughter, he moved to Alabama with his wife and mother in order to raise their ten grandchildren away from the influences of urban Chicago. He suffered a stroke in 1980 that affected his hands and his playing, yet he continued to be a formidable performer. Also that year he recorded the album "Hangin' On" with Robert Jr. Lockwood, the stepson of Robert Johnson. The album won a W.C. Handy Award (later Blues Music Award) for 'Best Traditional Blues Record', and received a Grammy nomination for 'Best Blues Album'. His final album, "Back To The Country" was released in 1991 and featured collaborations with Snooky Prior and Johnny Nicholas. The album won the 1992 Handy Award for 'Best Country Blues Album'. He also won the Handy Award that year for 'Country Blues Artist of the Year'. Due to failing health from atherosclerosis and hypertension, Mr. Shines passed away in April 1992. He was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame later that year. His music and style still influences blues performers and fans today. (bio by: Michael)

Johnny Shines 1915-1992

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Johnny Shines 2 albums: Masters of Modern Blues / Standing at the Crossroads

Album: Masters of Modern Blues
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from Cd)
Released: 1994
Styles: Blues
Time: 33:53
Size: 78,5 MB
Covers: Full

Personnel:
Johnny Shines - vocals & guitar
Big Walter Horton - harmonica
Otis Spann - piano
Fred Below - drums

(3:13) 1. Rollin' and Tumblin'
(3:49) 2. Trouble Is All I See
(4:01) 3. Mr. Tom Green's Farm
(3:39) 4. My Black Mare
(2:35) 5. What Kind of Little Girl Are You?
(3:17) 6. So Cold in Vietnam
(3:32) 7. Sweet Home Chicago
(3:32) 8. Walkin' Blues
(2:54) 9. Black Panther
(3:18) 10. Two Trains Runnin'

Johnny Shines had been playing the blues steadily since the 1930s (travelling and playing extensively with Robert Johnson), and had moved to Chicago in the '40s, where he regularly performed with an electric band, but he made only a handful of recordings during that time. Shines quit playing music in the late '50s due to frustration with the industry, but '66's "Masters of the Modern Blues" helped revive his career, and restored him to his rightful position as a notable figure in the genre. With the help of Windy City heavyweights Big Walter Horton (harmonica) and Otis Spann (piano), and bassist Lee Jackson and drummer Fred Below lending nuanced support, Shines unleashes his old-school tricks, which include bottleneck playing and the intricate phrasing of Delta blues. Shines translates the Mississippi style effectively to an electric context, aided by his understated tone and the sensitivity of his accompanists. Shines does not pack the rollicking punch of many Chicago artists, but instead maintains the mournful, trance-like feel of early acoustic blues. This can be heard especially on "Mr. Tom Green's Farm," a fluidly paced duet between Shines and bassist Jackson. The rest of this distinctive album is of equally high quality.

Masters of Modern Blues

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Album: Standing at the Crossroads
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1970
Styles: Blues
Time: 54:25
Size: 125,6 MB
Covers: Full

(2:54) 1. Standing at the Crossroads
(2:54) 2. Milk Cow's Troubles
(3:27) 3. Death Hearse Blues
(3:25) 4. Drunken Man's Prayer
(3:07) 5. Hoo-Doo Snake Doctor Blues
(4:30) 6. It's a Lowdown Dirty Shame
(2:57) 7. How Long
(4:00) 8. Crying Black Angel
(3:34) 9. Down in Spirit
(4:20) 10. Your Troubles Can't Be Like Mine
(3:09) 11. Kind-Hearted Woman
(3:19) 12. Baby Sister Blues
(2:54) 13. My Rat
(3:05) 14. Don't Take a Country Woman
(3:25) 15. Kind-Hearted Woman
(3:19) 16. Death Hearse Blues

This is one of several albums this artist made in the early '70s that stand as a masterpiece of the acoustic country blues genre. Johnny Shines had begun recording in the mid-'60s, the albums done with electric guitar and full-combo backup, one of them reportedly cut after he hadn't picked up an instrument in years. It was as if he reinvented himself in the following decade, playing pristine and flawless acoustic slide guitar pieces complete with shuffling, stuttering, and stimulatingly complicated tempos. The message was that he had been a young sidekick to Robert Johnson and had absorbed everything, although no deal had been made with the Devil. Shines was a steady, dependable, religious, and forthright chap who lived in Tuscaloosa, AL, and held down a steady job as a construction foreman. Mild-mannered and extremely intellectual, he let loose the reserve of emotion when doing a Delta blues number. The magic and heart were in his fingertips as well as in his voice, which sounds stupendous here. The emergence of the Johnson song canon into his repertoire, done with almost Baroque detail, was also something of a revelation. Some of Shines' earlier albums had featured songs that almost seemed made up on the spot. He was good at that, and was rumored to have played whole sets that were completely improvised when working the country juke joints of his home state, but on this album he showed what he could do when sinking his teeth into a bona fide blues classic. "Kind Hearted Woman" is the musical equivalent of an absolutely perfect chopped-barbecue sandwich with sauce the way they do it in Tuscaloosa, and obviously of much less offense to vegetarians when taken in this form. There were 11 perfect songs chosen by Pete Welding from his set of recording sessions for this project. Once again this great producer has come up with a blues release that is basically a required item for any good collection of this genre. -- Allmusic.

Standing at the Crossroads

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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

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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

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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

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David Honeyboy Edwards - Don't Mistreat a Fool

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Blues
Time: 51:28
Size: 118,0 MB
Covers: Full

Personnel:
Honeyboy Edwards - vocals & guitar
Big Joe Williams - guitar
Johnny Shines - guitar
Big Walter Horton - harmonica

(5:20) 1. Myrtle Mae
(2:44) 2. Bull Cow Blues, No. 2
(3:58) 3. Hot Springs (Arkansas) Blues
(4:03) 4. Must I Break 'Em on Down
(3:22) 5. 61 Highway, No. 2
(3:53) 6. Little Boy Blue
(2:23) 7. You Gonna Catch Trouble
(6:17) 8. B & O Blues
(2:50) 9. Love Honeyboy Slow
(2:28) 10. Don't Mistreat a Fool
(6:02) 11. Howlin' Wind
(4:40) 12. You're the One
(3:22) 13. (Meet the) Mornin' Train

David Honeyboy Edwards. Honey, a gifted guitarist and storyteller, knocked around the Mississippi Delta with the likes of Charley Patton and Robert Johnson back in their day, and now, at 84, he still delights in kicking it with the kids. Aside from his encyclopedic songlist, played in all keys with ageless finesse, Honey is a living history book of American music and folklife, a man who shares his gifts with uncommon joy. At the time of these recordings, Edwards was laboring in Chicago’s Great Society construction boom, separated from the music scene by realities such as changing tastes, family life and just plain bad luck. Good friend Big Joe Williams lured him out of obscurity and into a mobile recording studio set up in Chicago’s old Thunderbird Motel for the first sessions included in this album. The young people making the recordings were enchanted by Honey’s musical abilities, vast knowledge and personal charm and invited him to Washington, DC, for additional sessions over the next few years. This priceless analog treasury, the rumored lost rediscovery tapes, has been carefully mastered for digital audio and packaged with rare photographs and wonderful anecdotes from the life and times of this great artist. -- Adelphi.
Honeyboy is like scotch, it takes awhile to get use to the unique taste but once you do it is worth the effort! This effort is as good as any he has recorded. He guitar work is at its best, fluid when it needs to be and able to attack when required. The tone and timber of his voice is pure delta and city street blues. Honeyboy's claim to fame is usually that he knew Robert Johnson. He needs no claim to fame other than his own work. -- Amazon

Don't Mistreat a Fool

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VA - Tribute To Robert Johnson

Size: 198,3 MB
Time: 83:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Delta Blues
Art: Front

01. All Star Jam - Sweet Home Chicago (10:29)
02. Tab Benoit - Rambling On My Mind ( 5:09)
03. John Hammond - Crossroads Blues ( 3:04)
04. Chris Thomas King - Come On In My Kitchen ( 4:22)
05. Little Charlie & The Nightcats - Steady Rollin' Man ( 3:19)
06. John Hammond - Hellhound Blues ( 3:35)
07. Michael Messer - Robert Johnson's Wake ( 5:29)
08. The Johnny Shines Blues Band - Dynaflow Blues ( 2:40)
09. John Hammond - Walking Blues ( 2:53)
10. Roy Rogers - 32-20 Blues ( 2:44)
11. Cephas & Wiggins - Last Fair Deal Gone Down ( 3:47)
12. John Hammond - Traveling Riverside Blues (Alternate Version) ( 3:23)
13. Homesick James & His Dusters - Dust My Broom ( 3:20)
14. Chris Thomas King - Stones In My Passway ( 3:45)
15. John Hammond - Me And The Devil Blues ( 2:34)
16. Chris Thomas King - If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day ( 3:08)
17. Roy Rogers - Kindhearted Woman ( 4:26)
18. John Hammond - When You Got A Good Friend ( 4:40)
19. Lights Out By Nine - Feels Like Robert Johnson (Live) ( 4:10)
20. Al Hughes - Feel Like Robert Johnson (Part 2) ( 4:05)
21. John Hammond - Milkcow's Calf Blues ( 2:46)

Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937, display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given rise to much legend, including the Faustian myth that he sold his soul at a crossroads to achieve success. As an itinerant performer who played mostly on street corners, in juke joints, and at Saturday night dances, Johnson had little commercial success or public recognition in his lifetime.

Tribute To Robert Johnson

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Johnny Shines - Too Wet To Plow

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:56
Size: 109.8 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1975/2012
Art: Front

[4:22] 1. Too Wet To Plow
[3:50] 2. Travelling Back Home
[3:09] 3. Hot Tomale
[4:40] 4. Moanin' The Blues
[4:38] 5. Red Sun
[2:36] 6. Winding Mind
[4:30] 7. You Better Turn Around
[3:38] 8. The Wind Is Blowin'
[5:19] 9. Trouble's All I See
[3:46] 10. 30 Days In Jail
[5:08] 11. Pay Day Woman
[2:15] 12. Epilog

Johnny Shines was far from predictable. Though he recorded his share of inspired electric dates, he had no problem turning around and delivering a stripped-down, all-acoustic Delta blues session like Too Wet to Plow. Recorded in Edmonton, Canada in 1975 and reissued on CD by Concord Jazz's Blues Alliance label in 1996, Too Wet to Plow finds Shines in excellent form. His solid accompaniment includes harmonica player Sugar Blue and bassist Ron Rault, as well as guitarist/singer Louisiana Red (a superb bluesman who isn't nearly as well known as he should be), and Shines clearly has a strong rapport with them on "Red Sun," "Traveling Back Home," and other highly personal originals. Although Shines' own songs are dominant, one of the album's high points is an interpretation of Robert Johnson's "Hot Tamale." Highly recommended. ~Alex Henderson

Too Wet To Plow mc
Too Wet To Plow zippy

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Johnny Shines - Evening Shuffle: The Complete J.O.B. Recordings 1952-53

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 36:06
Size: 82.7 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:29] 1. Ramlin'
[2:27] 2. Fish Tail
[2:52] 3. Cool Driver
[2:32] 4. Ain't Doin' No Good
[2:26] 5. Livin' In The White House
[2:06] 6. Please Don't (Take 2)
[2:28] 7. Evening Sun (Take 3-Master)
[2:46] 8. No Name Blues
[2:51] 9. Brutal Hearted Woman
[3:25] 10. Gonna Call The Angel (Take 1-Master)
[2:33] 11. Evening Shuffle (Take 1)
[3:04] 12. Gonna Call The Angel (Rehearsal)
[2:13] 13. Evening Shuffle (Take 2)
[1:48] 14. Please Don't (Take1)

Johnny Shines sang with unsurpassed immediacy and emotion. Master of both electric and acoustic blues forms, to the best of my knowledge he never recorded any duds, but this is definitely one of his finest. Shines is firmly rooted in the Robert Johnson tradition, having "run with" Johnson for a some three years (keeping up was the biggest challenge, by his own account). Ramblin' bears more than a passing resemblance to Johnson's Walkin' Blues and Fish Tail likewise to Johnson's Terraplane. But Shines is totally his own man and here takes the Johnson tradition forward into the rough-edged world of early Chicago amplified blues, ably supported on many tracks by the equally great and equally unsung harmonica of Big Walter Horton (Evening Sun and Gonna Call the Angel being two standouts for me). This is truly classic music. ~spole/amazon

Evening Shuffle: The Complete J.O.B. Recordings 1952-53 mc
Evening Shuffle: The Complete J.O.B. Recordings 1952-53 zippy

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Various - Chicago All Stars

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 50:09
Size: 114.8 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1998/2011
Art: Front

[3:03] 1. Willie Dixon - 29 Ways
[3:41] 2. Willie Dixon - I Just Want To Make Love To You
[2:53] 3. Willie Dixon - Crazy For My Baby
[3:34] 4. Willie Dixon - My Babe
[2:57] 5. Sunnyland Slim - Every Time I Get To Drinkin'
[2:46] 6. Sunnyland Slim - Rock This House
[3:03] 7. Sunnyland Slim - Sunnyland Boogie
[3:01] 8. Sunnyland Slim - Won't Do That No More
[2:26] 9. Sunnyland Slim - It's You Baby
[2:52] 10. Sunnyland Slim - She's Got A Thing Going On
[3:14] 11. Johnny Shines - Worried Life Blues
[2:19] 12. Johnny Shines - Fat Mama
[3:35] 13. Johnny Shines - High Road Blues
[2:56] 14. Johnny Shines - Hello Central
[2:59] 15. Shakey Horton - Hard Hearted Woman
[2:07] 16. Shakey Horton - Everbodys Fishin'
[2:36] 17. Shakey Horton - Baby I Need Your Love

Chicago Blues Is Among The Most Famous Styles Of Music In The World. Chicago's Blues Scene Remains A Vibrant & Thriving Musical Destination.

Chicago Blues Continues To Be One Of The Most Popular, Well Known Musical Styles In The World. The Music Gained Popularity Largely On Chicago's South Side In The 1950s. Spearheaded By Blues Prophets & Rock Pioneers Such As Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Little Walter Jacobs, Elmore James, Magic Sam, Jimmy Reed, Otis Rush, Hubert Sumlin, Muddy Waters, And Many More . .

Chicago All Stars mc
Chicago All Stars zippy

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