Junior Parker, James Cotton, Pat Hare - Mystery Train

Album: Mystery Train
Size: 88,2 MB
Time: 37:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1990
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Junior Parker - Mystery Train (2:27)
2. Junior Parker - Love My Baby (2:37)
3. Junior Parker - Feelin' Good (2:58)
4. Junior Parker - Fussin' And Fightin' (Blues) (3:00)
5. Junior Parker - Feelin' Bad (2:45)
6. Junior Parker - Love My Baby (Alt. Take) (2:30)
7. Junior Parker - Sittin' Drinkin' And Thinkin' (3:14)
8. Junior Parker - Sittin' At The Bar (2:37)
9. Junior Parker - Sittin' At My Window (Please Baby Blues) (2:04)
10. James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues (3:02)
11. James Cotton - Hold Me In Your Arms (2:49)
12. James Cotton - My Baby (2:24)
13. Pat Hare - Bonus Pay (2:12)
14. Pat Hare - I'm Gonna Murder My Baby (Cheatin' And Lyin' Blues) (3:04)

This excellent little compilation features at least one extant take of everything Junior and his original band, the Blue Flames, recorded at Sun Records between 1952 to 1954. His debut single for the label and his first hit, the classic "Feelin' Good" is aboard as well as the equally fine (but originally unissued) "Feelin' Bad." His leanings toward smoother Roy Brown stylings are evident with tracks like "Fussing and Fighting Blues" and "Sitting and Thinking," but the follow-up to his first Sun single, the original version of "Mystery Train" and two takes of the flip side, "Love My Baby," are the must-hears on this collection.

Fleshing out Parker's meager output for Sun are essential early tracks from James Cotton. Cotton doesn't blow harp on any of these, but the sax-dominated "My Baby," and especially "Cotton Crop Blues" and "Hold Me in Your Arms" with Pat Hare on super distorted blistering guitar are Memphis-'50s blues at its apex. Hare himself also rounds out the compilation with two tracks, the prophetic "I'm Gonna Murder My Baby" (Hare did exactly that and spent the rest of his life behind bars as a result) and the previously unissued "Bonus Pay." Don't let the short running time of this CD stop you from picking this one up; the music is beyond excellent. /Cub Koda, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Mystery Train mc
Mystery Train gofile

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Little Jr. Parker - Blues Man

Album: Blues Man
Size: 67,6 MB
Time: 29:09
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1969
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

1. Worried Life Blues (3:06)
2. Let The Good Times Roll (2:43)
3. Every Night And Every Day (2:35)
4. Drivin' Wheel (2:55)
5. I Just Got To Know (2:48)
6. Next Time You See Me (2:37)
7. Getaway Blues (3:51)
8. How Long Can This Go On (2:37)
9. In The Dark (2:58)
10. I Found A Good Thing (2:54)

His velvet-smooth vocal delivery to the contrary, Junior Parker was a product of the fertile postwar Memphis blues circuit whose wonderfully understated harp style was personally mentored by none other than regional icon Sonny Boy Williamson.

Herman Parker, Jr. only traveled in the best blues circles from the outset. He learned his initial licks from Williamson and gigged with the mighty Howlin' Wolf while still in his teens. Like so many young blues artists, Little Junior (as he was known then) got his first recording opportunity from talent scout Ike Turner, who brought him to Modern Records for his debut session as a leader in 1952. It produced the lone single "You're My Angel," with Turner pounding the 88s and Matt Murphy deftly handling guitar duties.

Parker and his band, the Blue Flames (including Floyd Murphy, Matt's brother, on guitar), landed at Sun Records in 1953 and promptly scored a hit with their rollicking "Feelin' Good" (something of a Memphis response to John Lee Hooker's primitive boogies). Later that year, Little Junior cut a fiery "Love My Baby" and a laid-back "Mystery Train" for Sun, thus contributing a pair of future rockabilly standards to the Sun publishing coffers (Hayden Thompson revived the former, Elvis Presley the latter).

Before 1953 was through, the polished Junior Parker had moved on to Don Robey's Duke imprint in Houston. It took a while for the harpist to regain his hitmaking momentum, but he scored big in 1957 with the smooth "Next Time You See Me," an accessible enough number to even garner some pop spins.

Criss-crossing the country as headliner with the Blues Consolidated package (his support act was labelmate Bobby Bland), Parker developed a breathtaking brass-powered sound (usually the work of trumpeter/Duke-house-bandleader Joe Scott) that pushed his honeyed vocals and intermittent harp solos with exceptional power. Parker's updated remake of Roosevelt Sykes's "Driving Wheel" was a huge R&B hit in 1961, as was the surging "In the Dark" (the R&B dance workout "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo" followed suit the next year).

Parker was exceptionally versatile - whether delivering "Mother-in-Law Blues" and "Sweet Home Chicago" in faithful down-home fashion, courting the teenage market with "Barefoot Rock," or tastefully howling Harold Burrage's "Crying for My Baby" (another hit for him in 1965) in front of a punchy horn section, Parker was the consummate modern blues artist, with one foot planted in Southern blues and the other in uptown R&B.

Once Parker split from Robey's employ in 1966, though, his hitmaking fortunes declined. His 1966-1968 output for Mercury and its Blue Rock subsidiary deserved a better reception than it got, but toward the end, he was covering the Beatles ("Taxman" and "Lady Madonna," for God's sake!) for Capitol. A brain tumor tragically silenced Junior Parker's magic-carpet voice in late 1971 before he reached his 40th birthday. In 2001, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. /Biography by Bill Dahl, AllMusic

Blues Man mc
Blues Man zippy

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Junior Parker - Junior's Blues: The Duke Recordings Volume 1

Album: Junior's Blues: The Duke Recordings Vol. 1
Size: 109,5 MB
Time: 46:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1992
Styles: Blues/R&B
Art: Front, tray

1. I Wanna Ramble (2:52)
2. Mother-In-Law Blues (2:33)
3. Next Time You See Me (2:38)
4. That's All Right (2:57)
5. Sitting And Thinking (2:41)
6. Sweet Home Chicago (2:33)
7. Sometimes (2:25)
8. Stand By Me (2:35)
9. Driving Wheel (2:38)
10. Seven Days (2:24)
11. In The Dark (2:38)
12. Someone Somewhere (2:49)
13. It's A Pity (2:51)
14. Yonder's Wall (2:18)
15. Strange Things Happening (2:55)
16. The Things I Used To Do (2:27)
17. Jivin' Woman (1:59)
18. Cryin' For My Baby (2:29)

After the non-success of "Mystery Train" on the R&B charts, Parker jumped contract and signed with Don Robey's Houston-based Duke Records. With his smooth vocal approach, Parker clearly envisioned himself as the next Roy or Charles Brown. But from the evidence of these early sides, it's clear that Robey wanted to piggyback off the success of the Sun sound. Tracks like "I Wanna Ramble" were virtual carbon copies of the "Feelin' Good" riff and Parker's recasting of old favorites like Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago," Roosevelt Sykes's "Driving Wheel," "Yonder's Wall" and "Mother-In-Law Blues," were all clearly in the down-home vein that Parker felt was too "old timey" for an up-to-date musician/vocalist of his caliber.

His first big hit for the label, the horn-driven "Next Time You See Me" is here with others in the same vein, but this otherwise excellent collection is curiously missing "Pretty Baby," Parker's version of Howlin' Wolf's "Riding in the Moonlight," certainly one of his best. /Cub Koda, AllMusic

Junior's Blues: The Duke Recordings Vol. 1 mc
Junior's Blues: The Duke Recordings Vol. 1 gofile

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Junior Parker - Backtracking: The Duke Recordings Volume 2

Album: Backtracking: The Duke Recordings Vol. 2
Size: 123,6 MB
Time: 53:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998
Styles: Blues/R&B
Art: Front, back

1. Please Baby Blues (2:44)
2. Dirty Friend Blues (3:04)
3. Can't Understand (2:54)
4. Backtracking (2:41)
5. Driving Me Mad (2:54)
6. Pretty Baby (3:03)
7. Wondering (2:29)
8. Barefoot Rock (2:44)
9. I'm Holding On (2:35)
10. Stranded (2:45)
11. Dangerous Woman (2:23)
12. You're On My Mind (2:08)
13. I'll Forget About You (2:19)
14. How Long Can This Go On (2:16)
15. I Feel Alright Again (2:36)
16. I Need Love So Bad (2:38)
17. Annie Get Your Yo-Yo (2:27)
18. These Kind Of Blues, Part 1 (3:16)
19. Get Away Blues (3:09)
20. Man Or Mouse (2:07)

This second volume of Parker's best for the Duke label, while leaving off early classics like "I Wanna Ramble," still delivers on a pile of great early and late tunes for the Houston-based label. Kicking off with the jump blues "Please Baby Blues" and the Howlin' Wolf-like "Can't Understand" from a 1953 session, the early sides vacillate between small rhythm sections with Pat Hare on guitar, to larger ensembles pointing toward Parker's musical future. The early sides reach their peak with the inclusion of "Pretty Baby," recorded in 1956, and Parker's version of Wolf's first single "Riding in the Moonlight."

But in two years' time, Junior is recording more R&B-style material like "Barefoot Rock," "You're On My Mind," and culminating in "Annie Get Your YoYo" in 1961. "Get Away Blues" from 1965 and "Man or Mouse" from the following year complete the package. As always, Parker's smooth-as-silk voice and Sonny Boy-derived harp playing carry the day, making a strong case for him as a major mover and shaker on the blues scene during this period. /Cub Koda, AllMusic

Backtracking: The Duke Recordings Vol. 2 mc
Backtracking: The Duke Recordings Vol. 2 gofile

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Junior Parker - You Don't Have To Be Black To Love The Blues

Size: 77,3 MB
Time: 32:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1971/2007
Styles: Memphis Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Full

01. Five Years Long (3:02)
02. Tin Pan Alley (3:40)
03. Blue Shadows Falling (4:11)
04. That's Alright (3:10)
05. Way Back Home (4:00)
06. I Need Love So Bad (3:17)
07. Look On Yonders Wall (2:57)
08. Man Or Mouse (2:54)
09. Sweet Home Chicago (2:13)
10. I Like Your Style (3:12)

His velvet-smooth vocal delivery to the contrary, Junior Parker was a product of the fertile postwar Memphis blues circuit whose wonderfully understated harp style was personally mentored by none other than regional icon Sonny Boy Williamson.

Herman Parker, Jr. only traveled in the best blues circles from the outset. He learned his initial licks from Williamson and gigged with the mighty Howlin' Wolf while still in his teens. Like so many young blues artists, Little Junior (as he was known then) got his first recording opportunity from talent scout Ike Turner, who brought him to Modern Records for his debut session as a leader in 1952. It produced the lone single "You're My Angel," with Turner pounding the 88s and Matt Murphy deftly handling guitar duties.

Parker and his band, the Blue Flames (including Floyd Murphy, Matt's brother, on guitar), landed at Sun Records in 1953 and promptly scored a hit with their rollicking "Feelin' Good" (something of a Memphis response to John Lee Hooker's primitive boogies). Later that year, Little Junior cut a fiery "Love My Baby" and a laid-back "Mystery Train" for Sun, thus contributing a pair of future rockabilly standards to the Sun publishing coffers (Hayden Thompson revived the former, Elvis Presley the latter).

Before 1953 was through, the polished Junior Parker had moved on to Don Robey's Duke imprint in Houston. It took a while for the harpist to regain his hitmaking momentum, but he scored big in 1957 with the smooth "Next Time You See Me," an accessible enough number to even garner some pop spins.

Criss-crossing the country as headliner with the Blues Consolidated package (his support act was labelmate Bobby Bland), Parker developed a breathtaking brass-powered sound (usually the work of trumpeter/Duke-house-bandleader Joe Scott) that pushed his honeyed vocals and intermittent harp solos with exceptional power. Parker's updated remake of Roosevelt Sykes's "Driving Wheel" was a huge R&B hit in 1961, as was the surging "In the Dark" (the R&B dance workout "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo" followed suit the next year).

Parker was exceptionally versatile -- whether delivering "Mother-in-Law Blues" and "Sweet Home Chicago" in faithful down-home fashion, courting the teenage market with "Barefoot Rock," or tastefully howling Harold Burrage's "Crying for My Baby" (another hit for him in 1965) in front of a punchy horn section, Parker was the consummate modern blues artist, with one foot planted in Southern blues and the other in uptown R&B.

Once Parker split from Robey's employ in 1966, though, his hitmaking fortunes declined. His 1966-1968 output for Mercury and its Blue Rock subsidiary deserved a better reception than it got, but toward the end, he was covering the Beatles ("Taxman" and "Lady Madonna," for God's sake!) for Capitol. A brain tumor tragically silenced Junior Parker's magic-carpet voice in late 1971 before he reached his 40th birthday. In 2001, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. ~Bill Dahl

You Don't Have To Be Black To Love The Blues

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Little Junior Parker - Driving Wheel (Expanded)

Size: 118,6 MB
Time: 51:18
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1962/2012
Styles: Electric Blues, R&B, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. Driving Wheel (2:35)
02. I Need Love So Bad (2:36)
03. Foxy Devil (2:29)
04. Someone Broke This Heart Of Mine (2:18)
05. How Long Can This Go On (2:17)
06. Yonder's Wall (2:27)
07. Annie Get Your Yo-Yo (2:28)
08. Tin Pan Alley (2:29)
09. Someone Somewhere (2:51)
10. Seven Days (2:24)
11. The Table Have Turned (2:23)
12. Sweet Talking Woman (2:06)
13. Sweet Home Chicago (2:32)
14. Five Long Years (2:28)
15. Next Time You See Me (2:42)
16. In The Dark (2:40)
17. Barefoot Rock (2:45)
18. Wondering (2:30)
19. Strange Thing Happening (2:57)
20. These Kid Of Blues (3:11)

Junior's emerging from his fin-tailed Cadillac on the front of this vintage LP, which contains all kinds of gems not on MCA's CD. For example: an irresistibly upbeat "How Long Can This Go On," the richly arranged blues ballads "I Need Love So Bad" and "Someone Somewhere," Junior's dance hit "Annie Get Your Yo Yo" (all done with Duke's brassy house band), and the New Orleans-cut "The Tables Have Turned" and "Foxy Devil." ~by Bill Dahl

Driving Wheel

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Various Artists - Original Memphis Blues Brothers

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2000
Styles: R&B
Time: 73:54
Size: 171,1 MB
Covers: Full

(2:24) 1. Bobby Bland - Good Lovin'
(3:02) 2. Bobby Bland - Drifting from Town to Town
(2:00) 3. Bobby Bland - Dry Up Baby
(3:03) 4. Bobby Bland - Crying All Night Long
(3:00) 5. Bobby Bland & Little Junior Parker - Love Me Baby
(3:01) 6. Bad Women, Bad Whiskey
(1:57) 7. Little Junior Parker - You're My Angel
(2:09) 8. Little Junior Parker - She Calls Me Daddy
(2:54) 9. Earl Forest - I Wronged a Woman
(2:29) 10. Earl Forest - I Can't Forget You
(2:42) 11. Earl Forest - Sad and Lonely
(2:12) 12. Earl Forest - Rumpus Romp
(3:00) 13. Earl Forest - Trouble and Me
(4:25) 14. Earl Forest - I Cried
(3:32) 15. Johnny Ace - Midnight Hours Journey
(3:21) 16. B.B. King - B.B. Boogie
(2:50) 17. B.B. King - Mistreated Woman
(2:52) 18. B.B. King - The Other Night Blues
(2:56) 19. B.B. King - Walkin' and Cryin'
(2:21) 20. Ike Turner - You're Driving Me Insane
(2:33) 21. Ike Turner - Trouble and Heartaches
(2:19) 22. Rosco Gordon - That Gal of Mine
(3:19) 23. Rosco Gordon - So Tired
(3:07) 24. Rosco Gordon - Run to Me Baby
(3:06) 25. Rosco Gordon - She Rocks Me
(3:09) 26. Rosco Gordon - Don't Have to Worry 'Bout You No More

This originally came out as a 1989 LP on Ace; look, however, for the expanded 2000 Ace CD, as it increases the number of tracks from 15 to 26 with the addition of material by B.B. King, Ike Turner, and Rosco Gordon. All of the songs were recorded in Memphis in the early '50s by the Bihari Brothers, and much of it was released on 45s on their Modern, RPM, and Meteor labels, though some of it wasn't issued for decades. This was two or three years before the ascendance of Memphis rockabilly, and blues/R&B crossover ruled the roost in the city. The CD is thus a rough snapshot of local electric blues just as it began to be recorded more often, with some of the earliest sides by Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, Johnny Ace, and the aforementioned King, Turner, and Gordon, as well as the nearly unknown Earl Forest. In comparison to the somewhat more famous early Memphis electric blues released in the early to mid-'50s on Sun, this is a little more sluggish, and more tilted toward barroom piano styles. The songwriting, too, is not as sharp and electric as the best Sun stuff. All that taken into consideration, this is still a noteworthy supplement to those Sun recordings, as a document of the sound of Memphis electric blues -- and, by extension, rock & roll -- in its infancy. The band plays some serious havoc with timekeeping on Parker's chaotic "You're My Angel," which sounds like a drunken after-hours jam; Bland is well on his way to establishing his foggy urban blues delivery on his two singles. Forest is a typical but unremarkable period bluesman; Ace is represented by just one performance, the 1953 ballad "Midnight Hours Journey"; and Turner turns in relatively rare (and competent) vocal performances on his 1952 single. B.B. King's catalog from this period is actually pretty well represented by reissues, so collectors will be interested to note that the four numbers here are alternate takes of his first two 78 singles for RPM, from 1950. -- Allmusic.

Original Memphis Blues Brothers
Original Memphis Blues Brothers artwork

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Little Junior Parker - Next Time You See Me And All The Hits: The Complete Singles 1952-1962

Size: 163,6+138,9 MB
Time: 69:01+58:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Blues/R&B/Soul
Label: Jasmine Records
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Bad Women, Bad Whiskey (2:57)
02. You're My Angel (1:54)
03. Fussin' And Fightin' Blues (2:57)
04. Feelin' Good (2:55)
05. Mystery Train (2:23)
06. Love My Baby (2:34)
07. Can't Understand (2:52)
08. Dirty Friend Blues (3:00)
09. Sittin' Drinkin' And Thinkin' (2:56)
10. Please Baby Blues (2:43)
11. I Wanna Ramble (2:48)
12. Backtracking (2:37)
13. There Better Not Be No Feet (In Them Shoes) (2:29)
14. Driving Me Mad (2:50)
15. Mother In Law Blues (2:29)
16. That's My Baby (2:26)
17. My Dolly Bee (2:35)
18. Next Time You See Me (2:36)
19. Pretty Baby (3:02)
20. That's Allright (2:57)
21. Pretty Little Doll (2:29)
22. Peaches (2:29)
23. Sitting And Thinking (2:39)
24. Wondering (2:24)
25. What Did I Do (2:06)
26. Barefoot Rock (2:39)

CD 2:
01. Sweet Home Chicago (2:31)
02. Sometimes (2:24)
03. Five Long Years (2:26)
04. I'm Holding On (2:34)
05. Stranded (2:44)
06. Blue Letter (2:08)
07. Belinda Marie (2:18)
08. Dangerous Woman (2:22)
09. The Next Time (2:29)
10. You're On My Mind (2:07)
11. That's Just Alright (2:34)
12. I'll Learn To Love Again (2:12)
13. I'll Forget About You (2:17)
14. Stand By Me (2:32)
15. Driving Well (2:38)
16. Seven Days (2:22)
17. In The Dark (2:37)
18. How Long Can This Go On (2:12)
19. Mary Jo (2:24)
20. Annie Get Your Yo Yo (2:23)
21. Sweeter As The Days Go By (2:20)
22. I Feel Alright Again (2:34)
23. Foxy Devil (2:20)
24. Someone Somewhere (2:46)

During the 1950s and early 1960s as the blues entered its period of major transition, a handful of performers retained their popularity with their core audience and continued to be huge concert and club attractions. The most important of these artists were B.B.King, Bobby 'Blue' Bland, Little Milton and the subject of this CD, Little Junior Parker. This 2CD set from Jasmine features the A and B side of every single he released up to 1962 and includes the hits "Nest Time You See Me", "Annie Get Your Yo Yo" and "Driving Wheel". Also included is his original version of "Mystery Train" which was later revised by Elvis Presley. As well as being one of the great blues vocalist he was also a significant harmonica player too. Fans of James Cotton. Little Walter or Lazy Lester can't fail enjoy these classics.

Next Time You See Me And All The Hits CD 1
Next Time You See Me And All The Hits CD 2

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Junior Parker - Next Time You See Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:19
Size: 106.0 MB
Styles: Memphis blues, Soul-blues
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[2:24] 1. Mystery Train
[2:34] 2. Love My Baby
[2:55] 3. Feelin' Good
[2:57] 4. Fussin' And Fightin' (Blues)
[2:42] 5. Feelin' Bad
[2:27] 6. Love My Baby
[3:11] 7. Sittin' Drinkin' And Thinkin'
[2:34] 8. Sittin' At The Bar
[2:01] 9. Sittin' At My Window (Please Baby Blues)
[2:33] 10. I Need Love So Bad
[2:14] 11. Someone Broke This Heart Of Mine
[2:15] 12. Yonders Wall
[2:25] 13. Tin Pan Alley
[2:21] 14. Seven Days
[2:28] 15. Sweet Home Chicago
[2:23] 16. Five Long Years
[2:37] 17. Next Time You See Me
[3:09] 18. These Kind Of Blues, Pt. 1

Junior Parker has had quite the career, perfecting his harmonica playing at the feet of Sonny Boy Williamson and impressing crowds around his Memphis home with his smooth blues vocals, including a talent-scouting Ike Turner, who brought the artist to Modern Records to record his debut single in 1952. The following year, Parker and his backing Blue Flames were ensconced at Sun, cutting the driving "Feelin' Good" single, which boogied straight to Number Five in the R&B chart, as well as the loose-limbed "Love My Baby" and simmering "Mystery Train," the latter later covered by Elvis Presley. But even with this success, Parker decamped to Duke before the year was out. However, it would take four more years before he reentered the charts, beginning with the sweet, swinging jazz of the title track, followed by 1958's urgent R&B ode to "Sweet Home Chicago," and finishing out the decade with the blues spectacular "Five Long Years." These three hits were all recorded earlier in the decade, along with all the tracks on this set, spanning the period from June 1953 through a batch believed to have been cut in 1955. Unusually for the compilers at Arkama, who tend to be sticklers for detail, the tracks are not chronological nor are personnel details supplied for half the numbers. Regardless, the music speaks for itself, although fans of Parker's harmonica playing will be disappointed that his mouth organ is featured so sparsely within -- still, his wonderfully understated playing is highlighted across "Five Long Years" and "These Kind of Blues." The versatile Parker may have been tagged as a blues artist, but he's equally at home across the R&B spectrum, from the big band-laced version of Elmore James' "Yonder's Wall" to the Western-flared, rockabilly-spiced "Seven Days." Inevitably, though, Parker shines brightest when mired in the blues, his smooth vocals slurring with depression when he's "Feelin' Bad" and just "Sittin' Drinkin' and Thinkin'," or pulsing with emotion upon discovering "Someone Broke This Heart of Mine." It was Parker's easy adaptability to styles and arrangements that ensured his longevity, for the hits kept coming right up to his premature death in 1971. This set, featuring his early work, is where it all began. ~Jo-Ann Greene

Next Time You See Me mc
Next Time You See Me zippy

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'Little' Junior Parker - The Singles Of Little Junior Parker Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Album: The Singles Of Little Junior Parker Vol. 1: I'm Holding On
Size: 161,7 MB
Time: 68:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Blues, R&B, Soul
Art: Front

01. Dangerous Woman (2:18)
02. Belinda Marie (2:15)
03. You're On My Mind (2:04)
04. The Next Time (2:28)
05. That's Just Alright (2:31)
06. I'll Learn To Love Again (2:13)
07. Stand By Me (2:32)
08. I'll Forget About You (2:14)
09. Driving Wheel (2:35)
10. Seven Days (2:21)
11. How Long Can This Go On (2:12)
12. In The Dark (2:37)
13. Mary Jo (2:24)
14. Annie Get Your Yo-Yo (2:23)
15. Stranded (2:41)
16. Blue Letter (2:08)
17. Five Long Years (2:24)
18. I'm Holding On (2:30)
19. Sweet Home Chicago (2:30)
20. Sometimes (2:23)
21. What Did I Do (2:06)
22. Barefoot Rock (2:39)
23. Sitting And Thinking (2:39)
24. Wondering (2:24)
25. Pretty Little Doll (2:29)
26. Peaches (2:29)
27. Pretty Baby (1956) (2:58)
28. That's Alright (2:54)

His velvet-smooth vocal delivery to the contrary, Junior Parker was a product of the fertile postwar Memphis blues circuit whose wonderfully understated harp style was personally mentored by none other than regional icon Sonny Boy Williamson.

Herman Parker, Jr. only traveled in the best blues circles from the outset. He learned his initial licks from Williamson and gigged with the mighty Howlin' Wolf while still in his teens. Like so many young blues artists, Little Junior (as he was known then) got his first recording opportunity from talent scout Ike Turner, who brought him to Modern Records for his debut session as a leader in 1952. It produced the lone single "You're My Angel," with Turner pounding the 88s and Matt Murphy deftly handling guitar duties.

Parker and his band, the Blue Flames (including Floyd Murphy, Matt's brother, on guitar), landed at Sun Records in 1953 and promptly scored a hit with their rollicking "Feelin' Good" (something of a Memphis response to John Lee Hooker's primitive boogies). Later that year, Little Junior cut a fiery "Love My Baby" and a laid-back "Mystery Train" for Sun, thus contributing a pair of future rockabilly standards to the Sun publishing coffers (Hayden Thompson revived the former, Elvis Presley the latter).

Before 1953 was through, the polished Junior Parker had moved on to Don Robey's Duke imprint in Houston. It took a while for the harpist to regain his hitmaking momentum, but he scored big in 1957 with the smooth "Next Time You See Me," an accessible enough number to even garner some pop spins.

Criss-crossing the country as headliner with the Blues Consolidated package (his support act was labelmate Bobby Bland), Parker developed a breathtaking brass-powered sound (usually the work of trumpeter/Duke-house-bandleader Joe Scott) that pushed his honeyed vocals and intermittent harp solos with exceptional power. Parker's updated remake of Roosevelt Sykes's "Driving Wheel" was a huge R&B hit in 1961, as was the surging "In the Dark" (the R&B dance workout "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo" followed suit the next year).

Parker was exceptionally versatile -- whether delivering "Mother-in-Law Blues" and "Sweet Home Chicago" in faithful down-home fashion, courting the teenage market with "Barefoot Rock," or tastefully howling Harold Burrage's "Crying for My Baby" (another hit for him in 1965) in front of a punchy horn section, Parker was the consummate modern blues artist, with one foot planted in Southern blues and the other in uptown R&B.

Once Parker split from Robey's employ in 1966, though, his hitmaking fortunes declined. His 1966-1968 output for Mercury and its Blue Rock subsidiary deserved a better reception than it got, but toward the end, he was covering the Beatles ("Taxman" and "Lady Madonna," for God's sake!) for Capitol. A brain tumor tragically silenced Junior Parker's magic-carpet voice in late 1971 before he reached his 40th birthday. In 2001, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. ~by Bill Dahl

The Singles Of Little Junior Parker Vol. 1

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Album: The Singles Of Little Junior Parker Vol. 2: : You're My Angel
Size: 169,0 MB
Time: 71:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Blues, R&B, Soul
Art: Front

01. Sittin' At The Window (1:59)
02. Sittin', Drinkin' And Thinkin' (1954 Sun) (3:07)
03. Love My Baby, Pt. 1 (2:26)
04. Backtracking (2:35)
05. I Wanna Ramble (2:48)
06. Can You Tell Me, Baby (2:51)
07. Driving Me Mad (2:49)
08. There Better Be No Feet (In Them Shoes) (2:31)
09. I'm Tender (2:43)
10. Pretty Baby (2:32)
11. Mother-In-Law Blues (2:29)
12. That's My Baby (2:26)
13. My Dolly Bee (2:32)
14. Next Time You See Me (2:35)
15. Sittin' At The Bar (2:32)
16. Sittin', Drinkin' And Thinkin' (1953 Duke) (2:56)
17. Please Baby Blues (2:39)
18. Can't Understand (2:50)
19. Dirty Friend Blues (3:01)
20. Feelin' Bad (2:40)
21. Mystery Train (2:20)
22. Love My Baby, Pt. 2 (2:34)
23. Fussin' And Fightin' Blues (2:57)
24. Feelin' Good (2:55)
25. Love My Baby, Pt. 3 (2:57)
26. Bad Women, Bad Whiskey (2:57)
27. You're My Angel (1:54)

The Singles Of Little Junior Parker Vol. 2

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Various - Sun Blues Archive

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:15
Size: 119.6 MB
Styles: Assorted blues styles
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:47] 1. Rufus Thomas - Tiger Man
[3:09] 2. Howlin' Wolf - Decoration Day
[2:57] 3. James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues
[2:22] 4. Little Junior Parker - Mystery Train
[2:30] 5. Albert Williams - Rhumba Chillen
[2:56] 6. Pinetop Perkins - Pinetop's Boogie
[2:29] 7. Mose Vinson - Forty Four Blues
[2:57] 8. Walter Horton - Grandma Told Grandpa
[2:44] 9. Earl Hooker - Blue Guitar
[2:45] 10. Willie Nix - Baker Shop Boogie
[3:12] 11. Sleepy John Estes - Policy Man
[2:31] 12. Little Milton - Next Time I See You Baby
[3:18] 13. Kenneth Banks - Blue Man
[2:41] 14. Joe Hill Louis - Gotta Go Baby (Gotta Let You Go)
[2:58] 15. Jimmy And Walter - Before Long
[3:02] 16. Harmonica Frank - Rockin Chair Blues
[1:56] 17. Frank Frost - Crawl Back
[2:21] 18. Billy The Kid Emerson - Feel So Good
[2:31] 19. Dr. Ross - Juke Box Boogie

The Sun Sound began when Sam Phillips launched his record company in February of 1952. He named it Sun Records as a sign of his perpetual optimism: a new day and a new beginning. Sam rented a small space at 706 Union Avenue for his own all-purpose studio. The label was launched amid a growing number of independent labels. In a short while Sun gained the reputation throughout Memphis as a label that treated local artists with respect and honesty. Sam provided a non-critical, spontaneous environment that invited creativity and vision.

As a businessman, Phillips was patient and willing to listen to almost anyone who came in off the street to record. Memphis was a happy home to a diverse musical scene: gospel, blues, hillbilly, country, boogie, and western swing. Taking advantage of this range of talent, there were no style limitations at the label. In one form or another Sun recorded them all. Sam Phillips was responsible for some of the most legendary and influential rock 'n' roll recordings of all time, but blues was his first and greatest love, and so the Sun Records vaults are full of seminal blues sides from which this collection draws quite the bounty!

Sun Blues Archive

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Various - Sun Record Company: Essential Blues Anthems

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 45:40
Size: 104.6 MB
Styles: Memphis blues, Chicago blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:22] 1. Howlin' Wolf - I Got A Woman
[3:10] 2. Pat Hare - I'm Gonna Murder My Baby
[2:57] 3. Honeyboy Edwards - Sweet Home Chicago
[2:30] 4. Little Milton - Next Time I See You
[2:57] 5. Walter Horton - Grandma Told Grandpa
[2:24] 6. Little Junior Parker - Mystery Train
[2:30] 7. Albert Williams - Rhumba Chillen
[2:58] 8. Big Memphis Ma Rainey - Call Me Anything But Call Me
[2:57] 9. James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues
[1:56] 10. Frank Frost - Crawl Back
[2:34] 11. Coy Love - Harmonica Jam
[2:41] 12. Joe Hill Louis - Gotta Go Baby (Gotta Let You Go)
[2:29] 13. Roscoe Gordon - T-Model Boogie
[2:44] 14. Earl Hooker - Blue Guitar
[2:10] 15. Billy The Kid Emerson - If Lovin Is Believin
[2:44] 16. Willie Nix - Seems Like A Million Years
[2:31] 17. Houston Boines - Carry My Business On

A nice blues compilation by Sun Records.

The Sun Sound began when Sam Phillips launched his record company in February of 1952. He named it Sun Records as a sign of his perpetual optimism: a new day and a new beginning. Sam rented a small space at 706 Union Avenue for his own all-purpose studio. The label was launched amid a growing number of independent labels. In a short while Sun gained the reputation throughout Memphis as a label that treated local artists with respect and honesty. Sam provided a non-critical, spontaneous environment that invited creativity and vision.

As a businessman, Phillips was patient and willing to listen to almost anyone who came in off the street to record. Memphis was a happy home to a diverse musical scene: gospel, blues, hillbilly, country, boogie, and western swing. Taking advantage of this range of talent, there were no style limitations at the label. In one form or another Sun recorded them all.

Sun Record Company: Essential Blues Anthems mc
Sun Record Company: Essential Blues Anthems zippy

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Various - Sun Record Company: Jump Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:28
Size: 117.8 MB
Styles: Jump blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:56] 1. Pinetop Perkins - Pinetop's Boogie
[2:49] 2. Rosco Gordon - Do The Chicken Dance With You
[2:17] 3. Chuck Foster - Josephine
[2:14] 4. Frank Frost - Jack's Jump
[2:28] 5. Little Junior Parker - Mystery Train
[3:04] 6. Rosco Gordon - I Found A New Love
[2:32] 7. Barbara Pittman - Sentimental Fool
[2:41] 8. Wilbert Harrison - Say It Again
[3:03] 9. Chuck Foster - Cimarron Roll On
[2:21] 10. Billy The Kid Emerson - Feel So Good
[1:57] 11. Big Lucky Carger - Gonna Break That Lock
[2:45] 12. Willie Nix - Baker Shop Boogie
[2:40] 13. Billy Love - Hart's Bread Boogie
[2:36] 14. Eddie Snow - Ain't That Right
[2:31] 15. Houston Boines - Carry My Business On
[2:19] 16. James Cotton - Straighten Up Baby
[3:10] 17. Eddie Snow - Bring Your Love Back Home To Me
[2:11] 18. Bill Justis - Flip, Flop And Bop
[2:07] 19. Pat Hare - Bonus Pay
[2:38] 20. Rosco Gordon - Let's Get High

JUMP. . . Yeah, Jump... it usually consisted of a combination of 5 to 10 instruments - Upright String Bass, Drums, Guitar, Piano, sometimes Horns and of course, a Dynamic Vocalist! These instruments were essential in building the foundation of Jump Blues music, and were used to define the form and feel of the music that we know today as "JUMP".

Who could forget the power and feeling of "Big Joe" Turner, Louis Jordan, Wynonie Harris, Roy Brown, T-Bone Walker and B.B. King. It was a happening' thang. JUMP had it all - it was (and is) able to blend many different musical styles, colors & textures. It is a canvas upon which one is able to paint clear and pure, color with tone. Many, were the times that the great artists from the orchestras of Count Basie and Duke Ellington would sit in on these small combo settings during recording sessions. Surely this was due to their love for the simplicity, purity and clarity of the Jump sound. One artist that was a part of that era is tenor sax player "Big Jay" McNeely, blowing on such songs as "Ain't No Rockin No More" and the bluesy, smokey, "If the Phone Don't Ring". The feeling is still alive, you just can't kill JUMP.

Rockabilly, a mix of Country and Swing, is actually just another variant of Jump. Many of the early 1950's Elvis recordings were a great example of this style. Back then, Tulsa was Jumping' with Bob Wills & his "Texas Playboys" a blend of Swing and Country. This variation used many of the same basic tempos and rythyms that were the basic tenents of jump music. Using the Upright String Bass, Drums, Piano, the Lap Steel Guitar, along with a strong dynamic vocalist, they built just as much a following as the Jump Blues artists did in the rest of the country.

The tradition continues through the artists and instruments of today. Like all art, you can take the original beauty of the form, borrow from it, respect, play, and continue to evolve it, using today's technology to create new variations while still maintaining that great feeling called Jump Blues.

Sun Record Company: Jump Blues mc
Sun Record Company: Jump Blues zippy

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Various - Sun Record Company: Blues Boy

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 40:27
Size: 92.6 MB
Styles: Assorted blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:10] 1. Pat Hare - I'm Gonna Murder My Baby
[2:56] 2. Howlin' Wolf - Wolf Is At Your Door
[2:41] 3. Willie Nix - Prison Bound Blues
[3:01] 4. James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues
[2:35] 5. Little Milton - If You Love Me
[2:44] 6. Joe Hill Louis - Boogie In The Park
[2:49] 7. Rufus Thomas - Bear Cat
[2:23] 8. Little Junior Parker - Mystery Train
[2:57] 9. Walter Horton - Grandma Told Grandpa
[2:51] 10. Billy Love - Way After Midnight
[2:15] 11. Walter Bradford - Love For My Baby
[2:10] 12. Billy The Kid Emerson - If Lovin Is Believin
[2:40] 13. Raymond Hill - I'm Back Pretty Baby
[2:33] 14. Coy Love - Harmonica Jam
[2:34] 15. D. A. Hunt - Greyhound Blues

Sun was one of, if not the greatest direct contributor to the transformation of Blues sound and soul into what would ultimately become Rock and Roll as we know it today. Thanks to the unique ear and attention to music that Sam Phillips had, artists like Elvis and Cash and Lewis, whose biggest influences were early Delta and southern Blues musicians, were given a chance to make their own contributions and interpretations to music, ultimately further widening and enriching the American sound!

Inherent in the music of Sun is a vibrancy that survives to this day. Sincere, passionate music. Music that has stood the test of time. It is music that has reached across race, age and gender boundaries. It reflects the diversity and vision of the talent that recorded on the Sun label, and indeed, American popular culture itself.

Sun Record Company: Blues Boy

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Various - Sun Record Company: The Rhythm & The Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 55:44
Size: 127.6 MB
Styles: R&B, Memphis blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Alvin Robinson - Let The Good Times Roll
[2:30] 2. Carl Mann - Walking The Dog
[2:44] 3. Wilbert Harrison - Let's Stick Together
[2:15] 4. Bettye Lavette - Piece Of My Heart (Take Another Little)
[3:55] 5. Johnny Adams - Reconsider Me
[2:34] 6. Frank Ballard - Boney Maroney
[2:22] 7. Little Junior Parker - Mystery Train
[3:55] 8. Sleepy Labeef - Polk Salad Annie
[2:23] 9. Jerry Lee Lewis - C. C. Rider
[3:03] 10. Rosco Gordon - Booted
[2:23] 11. Carl Mann - Ain't Got No Home
[3:00] 12. Georgie Boy - If I Can Dream
[2:47] 13. Rufus Thomas - Tiger Man
[2:35] 14. Big John Hamilton - Big Bad John (They Call Me)
[2:01] 15. Ray Smith - There's A Break In The Road
[2:52] 16. Betty Harris - There's A Break In The Road
[2:20] 17. Miller Sisters - Ten Cat's Down
[3:08] 18. Earl Hooker - The Hucklebuck
[3:01] 19. Gabie Reed - I'm Your Man
[3:07] 20. Boyd Gilmore - Believe I'll Settle Down

Sun Records burst onto the post-World War II American scene suddenly, a force that few would forget. At the helm was Sam Phillips, an eccentric radio engineer willing to put black and white sharecroppers, truck-drivers, dishwashers, and factory workers in front of a microphone. Always insistent on keeping recording sessions simple and down-to-earth, the producer elicited performances that reflected a degree of sincerity missing from much of the Tin Pan Alley fare of the period. Phillips’s ability to parlay regional, racial, and class marginalization into a viable commercial product that spoke to teenage angst and alienation put Sun Records on the map. And in its improbable rise to prominence, the unseemly record company situated at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis provided a special moment that launched the careers of several performers who attained legendary status. Given the nature of a popular-music universe littered by falling stars instantaneously extinguished, this fact alone grants the company historical relevance.

Instantly recognizable by a bright yellow label with a crowing rooster perched in the foreground, Sun Records signified a wake-up call to the placid Eisenhower era. The music and vitality that resounded from the momentous meeting of phonograph needle and waxed groove in the thirty-by-eighteen-foot studio formerly used as a radiator shop introduced the world to rockabilly, an almost indescribable sound that applied the kinetic energy of southern working-class gospel to an unprecedented fusion of white hillbilly and black rhythm and blues. The company and the music it produced represented necessary links in the evolution of rock-n-roll. Its influence as a record company, however, lasted less than a decade. By the end of the 1950s, its sun already had begun to set.

Yet in these few years, Sun Records mattered a great deal. In many ways, its story resembled that of many independent recording companies that emerged in the wake of World War II. Responding to the postwar market demands of a rapidly growing urban African American population (and taking advantage of technological innovations that made recording cheaper), entrepreneurs formed small record companies that recorded modern-sounding black artists. Local radio, accorded greater autonomy as network programming declined due to an emphasis on television, devised formats that assisted in exposing rhythm and blues to the public. Independent record proprietors, who generally were white, capitalized on such developments. Hoping to achieve financial success by filling a void that the industry’s major recording companies (such as RCA Victor, Columbia, and Decca) had not yet acknowledged, independent upstarts like Atlantic, Chess, Specialty, King, and Modern-RPM literally created an R&B field.

Sun Record Company: The Rhythm & The Blues

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Junior Parker - Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin' On

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 33:55
Size: 77.7 MB
Styles: Electric Memphis blues, R&B
Year: 1971/1997
Art: Front

[3:22] 1. Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin' On
[3:16] 2. Outside Man
[3:46] 3. Darling Depend On Me
[3:45] 4. Taxman
[2:47] 5. River's Invitation
[3:42] 6. (I Wonder) Where Our Love Has Gone
[3:53] 7. Just To Hold My Hand
[3:39] 8. You Know I Love You
[2:15] 9. Lady Madonna
[3:26] 10. Tomorrow Never Knows

Junior Parker was a straight up Bluesman with a capital “B”. He was born in the deep south, jammed with Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, and B.B. King, and he wrote a song that was co-opted and popularized by Elvis (“Mystery Train”). But far from being a purist content to relax on his Memphis-blues laurels, Parker was a man who evolved with the times, and in 1971 the singer dropped the funkiest funk album you’ve never heard. The capital “B” Bluesman’s foray into funk on the Love Ain’t Nothin’ But A Business Going On LP is worth a listen for several capital “B” reasons: Parker’s silky voice (the Baritone!), the tight rhythms of his small backing band (the Basslines!), the killer soul covers of Taxman, Lady Madonna, and Tomorrow Never Knows (the Beatles!), and the songs about no-good-gold-digging-women (the Blues!). Sadly, just a few months after the albums release, Junior Parker was felled by a capital “B” Brain tumor at the age of 49. I guess if it had a happy ending it wouldn’t be the Blues. ~Donny Potter

Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin' On

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Junior PARKER - Way Back Home: The Groove Merchant Years / Funny How Time Slips Away

Album: Way Back Home: The Groove Merchant Years
Styles: Electric Memphis Blues, Soul-Blues
Recorded: 1969/1971/1972
Released: 2000
Bitrate: 320k/s
Size: 179.44 MB
Time: 77:26
Art: Full

1. Blue Shadows Falling - 4:13
2. Love Ain't Nothing But A Business Goin' On - 3:24
3. The Outside Man - 3:17
4. Darling Depend On Me - 3:47
5. The River's Invitation - 2:45
6. Five Long Years - 3:02
7. Look On Yonders Wall - 2:58
8. You Know I Love You - 3:42
9. Lady Madonna - 2:17
10. Man Or Mouse - 2:55
11. Pretty Baby - 4:16
12. Sweet Home Chicago - 2:13
13. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong - 4:32
14. Way Back Home - 4:01
15. I Like Your Style - 3:15
16. I Need Love So Bad - 3:19
17. A Losing Battle - 3:17
18. That's Alright - 3:10
19. Tin Pan Alley - 3:41
20. Drowning On Dry Land - 3:06
21. Oh Darling - 3:38
22. Workin' - 3:46
23. Ain't That A Shame - 2:48

Personnel: Junior PARKER - Harmonica, Vocals
Jimmy McGriff - Organ
Horace Ott - Piano
O'Donel Levy - Guitar
Fats Theus - Tenor Saxophone
rest unknown

Note: A 23 track compilation of tracks drawn from 2 Junior Parker albums: 'Blue Shadows Falling' (possibly also released as 'You Don't Have To Be Black To Love The Blues') from 1971 and 'Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin'' On from 1971, and from the Jimmy McGriff/Junior Parker album 'Good Things Don't Happen Every Day' from 1972.

Scattered through this 23-track selection from Parker's last few albums are the ten tracks originally grouped as 'You Don't Have To Be Black To love The Blues', later as 'Blue Shadows Falling'; either way, his finest album. Given small-group settings that left room for his harmonica, these quiet, pastoral performances of genre standards like 'Sweet Home Chicago' and 'That's All Right' could be used as a manual of blues singing; 'Five Long Years', in particular, is exquisite. The half-dozen tracks from 'The Outside Man' and seven from a pair of albums with the organist Jimmy McGriff are generally busier and occasionally date-stamped by funk cliches, but Parker's own performance is consistently rewarding.

                                          Way Back Home: The Groove Merchant Years
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Album: Funny How Time Slips Away
Styles: Electric Memphis Blues, Soul-Blues  
Recorded: 1968
Released: 1991
Bitrate: 320k/s
Size: 129.62 MB
Time: 55:17
Art: Full

1. Funny How Time Slips Away - 8:05
2. Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin' On - 3:20
3. The Outside Man - 3:12
4. Darling Depend On Me - 3:43
5. Taxman - 3:42
6. The River's Invitation - 2:45
7. (I Wonder) Where Our Love Has Gone - 3:38
8. Just To Hold My Hand - 3:51
9. You Know I Love You - 3:33
10. Lady Madonna - 2:12
11. Tomorrow Never Knows - 3:25
12. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin' - 3:39
13. No One Knows (What Goes On When The Door Is Closed) - 5:20
14. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong - 4:34

Personnel: Junior PARKER - Harmonica, Vocals
Jimmy McGriff - Organ
Horace Ott - Piano
O'Donel Levy - Guitar
Saint Jenkins - Drums
with
Four Horn Section

Notes: This is one super-cool album. The band is phenomenal. What really stands out for me is Jimmy McGriff on the Hammond, Butch Levy on guitar, and the sadly uncredited bass player laying down the fat, funky bottom throughout. Junior is, of course, eminently cool, whether singing or blowing his harp. The piano and horns add nice, tasteful punches that don't otherwise dominate the sound. There are even occasional strings. This is definitely a soul album, more blues than jazz, and funky through and through.

A solid set of soul-jazz and blues numbers from what proved to be a popular and artistically successful collaboration: blues singer Jr. Parker and organist and bandleader Jimmy McGriff. They got together for these sessions in the '60s and managed to reach both jazz and blues audiences.

                                                         Funny How Time Slips Away
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