Bobby Jones - Comin' Back Hard

Album: Comin' Back Hard
Size: 96,7 MB
Time: 41:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2009
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. She's The One (3:54)
2. Two Headed Woman (3:21)
3. I Must Be Crazy (2:45)
4. Come In Out Of The Rain (4:25)
5. Get It Over Baby (2:32)
6. I Don't Know (3:29)
7. Tired Of Your Jive (3:59)
8. Cry For Me Baby (4:20)
9. Three Handed Woman (3:06)
10. Mystery Train (5:27)
11. How Long Will It Last (4:17)

Since singing with the legendary group the Aces, Louisiana native Bobby Jones has since been a virtual unknown nationally up until 2007, though he's been fairly active in his second home of Chicago. When he was "discovered" languishing in obscurity by Leon Blue and the Delta Grooves label, they finally offered him an opportunity to record. It's a good thing that everyone gets to hear what a fine, skilled, and strong vocalist he is. The richness of his solid, soul-sending voice is, in many ways, beyond compare, both in a retro and contemporary vein. Frankly, there are few singers who can match what he is putting down on this, his way-overdue debut as a leader.

Backed by the rising star blues band the Mannish Boys and accompanied by a treasure trove of all-stars, Jones slashes his way through a set of blues classics, current-day funky tunes, two originals from bandmembers, and two from Ike Turner. Classic tracks include Junior Parker's rocker "Mystery Train" with vocalist Finis Tasby and harmonica by Randy Chortkoff on the side, the lesser-known Hank Ballard sub-hit "She's the One," and Johnnie Pate's great swing shuffle "Tired of Your Jive" done in the tough and disgusted B.B. King tradition. George Allen wrote "I Don't Know," while Jones slows the pace alongside the boogie piano of Fred Kaplan, and takes Mel London's "Cry for Me Baby" out for an upbeat spin, extolling his virtues.

Jones is so superlative and commanding here, he carries all of these songs no matter the backup group of soloists, but he really shines on Willie Dixon's "Two Headed Woman," a shuffle with the twangy guitar of the Mannish Boys' Paris Slim, and tears up the swinger "Three Handed Woman" (right-handed, left-handed, and underhanded) with help from harmonica player Lynwood Slim and a keen eye for what goes down on the sly. Kid Ramos plays excellent lead guitar on five tracks, and Junior Watson joins in on two more. This is a great party album, easily apropo for your next get together, as it was for all of the great blues musicians who convened for the love of Bobby Jones, to create a treasure finally uncovered, shined up, and proudly placed on display. /Michael G. Nastos, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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The Mannish Boys - Satellite Rock

Size: 84,0 MB
Time: 29:28
Source: Vinyl (Cleaned)
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1988
Styles: Electric Blues, Rockin' Blues
Art: Front

01. Hillbilly Blues (2:27)
02. Money Habit (3:39)
03. Evil Hearted Woman (3:40)
04. Two Young Lovers (2:10)
05. Satellite Rock (2:29)
06. You Got Me (3:12)
07. Baby Too Much (3:27)
08. Running Wild (2:54)
09. Go On Fool (2:52)
10. Don't Put That Thing On Me (2:32)

Personnel:
Gary Primich: Vocals, Harmonica, Guitar
Gil Hartman: Guitar
Frankie J. Mayer: Bass
Kenny Fulton: Drums
Mike Kindred: Piano & Organ

Gary Primich was one bad-ass harmonica player. And he was more than competent guitar player, too. Primich was born April 20, 1958, in Chicago and raised in nearby Gary, IN. He learned harmonica from the masters at the Maxwell Street Market in nearby Chicago as a teen. By the early '80s, however, Primich became dissatisfied with the blues scene in Chicago, and in 1984, shortly after he earned his degree in radio and television from Indiana University, he moved to Austin, TX. After landing a job at the University of Texas doing electrical work, he began to work as a sideman at Austin area clubs. In 1987, he ran into former Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention drummer Jimmy Carl Black, who had also relocated to Austin, and the two formed a band, the Mannish Boys. Their debut album on the now-defunct Amazing Records label was called A L'il Dab'll Do Ya. Though Black left the band, Primich led the Mannish Boys through another album for Amazing, Satellite Rock. Both albums attracted sufficient attention to Primich that he was able to record under his own name for the Amazing label, and in 1991 he cut his self-titled debut for the label. He followed it up with My Pleasure in 1992. After Amazing Records folded, he was picked up by the Chicago-based Flying Fish label. Primich recorded two equally brilliant albums for Fish, and they include Travelin' Mood (1994) and Mr. Freeze (1995). On his last two albums for Flying Fish (a label that has since been acquired by Rounder Records), Primich's talents as a songwriter really started to come through, and he nurtured his fan base through almost constant touring. By the new millennium, Primich had a deal with the Texas Music Group. He issued the powerfully sassy Dog House Music in spring 2002, while Ridin the Darkhorse came out in 2006. Sadly, just one year later, Primich died in his home of Austin, TX, at the age of 49. ~ Richard Skelly

Satellite Rock

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The Mannish Boys - 2 albums: That Represent Man/Live & In Demand

Album: That Represent Man
Year: 2004
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:01
Size: 142,6 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Going Crazy Over T.V. (3:04)
2. Come On Rock Little Girl (3:32)
3. Partin' Time (3:48)
4. You Been Goofin' (2:44)
5. Easier Said Than Done (4:02)
6. I'm A Lover Not A Fighter (2:52)
7. Temperature (2:11)
8. Lost Your Good Thing Now (7:16)
9. I Feel So Bad (3:47)
10. I Had A Dream Last Night (2:33)
11. It's Too Bad (4:54)
12. Call My Job (4:08)
13. You're Sweet (2:51)
14. Lonesome Bedroom Blues (2:32)
15. The Eagle Is Back (3:52)
16. Blues & Trouble (4:55)
17. Strangest Blues (2:52)

The Mannish Boys are one of the most exciting blues projects to come along in quite a while, featuring some of the most dynamic blues talent in the world today, assembled from the absolute cream of the crop of West Coast blues veterans and youngbloods. This is an "All-Star" undertaking in the true sense of the word - each member of The Mannish Boys is widely recognized in the blues field as a master of his craft, and an in-demand artist in his own right.

Personnel: Finis Tasby - vocals/Kirk Fletcher - guitar/Frank Goldwasser - guitar/Leon Blue - piano/Ronnie James Weber - bass/June Core - drums

Special guest artists: Roy Gaines - vocals & guitar/Johnny Dyer - vocals & harmonica/Mickey Champion - vocals/Paul Oscher - guitar/Randy Chortkoff - harmonica

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Album: Live & In Demand
Year: 2005
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:14
Size: 132,1 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Kid's Jump (4:53)
2. I'm Ready (Tribute To Lester Butler) (5:29)
3. She Wants To Sell My Monkey (4:09)
4. Mannish Boy (5:04)
5. You're Sweet (2:49)
6. Howling Wolf (5:20)
7. Goin' Crazy Over T.V. (3:34)
8. Mystery Train (3:56)
9. It's Too Bad (4:24)
10. Strangest Blues (3:48)
11. As The Years Go Passing By (7:55)
12. Walkin' And Walkin' (5:47)

For their second album The Mannish Boys chose to release a live album and a fantastic one at that. You can feel the energy of the room flow out of the speakers as you listen to "Live & In Demand". The band, filled with some of the greatest blues talents alive, is on fire throughout as the music reaches down into the Delta and uptown for some West Coast swing. This album is essential for anyone who wants to know where the true talent lies in the contemporary blues scene.

The new live recording captures The Mannish Boys at the top of their game at the 19th Annual Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival, July 17th, 2005, Winthrop, Washington, USA.

Personnel: Finis Tasby - vocals/Kid Ramos - guitar/Franck Goldwasser - guitar/Leon Blue - piano/Johnny Dyer - vocals & harmonica/Randy Chortkoff - vocals & harmonica/Richard Innes - drums/Tom Leavey - bass

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The Mannish Boys - Double Dynamite (2 CD)

Few blues acts have perfected the tricky maneuver of honoring the storied history of the blues, while at the same time keeping the music up-to-date, as admirably as The Mannish Boys. It's a balancing act that they've honed over the course of six highly-acclaimed CD releases and countless nights gigging on concert stages around the world. Conceived as an all-star showcase for the cream of the West Coast blues crop, The Mannish Boys have stayed true to that vision. They've continually evolved through the years, seeking out and spotlighting the talents of genuine blues legends in a setting that honors the deep roots of the genre, while also providing them with the support required to excite today's blues audiences.

Their newest release marks a number of firsts for The Mannish Boys. "Double Dynamite," as the title suggests, serves up a double dose of The Mannish Boys on a two-CD set, allowing them to really stretch out and feature more special guests and sounds than on any of their previous recordings. Especially notable is new featured vocalist Sugaray Rayford, a soulful, gospel-inflected singer, originally from Texas, who has been little known outside of his current home base in Southern California, until now. Also along for the ride this time, and adding variety and depth in the vocal department, are veterans "Icepick" James Harman, Mike Finnigan (who in the '60s played keyboards on Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland" LP, among many other accomplishments in his long career), and Jackie Payne, plus long-time Mannish Boys' frontman Finis Tasby.

The band's regular guitarists Kirk Fletcher and Frank Goldwasser are prominently represented, with Goldwasser taking a turn in front of the vocal mic, as does The Mannish Boys' harp playing honcho, Randy Chortkoff. And as an additional treat, Mud Morganfield, eldest son of the undisputed king of Chicago blues, Muddy Waters, also contributes as a guest vocalist, bringing a South Side Chicago blues unrivalled by any living vocalist. Other guests on this unprecedented release include harmonica aces Rod Piazza, Jason Ricci and Bob Corritore, and guitarists Elvin Bishop, Junior Watson, Nathan James, and Kid Ramos, all backed by the hard-swinging rhythm section of Jimi Bott and Willie J. Campbell, plus an array of other very special musicians.

Album: Double Dynamite - CD 1: Atomic Blues
Year: 2012
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:57
Size: 140,1 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Death Letter (5:10)
2. Mean Old World (3:43)
3. Bricks in My Pillow (3:11)
4. She's 19 Years Old/Streamline Woman (7:16)
5. Never Leave Me At Home (2:55)
6. Elevate Me Mama (3:13)
7. Please Forgive Me (6:05)
8. Everybody Needs Somebody (3:41)
9. Bad Detective (4:05)
10. You Dogged Me (5:23)
11. Bloody Tears (3:13)
12. The Hard Way (5:59)
13. Mannish Boy (5:56)

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Album: Double Dynamite - CD 2: Rhythm & Blues Explosion
Year: 2012
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:22
Size: 129,6 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Born Under A Bad Sign (4:25)
2. That Dood It (3:07)
3. You've Got The Power (3:59)
4. Drowning On Dry Land (4:31)
5. Mr. Charles Blues (4:30)
6. Cold Sweat (3:56)
7. Later On (4:52)
8. You Don't Love Me (5:00)
9. Bed For My Soul (3:15)
10. Why Does Everything Happen To Me (3:47)
11. I Woke Up Screaming (3:22)
12. West Helena Blues (4:09)
13. Hittin' The Groove (6:24)

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The Mannish Boys - Lowdown Feelin'

Year: 2008
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:53
Size: 170,4 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. These Kind Of Blues (4:02)
2. Searchin' Blues (3:45)
3. Low Down Feeling (4:10)
4. Chocolate Drop (3:04)
5. If The Washing Don't Get You, The Rinsing Will (3:28)
6. Need My Baby (3:43)
7. The Same Thing (4:37)
8. The Woodchuck (4:36)
9. Fine Lookin' Woman (4:26)
10. You Don't Love Me (5:09)
11. Figure Head (4:57)
12. Rude Groove (7:51)
13. When I Leave (4:35)
14. Good Times (4:46)
15. Something's Wrong (3:14)
16. Reet, Petite And Gone (2:31)
17. Dead Letter Blues (3:49)

There are no fewer than 20 musicians contributing to the Mannish Boys' fourth release, which makes this album more the product of a collective or revue than an actual band. Despite the players changing on nearly every tune, this is nevertheless a strong and surprisingly cohesive set of Chicago styled blues originals and a few choice covers that click due to the talents of those involved. Producer and label owner Randy Chortkoff emphasizes that there is no digital recording involved and few overdubs, which makes for a rootsy, down-home blues stew that breathes.

Veteran singer Finis Tasby only appears on three tracks but one of them, a cover of "If the Washing Don't Get You, the Rinsing Will," (best known from Albert King's version), featuring a stinging guitar solo from Kirk "Eli" Fletcher, is one of this disc's highlights. Old-school harpist/vocalist Little Sammy Davis joins to cover two of his own songs and is a classy addition to the revolving door lineup. Covers of Billy "The Kid" Emerson's "The Woodchuck," Texas Pete Mayes' title track, and Howlin' Wolf's obscure pre-Chess recording "Chocolate Drop" show how deep this group digs for interesting material. Not so much for yet another version of Willie Cobbs' "You Don't Love Me" (as an instrumental with a rugged guitar solo from Fletcher) or Willie Dixon's "The Same Thing," even if both are given spirited readings.

Chortkoff takes the lead on his own "Rude Groove," little more than a rewrite of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Help Me" but urged along mightily by tough six-string leads from Frank "Paris Slim" Goldwasser and guest Kid Ramos, along with Fred Kaplan's mighty B-3 and Chortkoff's harp. Another old timer, Johnny Dyer, sings with requisite down and out emotion and a distinct Muddy Waters inflection as Al Blake does the harp duties on the slow blues of "Good Times." There's not a bland or rote moment throughout this long -- 73-minute, 17-track -- but never boring disc. Even though you'll constantly be checking the credits to figure out who is playing and singing, the results are worth the effort. /Hal Horowitz, AllMusic

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The Mannish Boys - Big Plans

Year: 2007
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:38
Size: 135,4 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Border Town Blues (3:45)
2. I Can't Stay Here (4:18)
3. I Get So Worried (4:23)
4. Mary Jane (3:31)
5. Carpet Bagger Blues (4:31)
6. Just To Be With You (3:33)
7. Gotta Move (3:43)
8. Why Do Things Happen To Me (3:24)
9. Groan My Blues Away (3:04)
10. Mine All Mine (4:20)
11. Young & Tender (4:28)
12. My Baby's A Good 'Un (2:55)
13. Broken Hearted Blues (3:19)
14. Walkin' Down Fillmore (4:40)
15. California Blues (3:37)

The second studio album by contemporary electric blues supergroup the Mannish Boys delivers straightforward Chicago-style blues in an unfussy setting. The list of special guests is as long as the nine-piece band, including guest singers Jody Williams and Bobby Lee Jones, guitarist Rick Holmstrom, pianist Rob Rio, bassists Jeff Big Dad Turmes and Larry "The Mole" Taylor, harmonica player Mitch Kashmar and saxophonist David Woodford. As a result, no one singer or instrumentalist predominates, giving Big Plans a sort of R&B revue feel.

The songs are mostly originals by members of the band including bandleader Randy Chortkoff and slide guitarist Frank Goldwasser; while the band get points for largely avoiding the temptation to simply bash out the usual electric blues suspects, none of the album's original material sounds likely to join the blues canon. A fairly low-key, genial album, Big Plans is considerably less than its title suggests, but it's likely enough for fans of contemporary electric blues. /Stewart Mason, AllMusic

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The Mannish Boys - Shake For Me

Year: 2010
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:30
Size: 162,5 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Too Tired (3:38)
2. Mona/Willie And The Hand Jive (4:25)
3. Reconsider Baby (3:08)
4. Educated Ways (4:01)
5. Half Ain't Been Told (5:01)
6. Number 9 Train (3:17)
7. Last Night (5:04)
8. Hey Now (3:18)
9. You Can't Be Beat (4:27)
10. Black Nights (3:29)
11. The Bullet (4:46)
12. Those Worries (7:01)
13. Raunchy (5:32)
14. Champagne & Reefer (4:25)
15. You've Got Bad Intentions (2:48)
16. Way Down South (5:04)

Through five years, and over as may CDs, the rotating personnel of the Mannish Boys constituted an impressive array of rhythm-section member and special guest all-stars. Shake for Me displays this potpourri of blues musicians on some classic tunes and those written by select bandmembers, each one with a special, customized feeling. With personnel ranging from duets up to horn-fired big-band charts, this quintessential backup band takes center stage on their way to deserved recognition as a premier blues group in their own right.

Among the classics they cover are "Mona" welded onto the Johnny Otis evergreen "Willie & the Hand Jive" in bompity-bomp fashion à la Bo Diddley, with Bobby Jones singing; the slow jazz shuffle penned by Ray Charles, "Hey Now," again with the irrepressible Jones (check out his CD with the Mannish Boys as his backup band, Comin Back Hard); "You Can't Be Beat," a quintessential Chi-Town/Howlin' Wolf blues; Little Walter's "Last Night" with mighty harmonica man Rod Piazza; the get-down Muddy Waters number "Champagne & Reefer"; and "Number Nine Train" in a loose Hound Dog Taylor style also make the cut. Randy Chortkoff's "Educated Ways" is an original that stands out with a Bill Doggett sound, as does the lengthy jam "Those Worries" featuring Lynwood Slim on the harp.

Other guests and past standout Mannish Boys include vocalists Jones, Finis Tasby or Kirk Fletcher, the legendary Arthur Adams, and harmonica specialists Mitch Kashmar, Johnny Dyer, Big Pete Van Der Pluijrn, Chortkoff, pianist Rob Rio, and guitarist Kid Ramos. The core band of guitarists Nick Curran and Franck Goldwasser, keyboardist Fred Kaplan, and drummer Jimi Bott have surrounded themselves with so many dynamic and distinctive performers for this set, making for a mind-blowing program of diverse blues that cannot help but be a top blues CD for 2010 and beyond. /Michael G. Nastos, AllMusic

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The Mannish Boys - Wrapped Up And Ready

Size: 173,8 MB
Time: 74:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Modern Electric Blues, Rockin' Blues
Art: Full

01. I Ain't Sayin' (3:33)
02. Everything's Alright (4:16)
03. Struggle In My Hometown (4:11)
04. Wrapped Up And Ready (4:33)
05. It Was Fun (5:00)
06. I Can Always Dream (3:07)
07. I Idolize You (4:42)
08. You Better Watch Yourself (4:19)
09. Something For Nothing (5:53)
10. Can't Make A Livin' (4:49)
11. The Blues Has Made Me Whole (4:16)
12. I Have Love (4:20)
13. Troubles (5:09)
14. She Belongs To Me (4:27)
15. Don't Say You're Sorry (3:57)
16. Blues For Michael Bloomfield (8:12)

Wrapped Up and Ready is the Mannish Boys' seventh recording and follows on the heels of their most wildly successful album Double Dynamite which took top honors in the 2013 Blues Music Awards for Traditional Blues Album of the Year. This time out the band serves up a whopping eleven originals and only five covers culled from the songbooks of Roy Brown, Ike Turner, Robert Ward, Magic Sam and Smokey Wilson. Special guests abound with appearances by Kim Wilson, Steve Freund, Kid Ramos, Monster Mike Welch, Candye Kane, Laura Chavez, Bob Corritore, Nico Duportal, Fred Kaplan, Jacob Huffman, Bill Stuve, Dave Kida and more!

Wrapped Up And Ready

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