Smokey Hogg - The Texas Blues Of Smokey Hogg

Size: 156,2 MB
Time: 67:15
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

1. I Don't Want You (2:16)
2. Worrying Over You (2:36)
3. Everybody Gotta Racket (2:44)
4. Good Mornin' Little School Girl (2:27)
5. The Way You Treat Me (2:32)
6. I Want My Baby (But My Baby Don't Want Me) (2:50)
7. You Can't Tell Them Where I'm Goin' (2:18)
8. No Matter What You Do (2:22)
9. When the Sun Goes Down (2:55)
10. Coming Back Home to You Again (4:07)
11. Kind Hearted Blues (3:17)
12. What's That You Got (3:17)
13. You'll Need My Help Someday (3:08)
14. Somebody New (2:19)
15. Ain't You Sorry Baby (2:42)
16. Ruby (2:41)
17. Penitentiary Blues, Pt. 1 (2:43)
18. Penitentiary Blues, Pt. 2 (2:51)
19. Baby Shake Your Leg (2:44)
20. Fortune Teller Blues (2:46)
21. Where Have You Been (3:08)
22. My Gal Gave Me Money (2:59)
23. Instrumental (2:30)
24. Too Late Old Man (2:54)

This is the 5th compilation of the prolific Smokey Hogg to be issued by Ace. It ties in with the first biography of the Texas bluesman from Guido van Rijn, and it will appeal to both pre and post War blues aficionados, a period that Smokey's career straddled. All of the tracks are new to CD with four previously unissued in any form. Among them is the alternative take of his Top 5 chart song "Good Mornin' Little School Girl" corrected for speed from its Crown LP issue. A rare Smokey instrumental is the first one to appear anywhere.

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The Texas Blues Of Smokey Hogg zippy

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Smokey Hogg - Who's Heah!: Selected Singles 1947-1954

Size: 187,8 MB
Time: 79:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

01. Too Many Drivers (2:43)
02. Unemployment Blues (2:48)
03. Hard Times (2:37)
04. My Christmas Baby (2:25)
05. High Priced Meat (2:39)
06. Golden Diamond Blues (2:47)
07. (I Wonder) Where Did My Boogie Go? (2:54)
08. Little School Girl (2:35)
09. Long Tall Mama (2:34)
10. Suitcase Blues (Lowdown Blues) (2:48)
11. Nobody Treats Me Right (2:30)
12. What's On Your Mind? (2:37)
13. Restless Bedroom Blues (2:37)
14. Who's Heah (2:44)
15. Misery Blues (2:41)
16. You Gotta Go (2:26)
17. Going Back To Texas (2:37)
18. Worryin' My Life Away (2:07)
19. You Won't Stay Home (2:28)
20. I'm So Lonely (2:48)
21. Up Today - Down Tomorrow (2:55)
22. Dirty Mistreater (2:38)
23. Angels In Harlem (2:36)
24. Size 4 Shoe (2:44)
25. Highway 51 (2:34)
26. Keep A-Walkin' (Take 1) (2:28)
27. Baby Don't Leave (2:21)
28. Up And Down (2:52)
29. Train Whistle (2:27)
30. Dark Clouds (2:44)

Smokey Hogg was one of the most prolific and best-selling Blues artists of his era.

This collection gathers together 30 of his greatest recordings including the hits that made him so famous.

'Good Morning Little School Girl' and 'Long Tall Mama' were the Top 10 hits that established him and both are featured here.

He was one of the stars of Jukeboxes and made a phenomenal number of recordings until his death in 1960.

His records do stand up and still sound, in the main, fantastic up to 70 years after they were recorded.

Who's Heah!

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Andrew 'Smokey' Hogg - Deep Ellum Rambler

Size: 162,9 MB
Time: 70:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2001
Styles: Acoustic/Electric Blues, Country Blues, Post-War Blues
Art: Front

01. Too Many Drivers (Aka Little Car Blues) (2:44)
02. Country Gal (3:00)
03. Skinny Leg'd Woman (2:45)
04. Unemplyment Blues (2:48)
05. Wood And Jackson Blues (2:47)
06. Bad Life Blues (2:43)
07. Suitcase Blues (Aka Low Down Blues) (2:48)
08. Hard Time Blue (2:47)
09. When The Drop Falls (2:47)
10. Who's Heah (2:44)
11. Going Home Blues (2:46)
12. Clean Woman Blues (2:47)
13. Black Woman Blues (2:53)
14. Jivin' Little Woman (2:23)
15. Look In Your Eyes Pretty Mama (3:11)
16. Little School Girl (2:35)
17. Golden Diamond Blues (2:47)
18. My Christmas Baby (2:25)
19. Oh Woman, Oh Woman (2:22)
20. (I Wonder) Where Did My Boogie Go (2:54)
21. Long Tall Mama (2:34)
22. My Train Is Coming (1:58)
23. You Gonna Looke Like A Monkey (1:26)
24. Believe I'll Go Down On That M And Kt Line (2:24)
25. Brown Skin Woman (0:51)
26. Brown Skin Woman (2:50)
27. You've Been Gone So Long (3:01)

This comprehensive retrospective of Hogg's 1947-1951 work for Modern Records gathers 27 tracks, including the Top Ten R&B hits "Little School Girl" (a Sonny Boy Williamson composition) and "Long Tall Mama," as well as ten previously unissued cuts. If only in hindsight, Hogg at this juncture can be seen to be a link between rural blues and citified R&B, using some accompanying musicians and some electric guitar, but not always going whole-hog into a full-band sound. His phrasing, too, is still grounded in country-blues, but pushed toward more modern forms by some heavily rhythmic backing and barrelhouse piano. It's on the ragged side (pleasantly so) as just-post-World War II blues-cum-R&B goes, the arrangements sometimes giving the impression of being crafted on the spot, though Hogg's vocals are relaxed and authoritative. Sometimes it feels like a link between a Texas bluesman like Lightnin' Hopkins and the West Coast R&B of the late '40s and early '50s; the Modern label, of course, was at the forefront of the Western R&B/blues crossover mix. It's rather similar-sounding in one dose, as most single-artist compilations of material from this time on the Modern label are. Yet it's not as homogenous as some such anthologies are, in large degree because of Hogg's likable vocal persona. Almost everything was written by Hogg except, oddly enough, those two big hits, "Little School Girl" and "Long Tall Mama." ~Review by Richie Unterberger

Deep Ellum Rambler

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Various - Texas Guitar Killers (2-Disc Set)

Part of Capitol's ongoing development of its vaults, this two-disc set was produced by the late Pete Welding. The 39 cuts feature T-Bone Walker, Gatemouth Brown, Lowell Fulson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Smokey Hogg and Pee-Wee Crayton, with sides drawn from their stints with Imperial and Aladdin. While the intent is to represent Texas blues artists from those labels (with recordings from 1945 to 1953), the result is a fascinating conglomeration of styles that have a bit less to do with guitar than the album title would lead one to believe. Still, it's a fine compilation, wonderfully produced, marvelously annotated and a lot of fun to listen to -- T-Bone Walker, particularly, was a fine jazz vocalist, as well as a brilliant guitar player whose onstage antics provided the model for Chuck Berry. ~Steven McDonald

Album: Texas Guitar Killers (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:13
Size: 131.0 MB
Styles: Texas guiitar
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. T-Bone Walker - My Baby Left Me
[3:05] 2. T-Bone Walker - Come Back To Me Baby
[3:08] 3. T-Bone Walker - I Can't Stand Being Away From You
[2:54] 4. T-Bone Walker - Fast Woman She Is Going To Ruin Me
[2:29] 5. Gatemouth Brown - Gatemouth Boogie
[2:42] 6. Gatemouth Brown - Guitar In My Hand
[2:31] 7. Gatemouth Brown - After Sunset
[2:29] 8. Gatemouth Brown - Without Me Baby
[3:11] 9. Lowell Fulson - Night And Day
[3:31] 10. Lowell Fulson - Double Trouble Blues
[2:48] 11. Lowell Fulson - Stormin' And Rainin'
[3:13] 12. Lowell Fulson - Good Woman Blues
[2:56] 13. Lightnin' Hopkins - All Through My Dreams
[2:55] 14. Lightnin' Hopkins - Mean And Evil Blues
[2:52] 15. Smokey Hogg - Down Tomorrow
[2:37] 16. Smokey Hogg - Great Big Mama
[2:36] 17. Smokey Hogg - Worryin' Blues
[2:35] 18. Smokey Hogg - Need My Help
[2:44] 19. Smokey Hogg - In This World Alone
[2:58] 20. Smokey Hogg - Key To My Door

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Album: Texas Guitar Killers (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:09
Size: 110.2 MB
Styles: Texas guitar
Year: 207
Art: Front

[2:26] 1. T-Bone Walker - The Hustle Is On (Lp Take)
[2:38] 2. T-Bone Walker - Baby, You Broke My Heart (78 Rpm Version)
[2:35] 3. T-Bone Walker - Evil Hearted Woman
[2:28] 4. T-Bone Walker - No Reason
[2:07] 5. T-Bone Walker - Look Me In The Eye (78 Rpm Version)
[3:01] 6. T-Bone Walker - Too Lazy (Alternate Take)
[2:59] 7. Pee Wee Crayton - When It Rains It Pours
[2:41] 8. Pee Wee Crayton - Daybreak
[2:58] 9. Lowell Fulson - Blues Don't Leave Me
[2:33] 10. Lowell Fulson - Blues Never Fail
[2:18] 11. Lowell Fulson - Chuck With The Boys
[2:51] 12. Lowell Fulson - You Gotta Reap
[2:22] 13. Smokey Hogg - When I've Been Drinking
[2:27] 14. Smokey Hogg - I Gotta Ride
[2:01] 15. Smokey Hogg - Tear Me Down
[2:24] 16. Smokey Hogg - Train Whistle
[2:16] 17. Smokey Hogg - My Baby's Gone
[2:14] 18. Smokey Hogg - Peace Of Mind
[2:43] 19. Smokey Hogg - Oo-Oo-Wee

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Smokey Hogg - Shake A Leg

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:30
Size: 111.1 MB
Styles: R&B, Texas blues
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:28] 1. Penitentiary Blues, Pt.1
[2:17] 2. I Love You Baby
[2:22] 3. When I've Been Drinking
[2:59] 4. Shake A Leg
[2:58] 5. Saved All My Money
[2:44] 6. Dark Clouds
[2:34] 7. I'm Leavin'
[2:31] 8. What You Gonna Do
[2:33] 9. That's My Baby
[2:44] 10. Why Should I Worry
[2:45] 11. I'm So Lonely
[2:29] 12. Let's Go Back To The Country
[2:27] 13. Hello Baby
[2:25] 14. You Won't Stay Home
[3:00] 15. I'm In Love With You
[2:00] 16. What In The World Am I Gonna Do
[2:26] 17. I Declare
[2:34] 18. I Love You Baby, Pt. 2
[2:07] 19. Penitentiary Blues, Pt. 2

Smokey Hogg was a rural bluesman navigating a postwar era infatuated by R&B, but he got along quite nicely nonetheless, scoring a pair of major R&B hits in 1948 and 1950 and cutting a thick catalog for a slew of labels (including Exclusive, Modern, Bullet, Macy's, Imperial, Mercury, Recorded in Hollywood, Specialty, Fidelity, Combo, Federal, and Showtime).

During the early '30s, Hogg, who was influenced by Big Bill Broonzy and Peetie Wheatstraw, worked with slide guitarist Black Ace at dances around Greenville, Texas. Hogg first recorded for Decca in 1937, but it was an isolated occurrence -- he didn't make it back into a studio for a decade. Once he hit his stride, though, Hogg didn't look back. Both his chart hits -- 1948's "Long Tall Mama" and 1950's "Little School Girl" -- were issued on Modern, but his rough-hewn sound seldom changed a whole lot no matter what L.A. logo he was appearing on. Hogg's last few sides were cut in 1958 for Lee Rupe's Ebb label. Smokey's cousin John Hogg also played the blues, recording for Mercury in 1951. ~bio by Bill Dahl

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Shake A Leg zippy

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Smokey Hogg - Change Your Ways

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:31
Size: 81.3 MB
Styles: R&B, Texas blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:45] 1. Ain’t Gonna Play Second No More
[2:29] 2. Baby, Baby
[2:38] 3. Change Your Ways
[2:13] 4. Go Down To The Craw Hole
[2:34] 5. I Used To Be Rich
[2:18] 6. I’ve Been Happy
[2:48] 7. Leaving You Baby
[3:02] 8. Worried Blues
[2:22] 9. Born On The 13th
[2:50] 10. No Mo’ Whiskey
[2:01] 11. Penitentiary Blues Pt. 1
[2:25] 12. Penitentiary Blues Pt..2
[2:41] 13. Worried Blues
[2:17] 14. You Gotta Go

Smokey Hogg was a rural bluesman navigating a postwar era infatuated by R&B, but he got along quite nicely nonetheless, scoring a pair of major R&B hits in 1948 and 1950 and cutting a thick catalog for a slew of labels (including Exclusive, Modern, Bullet, Macy's, Imperial, Mercury, Recorded in Hollywood, Specialty, Fidelity, Combo, Federal, and Showtime).

During the early '30s, Hogg, who was influenced by Big Bill Broonzy and Peetie Wheatstraw, worked with slide guitarist Black Ace at dances around Greenville, Texas. Hogg first recorded for Decca in 1937, but it was an isolated occurrence -- he didn't make it back into a studio for a decade. Once he hit his stride, though, Hogg didn't look back. Both his chart hits -- 1948's "Long Tall Mama" and 1950's "Little School Girl" -- were issued on Modern, but his rough-hewn sound seldom changed a whole lot no matter what L.A. logo he was appearing on. Hogg's last few sides were cut in 1958 for Lee Rupe's Ebb label. Smokey's cousin John Hogg also played the blues, recording for Mercury in 1951. ~bio by Bill Dahl

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Smokey Hogg - Sittin' In With Smokey Hogg

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:51
Size: 84.4 MB
Styles: Texas blues
Year: 1991
Art: Front

[3:00] 1. I'm In Love With You
[2:58] 2. Saved All My Money
[2:34] 3. I'm Leaving
[2:25] 4. You Won't Stay Home
[2:45] 5. Why Should I Worry
[2:45] 6. I'm So Lonely
[2:29] 7. Let's Go Back To The Country
[2:33] 8. That's My Baby
[2:27] 9. Hello Baby
[2:34] 10. I Love You Baby, Part 2
[2:31] 11. What You Gonna Do
[2:31] 12. What In The World Am I Gonna Do
[2:17] 13. I Love You Baby, Part 1
[2:58] 14. Shake A Leg

A compilation of 14 tracks Willie Smokey Hogg recorded for the Sittin' in With label between 1949 and 1950, this record doesn't offer any of his big hits, but it's an enjoyable slice of postwar Texas blues. ~ Thom Owens

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VA - Houston Might Be Heaven

This interesting box set packages 103 sides of vintage Texas blues, jazz, and early R&B recorded in Houston studios immediately after WWII between 1947 and 1951, a boom time when clubs and independent labels were flourishing in the city, and it ends up being both a musical snapshot of a particular place at a particular time and a fun and varied playlist to listen to -- the box set version of a hat trick. Full of rare sides of boogie piano, uptown blues, and swinging little jazz-blues orchestras, Houston Might Be Heaven has some delightful gems, Carl Campbell's swirling, clarinet-led “Goin’ Down to Nashville,” L.C. Williams' blues piano ballad “Louise,” Smokey Hogg's reckless, loose, and yet somehow endearingly lovely “She’s Always on My Mind,” and Peppermint Harris' sparse and stately take on “Rainin’ in My Heart” among them, all of which show what a fine and bright music scene Houston had going in the postwar period. There’s a nice groove to this whole set. ~Review by Steve Leggett

Album: CD A: 1947-1950
Size: 161,0 MB
Time: 67:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Texas Blues, Jump Blues, Piano Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. Little Willie Littlefield - Little Willie's Boogie (2:53)
02. Little Willie Littlefield - My Best Wishes (3:34)
03. Blip Thompkins - Got A Feelin' You're Foolin' (2:54)
04. Blip Thompkins - Everything's Been Done Before (2:17)
05. Lavarda Durst - Hattie Green (2:37)
06. Lavarda Durst - I Cried (2:46)
07. L.C. Williams - Jelly Roll (2:45)
08. L.C. Williams - Louisiana Boogie (2:58)
09. Carl Campbell - Goin' Down To Nashville (2:43)
10. Carl Campbell - Oo Wee Baby (2:33)
11. Clarence Garlow - In A Boogie Mood (2:52)
12. Clarence Garlow - She's So Fine (2:55)
13. Joe Houston - Jumpin' The Blues (2:46)
14. Joe Houston - Your Little Girl Is Gone (2:44)
15. Little T-Bone - Love's A Gamble (2:40)
16. Little T-Bone - Christmas Blues (2:44)
17. Lonnie Lyons Combo - Far Away Blues (2:57)
18. Lonnie Lyons Combo - Fly Chick Bounce (2:05)
19. Conrad Johnson - Fisherman's Blues (2:11)
20. Conrad Johnson - Howling On Dowling (2:03)
21. I.H. Smalley - Smalley's Jump (2:39)
22. I.H. Smalley - Young Women's Advice (2:45)
23. Willie Holiday - My Woman Put Me Down (2:36)
24. Willie Holiday - I've Played This Town (2:51)
25. Robert Smith - Freeway Blues (2:26)

CD A: 1947-1950

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Album: CD B: 1950-1951
Size: 167,8 MB
Time: 70:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Texas Blues, Jump Blues, Piano Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. Peppermint Harris - Rainin' In My Heart (2:33)
02. Peppermint Harris - My Blues Have Rolled Away (2:02)
03. Peppermint Harris - Texarkana Bound (3:01)
04. Peppermint Harris - The Blues Pick On Me (2:01)
05. Peppermint Harris - Reckless Lover (2:54)
06. Peppermint Harris - Mabel Mabel (2:38)
07. Peppermint Harris - Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie (2:01)
08. Peppermint Harris - Come On Let's Ride (2:15)
09. Peppermint Harris - I Always End Up Blue (2:39)
10. Peppermint Harris - I Screamed And I Cired (I Have Often Wondered) (3:12)
11. Peppermint Harris - Blues Don't Make Me Cry (3:11)
12. Peppermint Harris - Sweet Happy Home (3:04)
13. Peppermint Harris - Oh I Got The Blues (2:57)
14. Peppermint Harris - Gonna End My Worries (2:56)
15. Peppermint Harris - I'm Writing You Baby (3:19)
16. Peppermint Harris - I Want To See You Baby (2:56)
17. Peppermint Harris - Fat Girl Boogie (2:30)
18. Peppermint Harris - Oo Wee Baby (3:14)
19. Peppermint Harris - She's My Baby (2:10)
20. Peppermint Harris - I Wake Up Screaming (2:57)
21. Peppermint Harris - I'm Telling You People (2:33)
22. Peppermint Harris - How Long Must I Suffer (3:05)
23. Peppermint Harris - Got A Big Fine Baby (1:55)
24. Peppermint Harris - Please Tell Me Baby (2:58)
25. Peppermint Harris - Lord Have Mercy (3:17)
26. Peppermint Harris - Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie (2:01)

CD B: 1950-1951

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Album: CD C: 1949-1951
Size: 167,8 MB
Time: 70:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Texas Blues, Jump Blues, Piano Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. Lonnie Lyons - Helpless (3:00)
02. Lonnie Lyons - Down In The Groovy (2:52)
03. Little Willie Littlefield - Boogie Woogie Playgirl (2:45)
04. Little Willie Littlefield - Swanee River (2:30)
05. Joe 'Papoose' Fritz - Better Wake Up Baby (3:05)
06. Joe 'Papoose' Fritz - Real Fine Girl (2:20)
07. Bill Hayes - My Baby Loves Me So (2:25)
08. Bill Hayes - I'm Just Another Fool (2:07)
09. Big Mama Thornton - Bad Luck Got My Man (3:05)
10. Big Mama Thornton - All Right Baby (2:25)
11. Hubert Robinson - Bad Luck And Trouble (2:56)
12. Hubert Robinson - Room And Board Boogie (2:31)
13. Clarence Samuels - Hey Joe (2:43)
14. Clarence Samuels - Somebody Gotta Go (2:59)
15. John Hogg - Gotta Mean Woman (2:44)
16. John Hogg - Why Did You Leave Me (2:49)
17. L.C. Williams - I Don't Want No Woman (3:12)
18. L.C. Williams - Louise (3:04)
19. Lee Graves - Cloudy Weather Blues (2:58)
20. Lee Graves - I'm From Texas (1:59)
21. Violet Hall - (All Alone) I Sit And Cry (2:49)
22. Violet Hall - Six Foot Papa (2:27)
23. Elmore Nixon - Married Woman Blues (2:52)
24. Elmore Nixon - Playboy Blues (2:47)
25. Willie Johnson - Sampson Street Boogie (2:36)
26. Willie Johnson - Got The Boogie Woogie Blues (2:17)

CD C: 1949-1951

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Album: CD D: 1948-1951
Size: 160,7 MB
Time: 67:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Texas Blues, Jump Blues, Piano Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. Smokey Hogg - Hard Times (2:34)
02. Smokey Hogg - Goin' Back Home (2:46)
03. Smokey Hogg - Change Your Ways (2:44)
04. Smokey Hogg - Misery Blues (2:38)
05. Smokey Hogg - Worried Blues (3:09)
06. Smokey Hogg - You Gotta Go (2:22)
07. Smokey Hogg - Leaving You Baby (2:56)
08. Smokey Hogg - I'm In Love With You (3:00)
09. Smokey Hogg - Saved All My Money (2:57)
10. Smokey Hogg - I'm Leavin' (2:33)
11. Smokey Hogg - You Won't Stay Home (2:24)
12. Smokey Hogg - Why Should I Worry (2:43)
13. Smokey Hogg - I'm So Lonely (2:45)
14. Smokey Hogg - Let's Go Back To The Country (2:28)
15. Smokey Hogg - That's My Baby (2:33)
16. Smokey Hogg - Hello Baby (2:27)
17. Smokey Hogg - I Love You Baby (Part 1) (2:17)
18. Smokey Hogg - I Love You Baby (Part 2) (2:34)
19. Smokey Hogg - What You Gonna Do (2:30)
20. Smokey Hogg - What In The World Am I Gonna Do (1:59)
21. Smokey Hogg - Shake A Leg (2:58)
22. Smokey Hogg - I Often Wonder (2:32)
23. Smokey Hogg - Miss Georgia (2:58)
24. Smokey Hogg - She's Always On My Mind (2:38)
25. Smokey Hogg - Dirty Mistreater (2:35)
26. Smokey Hogg - I'm Looking For My Baby (1:18)

CD D: 1948-1951

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Various - An Introduction To Texas Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 45:53
Size: 105.1 MB
Styles: Texas blues
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[2:40] 1. Goree Carter - Rock Awhile
[2:46] 2. Frankie Lee Sims - Home Again Blues
[2:53] 3. Little Willie Littlefield - Little Willie's Boogie
[2:36] 4. Lester Williams - Wintertime Blues
[3:13] 5. Clarence Garlow - Bon Ton Roula
[2:42] 6. Smokey Hogg - Worried Blues
[3:00] 7. Clarence Green - Walking The Baby
[3:01] 8. Lightnin' Hopkins - Mojo Hand
[2:47] 9. Roy Head & The Traits - Got My Mojo Working
[2:29] 10. Johnny Copeland - Down On Bended Knee
[2:59] 11. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - It's Alright
[1:17] 12. T-Bone Walker - Baby Please Don't Go (Don't Go Back To New Orleans)
[2:51] 13. Juke Boy Bonner - Carried To The Cleaners And Hung Out To Dry
[4:15] 14. Freddie King - Going Down
[3:13] 15. Johnny Winter - Low Down Gal Of Mine
[3:04] 16. Albert Collins - Iceman

If one thinks of this set as truly an introduction to Texas blues, then it isn't really a very good one, but if one thinks of this as a collection of interesting mid-period modern blues sides from Texas, then it fares a good deal better, because there are several little gems preserved here. The leadoff track, Goree Carter's "Rock Awhile," originally released in 1949 by Freedom Records, is vibrant and fun, while Little Willie Littlefield's "Little Willie's Boogie" blisters along like a rampaging rocket (pianist Littlefield was only 17 years old when he tracked this scorcher for Eddie Henry's Eddie's Records in 1948). Clarence Green's gently funky instrumental "Walking the Baby," released originally on Bright Star Records, is another lost treasure, although it comes closer to being a soulful R&B strut than it does to being an actual blues. No Texas blues collection would be complete without a track from T-Bone Walker, and the one used here, a crisp and elegant minor-key version of Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go" from 1970 is a re-imagined masterpiece. Does this little anthology tell the whole story of Texas blues? Without even a single cut from Blind Lemon Jefferson or Henry Thomas, no it doesn't. Does it feature an interesting set of rarely heard tracks from several different Texas blues players in several different styles and approaches? Yes, it does, and that's why it works more than it doesn't. ~Steve Leggett

An Introduction To Texas Blues

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