Sherman Robertson - Going Back Home

Size: 143.7 MB
Time: 61:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998
Styles: Electric Blues, Texas Blues
Art: Full

01. Guitar Man (4:14)
02. I Don't Want No Woman (5:30)
03. Me, My Guitar And The Blues (6:46)
04. Going Back Home (5:15)
05. Everybody Loves Somebody (5:50)
06. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong (5:35)
07. I Wonder Why (7:08)
08. Fall In Love (4:18)
09. Special Kind Of Loving (5:08)
10. Looking At The Bottom (6:35)
11. Driving All Night (5:26)

Looking for Robertson represented on a studio CD that matches the intensity of his live performances? Producer Joe Harley has done it. Harley lets Robertson rip loose, mixing his zydeco roots with his growing years breathing Texas fire. Joining him on the cattle drive are Little Feat's Richie Hayward and Bill Payne, Bob Glaub (John Fogerty), and fellow Texan Joe Sublett of the Texacali horns. ~Char Ham

Going Back Home MP3
Going Back Home FLAC

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Various Artists - Red River Blues

The Ram Series continues with a fine collection of blues and R&B recordings, highlighted by the complete sessions of the late Jeff (Sonny Boy) Williamson - the only known recording of this Louisiana harp player. The tiny Shreveport Ram label was the brainchild of the late Myra Smith who, in the mid-50s, recorded country rockabilly and blues at her tiny handbuilt studio. Strapped for money, she was not able to release all her masters on singles and in the 60s she gave up the Ram label to concentrate on publishing and songwriting.

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1999
Styles: Blues
Time: 68:10
Size: 157,2 MB
Covers: Full

(1:59) 1. Jeff 'Sonny Boy' Williamson - Mailman Mailman
(2:30) 2. Jeff 'Sonny Boy' Williamson - Pretty Lil Thing
(2:31) 3. Jeff 'Sonny Boy' Williamson - I Gotta Cry
(2:33) 4. Jeff 'Sonny Boy' Williamson - You Better Sit Down
(2:05) 5. June 'Bug' Bailey - Lee Street Blues
(2:19) 6. Elgie Brown - Gimmie Gimmie
(2:56) 7. Banny Price - Rushin'
(3:13) 8. Elgie Brown - You'll Be Back
(2:25) 9. Elgie Brown - Let Me Feel It
(2:31) 10. Eddie Williams - The Fight
(2:39) 11. Eddie Williams - Goin to Calif
(2:53) 12. TV Slim - The Fight
(2:22) 13. TV Slim - Darling Remember
(2:12) 14. TV Slim & His Heart Breakers - Flatfoot Sam
(2:11) 15. TV Slim & His Heart Breakers - Darling Remember
(2:13) 16. Sherman Robertson - Hey Pretty Baby
(2:24) 17. Little Melvin Underwood - Something's Wrong Baby
(2:30) 18. Little Melvin Underwood - Little Melvin's Gonna Move
(2:00) 19. Vincent Williams - Tryin ' to Make a Fool of Me
(2:42) 20. Vincent Williams - Going Back to Chicago
(2:16) 21. L.C. Steels - I Didn't Play No Woman for No Fool
(2:21) 22. Chico Chism & His Jetnanairs - Hot Tamales & Bar-B-Que
(2:15) 23. Jerry Garland - Romp & Stomp
(2:34) 24. Jesse Thomas - Watch Out
(2:39) 25. Jesse Thomas - My Baby
(1:53) 26. Jesse Thomas - Anything You Want
(3:04) 27. Jesse Thomas - Guitar Riff
(1:46) 28. Jesse Thomas - Everything I Do for You

Recorded between the mid-'50s and mid-'60s, most of this electric blues and R&B was laid down at Mira Smith's studio in Shreveport, LA, appearing on tiny labels like Ram, Jo, Clif, Speed, and Red River; a dozen of the tracks were previously unreleased. This is pretty tenuous ground for a compilation, and it should be pointed out that Smith also recorded some other styles in her studio that are not represented here; also, the disc is filled out by five cuts done elsewhere in Shreveport by Jesse Thomas in the early '60s. Nonetheless, it's a pretty fair collection of early electric Louisiana blues, TV Slim the only name likely to evince even faint recognition from most collectors. Yes, there are four cuts by Sonny Boy Williamson, but this not John Lee (Sonny Boy I) or Rice Miller (Sonny Boy II) Williamson; it is, hilariously, Jeff "Sonny Boy" Williamson, yet another harmonica-playing guy using the name. He's actually one of the better performers here, although his music is derivative, with flashes of Fats Domino and Bo Diddley here and there. New Orleans R&B, indeed, is a substantial influence on several of the cuts, and the swampy Excello-released blues of Slim Harpo and the like can also be heard from time to time. TV Slim, by contrast, does primitively recorded (even by mid-'50s standards) blues-boogie on his 1955 Speed single, as well as the original version of the rockabilly blues "Flat Foot Sam" (later recut for Chess in New Orleans). Talk about lo-fi: Chico Chism's "Romp & Stomp" instrumental sounds like it was recorded from the opposite end of a school hall. Jesse Thomas finishes things off with some pretty classy, urbane blues which sound a little like early B.B. King. -- Allmusic.

Red River Blues

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Sherman Robertson - I'm The Man

Year: 1993
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:28
Size: 125,0 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. I'm Your Man (3:59)
2. Somebody's Messin' (4:24)
3. Am I Losing You (4:27)
4. Special Kind Of Loving (4:08)
5. Make It Rain (5:58)
6. Out Of Sight Out Of Mind (4:56)
7. Linda Lou (4:35)
8. Home Of The Blues (3:52)
9. Our Good Thing Is Through (5:34)
10. Vacating The Blues (4:30)
11. Helping Hand (4:32)
12. Take A Message (3:28)

No one will accuse Sherman Robertson of insisting on modest titles every time he records an album. I'm the Man, in fact, is the sort of confident, self-assured title one would expect from a rap artist -- some might even call it cocky. But then, Robertson has good reason to be confident; I'm the Man is a fine album of electric blues and bluesy soul that underscores the singer/guitarist's Houston, TX, upbringing. Though Robertson has also lived in Louisiana (where he was born) and has backed zydeco heavyweights like Clifton Chenier and Terrance Simien, this 1993 date sounds a lot more Texas than Louisiana. I'm the Man doesn't get into Louisiana-style swamp blues -- although Robertson is quite capable of embracing it -- and the comparisons that come to mind when this CD is playing include Albert Collins, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Johnny "Guitar" Watson (all of whom were masters of Texas blues).

"The lone star" influences shine through whether Robertson is playing straight-ahead blues on "Make It Rain," "Linda Lou," and "Special Kind of Loving," or providing bluesy soul on "Am I Losing You?" and "Out of Sight, Out of Mind." Meanwhile, Robertson favors a mildly jazzy approach on the exuberant "Vacating the Blues," which has the sort of organ/saxophone energy that would not have been out of place at a Jimmy Witherspoon session. Is Robertson a blues purist? Definitely not. Robertson is no more a blues purist than Robert Cray, and he isn't the sort of artist who insists that everything he records has to have 12 bars. But he does insist on bringing the feeling of the blues to everything he does, and that mindset proves valuable throughout this excellent CD. /Alex Henderson, AllMusic

I'm The Man mc
I'm The Man zippy

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Various - Blues Quest

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:55
Size: 123.5 MB
Styles: Modern electric blues, Soul blues
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:46] 1. Terry Evans - Get Up, Get Ready
[5:12] 2. Doug Macleod - One Good Woman
[2:15] 3. Joe Beard - Dirty Groundhog
[4:35] 4. Mighty Sam Mcclain - Too Proud
[4:48] 5. Ronnie Earl - Country Girl
[6:21] 6. Bruce Katz Band - The Prowler
[5:12] 7. Sherman Robertson - Going Back Home
[4:35] 8. Doug Macleod - Old Country Road
[3:21] 9. Robert Lucas - 50 Lbs Of Bone
[3:36] 10. Joe Beard - See See Rider
[5:41] 11. Ronnie Earl - Ronnie's Blues
[4:28] 12. Mighty Sam Mcclain - Somebody Help Me

This album is probably the best SACD recording released to-date. The air around musicians and instruments is simply jaw-dropping; it'll startle you from track 1's Get Up, Get Ready by Terry Evans. By the time you reach track 4 - Too Proud by Mighty Sam McClain, you'll probably be too drowned by the technical perfection of this disc and you'll be having goosebumps already. If you still manage to get to track 9 - 50 Pounds of Bone by Robert Lucas, you may be at the pinnacle of musical orgasm to the point of almost getting emotionally disturbed. I swear there was a moment when I can almost see Mr. Lucas inside the room! Down to the decay of the last note on the last track, when everything suddenly becomes dead silent, it'll take you about 2 minutes to realize that you are only in your room. ~Nick Salsamento

Blues Quest mc
Blues Quest zippy

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Sherman Robertson - Here And Now

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 60:07
Size: 137.6 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[4:31] 1. Victim Of Circumstance
[5:00] 2. In The Here And Now
[5:06] 3. Born Lucky
[4:36] 4. I'll Cry When It's Over
[5:16] 5. Fool
[7:00] 6. Lookin' Up At The Bottom
[4:32] 7. The Tail Is Waggin' The Dog
[4:51] 8. Salty Tears
[4:59] 9. Value Of Love
[4:13] 10. Are You Happy Now
[6:00] 11. This World
[4:00] 12. Hard Love

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Sherman Robertson is a product of the region of the country that he grew up in: he's one part zydeco, one part swamp blues, one part electric blues, and one part classic rhythm & blues. His guitar playing style is extremely rhythm-based, but at the same time, he plays some extraordinary slide guitar, and in the course of one of his typical three-hour shows, he'll play a lot of great solos. Robertson's rhythmic playing is no doubt an outgrowth of his several years on the road in the '80s with the king of zydeco, Clifton Chenier. He also served tenures with Rockin' Dopsie and Terrance Simien & the Mallet Playboys before deciding he wanted to venture out with his own high-energy blues style several years ago. Fortunately for Robertson, some folks at a major label, Atlantic/Code Blue, took notice. Robertson recorded two albums for Atlantic/Code Blue, a label that shut down operations in 1996. Robertson's albums include his stunning debut, I'm The Man (1994) and Here & Now (1995).

thank you mrwalker.
Here And Now mc
Here And Now zippy

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Sherman Robertson - Guitar Man: Live

Size: 131,0 MB
Time: 56:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2005
Styles: Modern Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Out Of Sight Out Of Mind (4:00)
02. Long Way From Home (7:21)
03. Guitar Man (6:01)
04. Dust My Broom (Voodoo Dust) (9:58)
05. Home Of The Blues (4:43)
06. Linda Lu (7:30)
07. Make It Rain (5:49)
08. Tin Pan Alley (11:30)

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Sherman Robertson is a product of the region of the country that he grew up in: he's one part zydeco, one part swamp blues, one part electric blues, and one part classic rhythm & blues. His guitar playing style is extremely rhythm-based, but at the same time, he plays some extraordinary slide guitar, and in the course of one of his typical three-hour shows, he'll play a lot of great solos. Robertson's rhythmic playing is no doubt an outgrowth of his several years on the road in the '80s with the king of zydeco, Clifton Chenier. He also served tenures with Rockin' Dopsie and Terrance Simien & the Mallet Playboys before deciding he wanted to venture out with his own high-energy blues style several years ago. Fortunately for Robertson, some folks at a major label, Atlantic/Code Blue, took notice.

Robertson recorded two albums for Atlantic/Code Blue, a label that shut down operations in 1996. Robertson's albums include his stunning debut, I'm The Man (1994) and Here & Now (1995).

"I focus on the good time, upbeat blues," says Robertson, born in Breaux Bridge, LA but raised across the border in nearby Houston. "Playing with zydeco bands all that time, everybody was always dancing. The guys I learned from were all playing dance music. When zydeco blues comes to town, you can't sit still. Yet people have this concept of blues as depressing. I say,'Forget your problems, I play dance music.' ''

Robertson drew his first inspiration from a TV performance by Hank Williams, the country singer known in bayou country for his composition, "Jambalaya.'' He was 13 when he first saw Williams perform and that experience changed his life. Robertson heard the blues coming out of the country legend, and his interest in playing guitar was piqued. Robertson's father bought him an old Stella guitar for $12 and the younger Robertson began playing the songs of Freddie King and Floyd London, often playing until his hands bled and often falling asleep with the instrument nestled beside him.

Growing up in Houston, just down the street from Don Robey's famed Duke/Peacock Records studios, Robertson had the chance to befriend many of the great musicians who stopped in there to make records. By 17, he was honing his craft with a local blues band and playing in the bars in his Fifth Ward neighborhood in Houston.

In 1982, when Robertson's band was playing at the Crosstown Blues Festival, zydeco legend Chenier heard him play. Chenier told his bus driver to "get that guitar player," and a long alliance with Chenier's band was forged. Robertson moved to Louisiana with Chenier's band and learned a lot from the accordionist about how to read an audience. Later, Robertson worked with singer/songwriter Paul Simon during recording sessions for his Graceland album, and also had the chance to sit in with all of his heroes, Albert Collins, B.B. King, and Lightnin' Hopkins among them. In 1987 and 1988, after Chenier's passing, Robertson hooked up with accordionist Terrance Simien, and furthered his musical education, particularly with the overseas dates that band performed in Egypt and Africa. After all those years of playing zydeco, Robertson yearned to get back to more basic forms of blues, and in the early '90s, after two-and-a-half years with the Mallet Playboys, he assembled his own band that would later take much of the blues festival circuit by storm. A few years and hundreds of shows later, critics were saying Robertson would inherit the seats left open by people like Albert King and Albert Collins.

Robertson's I'm The Man was the first release via Atlantic Record's alliance with Code Blue, and they couldn't have picked a stronger album. Every track is radio-ready and a winner. Robertson's follow-up, Here & Now, includes his cover of the Tracy Nelson song, the title track of the album. He described his second release as his blues opera.

The rest of the '90s will show this to be the case, since there are few other musicians who combine great songs, fluid guitar playing, and strong, powerful vocals so well. Robertson hasn't let the record company troubles bother him in the least, and he'll no doubt find a new home at a significant independent record company and continue to do what he's been doing so well. ~Bio by Richard Skelly

Thanks to Marc.
Guitar Man: Live

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