Topic: 1950's electric blues fans?

[unezrider]

hello friend,
i imagine i'm not the only one here who absolutely loves the first generation of electric blues. assuming so, who do you find yourself listening to?
naturally, i love muddy, wolf, elmore james, sonny boy, little walter, hooker, junior parker, etc...
but i had found myself wanting to hear more, & over the last couple of years i have come across some really good stuff..
*junior wells 'blues hit big town' (has a version of 'hoodoo man' w/ elmore james on 2nd guitar, & 1/2 the tracks are w/ muddy & his band)
*robert nighthawk 'bricks in my pillow' musically on par w/ the guys from sun & chess records
*yank rachell 'chicago blues' - yeah, he's playing an electric mandolin, but it's got some real cool tunes
*memphis slim 'memphis slim usa' @ times guitar murphy's guitar playing is a bit more noodely than i like, but it really is some great stuff
*little walter 'the blues world of little walter' (pre-chess stuff!)
-(these are all delmark releases, for what it's worth)
-chris

[CF]

This is a timely post for me because I've been on the brink of bringing out my 50s-60s recordings for months . . . have a hankering for some John Lee Hooker. There's an album on Atlantic records called 'Don't Turn Me From Your Door' I believe & it's got some great tracks, some heavily distorted & sounding almost like hard rock altho' recorded mostly in the early to mid fifties I believe. Also, John does two instrumentals that are possibly the most primitive, disjointed & almost pitifully bad pieces of music I have ever heard. Seriously, at times, Hooker sounded like he was just learning to play the guitar. Love it

[dj]

The Chess version of "Dark Road" by Floyd Jones, with Little Walter on harmonica
"Fishtail" by Johnny Shines - his version of Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues", recorded for JOB in 1952 but, I think, unreleased at the time.

[Rivers]

Great post unezrider.

[RobBob]

I'm with you on the Robert Nighthawk stuff, he and Huston Stackhouse.  I have also been listening to Sticks and Brownie McGee on JSP7763 box set.  That and early Muddy Waters.   It is all so close to the prewar stuff and yet so far away in some of the wild sounds that come from the distortion.

RobBob

[Cambio]

I'm a big Johnny Shines fan.  I think he's completely under rated.  He has a lot of material out there, some of which is not the greatest, but when he's hitting on all cylinders he borders on ethereal.  I have a compilation called "Skull and Crossbones", which has a great version of "19 Bird Dogs 11 Flop Eared Hounds" and "Old Grandad", a song about trying to give up whiskey.
I also really like Eddie Taylor, another unsung hero of the early Chicago Blues.  And how could you not love Freddie King?  Here's a great clip of him using his thumb and forefinger, wiht a big old house band and some tired background dancers.  Now that's a show!

[Slack]

with a big old house band and some tired background dancers.

hey, whatever happened to "The Monkey', 'The Swim', 'The Pony', "The Hitchhiker' ..  Those dances would make anyone tired.

[lindy]

One of my favorite renditions of Catfish Blues is by John Littlejohn, who as far as I can tell only made one recording, for Arhoolie, mid-60s. Set me straight if I'm wrong. His version has him on electric lead, an electric second (playing single note lines, not strummed rhythm), and a drummer using only a snare and a high-hat. Massively cool and true to the stipped-down essence of country blues.

Lindy

[Bunker Hill]

One of my favorite renditions of Catfish Blues is by John Littlejohn, who as far as I can tell only made one recording, for Arhoolie, mid-60s. Set me straight if I'm wrong. His version has him on electric lead, an electric second (playing single note lines, not strummed rhythm), and a drummer using only a snare and a high-hat. Massively cool and true to the stipped-down essence of country blues Lindy

Great LP, much underrated artist. He recorded two 45s in 1966 for the Margaret label, another two for the IDS label (1968), the Arhoolie LP in November that year, a four title Chess session in Feb 1969, a couple of tracks for Frank Scott's Advent label, a Bluesway session in 1973, a session in France for MCM (1976), one for Black & Blue in Paris 1978, one for Johnny Vincent's Ace label in Jackson (1979), and, and, and...until his last recordings for JSP Chicago 1992. He died two years later. (all info courtesy of of the late Bill Rowe's booklet Career Discographies (vol.1, No. 3, Sept. 1995).  I have everything he recorded up to 1969 but nothing after that!

[Bunker Hill]

I'm a big Johnny Shines fan. 

If you haven't already done so better check this out PDQ.  http://www.wirz.de/music/shinefrm.htm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
These just missed making it out in the '50s, but Otis Rush's "All My Love" and "So Many Roads", from January of 1960, are wonderful cuts.  What a great singer and player!
All best,
Johnm

[unezrider]

thanks for the replies!
a couple of those names you guys have mentioned i've never checked out yet. johnny shines - who's mentioned everytime a long discussion of robert johnson takes place. & houston stackhouse (friend of tommy johnson?). any rate, names i'm familiar w/ but have never looked into. (put on my ever growing list ) & a few i've never heard of - john littlejohn, eddie taylor, floyd jones.
i forgot to mention last spring i finally checked out jimmy reed. i was under the impression that his guitar playing 'repetitive & simple'. you can still argue that, but this man deserves to stand up there w/ the greats. really, really cool tunes.
slim harpo, is another one...
how do people feel about robert jr. lockwood?
chris

[mississippijohnhurt1928]

The Chess version of "Dark Road" by Floyd Jones, with Little Walter on harmonica

(And Sunnyland Slim on piano.)


Well I love Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson (II), Sunnyland Slim, Elmore James, Little Walter, Robert Lockwood, Junior's work as a sideman for Chess, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Eddie Boyd, Etc.

[mississippijohnhurt1928]

But Muddy Waters bores the heck out of me and I've never liked him.


I only enjoy his 1941-1942 field recordings and "Got My Mojo Workin"

[RobBob]

Muddy is an all time favorite of mine.  I grew up hearing his records on the radio.  He was in regular play on one of the R&B stations I listened to.  Well fairly regular.  Usually in the off hours when things like jazz and blues would slip into the mix.

He is appeals to a certain audience and some folks feel he is old hat.  He reflects the human condition in a way that speaks to folks of a certain age.  He may be an acquired tastes.  When rock bands like the Stones would cover his stuff it would make my skin crawl.  But that is my problem.

Check out Collector's Classic Muddy Waters and Friends, Goin' Back, Just Memory JAM 9130-2.  It is acoustic and for that reason is atypical of the his work of the period.  It is core Mud though and a treat to hear.

Rob