Big Joe Williams The Original Ramblin' Bluesman, 1945-1961

Big Joe Williams
The Original Ramblin' Bluesman, 1945-1961
Jasmine

Bon Fisher observes, in the liner notes to this two-CD collection of recordings, that Big Joe Williams was the epitome of rambling, wandering, itinerant bluesman that has been overly-romanticized. Jasmine has brought together 53 performances that the Mississippi raised bluesman waxed for a variety of labels between 1945 and 1961. Some of these blues were recorded as 78s and 45s for such labels as Columbia, Trumpet, Specialty, Vee-jay, and Cobra. Other selections came from sessions that recorded for Delmark Records.

Compiled by Neil Slaven, this is a generous selection of the Mississippi Bluesman's music. It opens with "His Spirit Lives On," one of a number of blues recorded in remembrance to President Roosevelt. It is followed by a session for Columbia Records with a small group that included John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson en harmonica that hinted at the post-war blues recordings of Muddy Waters and others. Among the dozen songs from these sessions were versions of his own "Baby Please Don't Go," as well as "King Biscuit Stomp," and "Banty Rooster Blues." "King Biscuit Stomp" was the first recording of the theme from the West Helena radio show that featured Aleck 'Rice' Miller who performed as Sonny Boy Williamson

Other performances include a stunning solo "Jivin' Woman," with stinging guitar and a declamatory vocal. For Trumpet, he recorded "Mama Don't Allow Me," a driving, percussive reworking of John Lee Hooker's "Boogie Chillum." From the same session, Williams' "Delta Blues" is Williams' treatment of Hooker's "Hobo Blues." These are not copies but reflect that they share common musical influences. A later Trumpet session produced the driving "She Left Me a Mule,' with more exciting guitar. "Rather Be Sloppy Drunk" is a vigorous treatment of a song John Lee Williamson recorded. after these solo performances, he leads a small group on "My Baby Left Town." This song that he previously recorded as "She Left Me a Mule" benefits from Sam Fowler's harmonica.

Sixteen songs come from 1957 and 1958 with pianist Erwin Helfer that make their first appearance on CD in this collection. Among these performances are "Don't Leave Me Here," a version of "Baby Please Don't Go," with his percussive guitar break and string snapping. After singing "Cow Cow Blues" over Helfer's boogie-woogie piano, Williams delivers a forceful interpretation of "Crawlin' King Snake." There are a rollicking "Shake Your Boogie" and robust down-home interpretations of "Mean Mistreater" and "Prison Bound," two blues associated with Leroy Carr. The final recordings on this release are from 1961 and include powerful renditions of John Lee Williamson's "Bluebird Blues" and "Elevate Me Mama."

Big Joe Williams would record many stunning albums for Folkways, Milestone, Delmark, Arhoolie, and other labels. Among Bob Dylan's first recordings was playing harmonica behind Big Joe for Spivey Records. He passed away in 1982, which might account for his music and reputation becoming less well known. His relative obscurity today is unfortunate. The quality of the music reissued here clearly displays he is among the best of the Delta blues artists. For those unfamiliar with his music, this is as good a place to start. Others familiar with his music will find much to enjoy here in a collection that brings together some first-rate blues from a variety of sources.

I purchased this. Here he is seen performin g "Baby Please Don't Go."
 

Percy Mayfield Lost Love: The Singles As & Bs 1947-1962

Percy Mayfield
Lost Love: The Singles As & Bs 1947-1962
Jasmine (UK)

Another English public domain reissue of vintage rhythm and blues brings us Percy Mayfield's first 27 singles (whether 78s or 45s) and a previously unissued couple of tracks. While Mayfield's Specialty recordings were subject of classic reissues some time ago, they may hard to find. Furthermore, here are his recordings for Gru-Tone and Supreme that predate his joining Specialty, and also are recordings Checker, Cash, Imperial, 7 Arts, and Tangerine.

The album opens with the two part jump and jive "Jack You Ain't Nowhere," and then his first recording of "Two Years of Torture," both with an unidentified band although his vocal is under-recorded on the latter two. When he signed with Supreme he had a pair of singles including a remake of "Two Years of Torture," with a band that included Maxwell Davis, Marshall Royal, and Chuck Norris and much better recorded presaging the time with Specialty. His first record for Specialty, with a band that included Maxwell Davis as well as Jack McVea, Gene Phillips, Red Callender and Lee Young, had the classics "Please Send Me Someone To Love," and "Strange Things Happening." So many classics are here including "Lost Love (Baby Please Come Back to Me)," "The Hunt Is One," "The River's Invitation," "The Bachelor Blues," "My Heart Is Crying," with Maxwell Davis being a constant on these. Besides his tenor saxophonist, I suspect Davis was responsible for the arrangements and leading the studio band.

 While Davis is not present on the recordings for Cash and Checker, those sides produced gems like "No.43 (My Story About A Woman)," with a choice Fred Clark tenor saxophone solo, and the moody "The Bluest Blues." "Please Believe Me" is an unusual ballad recording with a sweeter sound than earlier selections, while he produced a urban blues gem "My Heart is a Prisoner," with the guitar more prominent in the backing along with some tough tenor sax. One of his last Specialty singles was the jazzy cocktail ballad, "When Did You Leave Heaven" while for 7 Arts he recorded "Ha Ha In The Daytime, Boo Hoo At Night," a tune he would remake a bit more emphatically later. A Tangerine coupling included Ray Charles, Hank Crawford, Teddy Edwards and Chuck Norris include the hard swinging big band groove of "Never No More," which would also be on his LPs that he recorded for Ray Charles' label. Mayfield would continue to make strong music beyond the singles documented here including albums for Brunswick and RCA Victor along with a single for Atlantic.

Besides one of the great songwriters of the blues leading him to be called "The Poet Laureate of the Blues," Percy Mayfield was a suave, sophisticated singer and a major touring attraction until his face was heavily disfigured in an automobile accident. While his career as a star was over, the music here shows that his music remained original and distinctive. Some of the material (the non-Specialty recordings) on this is rare and even those having the Specialty reissues might want this to fill-in gaps in their collection of his recordings. There is a discography of the songs here and astute notes from Dave Penny. For those not having much by him, this does present the core of his recorded legacy.

I purchased this. Here is a later recording than that on this collection of "The River's Invitation."

Eddie Taylor In Session

Eddie Taylor
In Session: Diary of a Chicago Bluesman 1953-1957
Jasmine

This is a public domain British reissue with some terrific blues that involved Eddie Taylor, a brilliant guitarist most associated with Jimmy Reed, but who is heard heard on a number of classic (mostly) Chicago blues recordings along with his own recordings for the Vee-Jay label. The Mississippi native is best known for his association with Jimmy Reed, but played on numerous sessions in the 1950s and 1960s for labels like Parrot, Blue Lake, Chess as well as Vee-Jay who he had four singles released under his own name. In the 1960s he shared on album on Testament and backed up Carey Bell and others for Delmark, Bluesway and other labels. He also made several albums under his name including for Advent (later on Hightone) and Antone's.

This reissue includes several selections from Jimmy Reed and Johnny Lee Hooker including Reed's "Ain't That Loving You Baby" and Hooker's "Dimples." But in addition to these hits, he is heard behind John Brim on "Ice Cream Man" (with great Little Walter harp) and the topical blues "Tough Times"; Sunnyland Slim's terrific take on the "Rolling and Tumbling" theme, "Going Back To Memphis," as well as Slim's "The Devil Is a Busy Man"; a trio of songs (including "Schooldays on My Mind" and "Ain't Times Hard") from Floyd Jones with Sunnyland Slim on piano and Snooky Pryor playing some great harp; and Little Willie Foster's "Falling Rain Blues." Taylor's own sides are equally superb including "Bad Boy," his remake of Little Johnnie Jones "Big Time Playboy" and a "Catfish Blues" variant, "Stroll Out West," which was unissued until released on an album years later.

Longtime fans of the blues will likely be familiar with many of these recordings as this contains some real gems of the Chicago blues of the fifties. Sound is good and Bob Fisher's liner notes provides a nice background of Taylor and the music here. This is an easily recommended reissue, especially for those who do not have many of the recordings on this.

I purchased this. Here is a clip of Eddie Taylor in 1970.