Ellen McIlwaine

Ellen McIlwaine - Looking For Trouble - 1987 - Stony Plain

Recorded for a small Western Canadian label, this release is an unusual but affecting blend of world beat and electronics, combined with the passionate performer's powerful playing and singing. Ever restless and experimental, she delves into Jamaica with a reggaefied "Can't Find My Way Home." A spacy "All to You" revisits one of her most enduring melodies from the 1973 release We the People. Her masterful slide guitar playing isn't front and center as much as usual on her most rhythmic album to date. Dedicated, among other things, to the 12 steps to recovery, this album finds McIlwaine on the verge of moving to Canada in search of a new direction for her music and her life. © Mark Allan © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/looking-for-trouble-r129928

Richard Skelly of Allmusic.com made the comment, "Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Ellen McIlwaine is a gutsy, spirited performer who plays and sings a fiery brand of blues like few other female blues singers. Why she's not more widely known is one of the mysteries of the record business, as she's been on the scene a long time". This comment could be applied to many artists. Just to name two artists on this blog; James McMurtry, and Kyla Brox. These are great artists with talent to burn who are continually ignored by the media, now controlled by a golden circle of multi-millionaire tycoons who know everything about money, but very little about good music. True, these people know what kind of music sells which excludes many talented artists from ever been given exposure to the public. "Looking For Trouble" is one of Ellen McIlwaine's earlier releases, and is more eclectic than most of her later blues rock based albums. This is not a guitar orientated album, but Ellen has nothing to prove as regards songwriting skills or great musicianship. Ellen's "Everybody Needs It" album is @ ELMCIL/ENI Buy her "The Real Ellen McIlwaine" and support great music. [All tracks @ 256 Kbps: File size = 66 Mb]

TRACKS

A1 In D Street (I Am Discreet)
A2 Looking for Trouble
A3 All to You
A4 Beg for the Reason

B1 Don't Look Down
B2 Save the World
B3 Woodoo Woodoo (Jamin's Australian Song)
B4 Can't Find My Way Home
B5 Lean on Me

All songs composed by Ellen McIlwaine except "Can't Find My Way Home" by Steve Winwood, and "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers

MUSICIANS

Ellen McIlwaine - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Kit Johnson - Bass
Bohdan Hluszko - Drums
Quammie Williams - Percussion on "Woodoo Woodoo"
Doug Wilde - Emmulator II & Akai Sampler on "Woodoo Woodoo"
Matt Zimbel - Congas & Talk Drum I on "Woodoo Woodoo"
Eugene Smith - Vocals on "Lean on Me"
The Association Of Gospel Music Ministeries [Steve Easton & Sharon, Lisa, Susan, and Karen Brown] - Vocals on "Save the World"

BIO (WIKI)

Ellen McIlwaine (born October 1, 1945, Nashville, Tennessee) is an American singer-songwriter and musician best known for her career as a slide guitarist. Born in Nashville, McIlwaine was adopted by missionaries and raised in Kobe, Japan, giving her exposure to multiple languages and cultures. She attended the Canadian Academy school in Kobe, graduating in 1963. Her first experience in music was playing Ray Charles, Fats Domino and Professor Longhair songs on piano that she heard on Japanese radio. On moving to back to the United States she bought a guitar, beginning a stage career in Atlanta, Georgia in the mid-1960s. In 1966, she had a stint in New York City's Greenwich Village where she opened every night at the Cafe Au Go Go, playing with a young Jimi Hendrix, and opening for Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and Big Joe Williams. She returned to Atlanta to form the band Fear Itself, a psychedelic blues-rock band. After recording one album with Fear Itself, McIlwaine went solo, recording two albums for Polydor, Honky Tonk Angel (1972) and We the People (1973), the latter featuring a hit single, "I Don't Want to Play". Those albums, and most of her work since, have featured McIlwaine's approach to acoustic slide guitar. McIlwaine's career has been irregular, plagued by what she has often described of conflict with her record producers who wanted to change her sound. She once remarked of the 1978 album Ellen McIlwaine, "It could have been any other female vocalist, and next time it will be." As a female vocalist who is known more for her acoustic guitar, her music tends to be classified in the folk sections of record stores, despite her strong roots in blues, soul and rock music, and her cover versions of songs by Isaac Hayes, Stevie Wonder and Browning Bryant. She has also recorded several covers of songs by Jimi Hendrix: she wrote "Underground River" about him. By the mid-1970s McIlwaine's songs "Sliding", "We the People" and "Losing You" were included on the compilation album, The Guitar Album. McIlwaine's album The Real Ellen McIlwaine, recorded in Montreal in 1975 for the Kotai label, won the NAIRD Indie Award. A 1982 project, Everybody Needs It, was also successful, and featured Jack Bruce, an artist who influenced her strongly and whose songs she has covered on several of her albums. In 1980 she made her first tour of Australia, after being spotted by the Australian singer-guitarist Margret RoadKnight, who was one of the co-promoters of the tour. She returned to Australia in 1984, and during this tour was the last performer to appear at Sydney's Regent Theatre. Since moving to Canada in 1987, (first Toronto, later Alberta), McIlwaine recorded Looking for Trouble for Stony Plain Records, which has also re-released her early vinyl material on CD. Her next CD Women in (e)motion Festival/Ellen McIlwaine, recorded live in Germany in 1999; and then Spontaneous Combustion featuring Taj Mahal are on the German Tradition und Moderne label. In spite of debilitating arthritis in her hips, she undertook a third tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2003, which reunited her with RoadKnight and the other Honky Tonk Angels, who had first brought her to Australia in 1980. McIlwaine has since successfully undergone hip replacement surgery. She has long favored Guild brand guitars. She plays Guild S-250 and S-300D electric guitars; in earlier years, even when performing solo, she often played her electric guitar through an octave multiplier to emulate a bass player. Her acoustic guitar is a venerable and well-traveled Guild instrument, purchased for her in New York by a friend in 1966. This guitar has a unique history, being a former Guild company "loaner" which was used by leading artists including Mississippi John Hurt and Richie Havens while Guild repaired their own guitars. In 2006 she started her own label Ellen McIlwaine Music and released Mystic Bridge featuring the Indian tabla drummer Cassius Khan. They were joined by the soprano saxophone of Linsey Wellman on three tracks, including their version of "Take Me to the River", and harmonium playing by Amika Kushwaha on the last track, "The Question". This was a poem by Christine Steele, recited over Cassius Khan's vocal rendition of the ancient Urdu poem set to music, "Darbari Raag".

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Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Ellen McIlwaine is a gutsy, spirited performer who plays and sings a fiery brand of blues like few other female blues singers. Why she's not more widely known is one of the mysteries of the record business, as she's been on the scene a long time. Adopted and raised by missionaries, McIlwaine spent her first 15 years in Japan, playing piano at age five and singing in a church choir. She began listening to U.S. Armed Forces Radio in junior high school, becoming enamored with singers like Fats Domino, Ray Charles, and Professor Longhair. McIlwaine returned to the U.S. with her parents when she was 17 and attended King College in Bristol, Tennessee and DeKalb College in Atlanta. She left college after two years and began her professional performing career in Atlanta in 1966. Shortly after she began playing professionally, folksinger Patrick Sky heard her and encouraged her to come to New York City. Sky's manager secured her some bookings at the Cafe Au Go Go in Greenwich Village, and there she shared bills with Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, and Howlin' Wolf. Richie Havens and Randy California taught her a few things about slide guitar, and she took it from there. She moved back to Atlanta and formed her first group, Fear Itself. With that group, she pioneered what was then a novel concept: she was both the guitar-slinging bandleader and the group's lead vocalist. A year later, the all-male backup group went with her to New York to record their self-titled debut album for Dot Records. McIlwaine's next two recordings were Honky Tonk Angel (1972) and We the People (1973), both for Polydor. In 1975, she recorded The Real Ellen McIlwaine for a Canadian label, Kot'Ai. Her output since then has been somewhat sporadic, but her performances have remained spirited. Her other recordings prior to the new millennium included Ellen McIlwaine (1978) for United Artists; Everybody Needs It (1982) for the Blind Pig label; and a 1988 release on Stony Plain, Looking for Trouble. (Fortunately, many of her old vinyl sides have been reissued on compact disc by Stony Plain.) After many years in Connecticut, McIlwaine relocated to Toronto, Ontario in the late '80s, and subsequently moved to Alberta. Her recordings in the 2000s have included 2001's Spontaneous Combustion, the Japanese release Live at Yellow in 2002, and 2006's adventurous change of pace Mystic Bridge, an Eastern-tinged outing featuring Cassius Khan on tablas and Linsey Wellman on sax. © Richard Skelly © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ellen-mcilwaine-p2071/biography

Henry Vestine & The Heat Bros (Canned Heat Related)

Henry Vestine & The Heat Bros - I Used To Be Mad! (But Now I'm Half Crazy) - 2002 - Aim

Guitarist Henry Vestine gained notoriety through his on-again, off-again tenure with boogie rockers Canned Heat. Recorded after a 1981 tour of Australia and New Zealand, Vestine and members of Canned Heat entered a studio in New Zealand to record this affair. But the tapes were shelved for two decades. Yet at the behest of Canned Heat vocalist James Thornbury and a South African fan, this 2002 production marks Vestine's first solo recording. And while the hard-living artist passed away in 1997, these tracks duly intimate his ballsy chops and firmly implanted blues roots. The musicians work through soul-drenched rock numbers and a garage band-type rendition of "Johnny B. Goode," amid a straightforward version of the Canned Heat hit "Let's Work Together." However, one of the highlights features Vestine's soloing on the walking blues-type motif titled "Loquisimo," which is a piece that signifies one of the guitarist's several nicknames. Overall, Vestine's gritty and altogether animated line of attack is prominently displayed, although many of these tracks suffer from a lack of distinction. © Glenn Astarita © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-used-to-be-mad-but-now-im-half-crazy-r609443

"The compilation's second disc ("I Used To Be Mad! (But Now I'm Half Crazy)"proves to be just as bluesy and vibrant as the first -- nearly everybody else in the rock world may have been cutting their hair and introducing synthesizers into their music, but not Vestine, as such standouts as "Dust My Broom" and "Sunflower Blues" could easily be mistaken for Canned Heat tracks. For fans who may have lost track of Canned Heat sometime in the '70s, Human Condition Revisited/I Used to Be Mad! (But Now I'm Half Crazy) proves that they were still rockin' and rollin' far beyond Woodstock". - from review of the album "Human Condition Revisited/I Used to Be Mad! (But Now I'm Half Crazy)" © Greg Prato © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/human-condition-revisitedi-used-to-be-mad-but-now-im-half-crazy-r940247/review

At the end of an 1981 tour Canned Heat recorded "I Used To Be Mad! (But Now I'm Half Crazy)" at a studio in New Zealand. This album is credited to the late Henry Vestine, although all Canned Heat's members took part in the recording. It is a good mix of blues rock originals and Rock ''N" Roll and soul covers. Canned Heat (The Heat Bros) were in their prime around this time period. Audio quality is not always top notch, but shouldn't mar your enjoyment of this great boogie/blues rock album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 118 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Dust My Broom - Elmore James 4:37
2 Searchin' For My Baby - DeLaParra, Vestine 3:03
3 Sunflower Blues - DeLaParra, Vestine 2:45 **
4 Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry 3:33
5 Ninety Nine & A Half - Henry Vestine 4:20
6 High School Dance - DeLaParra, Vestine 3:30
7 Loquisimo - DeLaParra, Vestine 7:25
8 The Stumble - Freddie King 3:23
9 Let's Work Together - Wilbert Harrison 3:28
10 I Need $100 - Sam Wilson 5:20 *
11 Kings Of The Boogie - DeLaParra, Hite, Rodriguez, Vestine 3:25
12 On The Road Again - Floyd Jones, Al Wilson 5:09
13 LSD Boogie - DeLaParra, Vestine 4:32

* A track with the same title was composed by Sam Wilson
** A track with the same title was composed by John Fahey

MUSICIANS

Henry Vestine - Guitar [Lead]
Mike 'The Mouth' Halby - Guitar, Guitar [Lead Between Henry's Two Solos] on Track 7, Lead Vocals on Tracks 5, 6, 11
Ernie Rodriguez - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals on Tracks 2, 4, 9, 12
Fito de la Parra - Drums, Piano on Track 3
Ricky Kellogg - Harmonica, Lead Vocals on Tracks 1,10

BIO

Charles Vestine, a.k.a. “The Sunflower,” was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1944, in Takoma Park, Maryland, the only son of Harry and Lois Vestine . Henry’s father was from Canada and his mother was from Arkansas. Henry lived in the toughest section of Takoma Park in Prince Georges County. He attended Jay Enos Ray Elementary School and Takoma Park Junior High School. In his late grade school and early junior high years Henry and his friends would spend the summers at an outdoor swimming pool at Coolidge High School in Washington DC. It was there that he, at age 11, and John Fahey , who also was born in Takoma Park, began to learn how to play guitar – trading chords and singing a mixed bag of pop, hillbilly , and country music, particularly Hank WilIiams . Six brothers, all young World War II veterans from a black family named Williams, taught them their first blues licks . The brothers also played country songs and liked to yodel. As he learned to play guitar, Fahey moved musically to country and western and then bluegrass. Henry, on the other hand, followed the blues, branching out into what Fahey called “John Lee Hooker type boogies” and a “plastique” music that was a kind of “soft jump rock.” An early influence on Henry was Roy Buchanan . Henry knew Buchanan and used to go with Fahey to hear to him at a little bar on Highway 1 north of the University of Maryland. Henry’s father was a noted physicist specializing in gravity studies. Shortly after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik he was offered a job in California and moved to Pacific Palisades. Henry took the sudden transplantation hard and shortly after his arrival began what was to be a lifelong association with drugs. He also tried to project an “East Coast Greaser” persona, according to his cousin Martha Magoon, but really had a heart of gold. He was often seen tooling around in a burgundy colored ’57 Chevy with the words “Home of the Blues” stenciled on the side. He also was an Eagle Scout. In California, Henry joined his first band, Hial King and the Newports, in junior high school. By the time he was seventeen he was a regular on the Los Angeles club circuit. He became a familiar sight at many black clubs, where he often brought musician friends to turn them on to the blues. Henry became friends with Cajun guitarist Jerry McGhee. It was from him that Henry learned the flat pick and 3-fingerstyle that was to become so much a part of Henry’s own style.
Henry Part 2 Posted: 01/02/2008
On his first acid trip with a close musician friend, Henry visited an East LA tattoo parlor and got the first of what was to be numerous tattoos: the words “Living The Blues”. That same day he got his first mojo, John the Conqueror root, from a voodoo shop around the corner from the tattoo shop. He would often hang his mojo, in a red bag, on his guitar whenever he played boogie songs. Henry’s love of music and the blues in particular was fostered at an early age when he accompanied his father on canvasses of black neighborhoods for old recordings . Like his father, Henry became an avid collector, eventually coming to own tens of thousands of recordings of blues, hillbilly, country, and Cajun music. At Henry’s urging, his father also used to take him to blues shows at which he and Henry were often the only white people present. This was well before blues had become popular among white audiences. Henry was instrumental in the “rediscovery” of Skip James and other Delta musicians. He was fond of telling the story of how he, Bill Barth, and John Fahey found Skip James in Tunica, Mississippi. In June 1964, the three were on one of many trips they made to the South to canvas rural black communities of old recordings. In Northern Mississippi they learned that Skip James was in the county hospital in Tunica. Henry used to recall that when they walked into his hospital room, Skip James, without previously talking with Henry or knowing the purpose of his visit said he saw “music” around Henry. Fahey also recalls that James asked if they wanted old records and that he had made some in 1931. Fahey also recalls that James then said “You must be pretty stupid. Took you a long time to get here.” While James discussed with friends the wisdom of going north and renewing his musical career, Henry, Fahey, and Barth went to Minden, Louisiana to stay with Fahey’s mother and step-father. While Henry was on a pay phone the three were arrested by the local police who apparently thought they were civil rights agitators. With a little help from Fahey’s stepfather and possibly Henry’s father in paying off the appropriate people, the three were released after a night in jail. Shortly thereafter, James decided to renew his career and was booked at Newport. Fahey plans to recount his many collecting trips to the south in a book he is writing to be entitled “Fahey”. Throughout the early to mid 1960’s Henry played in various musical configurations and frequented after hour jam sessions. It was during this time that he played with Frank Zappa in the original Mothers of Invention. He married his first wife, Sandy, in 1965 but the marriage was to last only a few years. Fahey recalls that by the time he moved to California in the mid-60’s Henry was a fantastic guitar player. In fact, one night Fahey went to a West LA club to hear the Henry Vestine Trio. He sat with the trio’s biggest fans, four male college-aged students. 0ne, who was black, came to study Henry’s guitar playing. He introduced himself to Fahey with the words, “Hi, I’m Jimi Hendrix .” Fahey was to be instrumental in the formation of Canned Heat . In 1966 he met Al Wilson in Boston and asked him to come out to the west coast to help Fahey write his Masters thesis on Charley Patton . He introduced Wilson, who roomed with him, to Henry and Bob and Richard Hite. Henry, Wilson. and the Hite brothers formed a jug band that rehearsed at Don Brown’s Jazz Man record Shop. Shortly after Bob Hite and Alan Wilson formed Canned Heat, Henry was asked to join. As he told a musician friend in his trio at the time, he decided to go with the more rock oriented Canned Heat in order to get rich and see the world. He joined the band and the next year played with them at the Monterey Pop Festival. Canned Heat’s first album was released in 1967. In his liner notes, Pete Welding praised Henry and his incendiary, unbearably exciting lead guitar work. Henry burst into musical prominence as a guitarist who stretched the idiom of the blues with long solos that moved beyond the genres conventional definitions. He had a piercing trademark treble guitar style that was his own. Albert Collins was invited to LA by Canned Heat to record hist first album. Henry did have his favorite guitar players, though, including T-Bone Walker , Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson , Sonny Sherrock , Freddie King , and Albert Collins . Indeed, shortly after Canned Heat’s first album, Henry and the band met Albert Collins in Texas and invited him out to Los Angeles to record his first album with them on Liberty. Henry had an on-again. off-again relationship with Canned Heat, who had hits with “Going Up The Country” and “0n The Road Again”. Henry either quit or was fired from the band ten times over thirty years. He missed playing at Woodstock in 1969, having quit the band a week earlier. In 1995, he explained to an Australian reporter that “At the time, it was just another gig. It was too bad I wasn’t there , but I just couldn’t continue with the band at the time.” It was shortly after he left the band in 1969 that Henry’s love affair with Harley Davidson motorcycles really took off. He eventually owned eleven of them. Over the years he had also developed a close relationship with the Hell’s Angels. Prior to his death he was looking forward to playing at their 75th Anniversary Celebration. While Canned Heat played at Woodstock in August of 1969, Henry was invited to New York City for session work with avant-garde jazz great Albert Ayler . That session work resulted in two re leases on the Impulse label. Throughout the years Henry was to play with numerous other musicians, perhaps the most notable being John Lee Hooker . Canned Heat met Hooker in the Portland Airport in 1970 and recorded “Hooker N’ Heat” that same year in a recording session that was to be Al Wilson’s last. Henry was to record with Hooker again in the late 1970’s on a second “Hooker N’ Heat” album and again many years later on “The Healer.” Henry traveled the world with Canned Heat, playing throughout Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Americas. He and Bob Hite triggered much of the band’s outrageous and legendary behavior. For Henry getting high wan not an offense – it was a given. The band’s exploits are chronicled by long time drummer Fito de la Parrain a recently published book, “Living with the Blues” that is available through Canned Heats website. In the mid 1970’s Henry married Lisa Lack and moved with her to Anderson, South Carolina. In 1980 they had a son, Jesse. While in South Carolina, Henry had numerous drunk driving arrests as well as difficulties with the IRS. Henry’s marriage broke up and he found his way to Oregon in the Fall of 1983. He lived on a farm in rural Blodgett for a year and then in Corvallis, making a living doing odd jobs and playing music at rodeos and taverns in a blues band with Mike Rosso, an old friend from southern California who had played bass with Albert Collins and who had also moved to 0regon. Henry also played with Ramblin’ Rex.
Henry Part 3 Posted: 01/01/2008
Terry Robb brought Henry to Portland and they did some recording together. Henry began playing with the Pete Carnes Blues Band and made his way to Eugene when the band folded in the mid 1980’s. He played the regional club scene with a number of blues and blues-rock groups including James T. and The Tough. From that band he was to bring James Thornbury to a reconstituted Canned Heat. In recent years, Henry enjoyed touring with Canned Heat in Australia and Europe, where the band had a popularity that far surpassed the recognition they got in the United States. When he returned to Eugene he would play with The Vipers, a group of veteran Eugene blues musicians who perform throughout the Northwest. He continued to record including sessions with Oregon bands such as Skip Jones and The Rent Party Band , Terry Robb, and The Vipers. He also recorded the album “Guitar Gangster” with Evan Johns in Austin. Henry seemed to know that his health was failing. About a month before he left on his final tour with Canned Heat, Henry commented to my partner and me that he wanted his ashes sent to the Vestine Crater on the moon, which had been named posthumously after his father. Henry had finished that European tour with Canned Heat when he died in a Paris hotel on the morning of October 20, 1997, just as the band was to return to the United States. Although he had not seemed well during the latter part of the tour, he resisted suggestions to stop performing, insisting he would be okay. In addition to being a great musician, Henry was also a good and loyal friend to many. After his death one friend succinctly characterized him in a letter to a Eugene paper as follows: “Henry was a delightful personality, almost elfin, and a dualistic persona typical of genius. Very generous, but he loved to bargain. Private, but made himself available. Loved adulation, but admired his heroes with equal fervor. Very independent, but relied on friends. He paid his bills and never forgot his son’s birthday. Henry’s ashes are interred at the Oak Hill Cemetery outside of Eugene, Oregon. A memorial fund has been set up in his name. Contributions to the Henry Vestine Memorial Fund may be made by sending donations in care of OUR Federal Credit Union, PO Box 11922, Eugene, Oregon 97440. The fund will be used for maintenance of his resting place at Oak Hill Cemetery and, when it is possible, for conveyance of some of his ashes to the Vestine Crater on the moon. By & © Jon Silvermoon http://www.vipertoons.com/henry/

John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers

John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers - The 1982 Reunion Concert - 1994 - One Way Records

Legendary British blues artist John Mayall has always been an eclectic blues artist because of his tendency to incorporate jazz and folk elements into his music. This "reunion" set from 1982 recorded at the Wax Museum, Washington DC, on 17 June 1982, is a good attempt by John and his band to contemporize the electric Chicago blues style. John and his band, including Mick Taylor, John McVie, and Colin Allen cover 10 tracks, eight of which are solely composed by John, himself. "I Should Know Better" is a collaboration with Mick Taylor, and "My Time After Awhile" is a Robert Geddins & Ron Badger standard. Sound quality on this album could be better, but it won't stop your enjoyment of listening to "the father of the British blues movement" and his band in action. John Mayall has always retained his loyal fan base. Eric Clapton stated that "John Mayall has actually run an incredibly great school for musicians." Listen to the brilliant John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers 1967 "Crusade" album, his now classic 1968 "Blues from Laurel Canyon" album, JMB's brilliant Grammy-nominated "Wake Up Call" album featuring Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Albert Collins, and it is also worth hearing John's 2001 release (under the banner "John Mayall and Friends"), "Along For The Ride", where John Mayall got together with a number of his former mates, including Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, as well as ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Jonny Lang, Steve Miller, Billy Preston, Steve Cropper, Otis Rush, Gary Moore, Jeff Healey, Reese Wynans of Steve Ray Vaughan's band and Shannon Curfman for an amazing display of blues power at its finest. British blues doesn't come much better than those albums. N.B: Tracks 2,3,4,6 and 8 appeared on the 1994 Australian release, "The Return of the Bluesbreakers" album, where eight tracks, from what was to became John Mayall's 1994 "Cross Country Blues" album, are also included. Some issues of this reunion album include the extra track, "Get Me Some Dollars" composed by John Mayall. Be careful of repetition with these albums

TRACKS

1 Hard Times Again (4:54)
2 You Never Can Be Trusted (3:57)
3 Howlin' Moon (4:15)
4 Ridin' on the Santa Fe (3:34)
5 I Should Know Better (5:25)
6 My Time After Awhile (5:28)
7 She Can Do It (3:50)
8 Lookin' for Willie (9:29)
9 Room to Move (6:58)
10 Have You Heard (7:34)

All songs composed by John Mayall, except "My Time After Awhile" by Robert Geddins & Ron Badger and "I Should Know Better" by John Mayall & Mick Taylor

BAND

John Mayall - Guitar, Piano, Organ, Harmonica, Vocals
Mick Taylor - Lead Guitar, Keyboards with John Mayall on "Room To Move"
John McVie - Bass Guitar
Colin Allen - Drums

BIO

As the elder statesman of British blues, it is John Mayall's lot to be more renowned as a bandleader and mentor than as a performer in his own right. Throughout the '60s, his band, the Bluesbreakers, acted as a finishing school for the leading British blues-rock musicians of the era. Guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor joined his band in a remarkable succession in the mid-'60s, honing their chops with Mayall before going on to join Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones, respectively. John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, Jack Bruce, Aynsley Dunbar, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Andy Fraser (of Free), John Almond, and Jon Mark also played and recorded with Mayall for varying lengths of times in the '60s. Mayall's personnel has tended to overshadow his own considerable abilities. Only an adequate singer, the multi-instrumentalist was adept in bringing out the best in his younger charges (Mayall himself was in his thirties by the time the Bluesbreakers began to make a name for themselves). Doing his best to provide a context in which they could play Chicago-style electric blues, Mayall was never complacent, writing most of his own material (which ranged from good to humdrum), revamping his lineup with unnerving regularity, and constantly experimenting within his basic blues format. Some of these experiments (with jazz-rock and an album on which he played all the instruments except drums) were forgettable; others, like his foray into acoustic music in the late '60s, were quite successful. Mayall's output has caught some flak from critics for paling next to the real African-American deal, but much of his vintage work — if weeded out selectively — is quite strong; especially his legendary 1966 LP with Eric Clapton, which both launched Clapton into stardom and kick-started the blues boom into full gear in England. When Clapton joined the Bluesbreakers in 1965, Mayall had already been recording for a year, and been performing professionally long before that. Originally based in Manchester, Mayall moved to London in 1963 on the advice of British blues godfather Alexis Korner, who thought a living could be made playing the blues in the bigger city. Tracing a path through his various lineups of the '60s is a daunting task. At least 15 different editions of the Bluesbreakers were in existence from January 1963 through mid-1970. Some notable musicians (like guitarist Davy Graham, Mick Fleetwood, and Jack Bruce) passed through for little more than a cup of coffee; Mayall's longest-running employee, bassist John McVie, lasted about four years. The Bluesbreakers, like Fairport Convention or the Fall, was more a concept than an ongoing core. Mayall, too, had the reputation of being a difficult and demanding employer, willing to give musicians their walking papers as his music evolved, although he also imparted invaluable schooling to them while the associations lasted. Mayall recorded his debut single in early 1964; he made his first album, a live affair, near the end of the year. At this point the Bluesbreakers had a more pronounced R&B influence than would be exhibited on their most famous recordings, somewhat in the mold of younger combos like the Animals and Rolling Stones, but the Bluesbreakers would take a turn for the purer with the recruitment of Eric Clapton in the spring of 1965. Clapton had left the Yardbirds in order to play straight blues, and the Bluesbreakers allowed him that freedom (or stuck to well-defined restrictions, depending upon your viewpoint). Clapton began to inspire reverent acclaim as one of Britain's top virtuosos, as reflected in the famous "Clapton is God" graffiti that appeared in London in the mid-'60s. In professional terms, though, 1965 wasn't the best of times for the group, which had been dropped by Decca. Clapton even left the group for a few months for an odd trip to Greece, leaving Mayall to straggle on with various fill-ins, including Peter Green. Clapton did return in late 1965, around the time an excellent blues-rock single, "I'm Your Witchdoctor" (with searing sustain-laden guitar riffs), was issued on Immediate. By early 1966, the band was back on Decca, and recorded its landmark Bluesbreakers LP. This was the album that, with its clean, loud, authoritative licks, firmly established Clapton as a guitar hero, on both reverent covers of tunes by the likes of Otis Rush and Freddie King and decent originals by Mayall himself. The record was also an unexpected commercial success, making the Top Ten in Britain. From that point on, in fact, Mayall became one of the first rock musicians to depend primarily upon the LP market; he recorded plenty of singles throughout the '60s, but none of them came close to becoming a hit. Clapton left the Bluesbreakers in mid-1966 to form Cream with Jack Bruce, who had played with Mayall briefly in late 1965. Mayall turned quickly to Peter Green, who managed the difficult feat of stepping into Clapton's shoes and gaining respect as a player of roughly equal imagination and virtuosity, although his style was quite distinctly his own. Green recorded one LP with Mayall, A Hard Road, and several singles, sometimes writing material and taking some respectable lead vocals. Green's talents, like those of Clapton, were too large to be confined by sideman status, and in mid-1967 he left to form a successful band of his own, Fleetwood Mac. Mayall then enlisted 19-year-old Mick Taylor; remarkably, despite the consecutive departures of two star guitarists, Mayall maintained a high level of popularity. The late '60s were also a time of considerable experimentation for the Bluesbreakers, which moved into a form of blues-jazz-rock fusion with the addition of a horn section, and then a retreat into mellower, acoustic-oriented music. Mick Taylor, the last of the famous triumvirate of Mayall-bred guitar heroes, left in mid-1969 to join the Rolling Stones. Yet in a way Mayall was thriving more than ever, as the U.S. market, which had been barely aware of him in the Clapton era, was beginning to open up for his music. In fact, at the end of the 1960s, Mayall moved to Los Angeles. Released in 1969, The Turning Point, a live, all-acoustic affair, was a commercial and artistic high point. In America at least, Mayall continued to be pretty popular in the early '70s. His band was no more stable than ever; at various points some American musicians flitted in and out of the Bluesbreakers, including Harvey Mandel, Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor, and Don "Sugarcane" Harris. Although he's released numerous albums since and remained a prodigiously busy and reasonably popular live act, his post-1970 output generally hasn't matched the quality of his '60s work. Following collaborations with an unholy number of guest celebrities, in the early '80s he re-teamed with a couple of his more renowned vets, John McVie and Mick Taylor, for a tour, which was chronicled by Great American Music's Blues Express, released in 2010. It's the '60s albums that you want, though there's little doubt that Mayall has over the past decades done a great deal to popularize the blues all over the globe, whether or not the music has meant much on record. [from http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/john-mayall/id44649?showBio=1]

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Couldn't Stand The Weather (Legacy Edition) CD2 - 1999 - Epic/Legacy

Epic/Legacy expanded Stevie Ray Vaughan’s second album Couldn’t Stand the Weather in 1999, adding four outtakes and an interview excerpt to the eight-track original, but the 2010 Legacy Edition expands it further still, retaining those four cuts, adding four songs from the posthumous compilation The Sky Is Crying (“Empty Arms,” “Wham!,” “Close to You,” “Little Wing”) along with three previously unreleased alternate takes (“The Sky Is Crying,” “Stang’s Swang,” “Boot Hill”), and a full, unreleased concert SRV & Double Trouble gave at the Spectrum in Montreal on August 17, 1984. Apart from “Empty Arms” and “Stang’s Swang,” every studio outtake is a cover, underscoring how Vaughan spent much of Couldn’t Stand the Weather drawing from his influences and synthesizing them into his own voice, and their addition actually strengthens the album considerably. With that in mind, the lively concert on the second disc is a bonus treat, evidence that SRV & Double Trouble were flying very high during 1984 and one of the better complete live sets in Vaughan’s discography. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/couldnt-stand-the-weather-legacy-edition-r1819762
SRV, one of the greatest guitarists of all time died in 1990 aged 35. What would this guy have achieved had he survived that helicopter crash? Check out his "Texas Flood", "In Step", and the Albert King & SRV "In Session" album.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Testify - George Clinton, D. Taylor, Daron Taylor, Johnnie Taylor
2 Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix
3 The Things (That) I Used To Do - Eddie Jones
4 Honey Bee - Stevie Ray Vaughan
5 Couldn't Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan
6 Cold Shot - W.C. Clark, Michael Kindred
7 Tin Pan Alley (Aka Roughest Place In Town) - R. Geddins
8 Love Struck Baby - Stevie Ray Vaughan
9 Texas Flood - Larry Davis, Joseph Wade Scott
10 Band Intros/Encores
11 Stang's Swang - Stevie Ray Vaughan
12 Lenny - Stevie Ray Vaughan
13 Pride & Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan

All tracks recorded live at SRV & Double Trouble's Late Show at The Spectrum, Montreal, Canada on August 17 1984

MUSICIANS

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Guitar, Vocals
Jimmie Vaughan - Guitar
Tommy Shannon - Bass
Chris Layton - Drums
Fran Christina - Drums
Stan Harrison - Sax (Tenor)

SRV BIO

With his astonishingly accomplished guitar playing, Stevie Ray Vaughan ignited the blues revival of the '80s. Vaughan drew equally from bluesmen like Albert King, Otis Rush, and Muddy Waters and rock & roll players like Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack, as well as the stray jazz guitarist like Kenny Burrell, developing a uniquely eclectic and fiery style that sounded like no other guitarist, regardless of genre. Vaughan bridged the gap between blues and rock like no other artist had since the late '60s. For the next seven years, Stevie Ray was the leading light in American blues, consistently selling out concerts while his albums regularly went gold. His tragic death in 1990 only emphasized his influence in blues and American rock & roll. Born and raised in Dallas, Vaughan began playing guitar as a child, inspired by older brother Jimmie. When he was in junior high school, he began playing in a number of garage bands, which occasionally landed gigs in local nightclubs. By the time he was 17, he had dropped out of high school to concentrate on playing music. Vaughan's first real band was the Cobras, who played clubs and bars in Austin during the mid-'70s. Following that group's demise, he formed Triple Threat in 1975. Triple Threat also featured bassist Jackie Newhouse, drummer Chris Layton, and vocalist Lou Ann Barton. After a few years of playing Texas bars and clubs, Barton left the band in 1978. The group decided to continue performing under the name Double Trouble, which was inspired by the Otis Rush song of the same name; Vaughan became the band's lead singer. For the next few years, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble played the Austin area, becoming one of the most popular bands in Texas. In 1982, the band played the Montreux Festival and their performance caught the attention of David Bowie and Jackson Browne. After Double Trouble's performance, Bowie asked Vaughan to play on his forthcoming album, while Browne offered the group free recording time at his Los Angeles studio, Downtown; both offers were accepted. Stevie Ray laid down the lead guitar tracks for what became Bowie's Let's Dance album in late 1982. Shortly afterward, John Hammond, Sr. landed Vaughan and Double Trouble a record contract with Epic, and the band recorded its debut album in less than a week at Downtown. Vaughan's debut album, Texas Flood, was released in the summer of 1983, a few months after Bowie's Let's Dance appeared. On its own, Let's Dance earned Vaughan quite a bit of attention, but Texas Flood was a blockbuster blues success; receiving positive reviews in both blues and rock publications, reaching number 38 on the charts, and crossing over to album rock radio stations. Bowie offered Vaughan the lead guitarist role for his 1983 stadium tour, but he turned him down, preferring to play with Double Trouble. Vaughan and Double Trouble set off on a successful tour and quickly recorded their second album, Couldn't Stand the Weather, which was released in May of 1984. The album was more successful than its predecessor, reaching number 31 on the charts; by the end of 1985, the album went gold. Double Trouble added keyboardist Reese Wynans in 1985, before they recorded their third album, Soul to Soul. The record was released in August 1985 and was also quite successful, reaching number 34 on the charts. Although his professional career was soaring, Vaughan was sinking deep into alcoholism and drug addiction. Despite his declining health, Vaughan continued to push himself, releasing the double live album Live Alive in October of 1986 and launching an extensive American tour in early 1987. Following the tour, Vaughan checked into a rehabilitation clinic. The guitarist's time in rehab was kept fairly quiet, and for the next year Stevie Ray and Double Trouble were fairly inactive. Vaughan performed a number of concerts in 1988, including a headlining gig at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and wrote his fourth album. The resulting record, In Step, appeared in June of 1989 and became his most successful album, peaking at number 33 on the charts, earning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Recording, and going gold just over six months after its release. In the spring of 1990, Stevie Ray recorded an album with his brother Jimmie, which was scheduled for release in the fall of the year. In the late summer of 1990, Vaughan and Double Trouble set out on an American headlining tour. On August 26, 1990, their East Troy, WI, gig concluded with an encore jam featuring guitarists Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, and Robert Cray. After the concert, Stevie Ray boarded a helicopter bound for Chicago. Minutes after its 12:30 a.m. takeoff, the helicopter crashed, killing Vaughan and the other four passengers. He was only 35 years old. Family Style, Stevie Ray's duet album with Jimmie, appeared in October and entered the charts at number seven. Family Style began a series of posthumous releases that were as popular as the albums Vaughan released during his lifetime. The Sky Is Crying, a collection of studio outtakes compiled by Jimmie, was released in October of 1991; it entered the charts at number ten and went platinum three months after its release. In the Beginning, a recording of a Double Trouble concert in 1980, was released in the fall of 1992 and the compilation Greatest Hits was released in 1995. In 1999, Vaughan's original albums were remastered and reissued, with The Real Deal: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 also appearing that year. 2000 saw the release of the four-disc box SRV, which concentrated heavily on outtakes, live performances, and rarities.

Al Kooper

Al Kooper - Championship Wrestling - 1982 - Columbia

Championship Wrestling started life as an attempt at another "super session"-type production, with more of a focus on R&B than blues, to have featured Al Kooper and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter as equal partners with dual credit. Midway through what took a third of a year to get down on tape, Baxter withdrew from collaboration, and Championship Wrestling turned into a Kooper album featuring Baxter. It wasn't what Columbia Records expected, and it was dumped on the market -- based on the paucity of reviews, it's doubtful that promo copies or even a press release went out to A- or B-list critics -- and forgotten. Despite the fact that it's sort of "off-brand" (or "off-game") Kooper, Championship Wrestling has more than a few good, even exciting and bracing moments. Kooper later admitted in his autobiography that, weary of reading of the supposed inadequacy of his vocals, he chose to keep his singing role to a minimum here -- two songs and that's it, though both "I Wish You Would" and "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" are excellent, the former even making another link in a chain of classic blues reinterpretations by Kooper going back to his Blues Project days. But even better is the rest of the material, sung radiantly by Valerie Carter and with Mickey Thomas and Ricky Washington not too far behind. The fact is, Kooper knew 20 years before this how to make a good soul record, and with the talent he assembled here -- including the Tower of Power horns -- and Bill Szymczyk producing, it would have been hard for the resulting album not to be worthwhile; considering that even the two instrumentals (arguably the weakest tracks here) are highly diverting, the whole album is a keeper, assuming one can find it. Sony made that a lot easier by reissuing it as a mini-LP-sleeve CD in Japan to coincide with Kooper's concert tour of the country, and Kooper thought enough of it despite some unpleasant memories to include one track on his first Columbia Records anthology. © Bruce Eder © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved. http://www.allmusic.com/album/championship-wrestling-r42589/review

A good album from the neglected Al Kooper, member of the great blues rock revivalist band, the Blues Project, and of course the original leader of the great jazz rock outfit, Blood, Sweat & Tears. Al released many great solo records, mixing many different musical genres, with no great commercial success. For such a talented musician and composer, it is amazing how overlooked Al Kooper is. "Championship Wrestling" is more R&B influenced than many of his other albums. Al has this to say about the album - "Originally conceived as a duet album with Jeff Baxter, it became a solo album when Baxter pulled out of duet billing at the last moment. The concept was to parade a bunch of great musicians & lead singers and make a follow-up to Super Session in the r & b realm. I was sick of reading reviews of my albums where they liked most of it, but ALWAYS took a potshot at my vocals. So Valerie Carter, Mickey Thomas and Ricky Washington came on board and did some singing that no one could criticize. This album was produced by my good buddy Bill Szymczyk of Eagles, J Geils and BB King fame, and as such, is the only solo album where I am not the producer. The opener I Wish You Would is an old Billy Boy Arnold number popularized by The Yardbirds and John Hammond Jr. This is a kinda nod to JH Jr. with some rip-roaring guitaring from Baxter & Elliott Randall (designer of this here website!) Valarie Carter cuts loose with the Candy Staton oldie I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart and Ricky Washington powers the Chairmen Of the Board's hit Finders Keepers. Mickey Thomas does great things with a 1972 ballad I wrote called Lost Control which was also covered by Leo Sayer. Two instrumentals additionally show off a stellar cast including Vinnie Coliauta, Ed Greene and Bruce Gary on drums, Neil Stubenhaus on bass, and the Tower Of Power horn section"[http://www.alkooper.com/solo_lps.htm]

Listen to Al's "Black Koffee" album, the classic Blood, Sweat & Tears' "Child Is Father to the Man" album, and the Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills' "Super Session" album

Steely Dan Trivia: The album features Elliot Randall on rhythm guitar and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on lead, rhythm and acoustic guitar

N.B: All tracks @ 320 Kbps except B1 @ 192 Kbps. The original track had a sound glitch and was replaced with track from other source. Also, some of the tracks have abrupt endings and have been faded out using mp3Trimpro software. Your enjoyment of the album should not be spoiled too much by these actions

TRACK & MUSICIAN INFO.

First Fall [Side One ]

A1 I Wish You Would 4:06
Bass - Neil Stubenhaus
Drums - Bruce Gary
Harmonica [Harp] - 'Fingers' Taylor
Horns - Tower Of Power
Lead Guitar - Jeff Baxter
Lead Vocals, Organ, Synthesizer - Al Kooper
Percussion - Joe Vitale
Rhythm Guitar - Elliot Randall
Written-By - B. B. Arnold
A2 Two Sides (To Every Situation) 3:32
Backing Vocals - Jim Gilstrap , Waters Family, The
Bass - Neil Stubenhaus
Drums - Ed Greene
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] - Jim Ehinger
Horns - Tower Of Power
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Valerie Carter
Organ, Clavinet, Soloist - Al Kooper
Percussion - Steve Forman
Rhythm Guitar - Elliot Randall , Jeff Baxter
Written-By - E. A. Poe
A3 Wrestle With This 5:30
Bass - Neil Stubenhaus
Clavinet, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Lead Guitar, Synthesizer [Obxa] - Al Kooper
Drums - Vince Colaiuta
Horns - Tower Of Power
Percussion - Steve Forman
Rhythm Guitar, Guitar [Synthesizer], Soloist - Jeff Baxter
Written-By - A. Kooper
A4 Lost Control 5:21
Backing Vocals - Jim Gilstrap , Waters Family, The
Bass - George "Chocolate" Perry
Drums - Joe "Vanilla" Vitale
Guitar - Jeff Baxter
Lead Vocals - Mickey Thomas
Organ, Synthesizer - Al Kooper
Written-By - A. Kooper

Second Fall [ Side Two ]

B1 I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than A Young Man's Fool) 2:59
Bass - Neil Stubenhaus
Drums - Ed Greene
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] - Jim Ehinger
Guitar - Elliot Randall , Jeff Baxter
Horns - Tower Of Power
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Valerie Carter
Organ - Al Kooper
Written-By - C. Carter, G. Jackson, R. Moore
B2 The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter 4:18
Backing Vocals - Jim Gilstrap , Waters Family, The
Bass - Neil Stubenhaus
Drums - Vince Colaiuta
Lead Vocals, Clavinet, Piano, Synthesizer, Guitar, Soloist - Al Kooper
Percussion - Steve Forman
Steel Guitar [Pedal Steel], Soloist, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar - Jeff Baxter
Written-By - A. Kooper
B3 Bandstand 4:25
Backing Vocals - Jim Gilstrap , Waters Family, The
Bass - Neil Stubenhaus
Drums - Ed Greene
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar - Jeff Baxter
Guitar [Baritone], Clavinet, Synthesizer - Al Kooper
Lead Vocals - Mickey Thomas
Percussion - Joe Vitale
Piano - Jim Ehinger
Written-By - D. Causey, R. Bramblett
B4 Finders Keepers 3:34
Bass - George "Chocolate" Perry
Clavinet - Paul Harris
Drums, Percussion [Percussion Pants] - Joe "Vanilla" Vitale
Guitar - Jeff Baxter
Guitar, Soloist, Synthesizer - Al Kooper
Horns - Tower Of Power
Lead Vocals - Ricky Washington
Written-By - P. Johnson
B5 Snowblind 5:31
Backing Vocals - Bill Szymczyk
Bass - Neil Stubenhaus
Drums - Vince Colaiuta
Guitar [Synthesizer], Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar - Jeff Baxter
Horns - Tower Of Power
Percussion - Steve Forman
Piano, Synthesizer, Soloist, Backing Vocals - Al Kooper
Written-By - Connie

BIO

Al Kooper, by rights, should be regarded as one of the giants of '60s rock, not far behind the likes of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon in importance. In addition to co-writing one classic mid-'60s pop-rock song, "This Diamond Ring" (though it was written as an R&B number), he was a very audible sessionman on some of the most important records of mid-decade, including Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." Kooper also joined and led, and then lost two major groups, the Blues Project and Blood, Sweat & Tears. He played on two classic blues-rock albums in conjunction with his friend Mike Bloomfield. As a producer at Columbia, he signed the British invasion act the Zombies just in time for them to complete the best LP in their entire history; and still later, Kooper discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd and produced their best work. Instead, in terms of public recognition, Kooper has been relegated to second-rank status, somewhere midway between John Mayall and Steve Winwood. Apart from the fact that he's made, and continues to make great music, it's the public's loss that he's not better respected outside the ranks of his fellow musicians. Kooper was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944, the son of Sam and Natalie Kooper. As a boy, he enjoyed singing along to the Bessie Smith records that his father played, and they provided his introduction to blues and, by extension, gospel, R&B and soul, all of the sounds that would form the basis for his own music. Equally important, he revealed himself a natural musician — one day he sat down in front of a piano and started playing one of the then current hits of the early '50s, with no prior training or experience. He learned on his own, and also took up the guitar. Kooper's main interest during the 1950s lay in gospel music. When rock & roll broke, Kooper was drawn to the vocal side of the new music, forming a doo-wop outfit that sang on street corners in his neighborhood in the late '50s. He turned professional in 1959, joining the line-up of the Royal Teens ("Short Shorts," "Believe Me") as a guitarist. By the early '60s, he'd begun writing songs, and among his early efforts was "I Must Be Seeing Things," which was a hit for Gene Pitney. Kooper's biggest hit as a songwriter came in late 1964, with a song that he co-authored with Bob Brass and Irwin Levine called "This Diamond Ring" — they'd written it with the Drifters in mind, but the legendary R&B group passed, and it ended up in the hands of Liberty Records producer Snuff Garrett. He made it the first song to be cut by a new group called Gary Lewis & the Playboys. The record entered the charts late in 1964 and spent the early weeks of 1965 in the number one spot. The recording, although not to Kooper's liking compared to what he'd visualized for the Drifters, started a string of almost unbelievably fortuitous events in his life and career. In those days, he was trying to make a big part of his living as a session guitarist, and when a friend, producer Tom Wilson, invited him to observe at a Bob Dylan recording session that spring, he brought his instrument along with him in the hope that something might happen. When they needed a second keyboard player for the organ on "Like a Rolling Stone," Kooper bluffed his way to the spot. Dylan loved the part that Kooper improvised and boosted it in the mix. Kooper later played as part of the band that backed Dylan when he introduced electric music to the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, and was on the Blonde on Blonde album as well. That same year, Kooper was invited by Wilson to sit in on keyboards for an audition tape by a newly-formed New York blues-rock outfit called the Blues Project, and was asked to join the group. He eventually became one of the lead singers, and three massively important and critically acclaimed albums coincided with his year-long stay. By the time he'd exited the Blues Project, Kooper was ready to start a band with a jazz and R&B sound that he had in mind — one with a serious horn section — and the result was Blood, Sweat & Tears. Signed to Columbia Records in late 1967, they cut a debut album that was made up almost entirely of Al Kooper songs, and which set the music pages and their authors afire with enthusiasm — The Child Is Father to the Man, as their debut record was titled, was one of the most important and daring albums of the '60s, as essential as any long-player ever cut by the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. Unfortunately, Blood, Sweat & Tears generated more press than sales — although that debut album did ride the low reaches of the charts for almost a year — and tensions within the group and pressure from the record company, which wanted a more commercial sound that would sell more records, led to Kooper's exit from the band. Now out of his second successful group in two years, Kooper returned to playing sessions and turned up on records by Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and the Rolling Stones ("You Can't Always Get What You Want"). He also got a job at Columbia Records — a runner-up prize for having been forced out of Blood, Sweat & Tears (which, by then, was making a fortune for the label with a retooled sound and line-up) — as a producer. He engineered a concert recording by Simon & Garfunkel that could have been their first official live album. More important was a pair of albums that Kooper cut with his longtime friend, guitarist Michael Bloomfield. Those records, Super Session, cut with Stephen Stills, and The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper were among Columbia's best-selling LPs of the period; they were the kind of albums that, coupled with The Child Is Father to the Man, helped put Columbia Records on the cutting edge of popular music. Kooper's other major contribution during his tenure at Columbia was signing the Zombies, a British Invasion-era band that hadn't charted a single in two years, for one album. The group seemed to be on their last legs and were, in fact, about to break up, but Columbia got one classic album (Odessey & Oracle) and a monster hit single ("Time of the Season") from the deal. The least prominent of Kooper's projects during this era, ironically enough, was his solo album I Stand Alone, on which he cut new versions of songs he'd written or been associated with over the previous decade. He spread himself too thin in making the record, and the album failed to sell in serious numbers. A follow up record, Kooper Session, was similarly ignored despite the presence of blues guitar prodigy Shuggie Otis, but Kooper remained one of the most successful names in rock music. During the early '70s, Kooper had his own label, Sounds of the South, set up through MCA — his big discovery was Lynyrd Skynyrd. He produced their first three albums, whose sales eventually numbered in the millions. Kooper also produced records by the Tubes, B.B. King, Nils Lofgren, and Joe Ely, among many others, during the '70s, and he found time during that decade to write what remains the best book ever written about rock & roll from an insider's perspective, Backstage Passes. Kooper's recording activity slackened off in the 1980s, although he performed with Dylan, Tom Petty, and Joe Walsh, and did some soundtrack work in television and films. During the 1990s, after a more-than-20-year hiatus, he returned to recording his own sound with ReKooperation, an instrumental album released by the MusicMasters label, a company much more closely associated with jazz and classical than rock. Equally important were a handful of live gigs by principal members of the original Blood, Sweat & Tears, their first shows in 25 years. These performances led to a series of birthday shows at New York's Bottom Line in 1994, which yielded the double-CD concert recording Soul of a Man. Kooper covered most of his own music history with the key members of the original Blood, Sweat & Tears and the definitive Blues Project line-up (who had gotten back together every so often, beginning in the early '70s). Kooper pulled together a unified sound, built around soul, jazz, and gospel influences, despite the varied personnel involved, in his most accomplished solo project ever. Anyone counting the records on which Al Kooper has played a key role — as songwriter, singer, keyboardman, guitarist, or producer — would come up with tens of millions of albums and singles sold, and a lot of radio airtime. His career recalls that of Steve Winwood in some respects, though he's never had a solo hit. Even in the '90s, however, Kooper remains a formidable performing talent, and one of the most inspired and intelligent people in rock music. Bruce Eder © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved.http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hifpxqe5ldde~T1

Climax Blues Band

Climax Blues Band - Lucky For Some - 1981 - Warner Bros. Records

Like the great Canned Heat band, this veteran blues rock outfit are still going strong after more than forty years. The Climax Chicago Blues Band based in Stafford, England was formed in late 1968. They were a very underrated blues band and were usually the opening act for bands of far lesser talent. The original members were guitarists Derek Holt and Peter Haycock, keyboardist Arthur Wood, bassist Richard Jones and drummer George Newsome. The late Colin Cooper on vocals and saxophone made up the sextet. In 1970, the band shortened its name to the Climax Blues Band. Their great "Couldn't Get It Right" was a big hit for the band, but dig into their catalogue and you will find many great blues and rock compositions. ‘Lucky For Some’ was the last CBB album to feature the Cooper / Haycock / Holt / Cuffley line up which had played together for nine years."Lucky For Some" may not be one of the band's "best" albums but it still demonstrates the strength, energy, and technical know-how of this great band. Two of the album's strongest tracks are ‘Cuttin’ Up Rough’, and the Gospel-like ‘Last Chance Saloon ’with a great, almost hymnal organ backing plus superb guitar and sax solos. Buy their great "Stamp" and "Gold Plated" albums to hear the band at their peak, and search this blog for more related releases.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

A1 Victim - CBB
A2 Cuttin' Up Rough - Cuffley, Holt
A3 Shake It Lucy - CBB
A4 Oceans Apart - CBB
A5 Breakdown - CBB

B1 Darlin' - CBB
B2 This Time You're The Singer - CBB
B3 Last Chance Saloon - CBB
B4 They'd Never Believe Us - CBB

BAND

Peter Haycock - Guitar, Vocals
Derek Holt - Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Peter Filleul - Keyboards, Vocals
Nicky Hopkins - Acoustic Piano
Michael Boddicker - Synthesizers on "Darlin'"
John Cuffley - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Colin Cooper - Saxophone, Harmonica, Vocals
Glenn Hughes - Backing Vocals on "Shake It Lucy"

SHORT BIO

Led by Colin Cooper, the former frontman of the R&B unit the Hipster Image, the Stafford, England-based Climax Chicago Blues Band were one of the leading lights of the late-'60s blues boom. A sextet also comprised of guitarists Derek Holt and Peter Haycock, keyboardist Arthur Wood, bassist Richard Jones, and drummer George Newsome, the group debuted in 1969 with a self-titled effort recalling the work of John Mayall. Prior to the release of 1969's Plays On, Jones left the group, prompting Holt to move to bass. In 1970 the Climax Chicago Blues Band moved to the Harvest label, at the same time shifting toward a more rock-oriented sound on the LP A Lot of Bottle. Around the release of 1971's Tightly Knit, Newsome was replaced by drummer John Holt; upon Wood's exit in the wake of 1972's Rich Man, the unit decided to continue on as a quartet, also dropping the "Chicago" portion of its moniker to avoid confusion with the American band of the same name. In 1974 the Climax Blues Band issued FM Live, a document of a New York radio concert. Released in 1975, Stamp was their commercial breakthrough, and 1976's Gold Plated fared even better, spurred on by the success of the hit "Couldn't Get It Right." However, the rise of punk effectively stopped the Climax Blues Band in their tracks, although they continued recording prolifically well into the 1980s; after 1988's Drastic Steps, the group was silent for a number of years, but resurfaced in 1994 with Blues from the Attic. © Jason Ankeny © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/climax-blues-band-p16545/biography

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton - Live at Montreux 1986 - 2006 - Eagle Eye Records

This concert took place at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 10th 1986, during Clapton's world tour in support of his "August" album. This "Clapton" chap seems to know his way around the fretboard, and is definitely a guitarist to watch out for !! (LOL!) N.B: Sound is "muzzy" at times. Greg Phillinganes keyboard work is not always distinct, but overall a very listenable concert from Clapton, where he plays some of the old classics like "Badge", "Cocaine", "Sunshine Of Your Love", and "Layla"

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Crossroads - Robert Johnson
2. The White Room - Peter Brown, Jack Bruce
3. I Shot the Sheriff - Bob Marley
4. I Wanna Make Love to You - Jerry Lynn Williams
5. Miss You - Eric Clapton, Bobby Colomby, Greg Phillinganes
6. Same Old Blues - Eric Clapton
7. Tearing Us Apart - Eric Clapton, Greg Phillinganes
8. Holy Mother - Stephen Bishop, Eric Clapton
9. Behind the Mask - Chris J. Mosdell, Ryuichi Sakamoto
10 . Badge - Eric Clapton, George Harrison
11 . Let it Rain - Bonnie Bramlett, Eric Clapton
12 . In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins
13 . Cocaine - J.J. Cale
14 . Layla - Eric Clapton, Jim Gordon
15 . Sunshine of Your Love - Pete Brown, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton
16 . Further on Up the Road - Joe Medwick, Don Robey

BAND

Eric Clapton - guitars, vocals
Nathan East - bass, (vocals on "Same Old Blues")
Greg Phillinganes - piano, keyboards, hand synth., (vocals on "Behind the Mask")
Phil Collins - drums, electronic drums, (vocals on "In the Air Tonight")

Catfish Hodge Band

Catfish Hodge Band - Eyewitness Blues (60 Minute Edition) - 1995 - Genes Records

If you wanted to come home from work, take off your shoes and sit down in a Lazy Boy to the Eyewitness Blues - here it is. The Catfish Hodge Band has released the 60 minute edition of Eyewitness Blues, but don't sit down yet. This GENES CD compilation of two previous Adelphi Records sessions is a party CD waiting to happen. All except two cuts are originals and Catfish does write some good material. His band turns in a credible performance, but Catfish's vocals definitely lead the group. Some of the highlights include 'Cold, Cold' and 'Record Executive Blues', which features a great harp solo from James Cotton. The disc features solid guitar solos from Jimmy Thackery. © Dean Barker, radio consultant, writing for Blues Review. http://www.jazzloft.com/p-35548-eyewitness-blues.aspx

Originally released in 1979 on Adelphi Records. This 1995 Genes Records release is a compilation of Bob "Catfish" Hodge's 1979 "Eyewitness Blues" album (10 Tracks), and his 1980 "Bout With The Blues" album (6 Tracks). It's a good '70's sounding blues rock album. If you like the early Bob Seger, John Fogerty, R.L. Burnside or even Little Feat, you may like this album. Try and listen to his "Boogie Man l Gonna Get Ya" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Blues Got the World - Bruce Cockburn 2:22 *
2 Long Night - Hodge 4:10 #
3 Elmo's Blues - Hodge 4:35 *
4 Cold, Cold - Hodge 5:53 #
5 Louisiana Woman - Hodge 3:37 #
6 Bad News, Good News - Hodge 4:28 #
7 Every Day It Grows and Grows - Lamont Dozier/Holland 3:08 *
8 What the Woman Do - Hodge 2:34 *
9 Going Down Slow - Hodge 3:36 *
10 I-Re-Peat - Hodge 3:19 #
11 Black Cadillac - Hodge 3:26 *
12 Record Executive Blues - Hodge 4:26 *
13 To the Left - Bob "Catfish" Hodge/Ben Pollack 4:34 *
14 So Tough - Bob "Catfish" Hodge/Kelly, J. 3:10 *
15 Down over the Border - Hodge 3:43 *
16 Can I Go Home - Hodge 3:37 #

N.B: * Tracks on 1979 Adelphi Label LP : # Tracks on 1980 Adelphi Label LP "Bout With The Blues"

MUSICIANS

Bob "Catfish" Hodge - Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals
David Namerdy, Steve Jacobs, Stuart Smith, Stuart Saunders Smith - Guitar
Jimmy Thackery - Guitar, Slide Guitar
Steve Wolfe, Duane Campbell - Bass, Guitar (Bass)
Mitch Collins, Carlton "Cotton" Kent - Keyboards
John Hurd - Organ
John Lee - Percussion, Drums
Tom Teasley - Drums
Jamie MacKinnon - Saxophone, Sax (Tenor)
Savoyd Beard - Saxophone, Sax (Alto)
Tony Rondolone, Douglas Fagan, Ron Holloway - Saxophone
George McWhirter - Trombone
James Cotton, Jimmy Powers - Harmonica
Freebo, Diana Crawford, Dixie D. Ballin - Vocals
John "Jackson" Paladin - "Equipment" on - "Blues Got the World"

BIO

Blues rocker Bob "Catfish" Hodge was born and raised in Detroit, and as a teen frequently snuck into Motown Records' Hitsville studio to catch sessions featuring the Four Tops, the Supremes and others. At the end of the 1960s he formed the band Catfish, debuting in 1970 with Get Down; after issuing Live Catfish a year later, Hodge mounted a solo career with 1973's Boogie Man I Gonna Get Ya, relocating to Washington D.C. and becoming a regular opening act for artists including Bonnie Raitt and Little Feat. After a series of solo LPs including 1974's Dinosaurs and Alleycats, 1975's Sop Operas and 1979's Eyewitness Blues, he toured with the Chicken Legs Band during the early 1980s, relocating to California in 1982 and later forming the Bluesbusters with onetime Little Feat guitarist Paul Barrere. After a long absence from the studio, Hodge returned to action in 1994 with Catfish Blues; Like a Big Dog Barkin' followed a year later, and in 1996 he resurfaced with Adventures at Catfish Pond. © Jason Ankeny © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:09frxqt5ldke

Savoy Brown

Savoy Brown - Raw Live 'N' Blue - 2001 - Akarma Italy

Most if not all of the tracks on "Raw Live 'N' Blue" have been already released on other Savoy Brown albums and compilations. The first disc contains live material recorded on June 27th, 1981 at the Rainbow Music Hall, Denver, Colorado. The second disc features studio sessions from 1980 plus the bonus track 'Run To Me'. CD 1 is a great album which shows this legendary band at their blues boogiein' best. CD 2 contains mostly studio versions and do not necessarily represent SB's best '80's work. However, the music is still top notch, and anything by Kim Simmonds and/or Savoy Brown is worth a listen. Listen to SB's "Blue Matter", "Raw Sienna", "Live at the Record Plant", and "Looking In" albums. Search this blog for more Savoy Brown info.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

CD 1

1 Street Corner Talkin' - Simmonds 4:38
2 I'm Tired - Youlden 2:47
3 Hellbound Train - Simmonds 9:18
4 Train to Nowhere - Simmonds, Youlden 4:04
5 I Can't Get Next to You - Strong, Whitfield 4:43
6 All I Can Do Is Cry - Simmonds 7:43
7 Needle and Spoon - Youlden 2:58
8 Tell Mama - Raymond, Simmonds 13:22
9 Wang Dang Doodle - Dixon 5:30
10 Louisiana Blues - Morganfield 4:25
11 The Boogie - Simmonds 6:34

CD 2

12 Cold Hearted Woman - Chatman 2:39
13 Georgie - Simmonds 2:52
14 Bad Breaks - Simmonds 5:43
15 Don't Tell Me I Told You - Simmonds 2:44
16 This Could Be the Night - Simmonds 4:02
17 Lay Back in the Arms of Someone - Simmonds 4:19
18 Shot Down by Love - Simmonds 3:04
19 Bad Girls (Make Me Feel Good) - Blackmore, Glover 3:37
20 Got Love If You Want It - Simmonds 3:16
21 Nobody's Perfect - Blacker, Simmonds 3:36
22 Run to Me - Norman, Spencer 3:45

MUSICIANS

Kim Simmonds - Guitar, Vocals, Slide Guitar
Barry Paul - Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals
Tom Boxwell - Guitar
John Humphrey - Bass, Vocals
Peter Schless, John Sinclair - Keyboards
Keith Boyce - Drums
Andrea Robinson, Sue Richman, Ralph Mormon, Linda Lawley, Riba Gleich - Vocals

BIO

Part of the late-'60s blues-rock movement, Britain's Savoy Brown never achieved as much success in their homeland as they did in America, where they promoted their albums with nonstop touring. The band was formed and led by guitarist Kim Simmonds, whose dominating personality has led to myriad personnel changes; the original lineup included singer Bryce Portius, keyboardist Bob Hall, guitarist Martin Stone, bassist Ray Chappell, and drummer Leo Manning. This lineup appeared on the band's 1967 debut, Shake Down, a collection of blues covers. Seeking a different approach, Simmonds dissolved the group and brought in guitarist Dave Peverett, bassist Rivers Jobe, drummer Roger Earl, and singer Chris Youlden, who gave them a distinctive frontman with his vocal abilities, bowler hat, and monocle. With perhaps its strongest lineup, Savoy Brown quickly made a name for itself, now recording originals like "Train to Nowhere" as well. However, Youlden left the band in 1970 following Raw Sienna, and shortly thereafter, Peverett, Earl, and new bassist Tony Stevens departed to form Foghat, continuing the pattern of consistent membership turnover. Simmonds collected yet another lineup and began a hectic tour of America, showcasing the group's now-refined bluesy boogie rock style, which dominated the rest of their albums. The group briefly broke up in 1973, but re-formed the following year. Throughout the '80s and '90s Simmonds remained undeterred by a revolving door membership and continued to tour and record. Their first album for the Blind Pig label, Strange Dreams, was released in 2003. Steel followed in 2007 from Panache Records. © Steve Huey © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3vfexq95ldhe~T1

Silent Partners

Silent Partners - If It’s All Night, It’s All Right - 1989 - Antones

A short lived makeshift band co-founded in 1987 Sacramento CA, by Russell Jackson, the great bassist from Memphis, TN, and drummer Tony Coleman from Kissemee in Florida. The late, great guitarist and keyboardist, Mel Brown was also a member of the band. "If It’s All Night, It’s All Right" was the only official studio album release from this band of sidemen, but it's a terrific album of blues, soul blues, R&B, and electric blues rock. Musicians include Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff on harmonica and saxophone, and Angela Strehli on background vocals.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Under Yonder - Mel Brown, Russell Jackson, Tony Coleman
2. Love Somebody - Jimmy Dawkins
3. I Don't Want No Woman - Don Robey
4. Hey Little Girl - Joy Boyers, Professor Longhair, Russell Jackson
5. Phone Booth - Dennis Walker, Mike Vannice, Richard Cousins, Robert Cray
6. Cleo's Back - Willie Woods
7. If It's All Night, It's All Right - Russell Jackson
8. I Didn't Know - Tony Coleman
9. Money (That's What I Want) - Berry Gordy Jr., Janie Bradford
10. Money Talks - Tony Coleman; Vernon Reid
11. Two Steps from the Blues - Deadric Malone, John Riley Brown

MUSICIANS

Mel Brown RIP (vocals, guitar, keyboards) BIO @ http://www.melbrownblues.com/mbrownreview1.html
David Gonzalez (guitar)
Derek O'Brien (rhythm guitar, background vocals)
Russell Jackson (bass, vocals) BIO @ http://www.myspace.com/therusselljacksonbandpage
Junior Brantley (organ)
Tony Coleman (vocals, drums, background vocals) BIO @ http://www.kingsnakerecords.com/artists/tonycoleman
Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff (harmonica, saxophone)
Paul Orta (harmonica)
Donna Pearl, Angela Strehli (background vocals)

Climax Blues Band

Climax Blues Band - Drastic Steps - 1988 - Clay

The album includes a new version and a bonus remixed version of "Couldn't Get It Right". "California Sunshine", and "The Deceiver" are good tracks, and the album includes an old reworked CBB favourite, "Fool For The Bright Lights". Great guitar work from Les Hunt, but the album is more typical of a commercial late 80's West Coast sound. If you are not too familiar with this great band's history, you may enjoy this album, but if you are looking for the more authentic "John Mayall" CBB sound, then listen to the band's great "Rich Man" album. Check out the band's "FM Live" album @ CBB/FMLIVE for the "real" CBB sound. N.B: This album has been released with different track sequences. Some 1988 vinyl releases did not include the track "Couldn't Get It Right (extended '88 mix)". The album has also been released as "Drastic Steps Plus". The album posted here is the 1988 UK Clay label CD issue, which includes the "Couldn't Get It Right (extended '88 mix)" track. It has been said that this album was recorded as a three piece band with session musicians. Wikipedia states that Lester Hunt played on this album, and not Pete Haycock. Can anybody pinpoint the drummer on this release? Did Derek Holt and John Edwards both play bass on the album? Who are the session musicians? All info appreciated

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 California Sunshine - Cooper, Glover
2 Lonely Avenue - Cooper, Glover
3 The Deceiver - Cooper, Glover
4 Ordinary People - Cooper, Glover
5 The Winner - Cooper, Glover
6 Couldn't Get It Right - Cooper, Cuffley, Haycock, Holt, Jones
7 Fool for the Bright Lights - Cooper, Glover
8 Good Times - Cooper, Glover
9 Trouble - Cooper, Glover
10 Couldn't Get It Right (extended '88 mix) - Cooper, Cuffley, Haycock, Holt, Jones

BAND [Not definitive]

Pete Haycock - Guitar, Vocals [N.B: Wikipedia states that Pete Haycock was not on this album]
Lester Hunt - Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
John Edwards - Bass, Vocals
Derek Holt - Bass
Peter Filleul - Keyboards, Vocals
Colin Cooper - Sax

It has been said that this album was recorded as a three piece band with session musicians. Wikipedia states that Lester Hunt played on this album, and not Pete Haycock. Can anybody pinpoint the drummer on this release? Did Derek Holt and John Edwards both play bass on the album? Who are the session musicians? All info appreciated

SHORT BIO

Led by Colin Cooper, the former frontman of the R&B unit The Hipster Image, the Stafford, England-based Climax Chicago Blues Band was one of the leading lights of the late-1960s blues boom. A sextet also comprised of guitarists Derek Holt and Peter Haycock, keyboardist Arthur Wood, bassist Richard Jones and drummer George Newsome, the group debuted in 1969 with a self-titled effort recalling the work of John Mayall. Prior to the release of 1969's Plays On, Jones left the group, prompting Holt to move to bass. In 1970 the Climax Chicago Blues Band moved to the Harvest label, at the same time shifting towards a more rock-oriented sound on the LP A Lot Of Bottle. Around the release of 1971's Tightly Knit, Newsome was replaced by drummer John Holt; upon Wood's exit in the wake of 1972's Rich Man, the unit decided to continue on as a quartet, also dropping the "Chicago" portion of their name to avoid confusion with the American band of the same name. In 1974 The Climax Blues Band issued Fm Live, a document of a New York radio concert. 1975's Stamp was their commercial breakthrough, and 1976's Gold Plated fared even better, spurred on by the success of the hit "Couldn't Get It Right." However, the rise of punk effectively stopped the group in their tracks, although they continued recording prolifically well into the 1980s; after 1988's Drastic Steps, The Climax Blues Band was silent for a number of years, but resurfaced in 1994 with Blues From The Attic. © Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Van Wilks

Van Wilks - Bombay Tears - 1980 - Mercury

It has been said about Austin, Texas, that "you couldn't swing a cat and not hit someone who's a guitarist"! Well, Texas in general has produced many brilliant axe-men, and Van Wilks is another great guitarist to add to the list. Van Wilks from Austin, has been described as "a cross between Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen". He first earned some recognition in 1980 with "Bombay Tears", his first album. The record didn't sell many units, despite some good reviews, and the fact that Van was managed by Bill Ham , (ZZ Top's manager). The album has many good blues-based boogie numbers, with great band work. Van said of this album - "The music on this album reflects the time. I am proud of this record and all the people who made it happen. Maybe we can re-release it someday. Mercury owns the recording and won't let me have it even tho they will never put it out! What a business!". Buy Van's great 1995 "Soul of a Man" album. Read a great interview with Van Wilks @ http://houseofrockinterviews.blogspot.com/2009/10/still-keeping-blues-live-loud-exclusive.html

TRACKS

1. Danger In The Dark
2. 1959
3. Travelin'
4. Juvenile Licks
5. De La Coupole La Mer Pleure
6. Bombay Tears
7. Can't Cry Anymore
8. Sirens In The Night
9. Eyes Like Lightning
10. Older Than You Know
11. Living On Borrowed Time

All songs by Van Wilks

MUSICIANS (N.B: The band is also called Van Wilks)

Van Wilks (guitar, vocals)
Reggie Witty (bass & vocals)
Doug Hall (keyboards)
Phil Ballinger (drums)
The legendary Flo (Mark Volman), and Eddie (Howard Kaylan) (vocals)

VAN WILKS BIO

In Austin, Texas, a city known for it’s great guitarists Van Wilks has long been lauded as one of the city’s master players. His talents as a guitarist and band leader have won him consistent critical praise and a string of honors that was capped when he was voted by Austin music fans into the Austin Chronicle’s "Texas Music Hall of Fame" alongside the state’s most legendary musical talents. In his third decade as a veteran of the world-famous Austin music scene, Van Wilks "continues to make some of the city’s hottest guitar rock.", says the Austin Chronicle, creating music that brings his blues roots to the cutting edge with funk, hard-rock and melodic undertones. His compelling, hard-edged, bluesy rock prompted England’s tastemaking "Kerrang!" to name Van Wilks’ Mercury Records release "Bombay Tears" as "one of my all time faves," declaring it "a masterpiece." His band, also known as Van Wilks, has topped music polls by the Austin Sun (Band of the Year), the Austin Chronicle (Best Hard-Rock Band four years in a row) and KLBJ-FM(Best Austin Band). Austin’s Mayor has proclaimed November 6 as "Van Wilks Day" and the Texas Legislature presented him with the Texas flag and a plaque honoring his musical contributions to the State. The French magazine "Guitarist" has placed Van’s records in the editor’s top picks two years running. Declared "a perfect cross between Jimi Hendrix and Van Halen" by the Austin-American Statesman, Van Wilks has toured nationally and internationally with such acts as ZZ Top (whose Billy Gibbons is one of Van’s biggest supporters) and torn the roof off nightclubs and concert halls from Lubbock, Texas , the Virgin Islands, Moscow, Paris, Madrid, and countless points all over Europe. As the Houston Chronicle noted of one show: "By the end of the night we were all so delirious we wouldn’t let them go until they came out for several post-closing-time encores". The four song E.P. "Boystown" prompted the Austin-American Statesman to proclaim the song a classic and with the release of "Soul of a Man" Van Wilks’ scorching blues-rock upped the anty. "Koko’s Hideaway" received the highest rating in the Stockholm daily by critic Magnus Eriksson and "Texas Jukin"again showcased both taste and raw power with an English writer proclaiming: that Van "does things to his Gibson guitar that deserves an X-certificate!" "Running From Ghosts" is an eclectic powerhouse displaying a mastery of tone fused with soulful vocals. Another gem in Van’s discography is the rare duet with Eric Johnson of the classic "What Child Is This", available on the Texas Christmas Collection cd. As Variety observes, "Van Wilks has a keen ear for ‘60's psychedelic-cum-British blues, which forms the foundation for his refreshing originals." At a time when the blues and its variations are more popular than ever, Van Wilks is poised to take his music beyond cult and critical acclaim here and in Europe. Mixing his fiery fretwork with searing slide and the soaring melodicism of his acoustic 12-string Van Wilks is blessed by what Kerrang! praises as true "originality" from "a unique artist". Or in simpler terms, as Jim Beal of the San Antonio Express-News declares: "He sure can play Rock ‘n’ Roll!" http://www.vanwilks.com/bio.htm

Siegel Schwall Band

Siegel Schwall Band - The Siegel-Schwall Reunion Concert - 1988 - Alligator

"Few groups in the world can match The Siegel-Schwall Band for the sheer joy of their music" - Chicago Sun-Times

One of Chicago's great blues groups. From the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s, The Siegel-Schwall Band released ten acclaimed albums, constantly toured , and shared the bill with artists like The Allman Brothers, Janis Joplin, and Jefferson Airplane. In 1987, the group reformed for this reunion concert for the popular Chicago radio station, WXRT. Billboard magazine called this "Reunion" album "a stellar live outing." The Chicago Tribune stated that the recording was "...something to celebrate". Some critics maintain that the live concert album lacks the feel of the band's studio albums. Judge for yourself. This is sparkling Chicago blues with country and Soul from this great band. Buy the band's "Sleepy Hollow" album, and listen to their great "Flash Forward" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

You Don't Love Me Like That - Jim Schwall
Devil - Corky Siegel
Leavin'- Jim Schwall
Hey, Billie Jean - Corky Siegel, Jim Post
I Wanna Love Ya - Rollo Radford
I Think It Was The Wine -- Jim Schwall
I Don't Want You To Be My Girl - Corky Siegel
When I've Been Drinkin' - Big Bill Broonzy
Hush, Hush - Jimmy Reed
Got My Mojo Working - Preston Foster

MUSICIANS

Corky Siegel (Vocals), (Piano),(Harmonica)
Jim Schwall (Vocals), (Guitar)
Rollo Radford (Bass)
Sam Lay (Vocals), (Drums)
Alejo Poveda (Percussion)
Rollo Radford (Vocals)

BIO

Paul Butterfield and Elvin Bishop were not the only white dudes who formed a blues band in Chicago in the early '60s. Siegel and Jim Schwall formed the Siegel-Schwall Band in the mid-'60s in Chicago and worked as a duo playing blues clubs like Pepper's Lounge, where they were the house band. All of the great blues players would sit in -- all the time. Corky Siegel played harp and electric Wurlizter piano, with an abbreviated drum set stashed under the piano; Jim Schwall played guitar and mandolin. Both sang. Corky Siegel was born in Chicago on October 24, 1943; Jim Schwall was born on November 11, 1942, also in Chicago. Siegel met Schwall in 1964, when they were both music students at Roosevelt University -- Schwall studying guitar, Siegel studying classical saxophone and playing in the University Jazz Big Band. Siegel first became interested in the blues that same year. Schwall's background ran more to country and bluegrass. The Siegel-Schwall Band approach to music (and blues) was lighter than groups like Butterfield or Musselwhite, representing somewhat more of a fusion of blues and more country-oriented material. They seldom played at high volume, while stressing group cooperation and sharing the solo spotlight. When the Butterfield band left their in gig at Big Johns on Chicago's North Side, it was the Siegel-Schwall Band that took their place. Signed by Vanguard scout Sam Charters in 1965, they released their first album in 1966, the first of five they would do with that label. Bass player Jack Dawson, formerly of the Prime Movers Blues Band joined the band in 1967. In 1969 the band toured playing the Fillmore West, blues/folk festivals, and many club dates -- one of several white blues bands that introduced the blues genre to millions of Americans during that era. They were, however, the first blues band to play with a full orchestra, performing "Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra" in 1968 with the San Francisco Orchestra. The band later signed with RCA (Wooden Nickel) and produced five albums in the next several years. The band broke up in 1974. In 1987, the band re-formed and produced a live album on Alligator, The Siegel-Schwall Reunion Concert. Jim Schwall is a university professor of music and lives in Madison, WI. Corky Siegel has been involved in many projects over the years that fuse classical music with blues, including his current group, Chamber Blues -- a string quartet with a percussionist (tabla) and Siegel on piano and harmonica. And on rare occasions, the old band still gets together and performs. © Michael Erlewine, All Music Guide