Queen Sylvia Embry is best known as the bass-playing vocalist in Lefty Dizz and the Shock Treatment during the late 70s. The group was immensely popular and played some of the best (and wildest) blues music in Chicago. It seemed as if Sylvia was poised to break out as Chicago's leading blues woman as she started to front her own band and recording for three different labels in just a few years. They were married for a time but by the time they recorded this album they had divorced. Recorded on January 19, 1979 by the tiny Razor label the original album, known as After Work, is long out-of-print. This new CD contains previously unissued material.

Bluesman James Kinds was born in Drew, Mississippi in 1943. He moved to Chicago in 1959 and quickly got involved in music. He hung out at blues clubs on the west side and formed his first group, Oasis, in 1967. He recorded "Ada" in the mid-'70s for Cloud 9 and it's still James' show-stopping closer which he sang at the 2007 Chicago Blues Festival. In 1982, Oasis issued West Side featuring guests Barkin' Bill, Eddie "Jewtown" Burks, Jimmy Dawkins and Hip Linkchain. Since then he has continued to play the blues, issue three CDs and maintain a Chicago presence by visiting and performing here often. With special guest Eddie Shaw.

MESSAGE IN BLUE

Harmonica player Al Miller brings in three guitar aces to help him create this unique blues album: John Primer, Dave Specter & Billy Flynn. But Al doesn't just play harp. Whether he is wailing away on harmonica, singing, writing songs, or providing guitar accompaniment, Al imbues every aspect of his involvement in the music with feeling, which, as every blues fan knows, is what the blues is all about. Al sings most of the songs however John Primer sings lead on three. Also in the band are Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Kenny Smith, Barrelhouse Chuck, Ken Saydak and others. 17 songs in all including the previously unissued "Blizzard".

Released to celebrate Albert King's centennial, his 1999 live album 'In Session' with Stevie Ray Vaughan is now available in it's entirely for the first time! Recorded live for television at CHCH-TV studios in Ontario, Canada in 1983, this is the only known recording of Vaughan and King playing together. Also featured are Tony Llorens (piano/organ), Gus Thornton (bass), and Michael Llorens (drums). This deluxe edition has been newly mastered by Joe Tarantino. 2-CD Digipak set.

Harlem Street Singer is Reverend Gary Davis' 1960 album, originally released on Prestige Records' Bluesville imprint. The album features a combination of Davis-penned tracks, including "Death Don't Have No Mercy," and standards such as "Samson and Delilah." All Music declared that the album is "essential listening for fans of country blues or gospel." Bluesville Acoustic Sounds Series is remastered from the original tapes.

Last Night Blues is Lightnin' Hopkins' 1961 album, featuring Sonny Terry. The second of three album collaborations, Last Night Blues showcases Hopkins' and Terry's different yet complementary styles to create a well-rounded listening experience. AllMusic declared, "this dynamite disc represents what the blues should be: stripped-down, soulful, and full of truth."

Live Wire/Blues Power is a live album from Albert King recorded in 1968 at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. Featuring originals and King's rendition of classics, the album demonstrates Albert King's blues prowess. According to Rolling Stone, this album is "Just the unadulterated pure and simple blues."

INSPIRATION: 22 HARMONICA PERFORMANCES / VARIOUS

Classical Music

Classical Music