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I'M THE BOSS CARD IN YOUR HAND

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MERCURY BLUES

TEXAS COUNTRY BLUES

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CHARLES FORD BAND

TRAVELIN WITH THE BLUES

GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOLGIRL

LOUISIANA BLUES 1970 / VARIOUS

THIS AIN'T NO ROCK & ROLL

DOWN HOME URBAN BLUES CLASSICS / VARIOUS

MY FIRST RECORDINGS

ANGOLA PRISON WORKSONGS / VARIOUS

SPANN OTIS / WALKING THE BLUES Perhaps best known for his long association with the legendary Muddy Waters, Otis Spann is largely recognized as one of the greatest blues pianists of all time, if not the greatest. Although Spann made a name for himself in Chicago by the mid 1940s, it wasn't until 1960 that he got the opportunity to record an album of his own. The sessions Spann did with Candid Records co-founder Nat Hentoff that year resulted in the legendary album Otis Spann Is The Blues. (Incidentally, this was also the first album ever recorded for the fledgling New York City based label.) The tracks on Walking The Blues were recorded during those same sessions in August of 1960 in New York City. Left on the cutting room floor, they would not be officially released until 1972, two years after Spann's untimely death. Robert Lockwood Jr., also from Muddy Water's group, accompanies Spann on guitar here as he does on the Is The Blues album. But Walking The Blues also features Spann's close friend, veteran singer and composer James Oden, better known to blues fans as St. Louis Jimmy. Stripped down to just the these musicians, this magnificently performed and produced set showcases Spann's voice as well as piano. Spann stretches out with his pulsing two-handed rhythmic attack, and brings the barrelhouse piano style of his youth in line with the modern Chicago style he embodied.

BLUES & GRASS: THE 52ND STREET BLUES PROJECT / VAR

Softpack Wallet - Remastered by Bernie Grundman. Recorded November 15, 1960 at the Nola Penthouse Sound Studios in New York, Lightnin' In New York captures the legendary bluesman in classic form, including some rare solos on the piano. Produced by Candid Records label co-founder, famed music critic and social activist, Nat Hentoff, and recorded at a time when Hopkins was being "rediscovered" by white audiences, the bluesman was reluctant in accepting his new role as an "artist" before predominantly white audiences.

Led by musical director Scotty Barnhart, the Count Basie Orchestra keeps Basie's unmistakable style alive and thriving around the world. In the great traction of the Basie Swings albums comes this explosive album of collaborations with some of the greatest living blues and jazz artists, Basie Swings The Blues. In preparation for these sessions, Barnhart took a pilgrimage to the Mississippi Delta to immerse himself in the land where blues began. The resulting album is joyful mix of downhome blues with the deep swing and sophistication that only The Count Basie Orchestra can provide. As Count Basie famously once said, "our blues will make your blues go away." Produced by Barnhart along with Grammy-winning producer John Burk (Ray Charles Genius Love Company), and Grammy-winning drummer/producer Steve Jordan (The Rolling Stones), the album brings together Buddy Guy, Bobby Rush, Keb' Mo', Shemekia Copeland, Robert Cray, Charlie Musselwhite, Betty LaVette, Ledisi, George Benson, and others to bring the blues and swing back together for a set that jumps and jives with an energy not heard since Louis Jordan and T-Bone Walker lit up stages in the '40s and '50s.

180gm Tip-on Jacket Remastered by Bernie Grundman. Recorded November 15, 1960 at the Nola Penthouse Sound Studios in New York, Lightnin' In New York captures the legendary bluesman in classic form, including some rare solos on the piano. Produced by Candid Records label co-founder, famed music critic and social activist, Nat Hentoff, and recorded at a time when Hopkins was being "rediscovered" by white audiences, the bluesman was reluctant in accepting his new role as an "artist" before predominantly white audiences.

Double vinyl LP pressing.

Boogie With Canned Heat, their second studio album, was released in 1968 and features the original lineup with Bob "The Bear" Lite (lead vocals), Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson (slide guitar/harmonica/vocals), Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (lead guitar), Larry "The Mole" Taylor (bass guitar) and Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra (drums), plus guest appearances by Dr. John and Sunnyland Slim. It includes the hits "On the Road Again," "Amphetamine Annie," and "Fried Hockey Boogie."

Howlin' Wolf - "Message To The Young" / This was the 8th album by blues master Howlin' Wolf released by Chess Records in 1971. Often considered an attempt at offering the masses a psychedelic record, it's sound ranges from acid-rock, to blues, to funk, and back again. The title song is Wolf's attempt at reaching the youth of the era in a beautiful spoken word ballad which can easily be summed up in two words: Be Yourself. Arranged and conducted by Cash McCall, this album presents Wolf in the company of legendary pianist Sonny Thompson.

Released on the Impulse! Records label in early 1966, the songs are a mix of new compositions and re-workings of tunes John Lee Hooker had previously recorded, and includes a cover of Barrett Strong's 1959 Motown hit "Money (That's What I Want)." With Panama Francis on drums, Milt Hinton on bass, and Barry Galbraith on second guitar, the result is some of the best John Lee Hooker material with a band that you're likely to come across

The classic 1967 Chess album Muddy, Brass & The Blues, adds horns and prominent organ to Muddy Waters' basic band format. Waters' earlier work had been built around his returning to sounds and influences from his past. Here, the label tried to give him a new sound. Stripped of his guitar, Waters proves what a great R&B singer he was. Featuring Otis Spann on piano, and Sammy Lawhorn and Pee Wee Madison on guitar. This is the first official American LP re-issue in more than 30 years.