With Louis Myers, Dave Myers, Mac Simmons and Big Moose Walker! Blues vocalist Willie Buck was born in 1937 in the small town of Houston, Mississippi. Willie performed on what became known as the "Chittlin Circuit". Shortly after developing his reputation, Willie migrated to Chicago in 1954 where he truly immersed himself in the Chicago blues scene and became a real force on Maxwell Street. Willie was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in Chicago in the summer of 2004. The Life I Love was recorded in 1982 and was issued then in a very limited edition LP. It appears on CD for the first time now and features previously unissued live tracks totaling 65 minutes of genuine Chicago blues.

No other contemporary blues artist brings as much of the rousing sanctified spirit of the church to his overall musical approach as Professor Eddie Lusk. One of the Windy City's busiest blues session players for the last decade, the Professor mastered the keyboards while still in his teens at his father's South Side church, and that enduring spiritual base remains at the heart of the Professor's blues. In addition to the Professor's hearty vocals, the band also showcases the gutsy pipes of Karen Carroll, a second generation blues woman whose mother, Jeanne Carroll, has graced the scene herself for many years.

FRENCH CONNECTION

This live recording takes US back to just a few months after the release of the legendary Hoodoo Man Blues (DMK 612) album. Junior is accompanied by the Aces - Louis Myers, guitar; Dave Myers, bass; Fred Below, drums. Eleven songs and great bits between Junior and the audience in between songs comes to over 60 minutes of pure blues delight. "I Wanna Boogie", "Messin' with the Kid", "Man Downstairs", "Worried Life Blues", "Hideaway", "That's All Right", "Look on Yonder's Wall", "Fattening Frogs for Snakes", "Got My Mojo Workin'" and more.

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT

Sharon Lewis made her Delmark debut in 2007 as a special guest vocalist with Dave Specter on Live in Chicago (CD DMK 794, DVD DMK 1794). Born in Fort Worth, Texas Sharon's earliest musical experience was as a member of a gospel choir. She moved to Chicago permanently in 1975 and became active on the Chicago blues scene in the early 90s. In 2005 Sharon formed her own band, Texas Fire. "... it's Sharon Lewis who provides the disc's (Live in Chicago) most exciting moments. Her powerful pipes inject a strong gospel vibe into her originals "In Too Deep" and the head-turning ballad "Angel". - Blues Revue.

Blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader Dave Weld got his start on Chicago's west side in the late 70's. At the 1815 Club on Roosevelt Road, Dave was in the house band with Chico Chism, Shorty Gilbert, Hubert Sumlin, Detroit Junior, and Eddie Shaw. Dave played there with Otis Rush, Guitar Junior, Tail Dragger, Little Arthur, Johnny Littlejohn and more. Weld was under the tutelage of Grammy winning slide guitarist JB Hutto. JB introduced Dave to his nephew, Lil Ed. They started the band "Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials" and played every joint in the West side for ten years. Burnin' Love is Weld's Delmark debut and it features Lil Ed on guitar and the legendary Abb Locke on saxophone.

Here are some of the rarest hot piano solos ever made. These performances were originally recorded in Chicago during the mid to late 1920s by the Capitol Music Roll Company and issued as nickelodeon piano rolls. In 2007 Delmark issued Jimmy Blythe, Messin' Around Blues (DMK 792) from the same set of rolls. With the help of digital technology these rolls will sound more full and rich than ever before. This CD feature rolls transcribed by Clarence Johnson, another of the finest blues players of the 20s. The piano roll performances presented here provide a clearer record than do their 78s because these solos were recorded using modern recording techniques from a "live" player piano.

Though this is Pierre Lacocque's band, and he is the principal songwriter and stage front with his harmonica, there is an ensemble feel to all of Mississippi Heat albums. When you listen to this superb CD, you're not just hearing a band. You're hearing a family, one with a deep love, understanding, and respect for each other. That special guest Sax Gordon is so seamlessly incorporated into their signature sound speaks volumes. Fourteen of the sixteen songs here are new originals. From straight-ahead Chicago blues, boogie and swing to Latin beat, Caribbean and funk Warning Shot is a remarkable musical achievement.

Willie Buck has been leading his own bands for over 40 years. He's been on the scene since his arrival in Chicago as a teenager in the midst of the heyday of Chicago blues in 1953. He put out his only album in the early 80s which became a collector's item over the years and was re-issued in 2010 as The Life I Love (Delmark 805). At that time it was decided Willie would create a new album for Delmark but it wasn't until Rockin' Johnny stepped forward that the project got off the ground. Cell Phone Man features 16 songs with a heavy dose of Muddy Waters Chicago Blues. Johnny's Band is Rick Kreher, Barrelhouse Chuck, John Sefner, Steve Bass and special guest Bharath Rajakumar.

In a review of Weld's first Delmark CD, Living Blues magazine said: "Burnin' Love is a raucous monster, Weld performs wonderfully wild guitar their sweet vocal harmonies are as animated as Weld's wicked and rockin' slide guitar."(Monica's) "Talk Dirty" is equally suited for a sultry blues diva here Myhre displays her burly pipes." The songwriting team of Weld/Myhre has reached new heights with the sublime title track, the self-described "Sweet Rockin' Soul" and the crossover "Sweet Love (Dulce Amor)". With special guests Bobby Rush adding harp on 2 songs, Greg Guy (son of Buddy Guy) on guitar on one and Sax Gordon on tenor and baritone sax.

MESSAGE IN BLUE

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. 3-LP set on 180g vinyl in gatefold board jacket.

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."

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. 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.

Burning Hell was recorded in 1959 in Detroit, but the album wasn't released until 1964. Even then, it was only available in the UK. This 180-gram vinyl pressing marks the first official single LP worldwide release the album has seen. Pressed at QRP in partnership with Acoustic Sounds, the album features John Lee Hooker solo as he plays originals and classics. AllMusic states that, on this album, "Hooker shows himself to be an excellent interpreter who could have held his own with Delta bluesmen of any era."

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Released to celebrate Albert King's centennial, this new edition of the legendary artist's first album for Stax Records, Born Under A Bad Sign with all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl. The album has been inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame and is included in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time." It features contributions from Booker T. & The MG's and the Memphis Horns.

INSPIRATION: 22 HARMONICA PERFORMANCES / VARIOUS