One of the more defining features of Blues upstarts GA-20's approach to traditional Blues music is their unwavering dedication to playing the songs they love, or as bandleader Matthew Stubbs puts it, "we play the music we would want to hear." Those in the know have been captivated by the visceral energy the band brings to the heavy Blues arena, and the songs they choose to perform. With ORPHANS, the band has assembled a collection of Blues and Blues- adjacent tracks that fit handily within that parameter. The songs found on ORPHANS are just that - singular tunes heard only at live shows, singles released between albums, and simple favorites that the band (Stubbs, Cody Nilsen & Josh Kiggans) have been itching to lay down. And just as Blues is a tradition of borrowing, sharing and transformation, these melodies and words are similarly reinterpreted and reimagined, orphans and strays lovingly adopted and given new breath. The fan demand for a proper full length release of these songs, along with the mandate to showcase Nilsen's vocals and auxiliary guitar mastery, are realized here in physical form.

Music is the language of New Orleans, and at 85 years of age Little Freddie King has been speaking that blues language for over 60years. Even with his long blues history and international tours, gigs for a deep blues man still don't come easy in New Orleans. This album happens to catch "lighting in a bottle" with Freddie and his seasoned band mates putting down an extraordinary show that happens to catch the spirit of the night with this recording. His meditative, hypnotic style will transform you into the world of his friends that he palled around throughout his musical career, legends like Boogie Bill Webb, Slim Harpo, his cousin, Lighting Hopkins, Snooks Eaglin and John Lee Hooker to name a few.

When grunge was mainstream, a blonde teenager from Louisiana upended the music industry by charting top 10 singles on the rock charts with his blues rock debut album Ledbetter Heights. Kenny Wayne Shepherd released Ledbetter Heights 30 years ago and he has been redefining the genre ever since. "This is the album that put me on the map," Shepherd says. "My goal has always been to make music that is unfiltered and straight from the heart and Ledbetter Heights is an album I'm very proud of." Thirty years later Shepherd is releasing a re-recorded version of that debut album, Ledbetter Heights: The 30th Anniversary Sessions. With the maturity of a seasoned musician and producer, as well as vocals featuring his longtime singer Noah Hunt, the 30th Anniversary Sessions are sure to please both old and new fans. "Revisiting this album put me back in touch with the wonder and excitement of those days. I didn't know what lay ahead at the time," he reflects, "But I'm very grateful for what came from it.

Double vinyl LP pressing. When grunge was mainstream, a blonde teenager from Louisiana upended the music industry by charting top 10 singles on the rock charts with his blues rock debut album Ledbetter Heights. Kenny Wayne Shepherd released Ledbetter Heights 30 years ago and he has been redefining the genre ever since. "This is the album that put me on the map," Shepherd says. "My goal has always been to make music that is unfiltered and straight from the heart and Ledbetter Heights is an album I'm very proud of." Thirty years later Shepherd is releasing a re-recorded version of that debut album, Ledbetter Heights: The 30th Anniversary Sessions. With the maturity of a seasoned musician and producer, as well as vocals featuring his longtime singer Noah Hunt, the 30th Anniversary Sessions are sure to please both old and new fans. "Revisiting this album put me back in touch with the wonder and excitement of those days. I didn't know what lay ahead at the time," he reflects, "But I'm very grateful for what came from it.

Mike Zito returns home with his fourth solo studio album for Gulf Coast Records. A personal record for Mike shaped by memory, places, and renewal. Walking the streets of his birthplace, St. Louis, Zito reconnects with the sounds, stories, and hard lessons that forged his signature blend of soul-driven blues and fearless storytelling. Thirteen years after Gone to Texas, this album feels like a defining moment, marking a new chapter for Mike, his family, and a life reclaimed in the city that started it all. 2xLP Blue Vinyl (Blank Side D)

Mike Zito returns home with his fourth solo studio album for Gulf Coast Records. A personal record for Mike shaped by memory, places, and renewal. Walking the streets of his birthplace, St. Louis, Zito reconnects with the sounds, stories, and hard lessons that forged his signature blend of soul-driven blues and fearless storytelling. Thirteen years after Gone to Texas, this album feels like a defining moment, marking a new chapter for Mike, his family, and a life reclaimed in the city that started it all.

Louisiana-born Marc Broussard channels the timeless spirit of R&B and Southern soul into a bold, modern statement. Teaming up with 2x Grammy Nominated producing Duo Joe Bonamassa & Josh Smith, Broussard is back with 14 new Blues infused soul original songs that will satisfy any musical sweet tooth. Rooted in rich musical tradition, Broussard brings raw emotion and undeniable authenticity to a project sparked by an intense burst of creativity. "It all came together effortlessly," he says. "I can't wait for people to hear what we made."

SOUL KING OF BESSEMER, AL

COME TO ME

SHAKE THAT BOOGIE: LIVE IN BREMEN 1989

ALL BEFORE YESTERDAY

SLIDEMASTER

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. That's My Story is the 1960 album from the blues icon, John Lee Hooker, originally released on Riverside Records. The album features a raw, stripped-down approach for a country blues sound. Hooker plays acoustic guitar on tracks like "I Need Some Money" and "No More Doggin'" to create a compelling collection that expertly showcases his mastery. This edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP and features (AAA) remastered from the original tapes cut by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab.

A mainstay of the Memphis blues, R&B and soul scenes from the mid-1940s until his death in 2001, the sometime DJ who billed himself on radio as 'the world's oldest teenager' was the only man to record for the Bluff City's three major independent record labels (Sun, Stax and Hi) and a lot more besides. With daughter Carla, Rufus Thomas more or less started the Stax label on it's road to success, being one of the first and indeed also the last people to have a 45 issued by the label. Prior to that he'd built a career that began as a tap dancer in the 1930 to a point where he made his first records in the late 1940s. In this collection you can hear just about everything Rufus cut between our title track - his first release - up to his first Stax solo hit 'The Dog' in 1962. Rufus' musical journey up to that point and beyond mirrors the evolution of the black American music scene in the south across the same time frame. Only a few of these records were anything more than local hits, but they all contribute significantly to a much bigger catalogue that is one of the most consistent of any artist whose career stretched across eight decades! If you want to find out where The Memphis Sound (of soul, anyway) began, this is a very good place to start looking.

JP Soars has spent over two decades building his reputation the way roots music was meant to be built: onstage, night after night, delivering a high-energy, blend of roots music that moves effortlessly through blues, rock & roll, Latin grooves, country, and gypsy jazz-never confined by genre, always guided by feel. That musical vision comes fully into focus on Gypsy Blue Revue, a collaborative project with acclaimed violinist, vocalist, and songwriter Anne Harris (Keb Mo & Taj Mahal, Otis Taylor, Cracker): a blend of songwriting styles and instrumental chops, set to a backdrop of Southern soul, roadhouse blues and rock, and eclectic folk music, recorded "all in one room, playing together. We just wanted it to sound like we do live."

Two CDs. Harold Melvin's four albums for Philly International Records, dating from 1972, '73 and '75. All four albums were Billboard Top 100 with 'To Be True' and 'Wake Up Everybody' No. 1 RnB albums. These recordings produced the huge hits of 'If You Don't Know Me By Now', 'Bad Luck', 'The Love I Lost', 'Wake Up Everybody' and 'Don't Leave Me This Way', When Melvin left Philly, and with Teddy Pendergrass also going solo, the band were unable to replicate their earlier success; however, these recordings are some of the finest black music ever. Digitally remastered and slipcased, and with extensive new notes.

SONGS THAT SHAPED BOB DYLAN / VARIOUS

Little Walter Jacobs was blues harmonica player, singer, songwriter and occasional guitarist who revolutionised the way that the harmonica was played and recorded, bringing a new dimension to the blues during the 1950s. He was one of the first artists to amplify his harmonica by holding it to a microphone and maybe the first artist on any instrument deliberately to use electronic distortion as part of his range of sounds. He was a member of Muddy Waters' band, appearing on many of his records during the 1950s, but from 1952 recorded for the Chess subsidiary Checker, his releases regularly featuring a harmonica-led instrumental on one side and a vocal performance on the others. He scored an R&B No. 1 with his first solo single "Juke", and another one a few years later with what became a staple of blues bands the world over "My Babe". Little Walter became the only harmonica player to be inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame. This great value 52-track collection, with extensive booklet notes plus comprehensive discographical, chart, session and personnel information, comprises all of his Checker A & B sides from 1952 to 1960 plus two bonus tracks from 1961 and 1962, and includes all of his 15 R&B chart hits

What a band on this 1973 LP: Jack DeJohnette, Ron Carter, Harold Mabern, Earl Klugh and some sweet arrangements by the J.B.'s Pee Wee Ellis. Benson and his guitar masterfully mix jazz, soul and R&B as you hear Body Talk; Top of the World; Dance; Plum, and more. Includes an alternate take of the title track!

John Lee Hooker On Vee-Jay 1955-1958

Speak The Lyrics To Me, Mama Reed

The Hillbilly Blues Cats

2016 release from the American music icon who is credited as creating folk-funk. Porcupine Meat will further enhance the legend of this Blues Hall of Fame inductee, three-time Grammy nominee, and 10-time Blues Music Award winner. Rush, at age 82, is at the peak of his powers as a singer, songwriter, harmonica player, and entertainer. Guest guitar soloists include Keb' Mo', Joe Bonamassa, and Dave Alvin. At a time when Southern soul music is having a comeback, Bobby Rush has never gone away. Includes "I Don't Want Nobody Hanging Around," "Snake In The Grass," "Standing On Shaky Ground," "I Think Your Dress Is Too Short" and more.

Track Listing
1. Four
2. Four - (alternate take)
3. St. Thomas
4. St. Thomas - (alternate take)
5. I Remember Clifford
6. I Remember Clifford - (alternate take)
7. 52nd Street Theme
8. 52nd Street Theme - (alternate theme)
9. Bluesongo - (bonus track)
10. Jungoso

Personnel: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Thad Jones (cornet); Herbie Hancock (piano); Bob Cranshaw, Ron Carter (bass); Roy McCurdy (drums); Candido (congas).

Producer: George Avakian.

Reissue producer: Orrin Keepnews.

Engineers include: Ray Hall.

Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, New York, New York between May 14, 1962 and April 14, 1964. Includes liner notes by Orrin Keepnews.

This CD is what too few "previously unreleased" collections are: a well-documented, well-annotated recording with a purpose and a point of view. In a thoughtful essay, producer Orrin Keepnews discusses what these early Sixties recordings of Rollins reveal about the tenorist's approach to repertoire and improvisation and, more pragmatically, about his relationship to the recording studio and to record companies in general. Each of the first four tunes can be heard in two different versions. "Four" was recorded both with a trio (with Roy McCurdy on drums and Bob Cranshaw on bass) and a quartet (with Herbie Hancock on piano and Ron Carter replacing Cranshaw on bass)

The versions of "I Remember Clifford" and "52nd Street Theme" were recorded with Hancock on piano and Thad Jones on cornet added to the basic trio. "Bluesongo" and "Jungoso" are trio pieces with Rollins, Cranshaw, and Candido on congas. Keepnews explains that these two cuts, which were originally released on the album WHAT'S NEW in 1962, have not been reissued anywhere else recently (unlike the balance of the material from WHAT'S NEW) and have consequently been included here.

Track Listing
1. Powder Puff
2. Pesky Serpent, The
3. Bunny
4. Pirouette
5. Morpo
6. Diablo's Dance
7. Mambo del Crow
8. Indian Club
9. Coop de Graas
10. Infinity Promenade
11. Short Stop
12. Boar-Jibu
13. Contours
14. Tale of an African Lobster
15. Chiquito Loco
16. Sweetheart of Sigmund Freud
17. Blues for Brando
18. Chino
19. Wild One, The (Hot Blood)
20. Windswept

Personnel: Shorty Rogers (trumpet); Art Pepper (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Bud Shank (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Herb Geller (alto saxophone); Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Cooper (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Bill Holman, Bill Perkins (tenor saxophone); Conrad Gozzo, John Howell , Maynard Ferguson, Pete Candoli, Ray Linn (trumpet); John Graas (French horn); Milt Bernhart, Harry Betts, John Haliburton, Jimmy Knepper, Bob Enevoldsen (trombone); Gene Englund (tuba); Hampton Hawes, Marty Paich, Russ Freeman (piano); Shelly Manne (drums).

Liner Note Author: Todd Selbert.

Recording information: RCA Studios, Hollywood, CA (01/12/1953-??/??/1954).

This double LP offers listeners a strong introduction to the trumpet playing and arrangements of Shorty Rogers, but unfortunately it has gone out of print and was the first and last in its series. The 32 selections feature six different groups headed by Rogers during 1953-1954, ranging from an octet to a big band; all of the bands feature sidemen who essentially formed a who's who of West Coast jazz. Among the other soloists are altoist Art Pepper; tenors Bill Holman, Bill Perkins, Zoot Sims, Bob Cooper, and Jimmy Giuffre; trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison; pianist Hampton Hawes; and altoists Herb Geller and Bud Shank. The majority of the selections are Rogers originals; there is music from the Marlon Brando film The Wild One and a Count Basie tribute set. Swinging and surprisingly fiery "cool jazz" that deserves to be reissued on CD in full. ~ Scott Yanow