VA-The Best of the Chicago Blues


DSCN4683 (800x798)This was $3.00 for a two record set.  Plus it is a  Vanguard record which is generally pretty good.  I got it at a record show.chicago-skyline

Ah Chicago.  The third most populous city in the US.  The king of the second tier cities.  Home of the Cubs, Second City, and the blues.  A bit trite in this paragraph but then again, it is Saturday.DSCN4687 (800x796) (2)

The Blues has been a staple of Chicago music with all roads pointing to the bluesmen who immigrated to the big city from the South, most notably Mississippi.  Luminaries like Muddy Waters forged an urban sound which defined the genre. The electric guitar and harmonica are the chief drivers of this sound. Artists represented on the album include Jimmy Cotton, Junior Wells, Otis Spann, J.B. Hutto, Buddy Guy, Homesick James, Big Walter Horton, and Johnny Young,  Overall, this double album is a great collection of the blues.DSCN4686 (800x800)

I can not remember why I chose so many tunes for samples but I did so here we go.  Starting off is Buddy Guy with “Money”.  Next we have Jimmy Cotton on “Rocket 88”.  Big Walter Horton is joined on harmonica by Memphis Charlie Musselwhite and Johnny Shines on guitar for “Rockin My Boogie”.  Homesick James does “Somebody Been Talkin” with the other big name in Chicago blues, Willie Dixon on bass.  Pianist Otis Spann takes a turn with “Spann’s Stomp”.  Finally, Junior Wells (with Guy on guitar) finishes it up with “Tabacco Road”.  That is six tracks.  Kind of poor editing on my part.DSCN4684 (798x800)

Top Rated record for sure. Enjoy the plethora of samples.

 

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