Jimmy Reed - Blues Masters (2000)

After releasing 18 various artists blues compilations in the Rhino Blues Masters series, the label then extended the series by releasing a number of compilations that each focused on one influential blues artist. And that's what we've got here.

Born in the Mississippi Delta in 1925, Reed would go on to become among the most commercially successful electric blues artists of the 1950s thanks to his laid-back singing, simple guitar style, and easygoing harmonica playing. Reed's music influenced The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, The Animals, Elvis Presley, and Steve Miller, among others. Highly accessible; I dig.

Reed was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

Liner notes by Cub Koda.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks, with Billboard chart peaks:

	Title	Year	R&B	Pop
1	High And Lonesome	1953
2	You Don't Have To Go	1955	5
3	Ain't That Lovin' You Baby	1955
4	I Ain't Got You	1955
5	You've Got Me Dizzy	1956	3
6	Little Rain	1957	7
7	Honest I Do	1957	4	32
8	Odds And Ends	1958
9	Ends And Odds	1958
10	Going To New York	1959
11	Take Out Some Insurance	1959
12	Baby What You Want Me To Do	1959	10	37
13	Hush-Hush	1960	18	75
14	Big Boss Man	1961	13	78
15	Bright Lights Big City	1961	3	58
16	Oh John	1962
17	Shame Shame Shame	1963		52

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Volume 2: Postwar Chicago Blues (1992)	Volume 7: Blues Revival (1993)
Volume 3: Texas Blues (1992)	Volume 8: Mississippi Delta Blues (1993)
Volume 4: Harmonica Classics (1992)	Volume 15: Slide Guitar Classics (1993)
Volume 6: Blues Originals (1993)	Blues Masters Sampler (1993)

Various Artists - Blues Masters, Volume 4: Harmonica Classics (1992)

This blues compilation is Volume 4 in an extensive blues series of CDs from Rhino which is slowly finding its way to my collection. In both the liner notes and the song selection, the focus is on Chicago blues and its use of amplified harmonica to be heard alongside electric guitar, ignoring the use of harmonica with acoustic guitars down in the Mississippi Delta. Nevertheless, there's great variety here and it is one my favorite Rhino Blues Masters CDs I've encountered thus far.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist	Year
1	Juke	Little Walter & His Night Cats	1952
2	Ends & Odds	Jimmy Reed	1958
3	Rocket 88	Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet	1965
4	Help Me	Sonny Boy Williamson	1963
5	Messin' With The Kid	Junior Wells Chicago Blues Band	1965
6	Blues With A Feeling	The Paul Butterfield Blues Band	1965
7	Sugar Coated Love	Lazy Lester	1958
8	Steady	Jerry McCain	1961
9	I'll Be Around	Howlin' Wolf	1954
10	I Was Fooled	Billy Boy Arnold	1955
11	Take A Little Walk With Me	Big John Wrencher with Joe Carter	1976
12	Easy	Jimmy & Walkter	1953
13	Boogie Twist	Snooky Pryor	1963
14	Wolf Call Boogie	Hot Shot Love	1954
15	Last Night	George "Harmonica" Smith and The Chicago Blues Band	1968
16	I Got Love If You Want It	Slim Harpo	1957
17	Cherry Pink & Apple Blosson White	The Fabulous Thunderbirds	1981
18	Christo Redemptor	Charlie Musselwhite	1967

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None with these particular tunes, but I do recall several failed attempts to learn to play harmonica. My first musical instrument was the trumpet, an instrument through which you have to blow air to produce a sound and only inhale to take a breath. The harmonica, on the other hand, produces different notes when you inhale and exhale and my mind simply couldn't make that paradigm shift. These days, this dog is too old to learn new tricks.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Volume 2: Postwar Chicago Blues (1992)	Volume 8: Mississippi Delta Blues (1993)
Volume 3: Texas Blues (1992)	Volume 15: Slide Guitar Classics (1993)
Volume 6: Blues Originals (1993)	Blues Masters Sampler (1993)
Volume 7: Blues Revival (1993)

Various Artists - Blues Masters, Volume 6: Blues Originals (1993)

This blues compilation is Volume 6 in an extensive blues series of CDs from Rhino which is slowly finding its way to my collection. This set focuses on original recordings of often-covered blues tunes. As it says in the liner notes, "this time around, you get to hear who did 'em first, and sometimes the best." Great compilation, plus it's a fun game to figure out whose cover version I first heard.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist	Year
1	Bring It On Home	Sonny Boy Williamson	1966
2	You Need Love	Muddy Waters	1962
3	Texas Flood	Larry Davis & Band	1958
4	Got My Mojo Working (But It Just Won't Work On You)	Ann Cole with The Suburbans & Orchestra	1957
5	I Ain't Superstitious	Howlin' Wolf	1962
6	Love In Vain	Robert Johnson	1939
7	I Can't Quit You Baby	Otis Rush	1956
8	Bulldoze Blues (aka Goin' Up The Country)	Henry Thomas	1928
9	Madison Blues	Elmore James	1960
10	Someone To Love Me	Snooky Pryor	1956
11	I Ain't Got You	Jimmy Reed	1956
12	That's All Right	Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup	1947
13	I'm A Man	Bo Diddley	1955
14	Boom, Boom Out Go The Lights	Little Walter	1957
15	Pack Fair And Square	Big Walter & His Thunderbirds	1956
16	I'm A King Bee	Slim Harpo	1957
17	It's A Man Down There	G.L. Crockett	1965
18	Back Door Man	Howlin' Wolf	1960

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Volume 2: Postwar Chicago Blues (1992)	Volume 8: Mississippi Delta Blues (1993)
Volume 3: Texas Blues (1992)	Volume 15: Slide Guitar Classics (1993)
Volume 7: Blues Revival (1993)	Blues Masters Sampler (1993)

Various Artists - Blues Masters, Volume 15: Slide Guitar Classics (1993)

Today marks the 15th anniversary of The CD Project and I looked around, saw this CD had a "15" somewhere on the spine, shrugged, and figured just go with it. This blues compilation is Volume 15 in an extensive blues series of CDs from Rhino which is slowly finding its way to my collection. Very similar to the slide guitar disc featured a few weeks back, this one focuses on blues tunes from 1928-1987. Like all the compilations in this series (so far), this one has some known tunes and artists while introducing me to others. As the liner notes by Cub Koda state:

This volume of Rhino's Blues Masters series features slide-guitar greats from a wide variety of times, places, and blues styles, covering a span of more that 50 years. Some of the names and tunes included here will be familiar, while others are truly the unsung heroes of the genre. Either way, it's some of the best slide playing you'll ever hear. Get the barbecue ready, the party's just starting.

Silly Cub, the barbecue is always ready in this house.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist	Year
1	Dust My Broom	Elmore James	1965
2	Honey Bee	Muddy Waters & His Guitar	1951
3	Taylor's Rock	Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers	1971
4	Maxwell Street Medley	Robert Nighthawk & His Flames Of Rhythm	1980
5	Too Much Alcohol	J.B. Hutto & His Hawks	1966
6	Dark Was The Night - Cold Was the Ground	Blind Willie Johnson	1928
7	Dynaflow Blues	The Johnny Shines Blues Band	1966
8	Treat Me The Way You Do	Joe Carter & His Chicago Broomdusters	1976
9	Homesick's Shuffle	Homesick James	1965
10	Deep Feeling	Chuck Berry	1957
11	Chicken Stuff	Hop Wilson & His Chickens	1958
12	I Am The Black Ace	Black Ace	1961
13	Is You Ever Seen A One-Eyed Woman Cry	Earl Hooker	1969
14	Shake Your Money-Maker	The Paul Butterfield Blues Band	1965
15	Rollin' And Tumblin'	Canned Heat	1967
16	Mean Town Blues	Johnny Winter	1969
17	Statesboro Blues	The Allman Brothers Band	1971
18	All Shook Up	Ry Cooder	1987

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Brisket & sausage sandwich with extra pickles.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Volume 2: Postwar Chicago Blues (1992)
Volume 3: Texas Blues (1992)
Volume 7: Blues Revival (1993)
Volume 8: Mississippi Delta Blues (1993)
Blues Masters Sampler (1993)

---

First post, 2010: Paul Simon - Graceland (1986)
1st anniversary, 2011 (post #378): Electric Light Orchestra - Time (1981)
2nd anniversary, 2012 (post #694): Seal (1994)
3rd anniversary, 2013 (post #948): Fun Boy Three - Really Saying Something: The Best of Fun Boy Three (1997)
4th anniversary, 2014 (post #1127): Ultravox - Quartet (1982)
5th anniversary, 2015 (post #1231): Soul Hits of the '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Vol. 5 (1991)
6th anniversary, 2016: no post
7th anniversary, 2017: no post
8th anniversary, 2018 (post #1461): Pat Metheny - Watercolors (1977)
9th anniversary, 2019 (post #1524): Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever (1989)
10th anniversary, 2020 (post #1594): Various Artists - Windham Hill - The First Ten Years (1990)
11th anniversary, 2021: no post
12th anniversary, 2022 (post #1800):Talk Talk - 12 x 12 Original Remixes (1999)
13th anniversary, 2023 (post #1901): Soul Hits of the '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind, Vol. 13 (1991)
14th anniversary, 2024 (post #2000): The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen, Vol. II (1987)

Today's post is #2149.

Various Artists - Blues Masters, Volume 2: Postwar Chicago Blues (1992)

This blues compilation is Volume 2 in an extensive blues series of CDs from Rhino which is slowly finding its way to my collection as I continue my blues education this summer. The Chicago mentioned in the title is the one in Illinois; the war mentioned refers to World War II. The Chicago record labels that became legendary are represented on this disc, including Chess, Vee-Jay, and Cobra. The music was developed in the Mississippi Delta and moved to Chicago during the Great Migration: these blues are amplified, raw, and in-your-face, with the electric guitar taking the lead alongside powerful vocals. A great primer for me as I continue to investigate all the subgenres of blues music - I always seem to come across previously unfamiliar names in these compilations. Mostly unfamiliar tunes, but there's a few I recognize. This music all predates my birth, but still teaches this old dog some new tricks.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist	Year
1	Rollin' & Tumblin' Part 1	Baby Face Leroy Foster	1950
2	Just Make Love To Me	Muddy Waters	1954
3	That's All Right	Jimmy Rogers & His Trio	1950
4	Off The Wall	Little Walter & The Night Cats	1953
5	Don't Start Me Talkin'	Sonny Boy Williamson	1955
6	Evening Sun	Johnny Shines	1953
7	Smokestack Lightnin'	Howlin' Wolf	1956
8	I'm A Man	Bo Diddley	1955
9	Five Long Years	Eddie Boyd	1952
10	Sweet Woman (From Maine)	Robert Jr. Lockwood	1954
11	Mama Talk To Your Daughter	J. B. Lenoir	1955
12	Bright Lights Big City	Jimmy Reed	1961
13	You May	Jody Williams	1957
14	All Your Love (I Miss Loving)	Otis Rush	1958
15	All Your Love	Magic Sam	1957
16	First Time I Met The Blues	Buddy Guy	1960
17	Blue Guitar	Earl Hooker	1962
18	Little By Little	Junior Wells	1957

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Volume 3: Texas Blues (1992)
Volume 7: Blues Revival (1993)
Volume 8: Mississippi Delta Blues (1993)
Blues Masters Sampler (1993)

Various Artists - Blues Masters, Volume 7: Blues Revival (1993)

This blues compilation is Volume 7 in an extensive blues series of CDs from Rhino which is slowly finding its way to my collection.

The Blues Revival of the 1960s was described by blues scholar Jeff Todd Titon as "a white, middle-class love affair with the music and lifestyle of marginal blacks."

-from the CD liner notes written by Jim O'Neal, founding editor of Living Blues magazine

I was born in 1966, but I would certainly align myself with that description. It's very true, as evidenced by the subsequent '60s blues-based British Invasion (Clapton, Stones, Led Zeppelin, etc.). So what we've got here is the source material. This era brought recognition to older, established blues artists such as the ones found on this disc. Of the volumes in this series that I have heard to date, this is my favorite.

Another blues revival occurred in the late '80s with artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, followed by another in the 2000s with such acts as Joe Bonamassa, The Black Keys, and the Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues series. I'm not sure if we're due for another revival, but I'm sure enjoying a personal blues revival this summer.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist	Year
1	Baby What You Want Me To Do	Jimmy Reed	1959
2	Three Aces On The Bottom Of The Deal (aka Blues For Gamblers & Everybody's Blue)	Lightnin' Hopkins, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee	1966
3	Candy Man	Mississippi John Hurt	1964
4	Fannin Street	Dave "Snaker" Ray	1964
5	Write Me A Few Lines	Mississippi Fred McDowell	1964
6	Death Letter	Son House	1965
7	Boom Boom	John Lee Hooker	1962
8	Got My Mojo Working	Muddy Waters	1960
9	Born In Chicago	Paul Butterfield Blues Band	1965
10	Good Morning Schoolgirl	Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band	1966
11	The Blues Never Die	Otis Spann	1965
12	Baby Scratch My Back	Slim Harpo	1965
13	Coming Home to You Baby	Sonny Boy Williamson	1964
14	The Death Of J.B. Lenoir	John Mayall's Blues Breakers	1967
15	On The Road Again	Canned Heat	1968
16	Blues Power	Albert King	1968
17	The Thrill Is Gone	B.B. King	1969

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Volume 3: Texas Blues (1992)
Volume 8: Mississippi Delta Blues (1993)
Blues Masters Sampler (1993)

Various Artists - Blues Masters, Volume 3: Texas Blues (1992)

This blues compilation is Volume 3 in an extensive blues series of CDs from Rhino which is slowly finding its way to my collection. The previous Texas blues compilation that appeared in this space focused on the southeastern part of the state, including Houston (that area is represented on the map below in pink/red). This compilation features artists from the central and northeastern parts of the state in a swath that includes Austin, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and parts of East Texas (blue on the map).

Only two artists appear on both compilations: Albert Collins & Gatemouth Brown. It is hardly surprising that the part of the state known for creation of the Texas blues subgenre is on the eastern side, closest to Mississippi, birth of the blues. Chronologically arranged (for the most part), this disc takes us from early Texas blues with its similarity to Texas swing music, through the introduction of boogie and R&B influences in the '50s and '60s, culminating in the rise in the '80s of Stevie Ray Vaughan's scorching electric blues.

Excellent, detailed liner notes by writer and music critic Alan Govenar, author of Meeting the Blues: The Rise of the Texas Sound.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist	Year
1	Matchbox Blues	Blind Lemon Jefferson	1927
2	Cravin' A Man Blues	Lilian Glinn	1930
3	Driftin' Blues	Charles Brown	1945
4	Short-Haired Woman	Lightnin' Hopkins	1947
5	Call It Stormy Monday	T-Bone Walker	1947
6	Lucy Mae Blues	Frankie Lee Sims	1953
7	Texas Hop	Pee Wee Crayton	1948
8	Please Send Me Someone To Love	Percy Mayfield	1950
9	Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night	Zuzu Bollin	1952
10	Hound Dog	Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thorton	1953
11	Okie Dokie Stomp	Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown	1954
12	The Freeze	Albert Collins & His Rhythm Rockers	1958
13	Ella Speed	Mance Lipscomb	1960
14	Down On Bending Knees	Johnny Copeland	1962
15	The Stumble	Freddy King	1970
16	C-Boy's Blues	The Fabulous Thunderbirds	1979
17	Flood Down In Texas	Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble	1986
18	Changing Neighborhoods	Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets	1987

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I'm thankful to my friend Jim for introducing me to Stevie Ray Vaughan's solo work when he bought the Couldn't Stand The Weather album back in 1984. Seventeen year-old me probably said something along the lines of "Hey! That sounds like David Bowie's guitarist on the Let's Dance album!" I may be a little slow on the uptake, but at least I eventually made the connection.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Blues Masters Sampler (1993)
Volume 8: Mississippi Delta Blues (1993)

Various Artists - Blues Masters, Volume 8: Mississippi Delta Blues (1993)

This blues compilation is Volume 8 in an extensive blues series of releases from Rhino which is slowly finding its way to my collection. Most of the influential 20th century Delta Blues musician are represented and the familiar characteristics are heard as well: sparse instrumentation (often just a guitarist accompanying himself singing), call-and-response between the guitar and the singer, 12-bar blues forms, and lyrics about hardship and heartbreak: "I asked her for water, she gave me gasoline." Great primer with just enough variety to hold interest throughout.

Excellent, detailed liner notes by writer and music critic Robert Palmer, author of Deep Blues.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist	Year
1	Big Road Blues	Tommy Johnson	1928
2	Cool Drink Of Water Blues	Tommy Johnson	1928
3	Rattlesnake Blues	Charley Patton	1930
4	Future Blues	Willie Brown	1931
5	On the Wall	Louise Johnson	1930
6	Mississippi Jail House Groan	Rube Lacy	1928
7	Preachin' The Blues, Pts. I & II	Son House	1930
8	Cross Road Blues	Robert Johnson	1937
9	Catfish Blues	Robert Petway	1941
10	I Feel Like Going Home	Muddy Waters	1948
11	Dark Road	Floyd Jones	1952
12	Eyesight To The Blind	Sonny Boy Williamson	1951
13	Sitting On Top Of The World	Howlin' Wolf	1958
14	Goin' Down To Eli's (AKA I'm Gonna Murder My Baby)	Robert Nighthawk	1964
15	I Believe	Elmore James	1952
16	Something Inside Me	Elmore James	1960
17	Sweet Little Angel	B.B. King	1964
18	Crosscut Saw	Albert King	1966

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. I was born in Panola County, Mississippi and lived there the first six months of my life (I'm told). For many years, I mistakenly thought that area of the state was considered part of the Delta. But a closer look revealed to me that Panola County is considered to be part of the North Mississippi Hill Country, which has its own distinct brand of blues. That don't mean I can't enjoy this good stuff though.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Blues Masters Sampler (1993)

Various Artists - Blues Masters Sampler (1993)

A compilation that I quickly snatched from a used bin for the following three reasons:

1. Blues Masters
2. essential collection sampler
3. 1990's Rhino compilation

Excellent liner notes by blues expert and radio personality Barry Hansen (a.k.a. Dr. Demento). This disc is a "specially priced sampler" from an extensive blues series of releases from Rhino. A blues primer with plenty of variety within the genre; I like the thing and with a running time of about 49 minutes, the length is absolutely perfect for my tastes as well as my ever-dwindling attention span.

Interestingly (to a former educator and blues novice - i.e., me), Rhino's blues series allegedly spawned an educational CD-ROM about the blues:

Billboard, September 4, 1993, p. 19

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

Song	Artist	Year
Shake Your Money-Maker	The Paul Butterfield Blues Band	1965
Juke	Little Walter And His Night Cats	1952
You Need Love	Muddy Waters	1962
T-Bone Blues	T-Bone Walker	1959
The Freeze	Albert Collins And His Rhythm Rockers	1958
Bright Lights, Big City	Jimmy Reed	1961
Candy Man	Mississippi John Hurt	1964
Bumble Bee	Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie	1930
Crosscut Saw	Albert King	1966
Pride And Joy	Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble	1983
Every Day (Parts I & II)	Count Basie & His Orchestra with Joe Williams	1955
Shake, Rattle, And Roll	Joe Turner	1954
Wild Wild Young Men	Ruth Brown	1953
Stormy Blues	Billie Holiday	1955
Go Down Old Hannah	Texas Prison Camp Work Gang	1956

There's acoustic, there's electric, there's vocals, there's instrumentals, some tracks lean R&B, some lean R&R, plus there's a bluesy big band jazz piece and a historical recording of a prison chain gang singing one of their traditional work songs. I started to pick favorites but that effort quickly proved futile.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I feel I should listen to blues music more than I do, especially since I'm a native of the Mississippi delta, born not even 40 miles away from the legendary crossroads in Clarksdale. Obtaining this sampler didn't immediately lead to further blues CD purchases, but ya never know what the future holds.