( Advanced Search )  


BLUES & GOSPEL

Robert Cage -> The Carter Brothers

 
ROBERT CAGE Fat Possum 80316 Cant See What You're Doing ● CD $14. 98
 

 
CHRIS CAIN Blind Pig 5000 Can't Buy A Break ● CD $16. 98
Combination of sophisticated blues, jazz and funk

 
CHRIS CAIN Blind Pig 74090 Cuttin' Loose ● CD $16. 98
 

 
BIG AL CALHOUN Arcola 1003 Harmonica Blues ● CD $14.98
Previously unissued recordings by good singer and harmonica player Alvin "Big Al" Calhoun recorded in 1979 in St. Louis with Henry Townsend on electric guitar. Calhoun is a powerful singer and a good harmonica player strongly influenced by John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson and a number of the songs are drawn from Sonny Boy's repertoire. A number of the songs feature Townsend on vocal and he is joined by his wife Vernell on three songs.

 
BLIND JAMES CAMPBELL Arhoolie 438 And His Nashville Street Band ● CD $12. 98
23 tracks, 64 mins, recommended
Delightful and unique collection featuring recordings of a Nashville street band made in 1962 and 1963. Originally issued on LP in 1963 the CD reissue adds 8 previously unissued cuts. Being a street band playing for the passing by public they were familiar with a wide variety of material including blues, hillbilly, jazz and more. The group is led by singer/ guitarist Campbell who is joined by Beauford Clay on fiddle and Bell Ray on second fiddle or guitar plus, on some cuts George Bell on trumpet and Ralph Robinson on tuba! The group is very loose and ragged but entertaining on songs like Have I Stayed Away Too Long/ Will The Circle Be Unbroken/ Baby Please Don't Go/ This Little Light Of Mine/ Gambling Man/ I Never Had Nothing/ Beauford's Boogie Woogie/ Pick & Shovel Blues and more. For some inexplicable reason the worst tracks with some really out of tune fiddle are put at the beginning of the CD which may discourage you from investigating further which is a shame as once you get past those the music is a lot of fun. (FS)
BLIND JAMES CAMPBELL: Baby Please Don't Go/ Beauford's Boogie Woogie/ Beauford's Breakdown/ Buffalo Gal/ Detroit Blues/ Detroit Jump/ Do You Remember/ Gambling Man/ Have I Stayed Away Too Long/ I Am So Blue When It Rains/ I Never Had Nothing/ I'm Crazy About You Baby/ Jam Piece (George's Boogie)/ Jimmy's Blues/ John Henry/ Monkey Man Blues/ My Gal Got Evil/ Pick And Shovel Blues/ Sittin' Here Drinking/ The Moon May Rise In Blood/ This Little Light Of Mine/ When The Saints Go Marching In/ Will The Circle Be Unbroken

 
EDDIE C. CAMPBELL Evidence 26037 Let's Pick It ● CD $12. 98
 

 
EDDIE C. CAMPBELL Icehouse 9423 Gonna Be Alright ● CD $15. 98
Enjoyable collection of Chicago blues from Chi-Town veteran Campbell. Mostly original songs plus a few covers. Although there is no information on the cover this is actually a reissue of Eddie's 1987 Double Trouble album "Mind Trouble" which was recorded in Holland with a mix of Dutch and American musicians. The band does a good job though harmonica player Johnny Mars is a bit over the top for my liking.

 
REV. E.D. CAMPBELL & OTHERS Document DOCD 5389 Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order, 1927 ● CD $15. 98
20 tracks, 68 min., recommended. On Campbell's 16 tracks he relies more on his singing voice than on his knowledge of the Bible -- which apparently is somewhat limited -- misciting or failing to cite scripture for most of his sermons. Assisted vocally by Sisters Watkins and Dunlop and Brother Griffin, Campbell's approach is untutored and a bit chaotic but not without its power, as he shouts and strains his way to fervor and excitation. The performance is the message. The Rev. Isaiah Shelton and the Rev. C. F. Thornton each offer a pair of cuts to end the disc, both offering sermons with congregational singing, neither of special interest. (JC)

 
THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS Arhoolie 461 Pass Me Not ● CD $12. 98
More gospel steel guitar music from Florida featuring the solo and dual steel guitar work of brothers Charles (pedal steel) and Derick Campbell (8 string lap steel) with vocals by Katie Jackson.
THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS: End Of My Journey (Praise Song)/ I Feel Good/ I've Got A Feeling/ It Won't Be Very Long/ Jump For Joy/ Mary Don't You Weep/ Medley Of Offertory Tunes/ Morning Train/ None But The Righteous/ Pass Me Not, Oh Gentle Saviour/ There Is No Failure In God/ Walk With Me/ What A Friend We Have In Jesus/ What's His Name? . . . Jesus!

 
LEROY CARR/ BLACK BOY SHINE Document DOCD 5465 Unissued Test Pressings And Alternate Takes ● CD $15. 98
23 tracks, 59 mins, highly recommended What a pleasant surprise - some really interesting unissued songs and alternate takes including 3 never before heard songs by the great Leroy Carr from August & December, 1934 when he was at his peak. Most of his cuts feature the twin guitars of Scrapper Blackwell and Josh White. There are two takes of Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child which bears only a passing resemblance to famous spiritual and one take each of The Stuff Is Here (a duet with Bobby Phillips) and the beautiful Bozetta Blues. There are also three fine alternate takes of songs previously issued on previous Document CDs. The rest of the CD is devoted to Black Shine featuring two takes each of seven songs and one take each of two others - none of these have ever been issued before in any form. Although not as well known as Carr Black Boy Shine (Harold Holiday) was an excellent and imaginative performer and a most worthwhile companion. He was a piano player in the "Santa Fe" style with a harmonically varied left hand and a "stride" feel to his approach. He was also a fine singer with a solemn style rather like that of Walter Roland. Like many Texas bluesmen his songs are above average with references to his lifestyle and enviroment. These significant recordings came from the archives of Art Satherly - the recording engineer on these sessions. Sound quality is excellent and there are informative notes by David Evans. (FS)

 
LEROY CARR JSP JSPCD 77104 And Scrapper Blackwell - Vol. 1: 1928-1934 ● CD $28.98
Four C D s, 95 tracks, very highly recommended
Between 1928 and his untimely death in 1935 singer/piano player Leroy Carr and his guitar playing partner Scrapper Blackwell produced some of the finest and most influential blues recordings of the era. Carr's beautiful melancholic vocals and low key, but very effective piano work was perfectly complemented by Blackwell's wonderful acerbic guitar style. It includes his original recordings of songs that have become blues standards like How Long, How Long Blues/ Sloppy Drunk Blues/ Midnight Hour Blues/ Mean Mistreater Mama/ Blues Before Sunrise and others. It also includes several alternate takes and tracks not originally issued on 78s. His first session in June 1928 yielded the classic How Long, How Long Blues and it's popularity led to him recording five sequels using the same melody but with (often substantial) lyric variations. Although best known for his mournful blues, Carr also recorded a number of novelty songs and pop ballads - the latter not always showing Carr to his best advantage. Interestingly it seems that as his career progressed his songs seemed to become more intense and introspective - perhaps reflective of his battle with the alcoholism that led to his death. Blackwell's fantastic guitar playing tended to become more prominent as the recordings progressed and it becomes very clear what a big influence his playing was on many later musicians. Because of Carr's immense popularity his records were played continuously and it's hard to find his earlier recordings in good shape and so sound quality on the earlier recordings is often rough though these transfers are an improvement over previous reissues. Hopefully, one day, someone will turn up a mint copy of the first How Long, How Long Blues so we can finally hear it in all its glory. Includes informative notes by Max Haynes. Presumably the second volume will include the rest of Carr's recordings and all of Blackwell's issued under his own name. (FS)
LEROY CARR: Ain't Got No God/ Ain't Got No Money Now/ Alabama Women Blues/ Baby Come Back To Me/ Baby Don't You Leave Me No More/ Baby You Done Put That Thing On Me/ Big House Blues/ Blue Night Blues/ Blue With The Blues/ Blues Before Sunrise/ Blues Before Sunrise (alternate)/ Blues She Gave Me/ Box Car Blues/ Broken Spoke Blues/ Carried Water For The Elephant/ Christmas In Jail/ Corn Licker Blues/ Court Room Blues/ Depression Blues, The/ Dirty Dozen, The/ Don't Say Goodbye/ Don't You Get Tired/ Four Day Rider/ Gambler's Blues/ Gettin' All Wet/ Gone Mother Blues/ Goodbye Blues/ Hard Times Done Drove Me To Drink/ Hold Them Puppies/ How About Me/ How Long Has That Evening Train Been Gone/ How Long, How Long Blues/ How Long, How Long Blues No. 2/ How Long, How Long Blues No. 3/ How Long, How Long Blues Part 2/ Hurry Down Blues/ I Keep The Blues/ I Know That I'll Be Blue/ I Won't Miss You When You're Gone/ I'm Going Away And Leave My Baby/ I'm Going Back To Tennessee/ Jail Cell Blues/ Just Worryin' Blues/ Let's Disagree/ Let's Make Up And Be Friends Again/ Lifeboat Blues/ Lonesome Nights/ Long Road Blues/ Love Crying Blues/ Love Rides All/ Low Down Dirty Blues/ Low Down Dog Blues/ Mean Mistreater Mama/ Mean Mistreater Mama (alternate)/ Mean Mistreater Mama No. 2/ Mean Old Train Blues/ Memphis Town/ Midnight Hour Blues/ Moonlight Blues/ My Own Lonesome Blues/ My Woman's Gone Wrong/ Naptown Blues/ New How Long Blues, The/ Nineteen Thirty One Blues/ Papa Wants A Cookie/ Papa Wants To Knock A Jug/ Papa's Got Your Water On/ Papa's On The House Top/ Prison Bound Blues/ Prison Cell Blues/ Quittin' Papa/ Rainy Day Blues/ Shady Lane Blues/ Sloppy Drunk Blues/ Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child/ Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child (alternate)/ Stormy Night Blues/ Straight Alky Blues Part 1/ Straight Alky Blues Part 2/ Straight Alky Blues Part 3/ Taht's Tellin 'em/ Take A Walk Around The Corner/ Tennessee Blus/ That's All Right For You/ There Ain't Nobody Got It Like She Got It/ Think Of Me Thinking Of You/ Tired Of Your Low Down Ways/ Truth About The Thing, The/ Truthful Blues/ What More Can I Do/ Workhouse Blues/ Wrong Man Blues/ You Can't Run My Business No More/ You Don't Mean Me No Good/ You Got To Reap What You Sow

   
SISTER WYNONA CARR Specialty 7016 Dragnet For Jesus ● CD $15. 98
If you're thinking that no album called Dragnet For Jesus could be all bad, you're right. This, the first collection of Sister Wynona Carr's gospel recordings cut on Art Rupe's Specialty label between 1949-54, is an absolute delight. Included, of course, are underappreciated classics like The Ball Game/ In A Little While and Ms. Carr's first effort, the swinging Each Day. But what makes this set essential is the unreleased material (17 of 26 cuts), including the title track with Carr as Joe Friday, Operator, Operator/ 15 Rounds For Jesus/ I Heard The News, a religious rewrite of Good Rockin' Tonight, and three radically different versions of Our Father - one featuring Brother Joe May, one Rev. C.L. Franklin. Excellent notes by Opal Nations and Lee Hildebrand. Highly recommended. [JC]

 
CHUBBY CARRIER Blind Pig 5032 Who Stole The Hot Sauce ● CD $15. 98

 
CHUBBY CARRIER & THE BAYOU SWAMP BAND Blind Pig 5007 Dance All Night ● CD $15. 98
High-energy Zydeco party music
CHUBBY CARRIER & THE BAYOU SWAMP BAND: Cuyan/ Got to Make Her Mine/ I'm Coming Home/ Love You Right/ Old Time Zydeco/ Rock Me Baby/ Stay a Little Longer/ The Zydeco King/ They Want to Party Now/ Tule Ton Son Ton/ Turn On Your Love Light/ Zydeco Extravaganza/ Zydeco's The Way To Go

 
KAREN CARROLL Delmark 680 Had My Fun ● CD $15. 98

 
KAREN CARROLL Delmark 707 Talk To The Hand ● CD $15. 98

 
BO CARTER Yazoo 1064 Banana in Your Fruit Basket: Red Hot Blues 1931-1936 ● CD $15. 98
Bo Carter was a fine guitarist and singer from Mississippi who played occasionally with the Ms. Shieks and frequently on his own. There are three Yazoo collections of his work, all of them worthwhile (#1014 - Greatest Hits 1930-1940 and #1034 - Twist It Babe may be unavailable until they emerge as CD's), but this straight reissue of the Banana LP is the most unbridled. The album is all double-entendres: you can tell half the story by reading some of the titles - Pig Meat Is What I Crave/ What Kind Of Scent Is This/ Mashing that Thing/ Don't Mash My Digger So Deep/ Pin In Your Cushion/ My Pencil Won't Write No More. Yet Banana In Your Fruit Basket is not a novelty record, just the honest ramblings of a wild, apparently one-track mind. Good sound; recommended. [JG]

Back To Blues Index

 





Roots & Rhythm
P.O. Box 837
El Cerrito, CA 94530 USA
Toll Free Order Line : 888-ROOTS-66

© 2018 Roots & Rhythm. No part of this site may be reproduced without written permission