Description
Release Date: 2010
Label: Not Now Records
Track List
CD 1 Down And Out Blues
1. All My Love In Vain
2. The Key (To Your Door)
3. Keep It To Yourself
4. Dissatisfied
5. Fattening Frogs And Snakes
6. Wake Up Baby
7. Your Funeral And My Trial
8. 99
9. Cross My Heart
10. Let Me Explain
11. Don’t Start Me Talkin’
12. I Don’t Know
Bonus Tracks
13. Your Imagination
14. Born Blind
15. Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide
16. Unseeing Eye
CD 2 The Trumpet Singles
1. Crazy ‘Bout You, Baby
2. Eyesight To The Blind
3. Cool, Cool Blues
4. Do It If You Wanta
5. Come On Back Home
6. Stop Crying
7. I Cross My Heart
8. West Memphis Blus
9. Pontiac Blues
10. Sonny Boy’s Christmas Blues
11. Mighty Long Time
12. Nine Below Zero
13. Mr. Down Child
14. Stop Now Baby
15. Cat Hop
16. Too Close Together
17. Gettin’ Out Of Town
18. She Brought Life Back To The Dead
19. Going In Your Direction
20. Red Hot Kisses
21. Empty Bedroom
22. From The Bottom
Personnel
Bass – Willie Dixon (tracks: 1.1-1.12)
Guitar – Eugene Pierson (tracks: 1.1-1.12), Jimmy Rogers (tracks: 1.1-1.12), Luther Tucker (tracks: 1.1-1.12), Muddy Waters (tracks: 1.1-1.12), Robert Jr. Lockwood (tracks: 1.1-1.12)
Harmonica, Vocals – Sonny Boy Williamson
Piano – Otis Spann (tracks: 1.1-1.12)
Notes
The story of Sonny Boy Williamson could fill a book in itself – not least because there were two of them! The first, John Lee Williamson, was a master of cross-note tuning, playing the harmonica a fourth key above that of the music and by using drawn, rather than blown, notes produced a slurred, almost vocal melody line. The second, real name Aleck ‘Rice’ Miller, is better known in Europe for, unlike the original who died in 1948, this Sonny Boy, whose music you will hear here, was around until 1965 and able to come to Europe to cash in on the British blues boom. He may not have been the first Sonny Boy, but Aleck ‘Rice’ Miller certainly made a name for himself. His recordings will remain popular for as long as the blues is played; enjoy some of the very best on this 2 disc compilation.
