Label: Wienerworld Presentation.
Release Date: August 19, 2016.
Recording Time: 224 minutes.
Recording Date: late 1940s - early 1960s.
Release Info: Compilation (WNRCD5095), Remastered, Box Set (3xCD).
Styles: Downhome Blues, Detroit Blues, Regional Blues.
Think of Detroit and you will almost certainly think of cars before you think of the blues. Despite there being many a bluesman to call Detroit home in the post-war period, that scene was overshadowed by the Chicago blues sound. Down Home Blues attempts to redress the balance.
This three-disc set features 21 artists over a total of 82 tracks, many of which are rare, some of which are previously unissued. Included is a fascinating essay by blues researcher Mike Rowe, suggesting Detroit blues' lack of commercial success can be attributed to the absence of a homogenised, defining sound, Detroit's bluesmen having a range of different backgrounds and styles.
Ironically, it is this same diversity that makes this interesting as a compilation. From the thick and swampy guitar of LC Green's outstanding When the Sun Is Shining to breezy group sung efforts like Eddie Burns' Superstition, both the material and instrumentation on offer here are fantastically varied.
It features rare cuts from Detroit Blues' closest thing to a prosperous son – John Lee Hooker – but despite these, it's the work of the lesser known bluesmen that stands out. With charismatic tunes like Baby Boy Warren's Nervy Woman Blues, Harvey Hill Jr's She Fool Me and Eddie Kirkland's Mercy Blues, there's no shortage of quality material. ~ Alun Hamnett
from WNRCD5095:
- Down Home Blues Detroit is the definitive collection of blues music from Detroit-based musicians from the late 1940s to the early 1960s
- Features 21 artists who were influential in developing the Detroit blues scene, including John Lee Hooker, Bo Bo Jenkins, Sam Kelly, Eddie Kirkland, Little Sonny, Detroit Count, Eddie Burns, Baby Boy Warren and many more
- Three CD set, packaged in a deluxe digipak with an outer slip case, features 82 rare tracks, all digitally remastered, with some unissued recordings and others which have not been available for decades
- Includes a 48 page book featuring an essay on the origins of Detroit music by renowned blues researcher and historian Mike Rowe, complete with rare photos, tracklisting and full sessionography
Detroit, Michigan. A northern city - smaller but akin to Chicago - where country southern blacks migrated to find work and found themselves within new urban surroundings. Amongst their numbers were blues musicians who took with them their traditional sounds. It began to develop with a more aggressive feel which grew with them in their new urban life surroundings.
There are 21 different artists here. There is extreme. There are selections of players who encompassed into small combo group recordings to the solo player whose sound without doubt was perfect without any extra accompaniment. There are artists here who made many more commercial recordings than others, who maybe got just one record out. By luck there are some unissued recordings - from unearthed rare acetate discs.
The definitive three album collection of Down Home Blues from Detroit!
Credits: Bernard Besman - composer; Big Maceo - piano; Boogie Woogie Red - piano; Martee Bradley - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; John Brim - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; Devora Brown - speech / speaker / speaking part; Percy Lee Brown - guitar; Robert Brown - composer; Eddie Burns - composer, guitar, harmonica, primary artist, vocals; Earl Chatman - composer, primary artist, vocals; Jim Due Crawford - drums; George Deloach - bass; Detroit Count - primary artist; Detroit Slim - composer, harmonica, primary artist, vocals; Joe Dooms - piano; Charlie Doyle - composer; Harry Fleming - drums; Curtis Foster - drums; Calvin Frazier - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; Marvin Gaye - drums; L.C. Green - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; John Lee Hooker - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; Roy Hooker - guitar; Johnny Hooks - sax (tenor); Joe Hunter - piano; Bobo Jenkins - arranger, composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; John Jenkins - arranger, composer; James "Rabbit" Johnson - guitar; Jamie Johnson - guitar; Robert Johnson - composer; Willie Johnson - guitar; Curtis Jones - composer; Harvey Hill Jr - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; Morris Kaplan - composer; Bob Kelly - guitar, primary artist, vocals; Sam Kelly - composer, harmonica, primary artist, vocals; Eddie Kirkland - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; Little Sonny - primary artist; Jane Maguire - design; Walter Mitchell - harmonica, vocals; Water Mitchell - harmonica; Peter Moody - coordination, sessionography; John C. Moore - composer; Jimmy Parner - drums; Earl Phillips - drums; Slim Pickens - primary artist; Clarence Posey - composer, piano, primary artist; James Rachell - composer; Big Jack Reynolds - composer, primary artist; Marshall Reynolds - harmonica, vocals; Robert Richard - harmonica; Doctor Ross - drums, guitar, harmonica, primary artist, vocals; Isaiah Ross - composer; Mike Rowe - authoring, graphics, illustrations, liner notes, sessionography; Chuck Smith - piano; Henry Smith - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; John T. Smith - guitar; Eddie Taylor - guitar; Bob Thurman - piano; Tom Whitehead - drums; Ted Walker - drums; James Walton - composer, harmonica, primary artist, vocals; Baby Boy Warren - primary artist; Robert Warren - composer; Washboard Willie - drums; James Watkins - piano; Bob White - piano; Robert White - composer, guitar; Popcorn Wiley - piano; John Lee Williamson - composer; Aaron Willis - composer, harmonica, vocals; Eddie Willis - guitar; Albert Witherspoon - guitar.
Tracklist:
CD 1
01. Miss Lorraine - John Lee Hooker;
02. Talkin' Boogie - John Lee Hooker;
03. Come Back Sugar Mama - L.C. Green;
04. Little Machine - L.C. Green;
05. Papa's Boogie - Eddie Burns;
06. My Special Friend Blues - Baby Boy Warren;
07. Nervy Woman Blues - Baby Boy Warren;
08. Making A Fool Out Of Me - Eddie Burns;
09. Squeeze Me Baby - Eddie Burns;
10. Democrat Blues (Democrat Man) - Bobo Jenkins;
11. Bad Luck And Trouble - Bobo Jenkins;
12. Lillie Mae (Version 1) - Calvin Frazier;
13. Rockhouse - Calvin Frazier;
14. Bus Driver - John Brim;
15. When The Sun Is Shining - L.C. Green;
16. Hold Me In Your Arms - L.C. Green;
17. Rockin' Chair Boogie - Clarence Posey;
18. Nelly Mae - Detroit Slim;
19. Lonesome Cabin Blues - Baby Boy Warren;
20. Don't Want No Skinny Woman - Baby Boy Warren;
21. Gangster Blues - Eddie Burns;
22. Grievin' Blues - Eddie Burns;
23. Ramblin' Around Blues - Sam Kelly;
24. Now I'll Have To Sing The Blues - Martee Bradley;
25. Winter Time Is Comin' - Martee Bradley;
26. Taxi Driver Blues - Baby Boy Warren;
27. Bad Lover Blues - Baby Boy Warren.
CD 2
01. Graveyard Blues - John Lee Hooker;
02. I Love To Boogie - John Lee Hooker;
03. Little School Girl - L.C. Green;
04. Remember Way Back - L.C. Green;
05. Superstition - Eddie Burns;
06. Biscuit Baking Woman - Eddie Burns;
07. Forgive Me Darling - Baby Boy Warren;
08. Please Don't Think I'm Nosey - Baby Boy Warren;
09. She Fool Me - Harvey Hill Jr;
10. Boogie Woogie Woman - Harvey Hill Jr;
11. Lilly Mae (Version 2) - Calvin Frazier;
12. Dog Me Blues - Henry Smith;
13. Baby Don't You Want To Go - Bobo Jenkins;
14. Ten Below Zero - Bobo Jenkins;
15. I Got Lucky - Baby Boy Warren;
16. Let's Renew Our Love - Baby Boy Warren;
17. Papa Doo - James Walton;
18. Loving You Baby - Earl Chatman;
19. Parrot Lounge - Detroit Count;
20. Detroit Boogie - Detroit Count;
21. Seasick And Waterbound - Bobo Jenkins;
22. Pitch A Boogie Woogie - Big Jack Reynolds;
23. Lilly Mae (Version 3) - Calvin Frazier;
24. Mattie Mae - Baby Boy Warren;
25. Santa Fe - Baby Boy Warren;
26. Hastings Street After Hours - Little Sonny;
27. Love You Pretty Baby - Little Sonny;
28. Have Mercy On Me - John Lee Hooker.
CD 3
01. Somebody Put Bad Luck On Me - Baby Boy Warren;
02. Stop Breaking Down - Baby Boy Warren;
03. Love Shock - Little Sonny;
04. I'll Love You Baby Until The Day I Die - Little Sonny;
05. I'll Move You Baby - Eddie Kirkland;
06. Mercy Mercy - Eddie Kirkland;
07. Miss Sadie Mae - John Lee Hooker;
08. 609 Boogie - John Lee Hooker;
09. Cat Squirrel - Doctor Ross;
10. The Sunnyland - Doctor Ross;
11. Nothing But Love - Bobo Jenkins;
12. Tell Me Who - Bobo Jenkins;
13. Orange Driver - Eddie Burns;
14. Hard Hearted Woman - Eddie Burns;
15. I Gotta Find My Baby - Little Sonny;
16. Hear My Woman Calling - Little Sonny;
17. Chuck-A-Luck (or Chicken) - Baby Boy Warren;
18. Baby Boy Blues - Baby Boy Warren;
19. Done Somebody Wrong - Eddie Kirkland;
20. I Need You Baby - Eddie Kirkland;
21. She's My Baby - Bob Kelly;
22. The Thing To Do - Eddie Burns;
23. I Hear My Woman Callin' - Alternate - Little Sonny;
24. Industrial Boogie - Doctor Ross;
25. Thirty Two Twenty - Doctor Ross;
26. Baby Don't You Want Me To Go – Alternate - Bobo Jenkins;
27. Ten Below Zero - Alternate - Bobo Jenkins.
Notes:
A collection of blues music from Detroit-based musicians from the late 1940s to the early 1960s.
Packaged in a deluxe digipak with an outer slip case, features 82 rare tracks, all digitally remastered, with some unissued recordings and others which have not been available for decades.
Includes a 48 page book featuring an essay on the origins of Detroit music by renowned blues researcher and historian Mike Rowe, complete with rare photos, tracklisting and full sessionography.
CD 1: 77 minutes.
CD 2: 74 minutes.
CD 3: 73 minutes.
Similar formations on successive tracks aren't relisted.
Track 1-5 is performed by "Swing Brothers".
Tracks 1-19 & 1-20 are performed by "Baby Boy Warren and His Buddy" (1949), tracks 1-26 and 1-27 by "Baby Boy Warren and His Trio" (1952-53).
Martee Bradley is called The Hastings Street Hill-Billy on tracks 1-24 & 1-25.
Tracks 2-5 & 2-6 are by "Big Ed and His Combo".
Tracks 3-19 & 3-20 are performed by Eddie Kirkland and His Houserockers.