ROCKIN THIS HOUSE CHICAGO PIANO BLUES 1946-1953
MEMPHIS SLIM, ROOSEVELT SYKES, EDDIE BOYD Recorded: 1946-1953
Released: 2006
Label: JSP, 7762 [UK]
Format: [email protected] 320
Once again the U.K.'s JSP reissue label offers a massive chunk of historical material in a low-priced four-CD compilation, this time culled from the heart of the postwar Chicago blues scene. Memphis Slim, who first blew in from Arkansas and Tennessee in 1937, is heard on 64 tracks recorded between 1946 and 1954. This is the fundamental core of Slim's postwar period. Bolstered by a series of upright bassists (Willie Dixon plays and sings on one of the dates), the occasional drummer, and a regular stable of tenor and alto saxophonists, the pianist sings about interpersonal relationships, working, partying, and hitting the road. This is rough-and-tumble entertainment. Slim's early Chicago background as a tough-as-nails landlord and peddler of bootleg liquor is tangibly present. While his powerful voice is an essential ingredient, the instrumentals are fascinating. One dozen sides by the great Roosevelt Sykes add considerable ballast to an already hefty compliation. The fourth disc features pianist Eddie Boyd, a bittersweet to bitchy pianist and singer who cut his teeth working with Johnny Shines and Sonny Boy Williamson. Boyd's inclusion in this four-CD box makes it one hell of a dose of unfiltered, undiluted Chicago blues. As an extra bonus this is a budget-priced set, making it highly recommended, especially for the blues novice. All Music Guide
CD A - Memphis Slim 1946-1948
01. Now I Got the Blues
02. Don't Ration My Love
03. Mistake in Life
04. Grinder Man Blues
05. Slim's Boogie
06. Little Mary
07. Cheatin' Around
08. Letter Home
09. Kilroy Has Been Here
10. Rockin' This House
11. Lend Me Your Love
12. Darling I Miss You
13. Pacemaker Boogie
14. Motherless Child
15. Harlem Bound
16. Life Is Like That
17. Nobody Loves Me
18. Believe I'll Settle Down
19. Throw This Poor Dog a Bone
20. Help Me Some
21. Country Girl
22. Blue and Lonesome
23. Angel Child
24. Midnight Jump
25. Messin' Around
Memphis Slim - Piano & Vocals
Willie Dixon - Bass & Vocals
Ernest 'Big' Crawford - Bass
Charles Jenkins - Bass
Ernest Cotton - Alto & Tenor Sax
Cozy Eggleston - Tenor Sax
Alex Atkins - Alto Sax
Recorded in Chicago between 1946 & 1948
CD B - Memphis Slim 1948-1953
01. You and I
02. Timsy's Whimsy
03. Frisco Bay
04. Restless Nights
05. If You Live That Life
06. Love at First Sight
07. Jumping Bean
08. Letter Home
09. Grinder Man Blues
10. Slim's Boogie
11. Mistake in Life
12. Girl I Love
13. Mean Little Woman
14. Train Is Comin'
15. Question
16. Drivin' Me Mad
17. Never Let Me Love
18. Train Time
19. Blue Evening
20. No Mail
21. Gonna Need My Help Someday
22. Back Alley
23. Living the Life I Love
24. Come Back
25. 5 O'Clock Blues
26. Call Me Before You Go Home
Memphis Slim (piano & vocals); Terry Timmons (vocals);
Matt 'Guitar' Murphy (guitar); Ernest 'Big' Crawford, Alfred Elkins,
Ransom Knowling, Henry Taylor, John Frazier, Curtis Mosley,
Betty Dupree Overton (bass); Oscar Larkin, Leon Hooper,
Otho Allen (drums); Alex Atkins, Ernest Cotton, Nelson Berry,
Percell Brockenborough, Timothy Overton, Neil Green - Horns
Recorded in Chicago between 1948 & 1953
CD C - Memphis Slim & Roosevelt Sykes 1947-54
01. This Is My Lucky Day
02. I Love My Baby
03. Wish Me Well
04. Four Years of Torment
05. Sassy Mae
06. Blue and Lonesome
07. Memphis Slim U.S.A.
08. She's Alright
09. Two of a Kind
10. Got to Find My Baby
11. Blues All Around My Head
12. Treat Me Like I Treat You
13. My Country Gal
14. Lowland Blues
15. Savoy Boogie
16. Candy Man Blues
17. Why Should I Cry
18. Drivin' Wheel
19. Rock It
20. West Helena Blues
21. Mail Box Bloues
22. Winter Time Blues
23. Blues 'n' Boogie
24. Green Onion Top
25. Wonderin' Blues
Tracks: 01-13
Memphis Slim (piano & vocals); Matt 'Guitar' Murphy (guitar)
Curtis Mosley & Henry Taylor (bass); Otho Allen (drums)
Ernest Cotton, Jimmy Conley, Neil Green (horns) ... and others
Recorded in Chicago between 1953 & 1954
Tracks: 14-25
Roosevelt Sykes (piano & vocals); Henry Townsend (guitar)
Ransom Knowling (bass); Armand 'Jump' Jackson (drums)
J.T. Brown (tenor sax) ... and others
Recorded in Chicago between 1947-1951
CD D - Eddie Boyd 1947-1952
01. I Had to Let Her Go
02. Kilroy Won't Be Back
03. You Got to Leave That Gal
04. Rosa Lee Swing
05. Unfair Lovers
06. Blue Monday Blues
07. Why Did She Leave Me
08. Playmate Shuffle
09. Mr. Highway Man
10. Getting My Divorce
11. What Makes These Things Happen to Me
12. Baby What's Wrong with You
13. Chicago Is Just That Way
14. Eddie's Blues
15. I Can Trust My Baby
16. Down Beat Rhythm
17. Something Good Will Come to Me
18. Why Don't You Be Wise Baby
19. I Gotta Find My Baby
20. Lonesome for My Baby
21. I'm Goin' Downtown
22. Hard Headed Woman
23. It's Miserable to Be Alone
24. Five Long Years
25. Blue Coat Man
Eddie Boyd (piano & vocals); James Clark (piano); L.C. McKinley
Willie J. Lacey, Sam Casimir, Lonnie Grahan, Lee Cooper (guitar)
Willie Dixon, Ransom Knowling, Alfred Elkins, E.L. Kiggett (bass)
Percy Walker, J. Lawrence Riley, Booker T. Washington (drums)
J.T. Brown, Alex Atkins, Ernest Cotton, Oett 'Sax' Mallard,
Bill Casimir, Howard Dixon (horns)
