Jimmy "Duck" Holmes - 'Cypress Grove'

 

78-year-old Jimmy "Duck" Holmes is pretty much the last surviving link to the Bentonia style of blues, which was initially brought to public attention by Skip James.  Bentonia is a town located in Yazoo County, Mississippi.

As a child, Jimmy lived next door to Henry Stuckey (1897-1966), the man credited with pioneering the Bentonia style.  Sadly, Henry Stuckey was never recorded, but he passed on his style to Skip James (1902-1969) and Jack Owens (1904-1997), who further refined the style.  Jack Owens became Jimmy’s mentor, directly influencing his musical journey.

In the 1970s and 80s, ethnomusicologists Alan Lomax and David Evans recorded Jimmy, but it wasn't until 2003 that he released his first album.

Jimmy also owns and operates the oldest juke joint in Mississippi, The Blue Front Cafe (pictured above), which his parents opened in 1948. 

On March 31, 2017, the U.S. Postal Service celebrated the 200th anniversary of Mississippi statehood with the above first class stamp, featuring a photograph of the hands and guitar of Jimmy “Duck” Holmes.

‘Cypress Grove,’ released in October 2019 on the Easy Eye Sound label, received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards.

Produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, the album aimed to introduce Jimmy to a wider audience.  Auerbach, also the founder of the Easy Eye Sound record label, sought to capture the essence of a typical Saturday night at Jimmy’s Blue Front Cafe.

Auerbach invited Jimmy to his Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville for a few days to record 'Cypress Grove.'  The album captures the vibrant atmosphere of the Blue Front Cafe, with Jimmy accompanied by a group of smokin' musicians to join himself and Dan Auerbach on guitars.

The band featured Sam Bacco on drums, the principal percussionist in the Nashville Symphony, with a diverse background in rock, country, pop, and bluegrass sessions.  Eric Deaton, the master of modern Delta and Hill Country blues bass.  Marcus King, a rising roots and rock guitarist.

'Cypress Grove' features a blend of blues standards by legendary artists like Skip James, Muddy Waters, and Willie Dixon, as well as Jimmy’s original compositions.  Each note on the album exudes country blues tradition, with Jimmy’s gritty vocals evoking the suffering and joy of generations of Delta bluesmen and their people.  The album’s stark beauty brings the Delta to life, creating a captivating listening experience.

The freeload is a 24bit/48kHz vinyl rip, and a great introduction to Jimmy "Duck" Holmes.

For the freeload, tell us about musical artists or groups, that you feel don't or didn't get the acclaim they should have.

John Coltrane - 'Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings'

 

Born and raised in North Carolina, John Coltrane ("Trane" to friend and fans) moved to Philadelphia after high school and began his career as an alto saxophonist.  Just after World War II, he played with The United States Navy Band.  By the time he joined Dizzy Gillespie’s short-lived bebop big band in the late 1940s, Trane had transitioned to playing tenor saxophone.

In the early 1950s, he spent time with alto saxophonists Earl Bostic and Johnny Hodges.  But, it wasn’t until Miles Davis hired him in 1955 for his first great quintet featuring pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer "Philly Joe" Jones that Trane gained national attention.  Despite the presence of several other tenor saxophonists who could have been a more obvious choice, Miles was drawn to Trane’s unique sound and approach.

The quintet recorded prolifically for the next two years, but Trane’s increasing unreliability due to his heroin addiction led Miles to fire him from the band in 1957.  Returning to Philadelphia, he overcame his heroin addiction and experienced a profound spiritual awakening that profoundly impacted his life and became a central element in his music.

Trane began cutting sides for Bethlehem, Savoy, and Prestige.  A pivotal moment in his development was his long engagement with Thelonious Monk’s quartet at the Five Spot in 1957.  Rejoining Miles' band in 1958, Trane's performances were so intense that Miles often found himself standing back in awe, setting the stage for the events recounted in 'Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings'.

'Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings' is a 5CD set released in 2019 by Craft Recordings.  It features all 37 tracks Trane recorded as a leader or co-leader for Bob Weinstock's Prestige record label, in eight sessions from January to December 1958, and presented in chronological order.

In 1957, just after his only recording for the Blue Note label, 'Blue Train' and before moving to the Atlantic Records label to make his 'Giant Steps' album in 1959, Trane had a very productive 1958, recording as a leader for Prestige records.

The 1958 sessions were all with quartets or quintets that added Donald Byrd on trumpet, Wilbur Harden on trumpet and flugelhorn, or Freddie Hubbard on trumpet.  Sessions included either Louis Hayes, Jimmy Cobb, or Art Taylor on drums.  "Mr. P.C." Paul Chambers plays bass on every track.  All tracks feature Red Garland on piano, except four from the Kenny Burrell session that features Tommy Flanagan.  Trane had a significant musical history with Paul Chambers and Red Garland, which included recording with them on the classics, Cookin', Relaxin’, Workin’ and Steamin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet in 1957.

From all the material recorded in 1958, only one album, 'Soultrane', was released in that year, which is where Ira Gitler famously coined the widely quoted phrase "sheets of sound" in the liner notes.

The year was also a ghost year of delayed expression.  Other material from those eight sessions was released by Prestige between 1961 and 1965 on the albums 'Bahia', 'Black Pearls', 'Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane', 'Settin’ the Pace', 'Standard Coltrane', 'Stardust', 'The Believer', and 'The Last Trane', all without Trane's input or approval.

My assumption is that these albums were held back because Prestige didn’t want to release too much Coltrane at once and because by 1959, Trane had signed with the aforementioned Atlantic Records label.  The move to a new label was pure business.  Bob Weinstock was pushing to handle Tranes’s publishing, so he refused to record originals for the label.  Instead, he turned to the Great American Songbook of the 1930s and 1940s.  When Trane signed with Atlantic Records, the label had the good sense to let him keep his publishing, which meant greater income.  As a result, his Atlantic albums were filled with original material.

Prestige Records released landmark music by Miles Davis, Gene Ammons, Eric Dolphy, Mose Allison, and many other great jazz musicians.  But it didn’t have the budget that other major labels had—no money for rehearsals and no alternate takes.  As such, the new Trane set is a showcase of one-take wonders, capturing the original mono sound, and recorded with classic all-tube gear and custom microphones by engineer Rudy Van Gelder in his parent's home in Hackensack, New Jersey.  The sonic immediacy is perceptible—Rudy has you seated right in front of the band in his parent's living room, and you feel every note.  The sonics on 'Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings' are improved upon, thanks to 24-bit transfers from the original master tapes by Paul Blakemore.

For the freeload, what are some of your favorite years for music?

Beastie Boys – 'Paul's Boutique' (20th Anniversary Edition)

Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz formed The Beastie Boys in New York City in 1981.  Initially a punk band, they evolved into a rap trio known for their unique and surprisingly intelligent blend of music, humor, and social commentary.

Their breakthrough came with the 1986 album 'Licensed to Ill', which was the first rap album to top the Billboard charts.  The album featured the iconic hit "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)"

The Boys were also involved in social and political causes, using their platform to raise awareness for issues like Tibetan independence and climate change.

My introduction to the Beastie Boys, was when I bought 'Paul's Boutique' for my eldest daughter, who was 14 when this album was released.  We were shopping for books and music, and she told me, "This album is a way cool!" I looked at the record, and said to her, "This has an offensive lyrics sticker on it.", her face dropped, and then I said, "Cool!". 
[Parenting tip: Choose your battles wisely.- Ed]

'Paul's Boutique' was released in July 1989, and produced by The Dust Brothers.  It has been called the Sgt. Pepper/Pet Sounds of Hip-Hop, many people say it's one of the greatest albums of all time.

After the chaotic release of 'Licensed to Ill', the Beastie Boys could have easily followed up with a similar album.  Instead, they retreated to Los Angeles and returned with 'Paul’s Boutique'.  Unlike 'Licensed to Ill', which featured 80s frat party anthems, 'Paul’s Boutique' is a layered masterpiece.  It incorporates funk loops, bongos, cowbells, obscure TV dialogue, and music samples from a wide range of artists, including The Beatles, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Curtis Mayfield, The Ramones, and Sly & the Family Stone.   Everyone gets paid homage.  Well they didn't actually get paid because back then as they didn't have to clear the samples.  Meanwhile, Ad-Rock, Mike D, and MCA trade rhymes about various topics, from egg-throwing sprees to Vincent van Gogh, with samples that create a rich and diverse soundscape.

No one knew what to make of it in 1989 (my daughter notwithstanding), and it tanked sales wise.  Kmart stores banned the album from their stores, and in other retail outlets, the "offensive lyrics" sticker didn't help either.  Now it’s seen for what it is: a blueprint for experimental hip-hop, a "crate-digger’s" codex if you will, and one of the most inventive records ever made.  Maybe the best way to indicate its greatness and vitality is to reference Miles Davis' admiration of the album, he's quoted as saying it's one of his favorite records of all time; he listened to it constantly and never got tired of it.

You can't talk about this album without talking about John King and Mike Simpson, "The Dust Brothers", who produced the album.  The duo crafted 'Paul’s Boutique' from their LA studio armed with an Akai MPC60 and a near-encyclopedic knowledge of funk, soul, rock, rap, jazz, and everything in-between.  Mike Simpson has said 250 to 300 samples lie within 'Paul’s Boutique'.

The Beastie Boys seem to just be screwing around in the studio on this album.  But really they made one of the best masterpieces of hip hop.  Even removed from its historical importance, this album is a great one because of its incomparable listenability in any situation: it's a party record; it's a deep-listening, headphones-on-and-eyes-closed experience; it's ambient background music; and it's great for a road trip--all in one.

  It's also absolutely hilarious.

This is also an album for the "I like all music, except for hip hop" crowd.   Don't get me started on people who say "I like all music, except for (insert genre/sub-genre here)".

For the freeload, what album(s) did you think you weren't going to like, but were surprised by how good it was?

Big John Wrencher

I first became aware of Big John Wrencher a.k.a. "One Arm John" in 1964 when I saw an advertisement in The Village Voice for a film entitled 'And This Is Free', a documentary film about life at Chicago's Maxwell Street open air market.

In 1964, The Village Voice was my seventeen-year-old self's guide to all things hip.  It was the first alternative newsweekly and published in Greenwich Village, it was founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, it began as a platform for the creative community of New York City.

Greenwich Village was deemed off limits to me by my parents, but that had never stopped me before.  My high school friends weren't into Jazz and Blues, so this, as in all things Jazz and Blues related entertainment, this was a solo venture.  So that Saturday afternoon, under the guise of going shopping with high school friends.  I took the A Train (yep, that A Train) from Brooklyn Heights to the West 4th Street (yep, that 4th Street)/Washington Square subway station.

'And This Is Free', was playing at Cinema Village on west 12th street, which was an "Art House", before the phrase was coined. The place was so arty and sophisticated that at the time, the snack bar in the basement was on the honor system, with a cigar box for payment. I bought a box of Raisinets (chocolate-covered raisins), and headed upstairs to find a seat.

Watching the hectic market atmosphere, along with the blues and gospel music, blew my brain.  There were hawkers, hustlers, buskers, street preachers, and salesmen who could sell hair care products to Yul Brynner, all interacting with their customers.  Blues players like J.B. Hutto, Robert Nighthawk, Johnny Young, and many others graced the stage.  The film had no narration, and was shot over multiple Sundays in 1964 by director Mike Shea using a handheld camera.  A few years later, when I learnt of cinéma vérité, I thought back to 'And This Is Free'.  You just know, Tom Waits has seen this film more than a few times.  As I was leaving the theater, I overheard someone ask, "Who was that one-armed harmonica player?" The person he was with replied, "That was Big John Wrencher."

Big John Wrencher was born in Sunflower, Mississippi. He became interested in music as a child and taught himself to play the harmonica at an early age.  Beginning in the early 1940s, he worked as an itinerant musician in Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois.  By the mid-1940s he had arrived in Chicago and was playing on Maxwell Street and at house parties with Jimmy Rogers, Claude "Blue Smitty" Smith and John Henry Barbee.  

In the 1950s he moved to Detroit, where he worked with the singer and guitarist Baby Boy Warren and formed his own trio, which performed in the Detroit area and in Clarksdale, Mississippi.  Big John lost his left arm in 1958, as a result of a car accident outside Memphis, Tennessee.  

By the early 1960s he had settled in Chicago, where he became a fixture on Maxwell Street Market, in particular playing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.  He also recorded for the Testament label backing Robert Nighthawk and as part of the Chicago String Band. 

In 1977, while visiting his family in Mississippi, Big John died suddenly of a heart attack in Wade Walton's barbershop in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Today's freeload is two albums by Big John Wrencher.

This album was recorded September 1969, at Chicago Barrelhouse Studios.  Along with Big John's vocals and harp are: Little Buddy Thomas on guitar, and "Playboy" Vinson on drums.  If the style of art on the cover looks familiar to you, it's because it was done by Robert Crumb.  The freeload is a 1993 reissue on the Japanese P-Vine Records label.

Big John recorded 'Big John's Boogie' at Chalk Farm Studios in London, England, while he was on tour as part of the American Blues Legends tour.  He is backed by Eddie Taylor and his band: The Blueshounds, with Eddie Taylor on guitar, Bob Hall on piano, and Bob Brunning on bass. The album was released in 1975 on the Big Bear Records label.  The freeload is a 2003 reissue on the Austailian label Castle Music.  The album was retitled 'Big John's Boogie Plus' as it has two bonus tracks.

For the freeload, what are some of your favorite low budget independent films?

Mingus: The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott’s

 

'The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott’s' was released for Record Store Day on April 22, 2002 (the day after what would have been Charles 100th birthday), on the Resonance Records label, in conjunction with Jazz Workshop, Inc.  Resonance Records is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the art and legacy of jazz.  Jazz Workshop, Inc. controls Charles’ publishing, merchandising, leasing etc.

So why was this album "lost" for some 50 years?

The setting and timing seemed perfect, and Columbia Records sent a mobile recording truck to the club to tape the group for two nights.  But in early 1973, while these recordings were in post-production, being prepared for release, Columbia’s president Clive Davis suddenly and unexpectedly dropped the contracts of Charles Mingus, Bill Evans, Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett; its entire jazz roster except for Miles Davis.  For fans of irony, shortly thereafter, Clive Davis himself was fired by Columbia Records, and the tapes were returned to Jazz Workshop Inc.

'Mingus – The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott’s' was recorded on August 14th and15th1972 during the final leg of Charles' European tour.  It spotlights Charles in a sextet setting, featuring Bobby Jones on tenor saxophone, Charles McPherson on Alto Saxophone, Jon Faddis on trumpet, John Foster on piano, and Roy Brooks on drums.  They absolutely cook through the nine tunes (two-and-a-half hours) on this package, culled from the two nights of performances, demonstrating their command of Mingus’s compositions.

These recordings capture the lively club atmosphere of the Mingus sextet, thanks to the original CBS engineers in the recording truck and the sound restoration from an eight-track recording by Fran Gala, George Klabin.  The result is an astonishing sound with a beautifully balanced stereo image.

This 3-CD set also includes an extensive 64-page booklet (included in the freeload) with rare photos from Jan Persson, Christian Rose, Jean-Pierre Leloir, Hans Harzheim and others; essay by British jazz author Brian Priestley, who saw the band during this run and conducted an interview with Mingus at the time; new interviews with Charles McPherson, Mingus' friend and author Fran Lebowitz, plus bass icons Eddie Gomez and Christian McBride.

Mingus: The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott’s is as good a live jazz record as you will ever hear.

For the freeload, share some stories about things you lost but later found.

Announcement

'Cuz Babs Sez, That's Why',
will be on a short hiatus for a week or so.

Here we go again, <sigh>.  Last week, I had my annual (soon to become semi-annual) Cancer screening, and it raised a "Red Flag".  So tomorrow, I'll get poked and prodded for several hours, and then I'll have surgery on Wednesday, and released on Thursday.  I've been assured, that it's a routine procedure, and there's nothing to worry about. 

In the meantime, here's 

These are limited edition remastered SHM-CDs with bonus tracks, and they sound amazingly good! These are the digital versions you should have.

Link 1
https://workupload.com/file/5MUZ5xGSx2H

Link 2
https://workupload.com/file/U3R8MUuh4RG

Link 3
https://workupload.com/file/QuNUdgHpePb

Enjoy!

Henry Thomas - 'The Complete Recorded Works'

 

The only known image of Henry Thomas, circa 1927

Henry Thomas, an American country blues singer, songwriter, and musician, had a brief but notable recording career in the late 1920s.  Often referred to as "Ragtime Texas", Henry bridged the gap between 19th and 20th-century styles, laying the foundation for what later became known as Texas blues guitar.

Henry, born into a family of freed slaves in Big Sandy, Texas, in 1874, embarked on a journey of travel along the Texas rail lines as a hobo after leaving home in his teens.  Through hard work and determination, he eventually earned his way as an itinerant songster, entertaining both local communities and railway employees.

Henry recorded twenty-three sides for Vocalion Records label between 1927 and 1929.  His repertoire on these recordings includes a mix of gospel, minstrel pieces, ragtime numbers, and blues.  In addition to guitar, Henry accompanied himself on quills, a folk instrument made from cane reeds that produces a sound similar to the zampona played by musicians in Peru and Bolivia.  His agile guitar playing, influenced by banjo-picking styles, indicates that he performed at dances.

What happened to Henry Thomas after his final recording in 1929 is pretty much unknown.  While one report claims he was in Texas in the 1950s, most blues scholars believe that he passed away in 1930, when he would have been in his mid-50s.

If you haven't heard Henry, you'll know some of his songs.  Bob Dylan on his 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan' reworked "Honey Won't You Allow Me One More Chance", as "Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance".  

"Fishin' Blues" was recorded by the Lovin' Spoonful in 1965, appearing on their hit debut album 'Do You Believe in Magic?'.  Taj Mahal recorded it three years later, in 1968, for his 'De Old Folks at Home' album.  The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band also covered the song on their album 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III' in 2002.  

"Bull Doze Blues" was reworked by Canned Heat as the basis for the song "Going Up the Country".  Though re-arranged, the Canned Heat song is musically the same, down to a faithful rendition of Thomas's quill solos by Jim Horn on flute.  If you like Jim Horn's flute on "Going Up the Country", you'll just adore Henry Thomas playing his quills (his guitar playing is not too shabby either).

"Don't Ease Me In" was covered by Grateful Dead, when they were called "Mother McCrees Uptown Jug Champions", and then when they were called "The Warlocks".  As the Grateful Dead, it was their first single in released in 1966, with "Stealin'" on the flip side.  They also released it again on their 'Go To Heaven' album in 1980.  As Dead Heads know, "Don't Ease Me In" was also a favorite to close out their first set, when playing live, throughout their career.

There's also a killer version of "John Henry".
 
Who's your favorite artist in the subgenre of Texas Blues?

Hank Mobley - 'No Room for Squares' (Blue Note 85 Edition)

'No Room for Squares' was released in May 1964 on the Blue Note label.  It was recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, in Englewood Cliffs, NJ (where else?), produced by Alfred Lion, and recorded by Rudy Van Gelder (who else?).

The album was compiled from two recording sessions:

• The first session took place on March 7, 1963, and has Hank Mobley on tenor sax (natch) with Donald Byrd on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums.  This session produced the tracks "Up a Step" and "Old World, New Imports"
  
  
• The second session took place on October 2, 1963, with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Andrew Hill on piano, John Ore on bass, and Philly Joe Jones once again on drums.  This session produced the tracks "No Room for Squares", "Three Way Split," and two Lee Morgan penned tunes, "Carolyn" and "Me 'n You".

In a nutshell, 'No Room For Squares' is a perfect example of that quintessential hard-bop Blue Note sound of the early 1960s.

In addition to classic jazz, we also have one of Reid Miles’ greatest album cover designs.

The cover was designed from a Francis Wolff photograph of Hank from 1963.  It was taken at the subway station outside the Huntington Hartford building on the south end of Columbus Circle, here in Manhattan.

The circular motif was really on trend for the 1960s, and is also a playful nod to the album title.

Today's freeload is a remastered limited edition from Blue Note Japan, in the UHQCD format, from masterings that Kevin Gray did for the Tone Poet and BN Classic LP releases.  And they sound sweet!  If you freeloaded the previously posted 'Blue Note 85 Reissues', you know what I'm talking about.

The usage of the word "Square" as an adjective to describe individuals who are disconnected from current trends and culture, or those who adhere to traditional or stereotypical thinking, originated in the American jazz community during the 1940s.  It gained popularity through various counterculture movements.  In 2025, the term "Square" isn't really used all that much.

So, for the free load, let's talk about slang words or phrases, that have gone "out of Vogue" so to speak, but were once commonplace.

Wanda Jackson - 'Rockin' With Wanda!'

 

I have written before about how my older brother and I used to listen to music in his bedroom during the late 1950s, in Brooklyn.  One of those records was ‘Rockin’ With Wanda!’ I knew all the words to the album, and my twelve-year-old self would dance and sing along with Wanda.

One afternoon, I was sitting at our kitchen table with my mother and brother.  My mother had just made a batch of little French sponge cakes called Madeleines (left).  While we were eating them, my brother said, "Hey Babs, give us a little Wanda!".  


So I jumped up, shook my hips, and started singing:

"Rock your baby, all night long
Rock your baby, all night long
Take me in your arms and whisper low
Then rock your baby and don't be slow"

While I was singing, my brother tapped out the beat on the kitchen table, saying, "Go Babs, go!".  As I took a breath to continue, my mother screamed at the top of her lungs, "Zhez-oo-kree!" (phonetic spelling of Jésus-Christ in French).  She then told me, "You're going to end up in hell!" and asked me, "Where did you hear that, from Denise (yep, you guessed it, "The Grease")?", I told her "No from Wanda".  She told me, "I don't want you hanging around this Wanda girl."  This caused by brother to burst out laughing, and he told her condescendingly, "Wanda Jackson is a singer…she makes records.", he looked at me and said, "She's so el-seven".  My now infuriated mother asked, "What is all this el-seven nonsense?" I told my mother, "It means your square.", and I made an "L" with my thumb and forefinger of my right hand and then joined it with the thumb and forefinger of my right hand shaped like a "7", and rolled my eyes.  

My mother walked across the kitchen, opened a drawer, came back with an extra large commercial/weapons grade wooden spoon, and smacked my still laughing brother on the back of his head with it, and told him, "Laugh that off, you little merde (French for shit)!  My brother said, "OW!", and started laughing even harder, much to the chagrin of my mother.  She then shook the spoon in my direction, and asked me, "Would you like one across your cul (French slang for ass or butt), young lady?" I was laughing so hard, I could only shake my head no.  Ten minutes later, it was like it never happened (Corsicans are like this).  For some reason, my mother never cursed, or "took the lord's name in vain" in English, always French.

Be that as it may…

Wanda Jackson was born in Maud, Oklahoma in 1937.  She was a pioneer in the music industry and paved the way for future generations of female rock and country artists.  Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country, and gospel.  She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, recording a series of 1950s singles that helped give her the nickname "The Queen of Rockabilly". 

In 2009, Wanda was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she was also inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,^[the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Country Music Hall of Fame. 

On an international level, she has been inducted into the International Gospel Hall of Fame and the German Country Music Hall of Fame.  [In other news, there's a German Country Music Hall of Fame. Who knew? - Ed]

Don't let this cutesy cover fool you, this is scorching Rockabilly.  Wanda rips into originals like "Fujiyama Mama" (which was actually big in Japan, and way before "Big in Japan" was a thing), the anthem-like, and my sentimental favorite "Rock Your Baby".  She complains about her "Mean, Mean Man"(a red-hot rocker), and enjoys testing her boyfriend in "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad!".  Wanda also deftly combines the two secular genres she loves the most in "I Gotta Know" which switches the beat from rock verses to country chorus.

'Rockin' With Wanda!' is right up there with anything Bo, Chuck, Buddy, Gene, Jerry, Elvis, Richard, and Eddie did in the late 1950s early 1960s.  It's also, without question, the best female rock & roll album of the late 1950s early 1960s.

For the freeload, who's your favorite female artist(s)?

Furry Lewis

 

Walter "Furry" Lewis embodied the relaxed and intimate character of the early blues.  A master of multiple guitar techniques, Furry was most notable as an impressive bottleneck guitarist who echoed his vocal phrasings with an expressive set of sliding notes.  His performances exuded spontaneity, subtlety, and feeling, making him, in the words of blues historian Sam Charters, one of 

"Only a handful of singers [of his era] with the creative ability to use the blues as an expression of personal emotion."

In April 1927,  Furry ventured to Chicago, and recorded six songs for the Vocalion label.  This pivotal moment marked his entry into the world of recorded music.  Tragically, Furry lost a leg while attempting to hop a freight train in Illinois.  Undeterred, he continued his musical journey, traveling with a medicine show, performing on the streets and at various social gatherings, including picnics and saloons.  Furry often reminisced about his experiences playing with W.C. Handy and the "first good guitar" he ever owned, a gift from Handy himself.

His 1927-29 Vocalion and Victor recordings, now considered some of the finest examples of early blues, featured ragtime-influenced pieces, Delta-style blues (some played with a bottleneck), and folk hero ballads.  Unfortunately, music didn’t provide a livelihood for Lewis, who held various jobs in Memphis, including garbage man, night watchman, and street sweeper.

In the 1960s, Furry was able to build a new musical career, after author Sam Charters produced his first LP in 1959.  This was followed by a series of records and performances across the country for the emerging folk-blues audience.  Furry, known for his showmanship and humor, became a beloved figure in Memphis.  He formed a close bond with a young group of fans, writers, and musicians who visited him, chauffeured him to gigs, and even took turns going to the local pawn shop to retrieve his guitar or wooden leg.

His profile surged in the 1970s, gracing television shows like The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and films, notably 'W. W. and the Dixie Dance Kings'.  He even opened a concert for the Rolling Stones and had a song, "Furry Sings the Blues", written in his honor by Joni Mitchell, and released on her 'Hejira' album.  His album 'Live at the Gaslight', recorded in New York City in 1971, was produced by Jim Nash, who revealed that he first discovered Lewis through Jimi Hendrix. 

Furry Lewis died on September 14, 1981, at the age of 88. 

He was elected to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2012.

Today's freeload is two Furry albums, one from the late 1920s, and one from the early 1960s.

This Yazoo Records release is a very worthwhile collection of Furry Lewis recordings from the 1920s.  The re-mastering is very well done, and the sound quality is very good for 1920s original recordings taken from 78 rpm records of the period.

This double LP set was released in 1972, and is two previously released albums.  LP1 was originally released on the Prestige/Bluesville label as 'Back On My Feet Again', and was recorded on April 3 and 4, 1961.  LP2 was also originally released on the Prestige/Bluesville label as 'Done Changed My Mind', and was recorded in May 1961.

Both albums are vinyl rips, and sound sweet.

For the freeload, what's your favorite furry animal?

Charles Earland - 'Black Talk'

Charles Earland's 'Black Talk' was recorded in a single session on December 15, 1969, at Van Gelder's Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.  It was produced by Bob Porter, and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder (natch).

Charles' cover version of  "More Today Than Yesterday", a song written by Pat Upton and performed by Spiral Starecase, of which Upton was the lead vocalist, was released as a single.  It became a hit on black radio stations, as well as urban duke boxes.  Subsequently, 'Black Talk' became one of the Prestige label's best-selling albums.

The title track loosely based on The Beatles’ "Eleanor Rigby" came about when Charles and Houston Person, on a gig, began playing the song with altered changes.  Charles later composed the new melody in the studio.  Idris Muhammad's drums on the song are nothing short of blistering.  The title track is also featured in Ralph Bakshi's classic 1972 film, 'Fritz the Cat' and its respective soundtrack.

Another standout track is "The Mighty Burner"; a concise, swinging uptempo tune.  "The Mighty Burner" would become Charles deserved the nickname.

Tracklist:
Black Talk
The Mighty Burner
Here Comes Charlie
Aquarius
More Today Than Yesterday

Along with Charles Earland's Hammond B3 Organ, are:
Houston Person on tenor saxophone 
Virgil Jones on trumpet
Melvin Sparks on guitar
Idris Muhammad on drums
Buddy Caldwell on congas

As far as organ and soul jazz goes, it is hard to find an album that keeps the energy level so completely charged from start to finish.  This is some of the coolest soul jazz from the 60s, maybe ever.

For the freeload, what are some of your favorite "cover songs", that to you, are better than the original?