1
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ROBERT JOHNSON
King of the Delta Blues Swingers
(1961)
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Everybody has to have the Robert Johnson,
because it's the most compact record of a career. He didn't
record until late, made two and a half albums and then died.
I came to Johnson late. He is still a strong force to represent
the Delta Blues singers although he was neither the first
nor necessarily the best of them. |
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2 |
ELMORE JAMES
Let's Cut It - The Very Best of Elmore James
(1987) |
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Eric Burdon is a fan of Elmore James
and reintroduced me to his work.
Elmore was the first to use an electric slide guitar and he
had a really strong, individual voice. |
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3
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LEADBELLY
You Don't Know My Mind
(2002)
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This is blues in its barest form. It's
a compilation of 25 songs, so many of which I've played. People
didn't realise he had a hand in making blues his own. Alexis
Korner was a complete fan. |
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4 |
SONNY TERRY & BROWNIE McGHEE
At Sugar Hill
(1993) |
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Sugar Hill is a club in San Francisco.
Sonny's is a blues voice which is sweeter and rounder, and
the first sweet blues voice that I ever heard. The two of
them were like a mobile blues library as they travelled around. |
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5 |
EARL KING
Trick Bag
(1987) |
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I'm putting this one in because of the
expression in his voice, trying to be different and tell a
story. He puts slight humour in it. something you don't get
a lot of in early blues recordings. This is a rhythm and bluesy
album for the most part, and I've recorded one of the songs
on it. But the last track, You're More To Me Than Gold, he
sings like a balladeer. |
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6 |
ALEXIS KORNER
Alexis Korner
(1974) |
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On this are some good friends of mine
- and me! It's a collection of fine musicians, including Peter
Thorup and Ron Aspery (who died recently) coupled with Alexis's
inimitable style. Alexis used to cover a lot of songs, but
some of theses were new to him and written for the album.
It's nice to listen to. Ido two or three of these songs on
stage, just to keep it alive really. |
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7 |
DONNY HATHAWAY
Everything Is Everything
(1970) |
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Anyone who doesn't have one of the three
Donny Hathaway albums in their collection doesn't like music!
This represents a cross-section of what soul/blues was to
become in the form of artissts like Luther Vandross. Apparently
he used to be called Mr Everything. He's a reminder that talent
can just fly in for a while, show us a bit and then disappear.
Far too short a life. He used to be producer for Roberta Flack
and Jerry Butler. |
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8
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BB KING
Live At The Regal
(1998) |
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There are some great songs on this album.
A good band with a guy who some have said is limitd but has
proven to have long life. You can't really fault BB in the
blues area but I don't regard him as the king of the blues.
No, the king of the blues is yet to be found. |
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9 |
RAY CHARLES
Greatest Hits
(1962) |
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I have to have Ray Charles in my list,
but picking one album is almost impossible. When I was a teenager
and got my first record player, I went out and bought eight
of his albums. He used to record while on the road with his
band and phoning ahead to book a studio. He'd record in the
night, bang out tracks in one take and then get back in the
van to go to his next gig. |
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10
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ARETHA FRANKLIN
Live At Olympia Theatre, Paris
(1971)
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So far I've chosen guys - blues has historically
been done by men. But as far as I'm concerned, Aretha does
it all in one voice. Unfortunately, her life has included
more of the blues than she counted on. This album brings in
lots of other players, like Billy Preston and Ray Charles,
and the band is great. |
