1996

On April 21, 1988, two significant events occured in the Cradle of the Blues, Clarksdale, Missisippi. One was ZZ Top's dedication of a guitar made from a board from Muddy Waters' home to the Delta Blues Museum. Of equal significance were the incredible performances turned in by the "original" Muddy Waters Blues Band at John Mohead's Cotton Exchange Club. No overblown concert to mark the event, rather two authentic juke-joint shows by a special group of players, the likes of which invented the genre.
This two-CD set was distilled from those historic performances. Be warned! You'll hear crowd noise, clinking glasses, missed notes and feedback. You'll hear tade-ins and fade-outs, mainly because the original recording devices were not always operating at the right time…

Jericho was a surprise. The reunited Band, minus guitarist Robbie Robertson, created an album that built on their strengths by using carefully selected contemporary songwriters and covers. Although it lacked the resonance of Music From Big Pink or even Stage Fright, the group sounded fresh and it was a better album than most of the Band's solo records. High on the Hog, the second album by the reunited Band, isn't quite as good but it has a number of stellar moments. The key to the album's success isn't the material – they're saddled with a couple of weak songs – but the group's interplay. By now, the musicians have developed a sympathetic interaction that sounds ancient but still living, breathing and vital. It's a joy to hear them play and that's what carries High on the Hog over its rough spots.

Oliver Mally, stage name "Sir" Oliver Mally, is an Austrian blues musician and singer-songwriter. On stage, he mostly presents his own compositions as well as pieces from the various traditions of the blues. Mally got his first guitar at the age of 15 and subsequently taught himself how to play it. As influences, especially for his own playing on the electric guitar, he names blues musicians such as Albert King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, BB King and Albert Collins, in songwriting Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. In 1990 Mally formed the band "Sir" Oliver Mally's Blues Distillery. He spent the following years touring both nationally and internationally. He has played with artists such as Louisiana Red, Steve James, Doug MacLeod, John Mooney, Larry Garner, Sugar Blue, among others.