B.l.u.t

Blur 21: The Box is the ultimate and definitive anthology of Blur’s incredible career. Spanning 21-discs and including over 5 ½ hours of previously unreleased material, Blur 21: The Box collects together the remastered and expanded editions of all the albums, four discs of Blur rarities, three DVDs of live performances and rarities.

Barrelhouse Chuck's tribute to piano great Sunnyland Slim was one of the last recording sessions by longtime Chicago drummer S.P. Leary and also included Muddy Waters' former rhythm section of Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith.

There are still some die-hard purists in the blues world who want nothing to do with rock, soul, or jazz and refuse to perform anything that doesn't adhere to a traditional 12-bar structure, but people who fit that description have become harder and harder to find. Go to a major event like the annual Chicago Blues Festival in downtown Chicago's Grant Park, and you will not only encounter disciples of Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, or John Lee Hooker – you will also find blues-oriented performers who have been influenced by Tower of Power, Jimi Hendrix, Richard "Groove" Holmes, or Ike & Tina Turner……

In a relatively short time frame, Chicago guitarist Dave Specter has found his way onto the blues equivalent of the fast track. Just over a decade ago, the towering guitarist with the carefully coiffed hair first made his presence felt as a good-natured bouncer at B.L.U.E.S., a Windy City blues mecca. Now, he's got six acclaimed albums in the Delmark catalog, every one a satisfying, challenging mix of blues (Specter lists influences including T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton, Magic Sam, and Otis Rush) and jazz (Kenny Burrell's another of his main men).

Big Walter Horton was one of the key architects of modern blues harmonica. Blues legend Willie Dixon referred to him as "the best harmonica player I ever heard." Along with Little Walter Jacobs and Sonny Boy Williamson II, he is considered to be one of the most influential harpists ever. He was capable of both intense power and fragile delicacy, often in the same song. He was endlessly melodically adventurous, and always unpredictable. His only Alligator Records album, - "Big Walter Horton With Carey Bell", came out in 1972. It paired him with his young protégé, who had played under Walter's tutelage since Bell's arrival in Chicago. Walter's long-time partner Eddie Taylor joined them on guitar. It was Alligator's second-ever release, and received widespread critical acclaim, especially for the fiery harp duets that pitted the two harmonica masters against one another.