Blues Harp

Blues-Rock with a touch of funk and soul. Digging in the blues, inspiring lyrics, female backing vocals and electric guitar solos. The song BACK TO THE DIRTY TOWN today is a worldwide classic of the fans of blues and Blues Rock. On countless playlists, on YouTube, on Spotify and radio stations this song is heard by tens of thousands of people daily. The Blues Mystery live have been titled as “the blues that makes you happy”. With their unique own style, they've mainly been playing festivals and clubs in Switzerland, Germany and France. Influenced by greats like Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters or James Brown, they compose very song oriented as for example Fleetwood Mac, ZZ Top or the Rolling Stones do, they’re not stuck to the 12 bar Blues. They've released their first album THE BLUES MYSTERY in 2013, the second one called DIESEL ROCK in 2015. Since end of 2017 they’ve launched THE BLUES MYSTERY TV, giving dynamics to their YouTube channel, the first show launched was “Walter’s Blues & Rock Talk”.

Blues with a Feeling is a two-CD, 40-track compilation which makes the perfect audio bookend to The Essential Little Walter (or the single disc The Best of Little Walter for those on a budget) by systematically combing the Chess vaults and rounding up the best stuff. No bottom-of-the-barrel scrapings here; this compilation effectively renders all '70s Euro vinyl bootlegs null and void, both from a sound and selection standpoint. While not as exhaustive as the European nine-CD retrospective (in and out of print as of this writing), there are still things on this compilation that are left off the box set on Charly. The rarities (including the low down "Tonight with a Fool," possibly the rarest Walter Checker single of all and one whose title never shows up in the lyrics) are all noteworthy by their inclusion…

Big Harp George is a San Francisco Bay Area blues singer and harmonica player who features the chromatic harmonica. The “big harp” chromatic (compared to the ten-hole diatonic more common to blues) has a distinct voice, and, when played in different key relationships to songs, has untapped potential. George counts George “Harmonica Smith,” William Clarke, and Paul deLay as major influences on his chromatic playing. Big Harp George’s style is jazzy, urban, contemporary, and sophisticated. The album was nominated for the Blues Award and the Blues Blast Award.

Four Chicago harmonica greats, one eminently solid album. Teamed with Junior Wells, Billy Branch, and Carey Bell, Cotton sings Willie Love's Delta classic "Little Car Blues" and Charles Brown's "Black Night." Wells trades harp solos and vocals, standing front and center on a fine rendition of Sonny Boy II's "Keep Your Hands Out of My Pockets" and the tailor-made "Somebody Changed the Lock" and "Broke and Hungry," obviously relishing the camaraderie between himself and his fellow harmonica giants. Meanwhile, Branch's showcases are the apt original "New Kid on the Block" and a deft cover of Little Walter's "Who."