Damon Fowler's Practice Sessions: Blues Slide

The late Irish blues rocker Rory Gallagher would have been pleased to see the Chess logo embossed on the three-disc Blues, a box of rare, unissued, acoustic, and live recordings. Issued to mark what would have been his half-century as a recording artist, 90-percent of the material here is previously unreleased. The discs are divided thematically: Electric, Acoustic, and Live. The booklet is wonderfully annotated with an authoritative essay from journalist and music historian Jas Obrecht; it places Gallagher in his rightful historical place as an electric blues rock pioneer alongside admirers Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter, Jimi Hendrix, and Peter Green.

DVD ONE: Bob Brozman uses a variety of instruments - a Dobro-type resophonic, a Weissenborn and a National steel - to teach the funky blues tunes, cool riffs and adventurous improvisations that he pulls from his seemingly bottomless bag of tricks. His course in lap style slide guitar will open up exciting musical ideas and powerful techniques for anyone who wants to get into the real blues sound.

Revered for his "Dust My Broom" riff, the biggest slide guitarist in postwar blues was a major link between traditional Delta and modern Chicago blues.

An intensely powerful singer and guitarist, Elmore James did not start his recording career until he was 33, and he only lived to be 45, but he made a very strong impact during his dozen years on records. Some of his finest work was cut for the Fire label during 1959-1961, roughly half of which is included on this single CD. Other than a final outburst of selections during February 1963, these were James' last studio sessions, and he is heard at the peak of his powers throughout. Among the best-known performances are the hit "Shake Your Moneymaker," "The Sky Is Crying," and a remake of his famous "Dust My Broom," but all 16 selections are full of passion and fire. This is an essential acquisition for blues collectors, at least until a more complete James on Fire reissue comes out.

If you’re already tuned in to Sonny Landreth, you can skip the following prose, get right to the click, and start working with this masterpiece of a blues electric slide course immediately. If by some cruel twist of fate, you have not yet treated your ears to Sonny’s magical slide guitar work AND you yearn to learn electric slide blues guitar — you’ve just hit the jackpot.

Learn foundational beginner blues slide guitar licks. The vocal-like, expressive qualities of slide guitar is why so many blues masters have dedicated the time to learn the technique and build a vocabulary of tasty slide licks to spice their music with.