Alex or Aleck Miller, known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp stylist who recorded successfully in the 1950s and 1960s. Down and Out Blues is the first LP record by Sonny Boy Williamson. The album was released in 1959 by Checker Records. The album was a compilation of Williamson's first singles for Checker Records, from "Don't Start Me to Talkin'" b/w "All My Love in Vain" through "Dissatisfied" b/w "Cross My Heart". The album features many famous blues musicians backing Williamson, including Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, and Willie Dixon. 2010 Extended remastered reissue by "Not Now Music" includes an additional CD "The Trumpet Singles." It's original 7" singles released on Trumpet Records 1951-1955.
Sonny Boy Williamson's original 1959 album made it to digital reissue but has now been supplanted by MCA's exhaustive The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson. Still, for a budget price, there are a dozen unforgettable tracks: "Don't Start Me to Talkin'," and his Checker debut; "All My Love in Vain," "Wake Up Baby," "99," "Cross My Heart," "Let Me Explain," and "The Key (To Your Door)."
Down And Out In Paris And London is not only a very fine studio work, but also probably their most inspired since the terrific A Place In The Queue. There were some radical line up changes that made a bit aware of it too. After all Andy Tillson dropped all the swedish connections now, at least the phisical ones. Gone are the members or ex members of the Flower Kings replaced by an all english line up. Now with Paul Burguess (Camel, Jetrho Tull, 10cc) on drums and Jonathan Barrett (from Tillson´s other project Parallel Or 90 Degrees) on bass and without a lead guitarrist (a good thing, since their last guitar player did not fit well at all). But stylistic speaking, their sound remains as close to TFK as ever.
So, in the end Down And Out In Paris And London is different in many ways, and yet it sounds quite familiar…