Elmore James Dust My Broom

Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as King of the Slide Guitar, but he was also noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice. The definitive early recordings of Elmore James, the man who changed the face of post-war slide guitar, return to the Ace catalogue with this 3CD set. A huge influence on the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds and Fleetwood Mac, as well as being a giant on the blues scene, this set contains 71 tracks from Elmore's recordings for the Meteor, Flair and Modern labels, as well as the classic 'Dust My Broom' for Trumpet. The set includes many previously unknown and unreleased takes, plus an illustrated 40-page booklet.

Since the release of his first CD, Elmore James, Jr. has won a Living Blues award, been touring more frequently, and is firmly establishing his own style of electric modern blues in his dad's image. This album with his backup band, the Broomdusters, shows he's much more than just a chip off the ol' block, as his slide guitar work sounds more distinctively like Elmore James, while his voice is not as rough and tumble. He's also more assertive as a songwriter, but is ever mindful of the tradition by covering famous songs from the classic Chicago blues repertoire. There's a sense of value and purpose heard on every track, as James, Jr. grows with confidence on several levels, making for a solid effort that one can go back to for repeat listenings.

The fact that a comprehensive collection like this one can exist well into the twenty-first century gives testament to both the staying power of the blues and to the wide influence it has had on other areas of popular music. Whilst few of these have ever been major worldwide hits in the conventional sense, so many of them have provided the roots to rock music that is enjoyed by millions today. This is, we hope, a collection that makes you seek out more, and our Not Now catalogue can offer you very many fine albums to take you further.

There are a large number of blues albums floating around. It is a great collection of tunes and a value purchase. Outstanding group of musicians and totally enjoyed the music, blues and recommend this to anyone enjoying the blues and wanting the best of musicians.

Rice Miller (or Alec or Aleck Miller – everything about this blues great is somewhat of a mystery) probably didn't need to take the name of the original Sonny Boy Williamson (John Lee Williamson) to get noticed, since in many ways he was the better musician, but Miller seemed to revel in confusion, at least when it came to biographical facts, so for whatever reason, blues history has two Sonny Boy Williamsons. Like the first Williamson, Miller was a harmonica player, but he really sounded nothing like his adopted namesake, favoring a light, soaring, almost horn-like sound on the instrument…