Elmore James

The various white lead guitar gods who began to garner so much critical press during the rock explosion of the late '60s owe more than a lot to Elmore James. While working as a radio repairman in the early '50s, James spent hours rewiring speakers and amplifiers so that they would deliver the kind of harsh and distorted sound he favored when he played electric guitar through them, and that act of rebuilding amps alone would have made him an unsung hero to rock guitarists everywhere a decade or so later, but James also happened to be a pretty damn good player himself, and there may well not be a more powerful and exciting sound on Earth than James' trademark "Dust My Broom" slide guitar riff, which bottled megawatts of power, energy, and passion into one swooping rush…

A 6 CD set by the King of Slide Guitars a true Blues legend. Highly recommended.

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.

Cut of the same cloth as his famous father, Elmore James, Jr. is a legitimate blues man in the best sense. He plays electric guitar and sings quite well, not with the intensity of his dad, but that shouldn't be expected. What he has become is a seasoned professional with the right attitude, consistently interpreting Chicago-style 12-bar blues without watering it down. In a world where contemporary pop and soul have invaded authentic blues, what James is laying down is definitely the real thing. It's also commendable that he borrows from a repertoire of well-known songs, while adding others that have a certain flair and originality, keeping the fire of his legendary father burning brightly on both ends.

Tomato's Dust My Broom collects some of the last recordings of Elmore James' career, including "Baby Please Set a Date," "The Sky Is Crying," "Done Somebody Wrong," and "Shake Your Moneymaker." As is expected, James' incendiary slide guitar cuts through every track…