Junior Walker

A stellar cast of musicians take the spotlight on this collection of soul, jazz, funk and other groovy Motown instrumentals which features six cuts otherwise available only as digital downloads and five masters previously unissued in any format.
Compiled by the guys behind our popular “Motown Girls” and “Motown Guys” series, the CD opens with three certified crowd-pleasers: the San Remo Golden Strings’ ‘Festival Time’, a Northern Soul favourite that reached the UK charts in 1971, five years after its original release in the USA; a version of the Supremes’ ‘Come See About Me’ by Choker Campbell’s Big Band; and ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)’ by Earl Van Dyke & the Soul Brothers, an outfit known behind the scenes as the Funk Brothers.

A stellar cast of musicians take the spotlight on this collection of soul, jazz, funk and other groovy Motown instrumentals which features six cuts otherwise available only as digital downloads and five masters previously unissued in any format.
Compiled by the guys behind our popular “Motown Girls” and “Motown Guys” series, the CD opens with three certified crowd-pleasers: the San Remo Golden Strings’ ‘Festival Time’, a Northern Soul favourite that reached the UK charts in 1971, five years after its original release in the USA; a version of the Supremes’ ‘Come See About Me’ by Choker Campbell’s Big Band; and ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)’ by Earl Van Dyke & the Soul Brothers, an outfit known behind the scenes as the Funk Brothers.

A stellar cast of musicians take the spotlight on this collection of soul, jazz, funk and other groovy Motown instrumentals which features six cuts otherwise available only as digital downloads and five masters previously unissued in any format.
Compiled by the guys behind our popular “Motown Girls” and “Motown Guys” series, the CD opens with three certified crowd-pleasers: the San Remo Golden Strings’ ‘Festival Time’, a Northern Soul favourite that reached the UK charts in 1971, five years after its original release in the USA; a version of the Supremes’ ‘Come See About Me’ by Choker Campbell’s Big Band; and ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)’ by Earl Van Dyke & the Soul Brothers, an outfit known behind the scenes as the Funk Brothers.

This Double CD includes many Motown hits from the USA and UK from 1961 to 1970. As an introduction to the Motown sound this is a must for any fan of music.

Having forged a unique Louisiana/Chicago blues synthesis unlike anyone else's on the competitive Windy City scene, charismatic guitarist Lonnie Brooks long reigned as one of the town's top bluesmen. A masterful showman, the good-natured Brooks put on a show equal to his recordings (and that's saying a lot, considering there are four-plus decades of wax to choose from). Collection includes: Bayou Lightning (1979); Hot Shot (1983); Wound Up Tight (1986); Satisfaction Guaranteed (1991); Deluxe Edition (1997); Lone Star Shootout (1999) with Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker.

With almost 100 tracks, this massive compilation of some of Motown's biggest hits serves as an awesome reminder of the enormity of the talent on the label and its far-reaching popularity. Going in a loosely chronological order, Motown Anthems begins with ubiquitous hits from the label's golden age from the Supremes, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, and the like, but soon branches into later hits from the '70s and '80s, including chart-toppers from Lionel Richie and Rockwell. The collection is rounded out nicely by Boyz II Men, representing the label's activity in the '90s, still making waves in soul, R&B, and the sound of young America.

An album that Junior often cites as his own personal favorite among his releases, this is the man live and raw recorded at Theresa's Tavern, the south-side Chicago bar, where Junior (and many other blues legends) could often be found spending a little leisure time. Here, Junior rips through a 9-song set made up mostly of Chicago blues standards with just a slight funky mid-'70s edge with help from Phil Guy and Sammy Lawhorn.

"A modern blues masterpiece". This album is a loving and well-crafted tribute by Gaines to Walker, his close friend and personal mentor. Gaines has been described as "the greatest living T-Bone interpreter" by Jazz Times. The superb original recording released in 1999 is enhanced to even higher sonic standards by the DSD remaster.