Obccd

Al Smith - Hear My Blues (1959) {Prestige–Bluesville OBCCD-514-2 rel 1993}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 206 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 79 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 1993 Prestige / Bluesville / Fantasy | OBCCD-514-2
Blues / Jazz / Soul Blues / West Coast Blues

As a rule, people who appreciate the late Jimmy Witherspoon have a very favorable reaction to Al Smith – that is, if they get a chance to hear him. Neither of the two albums that Smith provided for Bluesville (Hear My Blues in 1959 and Midnight Special in 1960) are well-known. While Witherspoon was a big name in the blues world, Smith was a gospel singer who dabbled in secular music. But when Smith did venture outside the gospel realm, his approach was quite comparable to Witherspoon's – like Witherspoon, he favored a jazz-influenced approach to blues and R&B.

Sidney Maiden - Trouble An' Blues (1961) {Prestige-Bluesville OBCCD-574-2 rel 1994}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 227 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 91 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1961, 1994 Prestige / Bluesville / Fantasy | OBCCD-574-2
Jazz / West Coast Blues / Piedmont Blues / Regional Blues

Louisiana-born singer and harmonica blower Sidney Maiden first made his mark in the blues world during the late Forties with Eclipse of the Sun, a number cut in Oakland with guitarist K.C. Douglas. Unlike many other Southern bluesmen who urbanized their styles after relocating to the West Coast, Maiden and Douglas stuck close to their rural roots.

Mildred Anderson - Person To Person (1960) {Prestige-Bluesville OBCCD-556-2 rel 1993}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 190 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 73 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960, 1993 Prestige-Bluesville Records / Fantasy | OBCCD-556-2
Jazz / Bop / Vocal Jazz

Mildred Anderson, who recorded with organist Bill Doggett as early as 1953, only made two albums as a leader and, although thought of as as being in the R&B/blues field, both records have some notable jazz players supporting her. For this CD reissue, Anderson is joined by tenor-saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, organist Shirley Scott, bassist George Duvivier and drummer Arthur Edgehill for such songs as "Hello Little Boy," "Person to Person" and "Kidney Stew Blues" (the latter two tunes were associated with Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson). Despite being rather brief (just 31 minutes), this set is worth checking out if quite obscure.

Memphis Willie B. - Introducing Memphis Willie B. (1961) {Prestige Bluesville OBCCD-573-2 rel 1994}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 233 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 86 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1961, 1994 Prestige Bluesville / Fantasy | OBCCD-573-2
Blues / Country Blues / Acoustic Memphis Blues / Piedmont Blues

I originally found this LP in a thrift store in the '90s and it has remained one of my very favorites ever since. I've always found the guitar riffs, simple tho' they might be, somehow perfect; and Memphis Willie B. (Borum)'s voice is very affecting and expressive. The harp's cool, too and the songs are also well chosen - blues with meaning and stories I'm interested in hearing. Bought it again as a cd, and find myself listening to it remarkably often - I do have an extensive collection, but Willie speaks to me! :D

Al Smith - Midnight Special (1960) {Prestige-Bluesville OBCCD-583-2 rel 1996}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 209 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 76 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 9 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960, 1996 Prestige/Bluesville Records / Fantasy | OBCCD-583-2
Blues / Regional Blues / Soul-Blues / Urban Blues / West Coast Blues

For many decades, African-American churches have worried about losing their best singers to secular music. And inevitably, many of them will, in fact, explore secular music instead of devoting 100 percent of their time to gospel. Al Smith is a perfect example. The obscure singer's roots were gospel, but he favored a jazz-influenced approach to blues and soul when he recorded two albums for Prestige/Bluesville: Hear My Blues in 1959 and Midnight Special in 1960. Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's famous New Jersey studio, Midnight Special finds Smith backed by a rock-solid quintet that consists of King Curtis on tenor sax, Robert Banks on organ, Jimmy Lee Robinson on electric guitar, Leonard Gaskin on acoustic bass, and Bobby Donaldson on drums.

This recording has a less-than-stellar reputation, principally because it was done so late in McTell's career, and it is true that he lacks some of the edge, especially in his singing, that he showed on his other postwar recordings. On the other hand, his 12-string playing is about as nimble as ever and a real treat. McTell cut these sides for record store owner Ed Rhodes, who had begun taping local bluesmen at his shop in Atlanta in the hope of releasing some of it – McTell took to the idea of recording only slowly, then turned up one night and played for the microphone and anyone who happened to be listening, finishing a pint of bourbon in the process – the result was a pricelessly intimate document, some of the words slurred here and there, but brilliantly expressive and stunningly played.

This combination works quite well. Guitarist-singer Lonnie Johnson was just starting a successful comeback, and here he is teamed up with acoustic rhythm guitarist Elmer Snowden (who had not recorded since 1934) and bassist Wendell Marshall. Johnson sings smooth blues and sentimental ballads with equal skill, and both guitarists have opportunities to display their complementary but distinctive styles. This CD reissue is easily recommended, as is its more instrumental counterpart, Blues, Ballads, and Jumpin' Jazz, Vol. 2.

After four years off records and in obscurity, Lonnie Johnson launched his final comeback with this release, which has been reissued on CD. Teamed with tenor saxophonist Hal Singer, pianist Claude Hopkins, bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Bobby Donaldson, Johnson sings and plays guitar on a variety of blues, showing that the layoff (he was working at the time as a janitor) had not hurt his abilities in the slightest.

Although Alberta Hunter, who had briefly come out of retirement, gets first billing on this CD reissue, in reality she shares the spotlight with two other veterans of the 1920s: Lucille Hegamin and Victoria Spivey. Each of the singers is featured on four songs apiece while backed by such top players as clarinetist Buster Bailey, trombonist J.C. Higginbottham, and Cliff Jackson or Willie "The Lion" Smith on piano. Hunter is in superior form on such numbers as "You Gotta Reap Just What You Sow" and "I Got a Mind to Ramble," although she would soon be out of music for another 15 years, continuing her work as a nurse. Hegamin (who had not recorded since 1932) was having a brief last hurrah, despite sounding good, and Spivey, reviving her "Black Snake Blues," would soon be launching her own Spivey label. This is a historic and enjoyable set recommended to both classic jazz and blues collectors.