Barbecue Bob

Atlanta's Robert "Barbecue Bob" Hicks recorded some 65 sides between 1927 and his death in 1931, an interesting mix of modal country blues that is as fine as any tracked by a country blues artist in the era, although he seldom gets the same attention afforded the Mississippi Delta players of the period. This double-disc set has all the essentials, although it may be more than the casual listener really needs, since like most blues players of the day, Hicks wasn't about to change what worked. Still, his modal approach sets him apart, and his guitar playing is vastly underrated.

A perfect companion to After School Special, this CD contains even more of the amplified harmonica and slide guitar that Spareribs fans have come to demand!
Recording again at Coyote Studios, this time on 24 track two inch tape, Pass the Biscuits delivers an even heavier punch than their previous effort. A wide variety of songs are tied together by the live performance of the basic tracks. Joined again in the studio by the percussion genius of Charles Otis and the honky-tonk piano of Neil Thomas.The Spareribs also have included two songs by legends of the blues - 'My Home is a Prison', originally recorded by Lonesome Sundown, and 'My Baby's Sweeter', originally recorded by Little Walter.

This debut album by Barbecue Bob & The Spareribs was recorded live at Coyote Studios in Brooklyn, New York, in 1996. The sound suffers some fidelity problems because of the live setting, but it doesn't matter much, since the hard driving, swampy blues style of the band is delivered in true garage fashion, warts and all, and feeds off its own energy. The lead track, a charging blues rocker called "Bad Luck Boy," is typical of the set here.

You are probably reading this because you have at least a passing interest in the CD "Burning Sensation!", the fourth full-length CD by Barbecue Bob & the Spareribs…..

Based on the irreverent title (that's not a misprint - it's 'Propane,' not 'profane'), one could reasonably assume there's little New Jersey's Barbecue Bob and the boys hold sacred. With the exception, thankfully, of their music. Judging from the heat and the grease in these grooves, I'd say they take that very seriously indeed!….

This 52-disc comp, ABC of the Blues: The Ultimate Collection from the Delta to the Big Cities, may just indeed live up to its name. There are 98 artists represented , performing 1,040 tracks. The music begins at the beginning (though the set is not sequenced chronologically) with Charlie Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson, and moves all the way through the vintage Chicago years of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, with stops along the way in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, New York, and all points in between. Certainly, some of these artists are considered more rhythm & blues than purely blues artists: the inclusion of music by Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Bo Diddley, and others makes that clear…