Michelle Dixon Trauma

There was a time when swing-oriented jazz, R&B and blues overlapped to form an accessible yet intelligent style of music. In the late '40s Louis Jordan, Charles Brown and Amos Milburn were popular figures and Floyd Dixon (although a bit in their shadow) was not far behind. When rock & roll suddenly took over pop music in the mid-'50s, the middle-aged black performers were tossed off the charts in favor of their younger white imitators and work began to become scarce. Fortunately Floyd Dixon survived the lean years and, as with Charles Brown, he made a "comeback." This CD is a definitive Floyd Dixon release, mixing together older hits (including his signature tune "Hey, Bartender") with newer originals; all 16 selections were written or co-composed by Dixon.

As the main songwriter for Chicago's Chess label, bassist/singer Willie Dixon was one of the most influential and prolific figures in blues. Although he often served as a session player for other well-known musicians, his soulful presence was always felt, as revealed on this excellent 18-track collection which features Dixon performing with Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Magic Sam, Otis Rush, and other blues luminaries.

The soundtrack to an obscure movie. "What I have tried to explain for years I've been able to express through this score". So says the Blues master and composer of this album in his sleeve notes.

These songs present a willingness to reduce life’s complexities to simple, understandable equations. Truly an album that highlights his songwriting capabilities, you can hear an urgency to communicate in every word he sings. Floyd loves to play with guitar, and Tony Mathews is highlighted. The full band including the Ebony Horns shine out on this 2005 Highjohn Records release, and there are surprise guests in the fine! As always, Floyd’s brilliant piano virtuosity is featured prominently throughout.