Memphis Slim Roosevelt Sykes Eddie Boyd Rockin This House Chicago Piano Blues[4CD](mp3@320)[rogercc][h33t]

ROCKIN THIS HOUSE CHICAGO PIANO BLUES 1946-1953

MEMPHIS SLIM, ROOSEVELT SYKES, EDDIE BOYD

Recorded: 1946-1953

Released: 2006

Label: JSP, 7762 [UK]

Format: Mp3@ 320









Once again the U.K.'s JSP reissue label offers a massive chunk of historical material in a low-priced four-CD compilation, this time culled from the heart of the postwar Chicago blues scene. Memphis Slim, who first blew in from Arkansas and Tennessee in 1937, is heard on 64 tracks recorded between 1946 and 1954. This is the fundamental core of Slim's postwar period. Bolstered by a series of upright bassists (Willie Dixon plays and sings on one of the dates), the occasional drummer, and a regular stable of tenor and alto saxophonists, the pianist sings about interpersonal relationships, working, partying, and hitting the road. This is rough-and-tumble entertainment. Slim's early Chicago background as a tough-as-nails landlord and peddler of bootleg liquor is tangibly present. While his powerful voice is an essential ingredient, the instrumentals are fascinating. One dozen sides by the great Roosevelt Sykes add considerable ballast to an already hefty compliation. The fourth disc features pianist Eddie Boyd, a bittersweet to bitchy pianist and singer who cut his teeth working with Johnny Shines and Sonny Boy Williamson. Boyd's inclusion in this four-CD box makes it one hell of a dose of unfiltered, undiluted Chicago blues. As an extra bonus this is a budget-priced set, making it highly recommended, especially for the blues novice. All Music Guide



CD A - Memphis Slim 1946-1948







01. Now I Got the Blues

02. Don't Ration My Love

03. Mistake in Life

04. Grinder Man Blues

05. Slim's Boogie

06. Little Mary

07. Cheatin' Around

08. Letter Home

09. Kilroy Has Been Here

10. Rockin' This House

11. Lend Me Your Love

12. Darling I Miss You

13. Pacemaker Boogie

14. Motherless Child

15. Harlem Bound

16. Life Is Like That

17. Nobody Loves Me

18. Believe I'll Settle Down

19. Throw This Poor Dog a Bone

20. Help Me Some

21. Country Girl

22. Blue and Lonesome

23. Angel Child

24. Midnight Jump

25. Messin' Around





Memphis Slim - Piano & Vocals

Willie Dixon - Bass & Vocals

Ernest 'Big' Crawford - Bass

Charles Jenkins - Bass

Ernest Cotton - Alto & Tenor Sax

Cozy Eggleston - Tenor Sax

Alex Atkins - Alto Sax





Recorded in Chicago between 1946 & 1948





CD B - Memphis Slim 1948-1953









01. You and I

02. Timsy's Whimsy

03. Frisco Bay

04. Restless Nights

05. If You Live That Life

06. Love at First Sight

07. Jumping Bean

08. Letter Home

09. Grinder Man Blues

10. Slim's Boogie

11. Mistake in Life

12. Girl I Love

13. Mean Little Woman

14. Train Is Comin'

15. Question

16. Drivin' Me Mad

17. Never Let Me Love

18. Train Time

19. Blue Evening

20. No Mail

21. Gonna Need My Help Someday

22. Back Alley

23. Living the Life I Love

24. Come Back

25. 5 O'Clock Blues

26. Call Me Before You Go Home





Memphis Slim (piano & vocals); Terry Timmons (vocals);

Matt 'Guitar' Murphy (guitar); Ernest 'Big' Crawford, Alfred Elkins,

Ransom Knowling, Henry Taylor, John Frazier, Curtis Mosley,

Betty Dupree Overton (bass); Oscar Larkin, Leon Hooper,

Otho Allen (drums); Alex Atkins, Ernest Cotton, Nelson Berry,

Percell Brockenborough, Timothy Overton, Neil Green - Horns



Recorded in Chicago between 1948 & 1953





CD C - Memphis Slim & Roosevelt Sykes 1947-54









01. This Is My Lucky Day

02. I Love My Baby

03. Wish Me Well

04. Four Years of Torment

05. Sassy Mae

06. Blue and Lonesome

07. Memphis Slim U.S.A.

08. She's Alright

09. Two of a Kind

10. Got to Find My Baby

11. Blues All Around My Head

12. Treat Me Like I Treat You

13. My Country Gal

14. Lowland Blues

15. Savoy Boogie

16. Candy Man Blues

17. Why Should I Cry

18. Drivin' Wheel

19. Rock It

20. West Helena Blues

21. Mail Box Bloues

22. Winter Time Blues

23. Blues 'n' Boogie

24. Green Onion Top

25. Wonderin' Blues





Tracks: 01-13

Memphis Slim (piano & vocals); Matt 'Guitar' Murphy (guitar)

Curtis Mosley & Henry Taylor (bass); Otho Allen (drums)

Ernest Cotton, Jimmy Conley, Neil Green (horns) ... and others



Recorded in Chicago between 1953 & 1954





Tracks: 14-25

Roosevelt Sykes (piano & vocals); Henry Townsend (guitar)

Ransom Knowling (bass); Armand 'Jump' Jackson (drums)

J.T. Brown (tenor sax) ... and others



Recorded in Chicago between 1947-1951



CD D - Eddie Boyd 1947-1952









01. I Had to Let Her Go

02. Kilroy Won't Be Back

03. You Got to Leave That Gal

04. Rosa Lee Swing

05. Unfair Lovers

06. Blue Monday Blues

07. Why Did She Leave Me

08. Playmate Shuffle

09. Mr. Highway Man

10. Getting My Divorce

11. What Makes These Things Happen to Me

12. Baby What's Wrong with You

13. Chicago Is Just That Way

14. Eddie's Blues

15. I Can Trust My Baby

16. Down Beat Rhythm

17. Something Good Will Come to Me

18. Why Don't You Be Wise Baby

19. I Gotta Find My Baby

20. Lonesome for My Baby

21. I'm Goin' Downtown

22. Hard Headed Woman

23. It's Miserable to Be Alone

24. Five Long Years

25. Blue Coat Man



Eddie Boyd (piano & vocals); James Clark (piano); L.C. McKinley

Willie J. Lacey, Sam Casimir, Lonnie Grahan, Lee Cooper (guitar)

Willie Dixon, Ransom Knowling, Alfred Elkins, E.L. Kiggett (bass)

Percy Walker, J. Lawrence Riley, Booker T. Washington (drums)

J.T. Brown, Alex Atkins, Ernest Cotton, Oett 'Sax' Mallard,

Bill Casimir, Howard Dixon (horns)





Recorded in Chicago between 1947-1952