Record Boy Ink:

 BLUES ROUND-UP ’99 (Part 1)

Is it too early to be doing ’99 round-ups? The way I figure it is, if the whole world is supposed to end in like 10 weeks, I’d better give everyone enough time to buy these records and I’ve got a few to tell you about.

Muddy Waters was one of a kind. Everyone knows his historical contribution to 20th Century music. Relatively few ever saw the man perform during his prime. On Muddy Waters The Lost Tapes (Blind Pig) you can be treated to a true treasure. Seems a fella by the name of Link Wyler had a stash of unreleased blues tapes and films in his collection and only now is this stuff seeing the light of day.

These “lost tapes” are a terrific quality concert recording made in 1971 at the University of Washington and the University of Oregon. Muddy’s band at that time consisted of Sammy Lawhorn, Peewee Madison, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, George “Harmonica” Smith and Pinetop Perkins. Muddy is in top form here with his razor sharp slide riffs surrounded by his crack band. Just about every song you’d want to hear is on this collection, complete with a funny intro to “She’s 19 Years Old” and Muddy asking the audience to give the other performers on the bill a round of “acclause”. Special treat is that it’s an enhanced CD so if you put it in your computer you can see a snippet of an interview of Muddy done in the back seat of a van, sitting next to Big Mama Thornton and live footage of Muddy and this band performing “Long Distance Call.” The only gripe I have with this CD is that nobody bothered to fade the endings so each tune ends with clipped applause (or acclause). The music speaks for itself however.

 Muddy was godlike in his presence. A very young Record Boy had the opportunity many years ago to meet and talk with the man and one could not help but walk away from an experience like that transformed. He was a warm, gentle and humble human being who just happened to make some of the best music you will ever hear. Do yourself a favor and pick this CD up and hear what I’m talkin’ about.

Pee Wee Crayton was another guy ‘ol Record Boy knew. This was a man who left us way too soon. On Pee Wee Crayton Early Hour Blues (Blind Pig) you’ll hear a collection of his last studio recordings featuring Doug McLeod, The Mighty Flyers and of course Pee Wee’s son Marshall Crayton Jr., a guy who seemed at the time way too young to be such a facile R&B tenor sax honker. Pee Wee was another gentle guy who played the hell out of his guitar. Always a flashy showman, the nattily attired Mr. Crayton was well known for playing his jazzy blues solos while strolling through the audience and whipping up the crowd. A little known fact about Pee Wee is that his wife Esther wrote the bulk of his songs! The fact that some of these tunes were recorded about 6 months before his death in 1985, makes these strong performances even more poignant. Pee Wee felt that his contribution to blues history was under appreciated. There is ample proof on this disc that he remained a vital contributor right up to the end. Check out the man’s work and enjoy listening!

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