A Brief History Of The Blues

Performer: Various Artists
Engineer: Charlie Sexton; John Painter
Producer: Charlie Sexton; Leonard Chess; Ralph Bass; Willie Dixon; Charlie Sexton; Tonio K.
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: John Lee Hooker, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Doyle Bramhall II (vocals, electric guitar, slide guitar); Little Walter, Charlie Musselwhite (vocals, harmonica); Erykah Badu, Big Mama Thornton, Koko Taylor (vocals); Eddie "Guitar" Burns, Howlin' Wolf, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmie Vaughan, Jimmy Rogers , Leonard Caston, Pete "Guitar" Lewis, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Steve Cropper (guitar); Charlie Sexton (acoustic guitar, upright bass, drums, background vocals); Edward Hale (alto saxophone); Gene Barge, Theodore Arthur, Hank Crawford, Andrew Love (tenor saxophone); Joe Arnold (baritone saxophone); Eddie Hutchinson, Tommy Nevue, Wayne Jackson (trumpet); Devonia Williams, Ike Turner, Zell Kindred, Lafayette Leake, Otis Spann (piano); Booker T. Jones (organ); Johnny Otis (vibraphone); Johnny Horton (upright bass); Jack Myers (electric bass); Ted Curry, Wes Starr, Fred Below, Alex Jackson , Leard Bell, Odie Payne, Sam Lay (drums); Gary Clark, Jr., Willie Dixon (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Charlie Sexton. Liner Note Author: Tonio K. Recording information: Irony Recording, Austin, TX; Texas Treefort, Austin, TX; The Kitchen Studio, Dallas, TX. Arrangers: Charlie Sexton; Doyle Bramhall II. There's a little bit of everything on this generous 21-song set, from unaccompanied hollers to 1930s Delta blues and modern electric blues stuff, as well, so there is the outline for a history of the blues here, but it's hardly spelled out, and in the end it feels mostly like a pretty decent to ordinary blues mixtape. There's some great stuff here, though, like yet another vibrant version of Elmore James tearing into "Dust My Broom," Mississippi John Hurt's measured and graceful "Stack O' Lee," Big Mama Thornton's wonderfully ragged "Hound Dog," and Bessie Smith's passionate yet still stately take on "St. Louis Blues," making this sequence an OK fit for a short, blues-filled road trip. ~ Steve Leggett

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