Folk Singer [Remaster]

Performer: Muddy Waters
Artist: Buddy Guy; Willie Dixon; James Cotton; Clifton James; Otis Spann
Engineer: Ron Malo
Producer: Ralph Bass; Willie Dixon; Willie Dixon Band; Beth Stempel (Reissue); Andy McKaie (Reissue)
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocals, guitar); Buddy Guy, James "Pee Wee" Madison, Sam Lawhorn (guitar); James Cotton (harmonica); J.T. Brown (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Otis Spann (piano); Willie Dixon, Milton Rector (bass); Clifton James, S.P. Leary (drums). Recorded at Tel Mar Recording Studios, Chicago, Illinois in September 1963. Originally released on Chess (1483). Includes liner notes by Ralph Bass and Mary Katherine Aldin. Ultradiscs are mastered from the original master tapes using Mobile Fidelity's proprietary mastering technique, then plated with 24-karat gold and housed in a stress-resistant lift-lock jewel box. Personnel includes: Muddy Waters (vocals, guitar); Buddy Guy, Sammy Lawhorn (guitar); Otis Spann (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Clifton James, Francis Clay (drums). Recorded at Tel Mar Recording Studios, Chicago, Illinois in September 1963 and April 1964. Originally released on Chess (1483). Includes liner notes by Bob Schnieders and original release liner notes by Ralph Bass. "You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had" and "The Same Thing" did not appear on the original version of FOLK SINGER. They were recorded at a separate session in April 1964, three months after FOLK SINGER was released. Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocals, guitar); Pee Wee Madison, Sammy Lawhorn, Buddy Guy (guitar); James Cotton (harmonica); J.T. Brown (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Otis Spann (piano); Clifton James, Francis Clay, S.P. Leary (drums). Audio Remixer: Erick Labson. Liner Note Authors: Bob Schnieders; Mary Katherine Aldin; Ralph Bass. Recording information: Chicago, IL (09/1963-10/1964); Tel Mar Recording Studios, Chicago, IL (09/1963-10/1964). Photographers: Don Bronstein; Jim Marshall . Muddy's "unplugged" album was cut in September of 1963 and still sounds fresh and vital today. It was Muddy simply returning to his original style on a plain acoustic guitar in a well-tuned room with Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on second acoustic guitar. The nine tracks are divvied up between full rhythm section treatments with Buddy and Muddy as a duo and the final track, "Feel Like Going Home," which Waters approaches solo. What makes this version of the album a worthwhile buy is the inclusion of five bonus tracks from his next two sessions: An April 1964 session brings us Willie Dixon's "The Same Thing" and Muddy's "You Can't Lose What You Never Had," while the October 1964 session features J.T. Brown on sax and clarinet on "Short Dress Woman" and "My John the Conqueror Root," as well as "Put Me in Your Lay Away," another strong side. Folk Singer offers both sides of Muddy from the early '60s. ~ Cub Koda The title and cover photo of this 1963 recording were an attempt to cash in on the burgeoning American folk revival, but this is pure acoustic blues. Muddy began his career as a Robert Johnson-style solo acoustic performer, and the tunes on FOLK SINGER hark back to those days. He's accompanied sparsely by Willie Dixon, drummer Clifton James and a young Buddy Guy, who provide a stark, deliberate backdrop for Muddy's rich vocal and expressive bottleneck guitar work. The richness of Muddy's baritone is showcased effectively here, with more room than usual for his voice to resonate. The low-key setting allows Muddy to explore a fuller dynamic range as well. From the romantic yearning of "Long Distance Call" to the fatalism of the chain gang song "My Captain," Muddy's voice expresses entire worlds of emotion with only subtle dynamic changes. On FOLK SINGER's more downhearted cuts, there's a doomy, ominous quality that rivals the deepest emotional journeys of John Lee Hooker. By scaling down, Muddy managed to make his songs, guitar and voice seem exponentially magnified. Though it's one of his quietest albums, FOLK SINGER screams with naked emotion.

Rolling Stone (3/10/94, p.67) - "...There aren't too many blues albums that qualify as audiophile recordings, but Muddy Waters FOLK SINGER surely does. A wonderfully intimate session, it delivers Waters' voice in all its power and subtlety, while rendering his guitar work...with such vivid realism, you would think you were sitting in the studio...."

Originally a Delta bluesman in the vein of Son House, Muddy Waters moved north in the 1940s and became the leader of the first--and greatest--electric Chicago blues band. Waters' abrasive guitar, impassioned singing, and commanding stage presence inspired generations of disciples, and hits like "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I've Got My Mojo Workin'" are now indisputable classics.

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