Track Listing
DISC 1:
1. It's Just the Blues - Four Jumps of Jive
2. Bedroom Blues - Sippie Wallace
3. Buzz Me - Sippie Wallace
4. My Baby Left Me - Aaron Walker
5. Come Back to Me Baby Blues - Aaron Walker
6. She Is Going to Ruin Me - Aaron Walker
7. Joy Juice - Dinah Washington
8. If It's Good - Julia Lee
9. Show Me Missouri Blues - Julia Lee
10. Dream Lucky Blues - Julia Lee
11. Doin' the Boogie Woogie - Mildred Anderson
12. Suitcase Blues - Albert Ammons & His Rhythm Kings (TRUE instrumental)
13. Tell Your Best Friend Nothin' - Myra Taylor
14. Railroad Porter's Blues - Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson & His Orchestra
15. Gonna Send You Where I Got You From - Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson & His Orchestra
16. Hold That Money - Earl Coleman
17. I'm in My Sins This Morning - Myra Taylor
18. Booted - Myra Taylor
19. Long John Blues - Dinah Washington
20. Wanderin' Man, (I'm A) - William Lee "Big Bill" Broonzy & His Fat Four
21. I Love My Wiskey - William Lee "Big Bill" Broonzy & His Fat Four
22. You've Been Mistreating Me - William "Big Bill" Broonzy & His Fat Four
23. I Stay Blue All the Time - William "Big Bill" Broonzy & His Fat Four
24. Water Coast Blues - William "Big Bill" Broonzy & His Fat Four
25. Shame on You Baby - St. Louis Jimmy Oden (Oden)
26. I'm Not Satisfied - St. Louis Jimmy Oden (Oden)
DISC 2:
1. Mud Kickin' Woman - Sunnyland Slim & His Sunny Boys (Albert Luandrew)
2. Everytime I Get to Drinkin' - Sunnyland Slim & His Sunny Boys (Albert Luandrew)
3. Train Is Comin' - Memphis Slim & His Orchestra (Peter Chatman)
4. Question, The - Memphis Slim & His Orchestra (Peter Chatman)
5. I'm a Good Rockin' Daddy - Ray Snead
6. Drivin' Me Mad - Memphis Slim & His Orchestra (Peter Chatman)
7. Never Let Me Love - Memphis Slim & His Orchestra (Peter Chatman)
8. Train Time - Memphis Slim & His Orchestra (Peter Chatman)
9. Blue Evening - Memphis Slim & His Orchestra (Peter Chatman)
10. Get Back (Black, Brown and White) - William Lee "Big Bill" Broonzy
11. Willie Mae - William Lee "Big Bill" Broonzy
12. I Know She Will - William Lee "Big Bill" Broonzy
13. Leavin' Day - William Lee "Big Bill" Broonzy & His Big Little Orchestra
14. South Bound Train - William Lee "Big Bill" Broonzy & His Big Little Orchestra
15. Tomorrow - William Lee "Big Bill" Broonzy & His Big Little Orchestra
16. You Changed - William Lee "Big Bill" Broonzy & His Big Little Orchestra
17. I'm Gonna Dig Myself a Hole - Robert Lockwood, Jr.
18. Dust My Broom - Robert Lockwood, Jr.
19. Glory For Man - Robert Lockwood, Jr.
20. My Daily Wish - Robert Lockwood, Jr.
21. No Mail Blues - Memphis Slim & His Orchestra (Peter Chatman)
22. You're Gonna Need My Help - Memphis Slim & His Orchestra (Peter Chatman)
23. Ain't Nothing But a Child - Sunnyland Slim & His Trio (Albert Luandrew)
24. Brown Skinned Woman - Sunnyland Slim & His Trio (Albert Luandrew)
25. Hit the Road Again - Sunnyland Slim & His Trio (Albert Luandrew)
26. Gin Drinkin' Baby - Sunnyland Slim & His Trio (Albert Luandrew)
27. Leap Year Blues - Andrew Tibbs
| Details | | Distributor: | Universal Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Mono | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
This 2-CD set is also available as part of THE MERCURY BLUES 'N' RHYTHM STORY 1945-1955 box set.
Includes liner notes by Jim O'Neal.
Of the multitude of R&B labels to have come from the Windy City, Mercury Records can proudly claim to be among the most diverse. Their roster expanded beyond talent in and around Chicago and over time they enlarged the scope of their releases into the genres of country, pop, and rock & roll. The two-CD Midwest Blues (1996) contains prominent material drawn from the archives of the imprint's first decade (1945-1955), focusing chiefly on local and regional artists. At first, Mercury's primary emphasis was urbane jump, jive, and orchestral counterparts to the comparatively raw Delta style that had seeped up from the southeastern United States. The contents are presented in a chronological fashion, commencing appropriately enough with the boogie-woogie shouter "It's Just the Blues" by the Four Jumps of Jive, whose membership boasted bassist Willie Dixon. This is followed by seminal sides by vocalistSippie Wallace, featuring support from pianist Albert Ammons & His Rhythm Kings on Wallace's co-composition "Bedroom Blues." Performances by the trio led by guitarist/vocalist T-Bone Walker are underscored by an early reading of "My Baby Left Me," with pianist/vocalist Marl Young & His Orchestra providing the accompaniment. The pair of disparate Dinah Washington selections includes an upscale big-band arrangement of "Joy Juice" circa 1946 and the markedly different bawdy double entendre of the rural and relaxed "Long John Blues" (aka "Dentist Blues"). Among the additional essentials on Midwest Blues are primal platters by Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson ("Railroad Porter Blues" and "Gonna Send You Where I Got You From"), Sunnyland Slim ("Mud Kickin' Woman," "Gin Drinkin' Baby"), Memphis Slim ("No Mail Blues," "Drivin' Me Mad" -- with vocals by Terry Timmons -- and "Train Time"), and lesser-known acts such as Myra Taylor, Ray Snead, and Sax Mallard, whose aggregate was graced by pianist Roosevelt Sykes during this era. Last but certainly not least are three distinct caches of Big Bill Broonzy -- one on electric guitar as a leader of the Fat Four, as well as another highly charged offering with Broonzy instrumentally augmented by bassist Ransom Knowling and a final batch backed by the Big Little Orchestra, the latter turning in a definitive take of "Southbound Train." The Robert Jr. Lockwood titles, which have been previously difficult to locate on compact disc, are a major coup for inclined parties. His covers of "Dust My Broom" -- purportedly learned from Robert Johnson -- and Big Boy Crudup's "I'm Gonna Dig Myself a Hole" are alone worth the price of admission. The superior audio quality is further incentive for collectors and the curious alike to find not only Midwest Blues, but the other three anthologies extracted from the Mercury Blues 'n' Rhythm Story (1945-1955) eight-volume box set. ~ Lindsay Planer
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