Fedora Catalog

Tracks:
How Long; Going To Chicago; Tell Me Baby; It Ain't Right; Alcohol Ain't Nothin'; Who Said It; The Bright Lights; Message To St. Louis; Gamblin' Man; Old Maid; Goin' Back

Tommy Bankhead makes his debut on Fedora Records via a long, circuitous route. From his humble beginnings playing house parties and fish fries in rural Mississippi and Arkansas, through a series of ups and downs with the likes of Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson, to the "six-week gig" in St. Louis that has lasted nearly two decades, Tommy Bankhead can at last say he has "arrived". Unbelievably, this is only Bankhead's second recording the first being made for an obscure label in 1983 but it certainly proves the adage, "Goods things come to them that wait." Surrounded by Erskine Oglesby, whose tenor enlivened the Ike & Tina Turner revue, Charles 'Nephew' Davis, a veteran of the James Brown and Little Milton aggregations, and the barroom piano of Bob Lohr, Bankhead rips into ten originals and the classic "Goin' to Chicago" in what may be the first great blues record of 2000.

Tracks:
Bassett Hound; Walk My Blues Away; Ningyo Mambo; Sweet Potato Pie; You Little Doll!; Still Can Boogie; Years Gone By; The Mellow Side; Pick Up the Pieces; Cold Winter Morning; Bouncing with Bassett

For over fifty years Johnnie Bassett has been playing and singing the blues. This national blues treasure is finally receiving some long-overdue recognition. Over the years Johnnie backed touring bluesmen Joe Turner, Little Willie John, Ruth Brown and others. This is well-written, expertly performed music which lays bare the heart and soul of the blues.

Tracks:
Champagne & Reefer; Blow Wind Blow; Long Distance Call; Rollin' And Tumblin; Wee Wee Baby; Birdnest On The Ground; Don't Go Any Further; My Own Fault Darling; You're Gonna Drive Me Away; Honey Bee; Nine Below Zero; Big Leg Woman

A veteran of the Muddy Waters' band, Mojo Buford is one of the legendary second generation of Chicago Blues harp players. Having played literally thousands of gigs with Muddy, this Mojo is still working and sounds better than ever! This was a live session at the hip Phoenix club, The Rhythm Room and is completely spontaneous and unrehearsed - the way the Blues was meant to be. Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin, himself a Muddy Waters' alumni, along with the dynamic Chicago blues drummer, Chico Chism. This is great, from-the-heart blues and a perfect example why Fedora Records was named Best US Blues Label of 1998 by Real Blues Magazine.

Tracks:
Piney Brown; Low-Down Dirty Shame; Positive Thinking; When Lights Are Low; The Thing And I; Bold Woman; Kidney Stew Blues; My Woman Is Evil; Buck 'N' Jump; Early This Morning; Rusty Dusty; Blues For Big Al

Big Al Dupree has been a fixture in the Dallas blues scene for over thirty years now. Having learned the blues ropes from such illustrious names as T-Bone Walker, Buster Smith, Pee Wee Crayton and others. An eclectic musical personality, Dupree is a master of both piano and saxophone, and he is featured on both instruments on the current release. Fedora went back to Dallas and the famed ASC-Sumet Studio and employed the talents of legendary engineer Bob Sullivan, who was at the soundboard for notable sessions with Zuzu Bollin, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Bob Wills. The great Texas blues guitarist Hash Brown, an expert in the stylings of (appropriately enough) T-Bone Walker, joins Big Al on the session for a little glimpse of blues history.

Tracks:
Let's Talk About Love; Dial 911; Kicked Out; The Girl Can't Cook; Down On The Farm; Annabelle; Pretty Baby; Other Side Of The Road; Louisiana Scat; Blue Monday

If being born in New Orleans, making R&B 45's in the 50s, backing T-Bone Walker and doing a stretch in a Federal Penitentiary in Texas fits your idea of what a legendary bluesman should be, then Fillmore Slim is your guy. Working out of the West Coast for the past 40 years or so, Slim's life mirrors that of the archetypical blues artist. Over the years Slim has proven to be an evasive character, changing his stage name frequently to suit his "circumstances", but he has surfaced long enough to record this CD for FEDORA. Along with a fiery group of West Coast veterans, including Paris Slim and J.J. Malone, Slim takes a no-holds-barred approach with aggressive guitar playing, soulful singing and some of the best original blues song writing heard in ages. Think that modern blues is at a standstill? Check out Fillmore Slim, he'll make you a believer once again.

Tracks:
Out Of Bad Luck; Blues For Big Town; Blue Shadows; You Give Me Nothing But The Blues; I Just Got To Know; Last Night; Please Love Me; Cummins Prison Farm; May I Have A Talk With You; Sail On

Al Garrett's debut CD, "Out of Bad Luck," is what the Blues are all about. Soulful vocals and stinging guitar work paired with a tough, swinging band playing in the tradition. A Memphis native, Al is a veteran of both the Mississippi Delta and West Coast Blues Scenes. With a nod to Magic Sam and a salute to his old boss, Roy Brown, Al Garrett serves notice that "real" Blues never goes out of style.

Tracks:
If You Love Me Like You Say; I Love My Life; Hoochie Coochie Man; Southern Country Boy; Things I Used To Do; Hawaii; I Stood by; I Wonder Why; Big Gun; I'm A King Bee; Caress Me Baby

Featured in the video documentary, Texas Blues Reunion, Hosea is one of the last practitioners of down-home blues still working in Central Texas. In this, his first commercial recording, Hosea puts everything right where it belongs. Interviewed for Guitar Player, Jimmie Vaughan acknowleged Hosea's impact as a teacher and mentor. Jimmie well-known brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan, also followed Hosea around for a time. Hosea plays the blues the way it was originally played, very free, following the feeling of the groove and expressing emotions according to the whim of the creative musician. The music was emotionally profound and musically spontaneous. That's the real art form of the blues.

Tracks:
Hole In Her Belly; Woman 'Round My Door; Gun Totin' Blues; Big Leg Woman; Bright Lights, Big City; Coal Black Mare; I Don't Want No Woman; Phone Headed Woman; Highway 49; Shake For Me; Drivin' Wheel; San-Ho-Zay

At 75, Riley Riggins, AKA Harmonica Slim, plays in the style he has for decades. His songs are not normal blues-verse compositions but are rather astute and highly emotional observations of the blues lifestyle. Backed by his regular band, this album finds Slim singing of his life and his perceptions - a message well worth hearing.

Tracks:
Early One Morning; Long Tall Woman; Kissin' In The Dark; Rockin' And Rollin'; Sugar Mama; Shake Your Money Maker; Thought I Heard My Baby Call My Name; Truck Drivin' Woman; Married Woman; Crutch And Cane; Medley; Woman I'm Lovin' Two Days Before Christmas

87 years-young and still pickin' his 1949 Kay guitar and singin' - Homesick James is a living legend of the blues, providing a glimpse back to the seemingly impossibly distant past of early blues history. Cutting his musical teeth in his cousin Elmore James' group, The Broomdusters, Homesick continues to display the wit and wisdom accumulated in his long life on this release. Some of his original songs contain the melancholy musings of a lonely heart, others have an air of unrepentant defiance about them. On his own tunes, and on the tunes Homesick covers by the likes of Memphis Minnie, Tony Hollins and others, the years peel away and the spark of intrigue lights the fire in the soul of the "Last of the Broomdusters."

Tracks:
You Gotta Move; Hey Boss!; Fannie Mae; Tryin' To Get Ahead; Goin' Back To The Country; Tore Down; If You Love Me Like You Say; Born In Missouri; Going Blind; Reconsider Baby; When You Get Old; Crazy Mary

If you happen to have a copy of Hosea Leavy's out-of-print 1993 cassette-only release "Greasy Greens," you are a lucky individual indeed. For not only is it a rare and valuable collector's item, but it alerted you to the reappearance of one of the most powerful and elemental of all blues performers. Now, Hosea is back and he brought with him the crew from that laudable release and dishes up some real downhome, gutbucket blues. This is the music of the juke joints and gin mills of Hosea's youth in and around Little Rock, Arkansas. With this new release, Hosea may be termed a Keeper of the Blues Grail, for he preserves and lives a tradition that would otherwise be available only through the medium of re-issue compilations.

Tracks:
Black Nights; Daddy Rolling Stone; Highway 99; Biscuit Bakin' Woman; Sail On; Killing Floor; Old Fashioned Blues; They Call It the Crawl; Long Way from San Antone; Mary Anne; Automobile Blues; Sittin' Here Thinkin'

J.J. Malone, born in Alabama in 1935 and raised near Nashville, tutored by his father in the basics, J.J. has lived the blues. J.J. has experienced the blues first-hand in a myriad number of forms and has taken them and forged them into a unique and recognizable style. J.J. Malone is the real thing!

Tracks:
It's A Shame; See Me Early In The Morning; Good Lookin' Woman; Mother Earth; Sweet Thing; Nothing To Suggest; Here I Go Again; Peace Breakin' People; Smoked Oysters; Walkin' Thru The Park; Leave Here Walkin'

J.J Malone is a blues original whose deeply-felt music is a wholly unaffected mixture of traditionalism and modernity. Like his acclaimed previous CD, "Highway 99" (FCD 5003). This time, however, J.J. complements much of the material with his own over-dubbed piano parts which, like his guitar playing, reflect both down-home Blues and modern Jazz roots. A strong release from an important West Coast artist. Listen here

Tracks:
Got To Leave This Woman; Mr. Pawnbroker; You Just Can't Take My Blues; Sunday Morning Love; Just Your Fool; I'm Gonna Stop You From Giving Me The Blues; Sugar Sweet; Don't Lose Your Cool; My Tomorrow; Give Me My Blues; West Side Baby; Bad Habits

In 1996, Matthew Robinson & The Texas Blues Band were created. After only two years of working the circuit, they have logged in achievements the type of which only veterans can match. Achievements such as making waves throughtout the world by playing in front of 20,000 people in Sao Paulo, Brazil and, more locally, winning Best Blues Group and Mathew Best R&B/Blues Singer by the Austin Jazz & Arts Fest, to name but two. There are not many "entertainers" left in the industry today. Matthew certainly qualifies as that rare combination of musician/enetertainer. He describes his music as the result of the natural evolution of gospel, R&B, blues and the Texas sound he grew up around.

Tracks:
Baby How Long; Take Yo' Hand Off A Me; Mustang Sally; Cut You A Loose; Something On Your Mind; Mel's Hideaway; Shake For Me; Moanin' At Midnight; Still A Fool; Mystery Train

Like any force of nature, Robert "Bilbo" Walker is difficult to describe. His wide-ranging influences include Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, Sam Cooke and Chuck Berry. One might say that Bilbo is a reversal of previous blues trends in that he brings the music of the city back to the Delta with his flamboyant stage act and exciting brand of raw blues. Bilbo covers a number of tunes by his idols Howlin' Wolf ("Shake For Me", "Moanin' At Midnight"), Muddy Waters ("Still a Fool") and Junior Parker ("Mystery Train") in a rompin', stompin' record of the blues, the whole blues and nothing but the blues. So put the disc in the player and do whatever you have to do to enjoy yourself - because enjoyment is what Bilbo's music is all about.

Tracks:
Poison Ivy; Since I Met You Baby; Arthur's Blues; Ain't Goin' Down; Slop The Hogs; See See Rider; Water In My Gas Tank; East St. Louis; C'mon Baby; Mojo Ain't Working; Go On Little Girl; Arthur's Dozens

After 40 years as a sideman, Arthur Williams is now looked up to as one of the last of the great juke-joint harp blowers. Born in Mississippi and raised in Chicago & St. Louis, Arthur's music represents the last generation of that true down-home blues of the Delta. The sounds of Sonny Boy II and Little Walter can be heard in Arthur's playing along with a heavy dose of rugged individualism. Arthur is backed on this, his second Fedora outing, by a cast of St. Louis, Memphis and Mississippi musicians, that includes, on drums, the one and only Sam Carr (with whom Arthur played in the 1960s). So if you are looking for the real thing, look no further: Arthur Williams is a genuine as they come. No pretense, no BS, just pure, good-timin' blues laid down as they were meant to be.

Tracks:
Can't Stand To See You Go; Ain't Goin' Back To East St. Louis; Harpin' On It; One Room Country Shack; Mama Talk To Your Daughter; Runnin' Down The Dirt Road; Mean Old World; Chitlins And Hot Sauce; Goin' To Memphis; Mother-In-Law Blues; Talkin' Too Much

Harkening back to the "Golden Age of Chicago Blues," filtered through the Delta and refined in St. Louis, harmonica ace and Blues singer Arthur Williams and his searing St. Louis band (featuring Boo-Boo Davis on drums and vocals) pump out Blues and Boogie like there's no tomorrow! Along with being coached by Little Walter as a teenager in Chicago and playing and recording with Frank Frost in the 1960's, Arthur Williams demonstrates that his talent is a major one that will thrill harp connoisseurs and lovers of 1950's-style Chicago Blues to no end. Listen here

Tracks:
Willie's Back; If You Wanna Get Funky; Willie's Blues; Deep Ellum Boogie; I Love A Woman; Laundromat Blues; Dallas Shuffle; What's On Your Mind; Can't Help But Have The Blues; Brothers Together

Willie Willis is back in the studio! This new record is even finer than Willie's "Down Home In Dallas" which was no small achievement in itself. There was a "loose, party-time" vibe in the studio and that comes through on the exuberant music on this CD. At the soundboard with producer Chris Millar was legendary Bob Sullivan, sound engineer behind works by such names as Zuzu Bollin, Anson & the Rockets, Bob Wills, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and even Elvis Presley. Willis' deep, low-down voice will remind you, at times, of Texas' classic blues shouter, Zuzu Bollin, and you'll be stirred by the rhythms of "If You Want To Get Funky" and the John Lee Hooker l'hommage, "Deep Ellum Boogie." With Willie are his long-time sax-playing friend, Wilford Sims and the great Hash Brown lending his guitar talents.

Tracks:
U.P. Express; Cross Cut Saw; Reconsider Baby; Bluebird Boog-A-Loo; Hold On Baby; Mean Old World; Como Station; I'll Be Coming Home; 7 Comes 11; On My Way; Cold, Cold Feeling; Slice 'N' Dice

Ask Stevie Ray Vaughan, Cornell Dupree, Zuzu Bollin, Frankie Lee Sims, Lowell Fulson and just about any other Bluesman to put together their short list of MONSTER guitarists and you will invariably see the name U.P. Wilson. Wilson teetered on the brink of a major career on a number of occasions but chose to be near his growing children and remain at home. Wilson's aggressively powerful axework is well to the fore on this great 1988 session, with him dominating the ensemble not only with his guitar playing, but also with his vocal prowess. Also included as a special bonus are two tracks from a recently discovered recording of U.P. Wilson caught live at one of the legendary "Rent Parties" which are part and parcel of blues/jazz history. U.P. Wilson was nicknamed the 'Texas Guitar Tornado' for, like a Tornado, he is an unforgettable force.