Showing posts with label Albert King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Albert King. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Top 50 Blues Albums of All Time

Blues:

The Top 50 Albums

This list started as a post on the DMDB Facebook page (Top 10 Blues and Blues/Rock Albums) on 2/23/2010. The list has since been expanded by aggregating more than 50 lists focused on blues and blues/rock albums. This list focuses on those albums which scored higher on the blues lists. Albums which made three or more lists were then sorted by overall status in Dave’s Music Database.

Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here.

1. Robert Johnson The Complete Recordings (compilation: 1936-37, released 1990)
2. Howlin’ Wolf Moanin’ in the Moonlight/Howlin’ Wolf (aka ‘The Rockin’ Chair Album’) (compilations: 1951-62, released in 1959 and 1962) *
3. Bessie Smith The Essential (compilation: 1923-1933, released 1997)
4. B.B. King Live at the Regal (live, 1964)
5. John Mayall & the Blues Breakers Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966)
6. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble Texas Flood (1983)
7. Charlie Patton Founder of the Delta Blues (compilation: 1929-34, released 1969)
8. Muddy Waters At Newport (live, 1960)
9. Robert Cray Strong Persuader (1986)
10. Albert King Born Under a Bad Sign (1967)

11. Eric Clapton: From the Cradle (1994)
12. Bobby “Blue” Bland Two Steps from the Blues (1956-60)
13. Willie Dixon/various artists The Chess Box (compilation: 1951-69, released 1988)
14. Elmore James The Sky Is Crying – The History of (compilation: 1951-63, released 1993)
15. Junior Wells Hoodoo Man Blues (1965)
16. Paul Butterfield Blues Band Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965)
17. Muddy Waters The Chess Box (compilation: 1947-72 released 1989)
18. Skip James The Complete Early Recordings (compilation: 1930-31, released 1994)
19. Howlin’ Wolf His Best: The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (compilation: 1951-64, released 1997)
20. Little Walter His Best: The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (compilation: 1952-60, released 1997)

21. Howlin’ Wolf The Chess Box (compilation: 1951-73, released 1991)
22. Magic Sam West Side Soul (1967)
23. Albert Collins Ice Pickin’ (1978)
24. B.B. King Live in Cook County Jail (live: 1970, released 1971)
25. B.B. King His Definitive Greatest Hits (compilation: 1951-93, released 1999)
26. Etta James At Last (1961)
27. Muddy Waters Folk Singer (1964)
28. Muddy Waters Hard Again (1977)
29. Muddy Waters The Anthology (compilation: 1947-72, released 2001)
30. John Lee Hooker The Legendary Modern Recordings (compilation: 1948-54, released 1993)

31. Memphis Minnie Bumble Bee: The Essential Recordings (compilation: 1929-41, released 1997)
32. B.B. King Singin’ the Blues (1956)
33. Albert King Live Wire/Blues Power (1968)
34. T-Bone Walker T-Bone Blues (1959)
35. Blind Lemon Jefferson King of the Country Blues (compilation: 1926-29, released 1990)
36. Gary Moore Still Got the Blues (1990)
37. Robert Cray Bad Influence (1983)
38. Sonny Boy Williamson II Down and Out Blues (1959)
39. Blind Lemon Jefferson Best of (compilation, released 2000)
40. Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers Best of (compilation: 1928-30, released 2001)

41. Mississippi Fred McDowell I Do Not Play No Rock and Roll (1969)
42. Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter King of the 12-String Guitar (recorded 1935, released 1991)
43. Albert Collins with Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland Showdown! (1985)
44. Freddy King Let’s Hide Away and Dance (1961)
45. Otis Spann Is the Blues (1960)
46. Willie Dixon I Am the Blues (1970)
47. Magic Sam Black Magic (1968)
48. Hound Dog Taylor & the Houserockers Hound Dog Taylor & the Houserockers (1971)
49. Sonny Boy Williamson II His Best (compilation: 1955-65, released 1986)
50. Freddy King Freddy King Sings (1961)

* These were initially released as two separate albums, but are now typically packaged together.

Resources and Related Links:

Lists Focused on Blues Albums:

First posted 9/10/2018; last updated 3/19/2024.

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Monday, September 11, 2023

Top 100 Blues Songs of All Time

Blues:

Top 100 Songs

This list was compiled by aggregating 38 lists focused on blues songs. The top 100 songs according to the aggregate of the lists were then re-ranked based on overall points in Dave’s Music Database. The aggregated list and the Dave’s Music Database rankings were then average together for the final result.

In most cases, only one version of a song is listed below. Exceptions include Robert Johnson’s “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” and its even more iconic cover by Elmore James as well as Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” and its classic-rock cover by Cream.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Muddy Waters “Mannish Boy” (1955)
2. John Lee Hooker “Boogie Chillen” (1949)
3. B.B. King “The Thrill Is Gone” (1969)
4. Muddy Waters “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954)
5. Howlin’ Wolf “Smokestack Lightning” (1956)
6. Robert Johnson “Cross Road Blues (aka ‘Crossroads’)” (1936)
7. T-Bone Walker “Call It Stormy Monday” (1948)
8. John Lee Hooker “Boom Boom” (1962)
9. Robert Johnson “Hell Hound on My Trail” (1937)
10. Elmore James “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” (1952)

11. Albert King “Born Under a Bad Sign” (1967)
12. Robert Johnson “Sweet Home Chicago” (1936)
13. Bessie Smith & Jimmie Cox “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” (1929)
14. Elmore James “The Sky Is Crying” (1960)
15. Little Walter “Juke” (1952)
16. Clarence “Pine Top” Smith “Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie” (1929)
17. Muddy Waters “Got My Mojo Working” (1956)
18. Big Joe Williams “Baby Please Don’t Go” (1941)
19. Sonny Boy Williamson #1 “Good Morning Little School” (1937)
20. Howlin’ Wolf “How Many More Years” (1951)

21. Guitar Slim “The Things That I Used to Do” (1954)
22. Otis Rush “I Can’t Quit You Baby” (1956)
23. Etta James “At Last” (1960)
24. Mamie Smith “Crazy Blues” (1920)
25. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Red House” (1967)
26. Blind Willie McTell “Statesboro Blues” (1927)
27. Bo Diddley “I’m a Man” (1955)
28. Canned Heat “On the Road Again” (1968)
29. Big Bill Broonzy “Key to the Highway” (1941)
30. Robert Johnson “Come on in My Kitchen” (1937)

31. Muddy Waters “Rollin’ Stone” (1950)
32. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble “Pride and Joy” (1983)
33. Muddy Waters “I Can’t Be Satisfied” (1948)
34. Little Walter “My Babe” (1955)
35. Robert Johnson “Love in Vain” (1937)
36. Charley Patton “Pony Blues” (1929)
37. Big Mama Thornton “Hound Dog” (1953)
38. Cream “Crossroads” (live, 1969)
39. B.B. King “Every Day I Have the Blues” (1955)
40. Gary Moore “Still Got the Blues” (1990)

41. Muddy Waters “I Just Want to Make Love to You” (1954)
42. Lowell Fulson “Reconsider Baby” (1954)
43. Roosevelt Sykes “Forty Four Blues” (1929)
44. Freddie King “Hideaway” (1961)
45. Howlin’ Wolf “Spoonful” (1960)
46. Elmore James “Shake Your Moneymaker” (1961)
47. Slim Harpo “I’m a King Bee” (1957)
48. Ma Rainey “See See Rider Blues” (1925)
49. The Mississippi Sheiks “Sitting on Top of the World” (1930)
50. Louis Jordan “Let the Good Times Roll” (1946)

51. Leroy Carr with Scrapper Blackwell “How Long, How Long Blues” (1928)
52. Blind Willie Johnson “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” (1928)
53. Magic Sam “All Your Love” (1957)
54. Koko Taylor “Wang Dang Doodle” (1965)
55. Blind Lemon Jefferson “Black Snake Moan” (1927)
56. Freddie King “I’m Tore Down” (1961)
57. Robert Petway “Catfish Blues” (1941)
58. Junior Wells with Buddy Guy “Messin’ with the Kid” (1970)
59. Wilson Pickett “Mustang Sally” (1966)
60. Blind Lemon Jefferson “Matchbox Blues” (1927)

61. Clarence Carter “Slip Away” (1968)
62. B.B. King “Three O’Clock Blues” (1951)
63. John Lee Hooker “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” (1966)
64. Howlin’ Wolf “The Killing Floor” (1964)
65. Son House “Death Letter Blues” (1930)
66. Robert Johnson “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” (1936)
67. Big Mama Thornton “Ball and Chain” (1968)
68. Bobby “Blue” Bland “Further on Up the Road” (1957)
69. W.C. Handy “The Memphis Blues” (1912)
70. Jimmy Reed “Big Boss Man” (1960)

71. Buddy Guy “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues” (1991)
72. Skip James “Devil Got My Woman” (1931)
73. Fleetwood Mac “Black Magic Woman” (1968)
74. Howlin’ Wolf “The Little Red Rooster” (1961)
75. Robert Johnson “Me and the Devil Blues” (1937)
76. Canned Heat “Going Up the Country” (1968)
77. Eddie Boyd “Five Long Years” (1952)
78. Sonny Boy Williamson II “Help Me” (1963)
79. Louis Jordan “I Know What You’re Putting Down” (1946)
80. T-Bone Walker “Mean Old World” (1942)

81. John Lee Hooker “I’m in the Mood” (1951)
82. Etta James “I’d Rather Go Blind” (1968)
83. Robert Johnson “Stop Breakin’ Down” (1937)
84. Tampa Red with Georgia Tom “It’s Tight Like That” (1928)
85. Albert Collins “If Trouble Was Money” (1984)
86. Elmore James “One Way Out” (1961)
87. Big Joe Williams “Blues on Highway 49” (1935)
88. Elmore James “It Hurts Me Too” (1965)
89. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble “Texas Flood” (1983)
90. Howlin’ Wolf “I Ain’t Superstitious” (1961)

91. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band “Born in Chicago” (1965)
92. Memphis Slim “Messin’ Around” (1948)
93. Hound Dog Taylor “Give Me Back My Wig” (1971)
94. Howlin’ Wolf “Back Door Man” (1960)
95. B.B. King “How Blue Can You Get?” (1963)
96. Sonny Boy Williamson II “Eyesight to the Blind” (1951)
97. Robert Johnson “Travelling Riverside Blues” (1937)
98. Roy Brown “Hard Luck Blues” (1950)
99. Son House “Preachin’ Blues” (1930)
100. Muddy Waters “You Shook Me” (1962)

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First posted 8/19/2015; last updated 9/11/2023.

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Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Music Maker Inductees (March 2022)

Top 10 Blues Acts

Originally posted 3/22/2022.

January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog! To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This thirteenth class of music maker inductees is comprised of the top 10 blues acts of all time (see the full list here). These are the top 10 from that list, minus previous inductees Eric Clapton and Bessie Smith.

See the full list of music maker inductees here.

Buddy Guy (1936-)

Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues guitarist born in Lettsworth, Louisiana. Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honoree. “Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues” ranks as one of the top 100 blues songs of all time and author Tom Moon features the album of the same name in his book 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Read more.

John Lee Hooker (1917-2001)

Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award . He charted nine times on the R&B chart, reaching #1 with “Boogie Chillen’” and “I’m in the Mood.” The former has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame (as has “Boom Boom”), and National Recording Registry. His compilation The Legendary Modern Recordings ranks as one of the top 50 blues albums and The Folklore of John Lee Hooker was Mojo magazine’s Album of the Year. Read more.

Howlin’ Wolf (1910-1976)

Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues singer and guitarist born in White Station, Mississippi. Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He reached the top 10 four times on the R&B chart, including the songs “How Many More Years” and “Smokestack Lightning,” which are 2 of his 6 songs featured in the Blues Hall of Fame. His compilations Moanin’ in the Moonlight and Howlin' Wolf (aka ‘The Rockin' Chair Album’) are in the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more.

Robert Johnson (1911-1938)

Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues singer and guitarist born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. Inductee in the Blues Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, R&B Hall of Fame, and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “Cross Road Blues” ranks in the the top 1% of all time. It’s one of six songs in the Blues Hall of Fame, including “Sweet Home Chicago” (both of which are in the Grammy Hall of Fame). Two of the others are “Hell Hound on My Trail” and “A Love in Vain.” Those four are also in the the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s top 500 songs of all time. The Complete Recordings is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of the 20th Century. Read more.

Albert King (1923-1992)

Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues guitarist born in Indianola, Mississippi. Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He reached the R&B chart 19 times. “Crosscut Saw,” “Born Under a Bad Sign,” and “I’ll Play the Blues for You” are all in the Blues Hall of Fame. His album Born Under a Bad Sign ranks in the top 1% of all time and is in the Blues Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, and the National Recording Registry. Read more.

B.B. King (1925-2015)

Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues singer and guitarist born it Itta Bena, Mississippi. Inductee in the Blues Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame R&B Hall of Fame, Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame, and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Kennedy Center Honoree. He reached the R&B chart 76 times, including #1 four times. One of those was “Three O’Clock Blues,” which was also inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, as was “Every Day I Have the Blues” and “The Thrill Is Gone.” The latter three are also in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Live at the Regal is one of the top 1000 albums of all time. It’s also in the Blues Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, and the National Recording Registry. Read more.

Stevie Ray Vaugahn (1954-1990)

Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues-rock guitarist and singer born in Dallas, Texas. Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He reached the mainstream rock chart 19 times, including #1 with “Crossfire.” “Texas Flood” and “Pride and Joy” rank in the DMDB’s top 100 blues songs of all time. The latter is also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s top 500 songs of all time. Texas Flood is one of the top 1000 albums of all time and is in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more.

Muddy Waters (1913-1983)

Inducted March 2022 as a “Top 10 Blues Act”

Blues singer, guitarist, and harmonica player born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Inductee in the Blues Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, R&B Hall of Fame, and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He reached the top 10 on the R&B charts 14 times. He has six songs in the the Blues Hall of Fame and four in the Grammy Hall of Fame; “Rollin’ Stone,” “Hoochie Coochie Man,” and “Got My Mojo Working” are in both. At Newport is one of the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more.
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Sunday, August 22, 2021

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Albums (Aug. 2021)

Originally posted 8/22/2021.

January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the eleventh group of album inductees. These are amongst the top twenty blues albums of all time, excluding previous inductees Robert Johnson’s The Complete Recordings, Bessie Smith’s The Essential, and Charley Patton’s Founder of the Delta Blues.

See the full list of album inductees here.

Muddy Waters At Newport (live, 1960)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

This was “a great breakthrough moment in blues history.” AMG “Though his ‘50s recordings…revolutionized modern blues, it wasn’t until his raw, plugged-in steer blew up the Newport Folk Festival that whites in America gave Muddy (and the blues) proper respect.” VB “This was many white folks’ first exposure” BL “to live recorded blues.” AMG It was also significant because “the jazz audience opened its ears and embraced Chicago blues.” AMG Read more.

Bobby “Blue” Band Two Steps from the Blues (recorded 1956-60, released 1961)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

“Two Steps from the Blues is the definitive Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland album and one of the great records in electric blues and soul-blues. In fact, it’s one of the key albums in modern blues, marking a turning point when juke joint blues were seamlessly blended with gospel and Southern soul, creating a distinctly Southern sound where all of these styles blended so thoroughly it was impossible to tell where one began and one ended.” STE Read more.

Howlin’ Wolf Moanin’ in the Moonlight/Howlin’ Wolf (aka “The Rockin’ Chair Album”) (1959/1962)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

Howlin’ Wolf’s first two albums were compilations covering the years 1951 to 1962. Amongst the songs are “How Many More Years,” “Smokestack Lightning,” “Spoonful,” and “The Little Red Rooster,” all of which have been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In the CD era, they were packaged as one release, making for an effective overview of “the cream of Wolf’s Chicago blues work.” SC Both albums have been inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame. Read more.

B.B. King Live at the Regal (recorded live 1964, released 1965)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

B.B. “King, who has been called ‘The King of the Blues’ and the ‘best blues artist of his generation,’ has been a primary influence on a number of artists, including Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Mike Bloomfield.” NRR “King is not only a timeless singer and guitarist, he’s also a natural-born entertainer, and on Live at the Regal the listener is treated to an exhibition of all three of his talents.” DG The album was significant in King’s career because it graduated him from a largely black following to a much larger white audience. Read more.

John Mayall’s Blue Breakers Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

“Rarely has any single record album induced such a shift in popular music.” LP This is “perhaps the best British blues album ever cut.” BE It reinvented “the American blues for a fresh audience” LP giving “rise to subgenres such as heavy metal and other roots-related rock.” LP The album significantly featured guest Eric Clapton on his “first fully realized album as a blues guitarist,” BE coming in between his stints with the Yardbirds and Cream. His work “catapulted him” LP “to the helm of the burgeoning British blues-rock scene” LP and “international exposure as well as legendary guitar rock idol status.” LP Read more.

Albert King Born Under a Bad Sign (1967)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

This Grammy Hall of Fame and National Recording Registry inductee features two songs (“Born Under a Bad Sign,” “Crosscut Saw”) which are Blues Hall of Fame inductees. The album marked King’s arrival at Stax Records where he recorded with Booker T & the MG’s and found the crossover appeal he’d previously been missing. AllMusic.com’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls this “one of the very greatest electric blues albums of all time.” AMG Read more.

Willie Dixon The Chess Box (compilation: 1951-69, released 1988)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

“Songwriter, producer, and talent scout, singer-bassist Willie Dixon essentially built Chicago's Cobra and Chess labels with his sweat.” AZ This collection features 13 different artists including Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, and Muddy Waters, but with one unifying theme – all of these songs are written by Dixon, making a case for him to be crowned “king of the blues composers.” BF Read more.

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble Texas Flood (1983)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

“Produced by legendary talent scout John Hammond,” TD1 Texas Flood “captures the rising guitar star” TD1 “as rockin’ blues purist.” TD2 “Critics claimed that, no matter how prodigious Vaughan’s instrumental talents were, he didn’t forge a distinctive voice” STE but “that was sort of the point of Texas Flood. Vaughan didn’t hide his influences; he celebrated them, pumping fresh blood into a familiar genre” STE and becoming the “torchbearer of the ‘80s-‘90s blues revival.” TD2 Read more.

Robert Cray Strong Persuader (1986)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

Strong Persuader, Cray’s fifth studio album, was his mainstream breakthrough, opening up blues to a wider audience than it had received in decades. The Village Voice, Robert Christgau called it “the first album to break out of the genre’s sales ghetto since B.B. King was a hot item” WK and “the best blues record in many, many years.” WK Read more.

Eric Clapton From the Cradle (1994)

Inducted August 2021 as “Top Blues Albums.”

No white man did more to expose blues to mass audiences than Eric Clapton. Before launching his solo career, his work with groups virtually established the blues-rock genre. As a solo artist, he regularly slipped blues covers into his albums. When his Unplugged album became the most successful of his career, selling 20 million copies and winning the Grammy for Album of the Year, he used his new-found clout to record his first all-blues cover album. Whle “he doesn’t have the strength to pull off Howlin’ Wolf’s growl or the confidence to replicate Muddy Waters’ assured phrasing” STE “the album manages to re-create the ambience of postwar electric blues, right down to the bottomless thump of the rhythm section.” STE Read more.
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Monday, July 31, 2017

This Month in Music (1967): Albert King released the Born Under a Bad Sign album

Born Under a Bad Sign

Albert King

Released: July 1967

Recorded: March 3, 1966 to June 9, 1967

Peak: --

Sales (in millions): 0.5 US

Genre: blues

Tracks:

Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts.

  1. Born Under a Bad Sign (8/26/67, #49 RB)
  2. Crosscut Saw (1/7/67, #34 RB)
  3. Kansas City
  4. Oh, Pretty Woman
  5. Down Don’t Bother Me
  6. The Hunter
  7. I Almost Lost My Mind
  8. Personal Manager
  9. Laundromat Blues (6/26/66, #29 RB)
  10. As the Years Go Passing By
  11. The Very Thought of You

Rating:

3.812 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)

Quotable:

“One of the very greatest electric blues albums of all time” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

“Albert King recorded a lot in the early ‘60s, including some classic sides, but they never quite hit the mark. They never gained a large audience, nor did they really capture the ferocity of his single-string leads. Then he signed with Stax in 1966 and recorded a number of sessions with the house band, Booker T. & the MG’s, and everything just clicked.” STE They gave King “crossover appeal” WK with their “sleek, soulful sound,” WK “providing an excellent contrast to his tightly wound lead guitar, allowing to him to unleash a torrent of blistering guitar runs that were profoundly influential, not just in blues, but in rock & roll. STE Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan have acknowledged how King influenced them. WK

Born Under a Bad Sign collected singles released in 1966 and 1967 as well as additional studio cuts. WK “The concentration of singles gives the album a consistency – these were songs devised to get attention – but, years later, it’s astounding how strong this catalog of songs is: Born Under a Bad Sign, Crosscut Saw, Oh Pretty Woman, The Hunter, Personal Manager, and Laundromat Blues form the very foundation of Albert King’s musical identity and legacy.” STE

“The songs are exceptional and the performances are rich, from King’s dynamic playing to the Southern funk of the MG’s. It was immediately influential at the time and, over the years, it has only grown in stature as one of the very greatest electric blues albums of all time.” STE “It was the great divide of modern blues, the point at which the music was rescued from slipping into derivative obscurity.” WK

Notes:

In 1998, Sundazed Records reissued the album with two additional bonus tracks, both written by Albert King. Those tracks are the rare mono single B-sides Funk-Shun and Overall Junction, which originally appeared on the Stax singles ‘Laundromat Blues’ and ‘Oh, Pretty Woman,’ respectively.” WK

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First posted 11/13/2008; last updated 3/18/2024.

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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2013 Inductees Announced

clockwise, from top left: Public Enemy, Albert King, Randy Newman, Rush, Heart, Donna Summer; image from Billboard

The 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were announced on December 11, 2012 by Flea, the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (a 2012 inductee). The announcement was made at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater where the induction ceremony will be held April 18. The inductees are Lou Adler, Heart, Quincy Jones, Albert King, Randy Newman, Public Enemy, Rush, and Donna Summer.

Lou Adler Induction category: Ahmet Ertegun Award for Lifetime Achievement

Adler was an American record producer (Sam Cooke, Carole King, The Mamas & the Papas), manager (Jan & Dean), director, and an owner of the famous Roxy Theater. He founded Dunhill Records in 1964 and Ode Records in 1967. He helped produce the Monterey International Pop Festival and cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Carole King’s Tapestry, which he produced, won the Grammy for Album of the Year and rates as one of the top 100 albums of all time. See DMDB music maker encyclopedia entry for more.

Heart Induction category: Performer

Heart was a rarity in the male-dominated world of classic rock in the ‘70s – a band led by women – sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. Ann said, “Some people have an idea of what the shape of rock & roll is supposed to look like. We’re not really it. Personally that’s why I think it’s taken quite a while…So this kind of acknowledgement is really sweet.” RS The band made a name for themselves with classic-rock staples like “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You,” and “Barracuda” before getting a second life in the mid-‘80s as a mainstream pop group with #1 hits “These Dreams” and “Alone.” See DMDB music maker encyclopedia entry for more.

Quincy Jones Induction category: Ahmet Ertegun Award for Lifetime Achievement

Jones started as an R&B/jazz musician and bandleader, but made his name as a producer. He ranks as one of the top 50 producers of all time. His most notable work was with Michael Jackson on Thriller, which tops the list of the best-selling albums of all time. That album, as well as Jones’ own Back on the Block, snagged Grammys for Album of the Year. See DMDB music maker encyclopedia entry for more.

Albert King Induction category: Performer

One of two posthumous inductees (the other is Donna Summer), King already ranked as one of the top 100 blues acts of all time and one of the top 100 greatest guitarists. He was previously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. His 1967 album Born Under a Bad Sign ranks as one of the top 1000 albums of all time. See DMDB music maker encyclopedia entry for more.

Randy Newman Induction category: Performer

Newman is already an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and ranks as oe of the top 100 songwriters of the rock era. Of his induction into the Rock Hall, he said, “I thought maybe I’d have to die before they let me in.” RS He also said, “They’re always a little doctinate about what’s rock & roll and what isn’t rock & roll. It’s nice they opened up a little to let me in.” RS His albums 12 Songs (1970) and Sail Away (1972) rank in the top 1000 albums of all time list. See DMDB music maker encyclopedia entry for more.

Public Enemy Induction category: Performer

They are the fourth hip-hop act to be inducted into the Hall, following Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (2007), Run-D.M.C. (2009), and the Beastie Boys (2012). Their songs “Rebel without a Pause” and “Fight the Power” both rank in the top 100 rap songs of all time; the latter is also in the top 1000 songs of all time list. Their 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back ranks as one of the top 100 albums of all time. See DMDB music maker encyclopedia entry for more.

Rush Induction category: Performer

Fan loyalty for this classic prog-rock Canadian trio is rivaled only by KISS fans when it comes to lobbying for enshrinement into the Hall. This year, fans were allowed to vote and the results were counted as one of the six-hundred-something ballots. Rush was the overwhelming favorite. Geddy Lee, th band’s singer and bassist, expressed gratitude to the band’s hardcore fans. “It was a cause they championed. I’m very relieved for them and we share this honor with them, for sure.” RS Alex Lifeson, the band’s guitarist, said, “It’s a privilege to be able to play music…and it’s an even greater privilege to have such a fantastic audience.” BB The band’s albums 2112 (1976), Permanent Waves (1980), and Moving Pictures all rank in the top 1000 albums of all time list. Among their best-known songs are “Closer to the Heart,” “The Trees,” “Freewill,” “Limelight,” and “Tom Sawyer,” a song ranked as one of the top 100 classic rock songs of all time. See DMDB music maker encyclopedia entry for more.

Donna Summer Induction category: Performer

Sometimes known as the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer was hugely successful in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. Her songs “Last Dance” and “Hot Stuff” rank in the DMDB’s top 1000 songs of all time. When she died last May, the DMDB blog featured a tribute to her in which her top 20 songs were ranked (“Last Dance for Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco: May 17, 2012”). See DMDB music maker encyclopedia entry for more.

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Sunday, May 2, 2010

50 years ago: Elmore James “The Sky Is Crying” hit the R&B chart

The Sky Is Crying

Elmore James

Writer(s): Elmore James (see lyrics here)

Released: March 1960

First Charted: May 2, 1960

Peak: 15 RB (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 24.78 streaming

The Sky Is Crying

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

Recorded: 1984

First Charted: November 9, 1991

Peak: 2 AR, 6 DF (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 12.06 video, -- streaming

Awards (Elmore James):

Click on award for more details.

Awards (Stevie Ray Vaughan):

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Blues singer/songwriter and guitarist Elmore James was born in 1918 in Mississippi. He earned the nickname “King of the Slide Guitar,” offering up interpretations of blues standards like “Dust My Broom,” “Crossroads,” “It Hurts Me Too,” “Rollin’ and Tumblin,’” and “Every Day I Had the Blues.” He also penned some blues classics, most notably “The Sky Is Crying” – one of his four entries on the R&B charts.

Writer Gayle Dean Wardlow wrote that “they mythical stature given to James is quickly growing to equal that of Robert Johnson.” SS Critic Robert Palmer ranks James with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and a few others as “the recorded pinnacle of Chicago blues.” SS

Music historian Steve Sullivan said specifically of “The Sky Is Crying” that it is James’ “greatest original piece” SS and is “among the most electrifying blues recordings of the postwar Chicago era.” SS Record producer Bobby Robinson said it is “a magnificent vehicle for both Elmore’s emotion-packed blues vocal and his ringing slide guitar.” WK

The song has become a blues standard recorded and performed by other blues greatest like Freddie King, Albert King, Eric Clapton, George Thorogood, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Vaughan’s version was recorded in 1984 during sessions for the Couldn’t Stand the Weather album. It was released posthumously in 1991 as the title song from an archival album and reached #2 on the album rock chart. Critic Dan Forte said, “Stevie tips his Clint Eastwood hat to two of his idols: Elmore James…and Albert King…whose influence is evident in every likc and bend.” WK

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First posted 1/14/2023.

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Saturday, April 22, 1995

Corey Stevens “I’ll Play the Blues for You” released on Blue Drops of Rain

I’ll Play the Blues for You

Corey Stevens

Writer(s): Jerry Beach (see lyrics here)

Released: April 22, 1995 (album)

First Charted: --

Peak: 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.)

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.08 video, 0.21 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

With just five albums in seven years, singer and guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan established himself as one of the most important artists in blues history. As a white artist, he opened a door for audiences to what had traditionally been a black music genre. His life was tragically cut short in a helicopter accident in 1990 when he was just 35.

While no one could take his place there were several artists in the ‘90s who gave it their best shot. Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, and Corey Stevens all found some airplay on album rock stations, but none reached the same level of success as Vaughan. Stevens’ aim at the throne was the most obvious. The two were both born in 1954, just two months apart. On Stevens’ debut album, Blue Drops of Rain, he even looked like Stevie Ray, complete with a soul patch and large-brimmed hat.

The lead track, “Gone Too Long,” sounded like Vaughan and Stevens even covered “Lenny,” a song written by Vaughan. However, Stevens also displayed an affinity for Albert King, covering “Crosscut Saw,” a song which King took to #34 on the R&B chart in 1967. Stevens also did “I’ll Play the Blues for You,” a song from King’s 1972 album of the same name. It reached #31 on the R&B chart.

The song was written by Jerry Beach, who released it as a single just a couple of months before King’s version. SH However, it was first recorded in 1969 was by a Texas-born soul singer named Geater Davis. That version was unreleased. SH Others who’ve recorded the song include Gary Moore and Joe Bonamassa. SH While King’s version has a slow groove, Stevens gave the song a more driving rock beat which gives it such a slinky, sultry sound it’s a wonder it hasn’t become a go-to song for strippers.

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First posted 12/23/2022.

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