The Jelly Roll Kings:
Frank Frost, Sam Carr, Big Jack Johnson
Rockin' the Juke Joint Down
Earwig 4901 CD/C
   ...The Kings cook with their own brand of gas, simmering rock, pop and c & w influences into the basic broth of authentic funk to create a piping hot Southern gumbo... a driving selection of instrumental and vocal burners...- Downbeat
   (Big Jack Johnson's) vocals are raw, and he plays raunchy, thunderous guitar... (Frank Frost) blows harmonica with a flair that recalls Sonny Boy Williamson... (drummer Sam Carr) gets the groove going...- The Seattle Rocket
 

Sunnyland Slim, Honeyboy Edwards, Walter Horton, Floyd Jones, Kansas City Red
Old Friends
Earwig 4902 LP (DJ)/CD/C
   The music has the unforced feel of (Chicago's) blues of the late 30s and 40s without once sounding anachronistic. The five musicians (playing as a quintet) share the vocal duties, providing striking contrasts...All the material is original in the true sense, not just old blues with reshuffled lyrics and new titles, and the quintet interprets it with real conviction. Horton is featured on seven of the seventeen numbers. - Manchester, England Evening News

Jim Brewer
Tough Luck
Earwig 4904 LP
    Tough Luck is Delta blues at its best -- its words and melodies sing of the human condition in its most expressive manner. Listeners who enjoy Son House or Mississippi John Hurt will welcome the music of Jim Brewer. - Cadence
    Brewer sang blues in the understated mellow manner that seeps inside of you even as you drink and chat; his deep soft voice and the light knowing touch of calloused fingers on the strings picked out many layered patterns of blue.    - Arts, The Michigan Daily

Big Jack Johnson
The Oil Man
Earwig 4910 LP/CD/C
   Johnson's fat, reverb-drenched guitar tone and convincing vocals make for a potent combination on such classics as Catfish and How Many More Years, and even help to compensate for such obviously derivative songs as I'm Gonna Give Up Disco (a thinly disguised rewrite of Jr. Parker's Mystery Train). Also worth hearing are Johnson's delightfully distinctive treatments of Steel Guitar Rag, and oddly enough, Tom Dooley.    - The Washington Post
   The band latches onto some irresistable grooves that are custom made for dancing (roll up the rugs) and Johnson's guitar has a big, fat sound that makes you want to swing and sweat. Catfish, with its subtle references to Jimi Hendrix and John Lee Hooker,... ought to attract those fans of Stevie Ray Vaughn and George Thorogood if they can handle a lot more meat and a lot less sizzle. - Jazz Times

Frank Frost
Midnight Prowler
Earwig 4914 LP/CD/C
   Make it funky! For down-home blues fans it doesn't get much better than this. Vocalist/harp player Frost... comes on with the raw basics, accompanied by two different groups featuring his superb guitarist Big Jack Johnson. Well-balanced mix of covers and originals is rough and real, and will kick the butt of any died-in-the-wool blues nut. - Billboard
   Frank Frost is a country bluesman to the bone. the Sun Records veteran is in typically relaxed and inspired form on this session, where he's frequently supported by Jonnson and drummer Sam Carr's infectious backbeat. Slim Harpo's ghost looms large here, but if Frost proves one thing on this record, it's that he's clearly his own man. Listen to his outragous cover of Mustang Sally if you doubt it. - Jazztimes

Sunnyland Slim
Be Careful How You Vote
Earwig 4915 LP/CD/C
   Premier Pianist/composer Sunnyland Slim grew into his blues roots in Chicago via the Delta. This collection of recordings from 1981-83 is quite possibly one of the most potent, diverse blues discs to ever haunt my CD player. - The Retriever
   This is a remastered reissue from Sunnyland's own Airway label, featuring the great guitarists Hubert Sumlin, Eddie Taylor, Magic Slim, and Lurrie Bell, who turn in blazing guitar solos behind Sunnyland's deep vocals and rolling piano. Most of the songs had not been recorded by Slim prior to this session; many are quite topical in their lyrics. - Silo Independent Newsletter

Big Jack Johnson
Daddy, When is Mama Comin Home?
Earwig 4916 LP/CD/C
   A major blues talent, guitarist/vocalist Johnson delivers topical material with knock-out force and man-woman songs with hard poignancy. - American Visions
   Crawdad Hole, I'm A Big Boy Now, and the title cuts are all standouts. AIDS, racism, and poverty are all here and Big Jack's insightful and often humorous commentary are a welcome and somewhat overdue statement. - Music Independent
   Besides Johnson's swaggering leads and rippling guitar, there's a torrid horn section of top Chicgo players. On two songs, Frank Frost takes a turn on synthesizer, adding a contemporary flavor. But no one should mistake this for a pop or rock session; it's hard-edged, undiluted Delta blues. - Memphis Commercial Appeal

Little Brother Montgomery
At Home
Earwig 4918 LP/CD/C
   Little Brother was one of the finest of the first generation of blues pianists who came out of the barrelhouse and back rooms of the rural South in the early 1900s. This fine collection is mostly unissued cuts recorded from the late 60s to the early 80s. Excellent for collectors, and great old piano stylings as well. - Pittsburgh Press
   When Little Brother Montgomery died in 1985, a priceless quality departed American piano music: an easy-rocking swing, a graceful flow of movement seldom heard outside of New Orleans players... His boogie bass lines are flexible, and his playing is relaxed and fluid... he embellishes as often as he improvises in his solos... he is a dramatic player, as in his No Special Rider Boogie. His blues singing is special. - Chicago Tribune

Louis Myers
Tell My Story Movin'
Earwig 4919 CD/C
   Emerging from a long bout of ill health, Myer's renewed vigor can be seen on this album. His harmonica, vocal, and guitar chops richly demonstrate why he is credited with a large role in helping develop shuffle and other uptempo blues. - Silo Independent Newsletter
   For a man over 60, his fingers are still nimble, varying from the stomping shuffle of Wiggle Tail and inebriated joy of Sloppy Drunk to the cathartic moan of In The Evening and Whooping Cough. His harmonica emits quite a moan, too, and gets the limelight on Bottom Of The Harp and Tribute To The Aces. - Option

Jimmy Dawkins
kant sheck dees bluze
Earwig 4920 CD/C
   Jimmy has recorded the best set of his career, accompanied by a top-notch Chicago band of "Professor" Eddie Lusk on piano/organ, ace bass man Johnny B. Gayden, Ray Scott on drums, Billy Flynn of The Legendary Blues Band on rhythm guitar and two storming vocals by a young female singer, Nora Jean Wallace. (Jimmy) has a gift to say so, so much with a single note or riff that modern fret board wizards would do well to listen to... Unreservedly recommended. - Blues and Rhythm
   Jimmy Dawkins is a masterful musician. He's a brilliant song writer, an effective singer, and one of the very best West Side Chicago guitarists, with a staccato style of playing all his own... The emotional force of Dawkins' guitar is devastating... (kant shek dees bluze) is an essential album for lovers of blues guitar and anyone who looks to blues for no-holds-barred confrontation with the human condition. - Alabama Blues Society Newsletter

Honeyboy Edwards
Delta Bluesman
Earwig 4922 CD/C
   This is a wonderful record... The first 14 cuts are from 1942 Library of Congress recordings... Edwards' playing is as Delta blues as it gets... Edwards worked with (Big Joe Williams and) other Delta greats such as Tommy McClennan, Charley Patton... Big Walter Horton, Robert Johnson, and Little Walter. His playing shows influences from all these men... There are seven songs on the CD recorded in 1991 with Carey Bell, Sunnyland Slim, Aron Burton, and Robert Plunkett, that show Edwards can still lay down some mean blues... If you have any interest in Mississippi blues, you've got to have this album. - Living Blues
   ...One is left with the feeling of the natural blues from way back from one of the last living masters... Interspersed with vocal reminiscences of a rich and celebrated life, this is one of the traditional blues treasures of the year. - Beach News, Encinitas, California

Lester Davenport
When The Blues Hit You
Earwig 4923 CD/C
   Serving up 12 Davenport original tunes on the album, "Mad Dog" and his mates have cooked up a spicy stew of vintage blues sounds. Tracks like the hopping It Won't Work Like That, I'm Gonna Move, and the rousing I'm Gonna Give It Up find Davenport... singing convincingly in a gruff time seasoned tone, and blowing up a storm on harp. - Chicago Blues Magazine
   The "Mad Dog" is such a powerful soloist in the Little Walter vein (the Big Walter vein, too, before that worthy turned so introspective) such that you wish he'd just keep going. ...The model here is pretty clearly the Muddy Waters ensemble... That's OK with me -- the Morganfield model is a durable one and Lester even sings a bit like the Master... As for backup, we've got John Primer, guitarist in Muddy's last band and a student of Sammy Lawhorn... Add Sunnyland Slim, his accomplices Stroger and Covington, and the right amount of chugging and scratching from Willie Davis, and you've got a band that ought to tour... Excellent recording. Go for it. - Cadence

John Primer
Stuff You Got To Watch
Earwig 4924 CD/C
   John Primer is a small gem of a blues guitarist, shaped under the pressure of years of hard labor in clubs and backup work, sparkling on his American solo debut. The Mississippi-born bluesman played lead guitar in Muddy Waters' last band, until Waters' death in 1982; he's since been a guitar slinger for Magic Slim And The Teardrops. His stinging guitar solos and tough vocals are equally at home with his original tunes or sturdy covers of solid blues... Every time you worry a bit about the blues disappearing as an American music, someone like John Primer shows up to case your troubled mind. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
   John Primer reveals himself to be a confident, expressive singer and a skilled and versatile guitarist on his American debut album... The disc features 13 cuts covering a wide range of blues styles, tempos, and song formats... (showcasing) Primer's fluid guitar work and hip vocal phrasing along with some biting harp from Mervyn "Harmonica" Hinds... (John Primer) certainly rates as an up and coming blues artist to watch. - Chicago Blues Magazine

H-Bomb Ferguson
Wiggin' Out
Earwig 4926 CD/C
   H-Bomb Ferguson does not play the piano. He fights it. He punches the white keys and jabs the black ones. When he sings, he alternates between a deep growl and a high, hoarse howl. ...Ferguson's style -- wig and all -- is captured on Wiggin' Out... The album's 15 tracks have a warm, LP-era sound with Ferguson's vocals soaring over his four-piece band, the Medicine Men.
   ...With the Medicine Men, the piano-man does some serious blues. Meatloaf and Shake Your Apple Tree march to Keenath Malachi Williams' modified second-line New Orleans beat and Eric Neuhausser's sassy tenor sax as their lyrics wallow in the blues stew of sex and romance. Ferguson and Neuhausser team up for I Got A Love and Moon, Shine On Me. On each, Ferguson settles his piano into a steady, honky-tonk mode while Neuhausser's sax buzzes around like a big, brass-plated bee. Then he sings.
   His voice is feisty and quick like a bantam-weight prizefighter as it delivers love letters with the power of a left hook to the jaw. - The Cincinnati Enquirer

Aron Burton
Past, Present, & Future
Earwig 4927 CD/C
   Aron Burton worked as a sideman on many classic recordings on the Alligator label as well as a stint with Albert Collins. But Past, Present, & Future isn't a tribute to another artist. It's a full-blown testament to the abilities of Aron Burton.
   The recording evolved from three different sessions, with eight selections included from a previously issued European recording. Burton, who holds down the lead vocal and bass chores, composed most of the tunes, all of which are saturated with a hard-edged urban blues feeling.
   Past, Present, & Future is an exceptional work by an artist who has been around for a good long time, but never really took center stage. Aron Burton has put together a first-rate collection of gritty blues that should bring him out of the shadows once in a while. Blues Review Quarterly
   Burton is one of Chicago's most underrated singers and songwriters -- a situation that this release should do much to correct. - Living Blues

Lovie Lee
Good Candy
Earwig 4928 CD/C
   This CD reissue of several tracks produced by Eddie "Lovie" Lee Watson in 1984 and '89 features 58 minutes of piano-pounding Chicago blues fun... Lovie's songs, expressive vocals, and steady-rollin' piano playing shine... as do the playing of harmonica-ace Carey Bell and his highly underrated, guitar playing son, Lurrie, who amazes throughout. This entertaining set of blues features Lovie's penchant for songs about sex: his saucy Good Candy, bragging Whoopin' Thighs, downright dirty Sticky Candy, and stomping The Mule, all deal with steamy issues. His romping instrumental, Lovie's Boogie, and rousing Chief Police, on the other hand, are just good, old-fashioned, boogie-woogie fun. - The Record Roundup
   Lee released two self-produced (and overlapping) albums on his own Blues on Blues label. Material from those LPs is combined here with newer recordings.
   Throughout there is a consistently relaxed and informal feel to the music, with Lee proving to be a warm and engaging singer with a penchant for sly lyrics and traditional blues themes. - Living Blues

Homesick James
Goin' Back In The Times
Earwig 4929 CD/C
   With a career in music that spans almost 70 years, Homesick James Williamson has worked with many pivotal figures in blues, including Sleepy John Estes, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Boy Fuller, and Memphis Minnie. The recent release features James' strangely interesting guitar playing and still-strong singing on several vibrant country blues that serve as a link to a vastly rich past and a reminder of his place in the music's formative period. On the title track, James talks about friends who've gone on, while his Livin' Like A Bear, Bitin' Me And Shakin' Me All Up And Down, and Memphis Minnie's Kissing In The Dark evoke a time and place, though now gone, that live on in this powerful and magical music. - The Record Roundup
   The material is superb. Homesick's covers...are both heartfelt and personalized, and is his own creations range from solid to brilliant. ...such creativity and vitality form an artist of Homesick's years is remarkable. - Living Blues

Little Willie Anderson
Swinging The Blues
Earwig 4930 CD
   If you're a blues harmonica player, it's virtually impossible not to owe a debt to Little Walter Jacobs. Willie Anderson, sometimes known as Little Walter, Jr., was Little Walter's chauffeur, valet, drinking buddy, and occasional substitute on gigs.
   On this reissue of a 1981 LP, Willie is backed by some of the cream of Chicago sidemen: guitarists Robert Jr. Lockwood, Jimmy Lee Robinson, Sammy Lawhorn, and drummer Fred Below, another Walter alumnus.
   Though not quite as fleet and adept as Walter, Little Willie's tone has a raw biting edge and impassioned power. Like Walter, his blowing is horn influenced... Anderson is consciously carrying a flame here, but not with quiet reverence. He blows for broke, and this is one of the most exciting harp albums since Walter's death.   - CityPages

Big Leon Brooks
Let's Go To Town
Earwig 4931 CD
   The late Big Leon Brooks was one of the unsung harmonica greats of Chicgo blues. It's sad and ironic that he passed away before he was able to enjoy the rave reviews he will no doubt receive for this album. In addition to playing soulful, wailing harp, Brooks proves here that he was a fine songwriter, bandleader, and vocalist as well. His shouting style cut through the gutsy backing of an all-star cast of blues players. Some might argue that Brooks was imitating Little Walter and others of greater renown, but there's no denying that he was a talent in his own right. - Goldmine
   Big Leon Brooks' story is sad but typical of the blues. Brooks is backed by journeymen players Louis Myers, Eddie Taylor, Pinetop Perkins, and his drummer Odie Payne, Jr. ...this is a highly listenable set by one of the more obscure lights on the Chicago scene.
   He left a good-rocking legacy. -CityPages

Louisiana Red
Sittin' Here Wonderin'
Earwig 4932 CD
   This CD's brooding, dark sounds harken back to the mid-1950s when Red as a teenager was hanging out in the clubs of Detroit trying to emulate his influences John Lee Hooker, Eddie Burns, Lightin' Hopkins, and Muddy Waters. Red became one of the most prolific recording artists of the past four decades, recording for Chess, Fire, and Fury Records between 1953 and 1962, and during the 60s and 70s for Roulette, Atco, and Blue Labor. He has recorded and resided in Europe since 1982.
   Louisiana Red, long known for his raw, emotive vocals, extremely personal lyrics, and intense, country blues influenced guitar styles, recorded this album during a one-year residence in Phoenix, Arizona in 1981-82. The producer gave him free rein, and the result is this solo, heartfelt expression of Red's passionate approach to "playing the blues hard," as he puts it. These recordings are issued for the first time on this Earwig CD.

16th Anniversary Sampler
Earwig 4933 CD
   This first Earwig blues sampler commemorates the 16th anniversary since label Producer and CEO Michael Frank began the label by taking Frank Frost, Sam Carr, and Jack Johnson -- The Jelly Roll Kings -- into a Memphis studio to record Rockin' The Juke Joint Down (4901). Since that magic session, these guys have made four Earwig albums between them.
   Earwig has concentrated on middle-aged and elder bluesmen who are under-represented in recordings and live performance. Honeyboy Edwards, Sunnyland Slim, Homesick James, and H-Bomb Ferguson - seminal figures in the history of the blues - all made new recordings on Earwig. The label also made the first album recordings of Lester Davenport, Aron Burton, Lovie Lee, Big Jack Johnson, and John Primer as bandleaders rather than as sidemen. And the label has proudly released private tapes produced by Little Brother Montgomery - one of the most important blues and traditional jazz pianists of all time.
   These musicians and more make up the Earwig story -- 16 years and 18 cuts -- featuring every Earwig artist. Check it out!

Aron Burton
Live
Earwig 4935 CD
   In his forty-year career in the music business, Aron Burton has earned his title as the ultimate right-in-the-pocket bass player, backing such blues luminaries as the late Freddy King, Jimmy Witherspoon, Junior Wells, Jimmy Walker, Billy Boy Arnold, and Albert Collins, among many others. This new CD (his second Earwig recording) is knee-deep in traditional blues with a little bit of soul thrown in for good measure.
   "Aron Burton Live stands with the best of them. With the exception of two studio tracks, the album was recorded live last year at Buddy Guy's Legends and features guest appearances by harpist Lester Davenport and vivacious vocalist Liz Mandville Greeson. Vocals are spread amongst the band members, which is appropriate because Burton's avowed goal is to present a blues revue that puts the spotlight on all the stage talent. Aron Burton Live is a sterling example of just how good Chicago blues can still be...." -Illinois Entertainer

Lil Ed and Dave Weld
with the Imperial Flames
Keep on Walkin'
Earwig 4936 CD
   Two acoustic guitars strummin and two feet tappin' open Lil Ed and Dave Weld's Keep on Walkin'. The song, Ed's North Carolina Bound, sets the tone for half of this magnificent album. The other half explodes forth with the electric blast of Combination Boogie. And so it goes throughout as these longtime partners alternate acoustic duo performances of raw Delta blues and full-band workouts in a variety of styles. Lead vocal and guitar chores are generally handled by the man who wrote the song, with eight for Ed and six for Dave. Their vocals and guitar playing complement each other perfectly; both possess deep, hard-driving voices. - Bluesprint
   Lil Ed and Dave Weld's Keep on Walkin' boasts some outstanding guitar work (including lots of screaming slide) from both featured artists, as well as some effectively gritty singing from Ed... Ed and Weld are at their best when they let their guitars do the talking. - Illinois Entertainer

Johnny Yard Dog Jones
Ain't Gonna Worry
Earwig 4937 CD
Johnny Yard Dog Jones' powerful debut album features blues originals which tell vivid stories, from joy to jealousy... and reflect everywhere he's lived and everything he's felt. Born a sharecropper's son in Arkansas, Johnny eventually followed other family members north. A vital force in the Detroit blues scene since he moved there from Chicago in the early 1970s, Johnny is recognized as an excellent vocalist and harmonica stylist. In Ain't Gonna Worry, he offers up not only his singing and harp playing talents, but also his skills as a guitar player on several cuts.
   1996 Living Blues Critic's Poll Best Contemporary Blues.
   1997 Handy Award Winner Best New Artist.

Liz Mandville Greeson
Look at Me
Earwig 4938 CD
   Chicago's blues diva wraps her four octave muscle around 14 roots originals stoked by talented musicians Albert King's and Albert Collins' rhythm sections. A tireless bandleader on the tough Chicago club circuit, Liz describes her blues as "about an indomitable fighting spirit that makes people keep facing adversity... in my show and on this CD I'm telling people, 'You're not by yourself... Get out there and do what you have to do because somebody understands.'"
   Look at Me displays the wide range of Liz's lyric ideas and musical arrangements, including the hard-driving Life Sentence of the Blues, and I'm On a Rocket Tonight, the R&B groove of Everybody's Breakin' Up, the gospel-tinged Look In Your Heart, and the inspirational Somebody You'll Win, the coquetish humor of Fish Food and I'm So Blue, the intensely political blues of Trouble Times, and the forlorn Shoulda Been A Love Song and Gone Away, Problem Solved, plus four other hip-shakin', soulful grooves.

Big Jack Johnson
Live in Chicago
Earwig 4939 CD
   Since his first Earwig release 19 years ago, The Jelly Roll Kings, Rockin' The Juke Joint Down (4901), Big Jack Johnson has gone on to increasing world-wide acclaim. His previous Earwig recordings garnered four stars in Rolling Stone and Downbeat. In 1996 Jack received the Living Blues Award as Best Live Performer. With his non-stop touring, he now rivals B.B. King for most shows in one year. This new release captures Big Jack at his awesome, raw peak with the Aron Burton Blues Band, with "Mad Dog" Lester Davenport on harmonica.

David Honeyboy Edwards
The World Don't Owe Me Nothing - Recorded Live 1996-97
Earwig 4940 CD
   This CD is being released immediately following the publication by Chicago Review Press of Honeyboy's autobiography, of the same title. The recording captures Honeyboy in concert, playing a mix of his favorites and new material, joined on half the cuts by his long time friend Carey Bell on harmonica. After 65 years of living the blues, Edwards shows no signs of letting up. His unique solo interpretations of Hide Away - the Freddie King standard - is worth the price of admission.

Lil Ed Williams & Willie Kent
Who's Been Talking
Earwig 4941 CD
   This new recording features the rare combination of guitarist Lil Ed and bassist Willie Kent, both renowned on the Chicago blues scene for the energy, tightness, and durability of their distinctive West Side sounds. Lil Ed inherited the mantle of his uncle and mentor, J.B. Hutto, and absorbed the style of his idol Elmore James to carry on the tradition of raw, electric style slide guitar, wide-mouth vocals, and flamboyant stage antics.
   Willie Kent has been a mainstay of the Windy City club scene for forty years, known for his tight, rock-solid band, his deep blues vocals, and bass, Lil Ed and keyboardists Allen Bates used to sit in with Willie and the other musicians on this record - fleet-fingered guitarist Eddie C. Campbell and drummer Baldhead Pete.
   This record features a slew of previously unrecorded tunes by Ed and Willie, some lesser-known chestnuts from their influences, Muddy, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore, and some Chicago soul thrown in for good measure.

Sunnyland Slim
She Got A Thing Goin' On
Earwig 4942 CD
   This album is a reissue of tracks produced and released by Sunnyland Slim on his Airway lable in the early '80s. Sunyland served as a mentor and promoter of Bonnie, Sara, and Zora, taking them on tours which gave them national exposure in the beginning of their professional careers.
   In addition to these fine female vocalists, the sessions also feature the brilliant guitar work of Eddie Taylor, Byther Smith, and Hubert Sumlin, along with the fine bassist of Bob Stroger. An added bonus are two previously unreleased tracks from Earwig's historic 1979 session, Old Friends, with Slim on piano, Floyd Jones on bass and vocals, Kansas City Red on drums and vocals, and Honeyboy Edwards on guitar.

Louisiana Red
Millennium Blues
Earwig 4943 CD
   Ths CD follows Louisiana Red's triumphant 1998 return to America on the festival circuit, and his first new US recording in many years. In this mix of solo acoustic blues guitar and classic Chicago electric band contexts, Red demonstrates that he learned his lessons well from the blues musicians who mentored him so long ago. His impassioned vocals, dexterous finger-picking, and aggressive slide guitar work, wrapped around his personal story in song make for a compelling story of a triumph over a tragic childhood through the power of the blues. He is accompanied by a hard-driving band of Chicago all-stars, including Handy Award winner Willie Kent on bass, Dave Jefferson--formerly of the Albert King band-on drums, Allen Batts of the early Albert Collins' Ice Breakers band on electric piano, ex-drummer in the Muddiy Waters Band Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on harmonica, and Brian Bisesi, currently with Luther Johnson's band-on rhythm guitar.
This one's got my bet for comeback album of the year. Take a blues cruise with Louisiana Red, 'cause the blues don't get any better than this! -Jazz & Blues report

Johnny Drummer
It's So Nice
Earwig 4944 CD
   This CD is the debut album by Chicago's long-time bandleader, keyboardist and vocalist Johnny Drummer, known for over thirty years for leading one of the tightest small combos in the city. Johnny has long bee4n known for his high-energy shows in small clubs on the South and West Sides of the Windy City. With this album of smooth contemporary soul and blues r&b, Johnny is set to bust out onto the national scene. His knack for catch lyric hooks and funky grooves will please the steppers set and also provide plenty of mood music for lovers. Johnny is joined by Chicago's "Bar Room Preacher" Jimmy Johnson on lead guitar on several cuts.
This soul-packed effort is urban blues, yet it is resoundingly also modern, soulful r&b. Drummer and company have laid down some great music filled with songs of love, romance, and the volatility of those relationships. Good material.clever instrumental mixes and powerful keyboard sounds! -Big City Blues

Liz Mandville Greeson
Ready To Cheat
Earwig 4945 CD
   Ready to Cheat is a dark, sexy, dangerous blend of Chicago blues and Memphis soul, spun from the pen of Chicago blues diva Liz Mandville Greeson. Winding her steely, muscular four-octave voice around her new original songs, Liz delivers sassy, soul-drenched blues for the new millennium. Liz is an accomplished Chicago-based songwriter, singer and performer who has received enthusiastic acclaim not only from audiences in the Chicago blues club scene, where she appears regularly, but also from her appearances in national and international tours. Listen to her lively , lusty views of life, love, and sex on this album, her second Earwig recording. The album features the Chicago Fire Horns, Bruce Thompson and the Black Roses on background vocals, and some of the finest Chicago session men in the business.

Earwig 20th Anniversary Collection (2 Vol. Set)
Earwig 4946 CD
   This second Earwig blues collection celebrates the 20th anniversary since producer and CEO Michael Frank began the label by taking Frank Frost, Sam Carr, and Jack Johnson -The Jelly Roll Kings-into a Memphis studio to record Earwig's first album, Rockin the Juke Joint Down, in 1979. During its first fifteen years, Earwig concentrated on seminal figures in the history of the blues: elder bluesmen under-represented in recordings and live performance-artists such as Honeyboy Edwards, Sunnyland Slim, Homesick James, H-Bomb Ferguson, and Louisiana Red. Earwig also made the first album recordings of Lester Davenport, Aron Burton, Lovie Lee, Big Jack Johnson, and John Primer as bandleaders rather than as sidemen.
In the past five years Earwig has released debut albums by Chicago's blues diva Liz Mandville Greeson, South Side sould blues singer Johnny Drummer, and Detroit's Johnny "Yard Dog" Jones. Jones won a Handy Award and Living Blues' Critics Poll as Best New Artist. Earwig has also specialized in putting together band combinations not found on other labels-Lil Ed with Willie Kent and Eddie C. Campbell; Louisiana Red-in his first American album in almost twenty years-with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on harmonica; and Honeyboy Edwards with Carey Bell.
This generous double CD features cuts from every Earwig artist, and original songs by these artists not found on other labels.

Louisiana Red
Driftin'
Earwig 4947 CD/C
Many musicians play the blues. Louisiana Red lives it. As one reviewer put it, "Red's blues are about as down to earth as the humus itself." When he performs, he falls into a trance-like state and his whole life pours out in an intense demonstration of what being a blues musician is all about.
This album, Red's third for Earwig, reunites the band from his second Earwig album, Millennium Blues: Willie Kent, Handy Award winner, on bass; Dave Jefferson, formerly of the Albert King band, on drums; Allen Batts, of the early Albert Collins' Ice Breakers band, on electric piano; Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on harmonica, and Brian Bisesi, currently with Luther Johnson's band, rhythm guitar.

"Half this CD is down home, acoustic country blues. Red plays music so raw and personal you'd swear you were walking through some clapboard shantytown in the Deep South listening to Red playing on his porch. The remainder of the cuts use a band and its sound is best described the the term popularized by John Fogerty, chooglin' blues...Louisiana Red with this album solidifies his reputation as a consummate storyteller in song." -- Blues Connection of Central New York "Red is on top of his game with a fine mix of raw electric and unplugged blues that will make you take notice--this is the real thing. Each and every song is an autobiographical glimpse into a truly great man." -- Twin Cities Blues News

Unleaded Blues
Johnny Drummer
Earwig 4948 CD/C
  Earwig celebrates the multi-talented Johnny Drummer, a Chicago South Side musician who plays and writes "in the key of life," on his second album for Earwig Music. Johnny is a great vocalist, songwriter under a groove, arranger and bandleader. This new album contains blues, soulful original tunes with a rhythmic groove and a hook, and love ballads.

He is backed by Allan Batts, piano; Dave Jefferson, drums; Felton Crews, bass; Luther "Slim" Adams, guitar; Chuck Kramer, guitar; Anthony Palmer, guitar; and Calvin "Kadakie" Tucker, congas. Special guest vocalists: Liz Mandville Greeson, Bruce Thompson, and Michelle Thompson.

"Johnny Drummer is a keyboardist and, mainly, a sweet-singing blue-soul man. Drummer's suave vocals are rich and full of character. He's written a batch of good songs, most of which deal with matters of the heart, and there are some clever touches. [The band members are] fine players all, backing one of modern-day Chicago's most compelling singers." -- Blues Revue

"Johnny can rock the house with his own distinctive Chicago style blues: his ballads and duets with other artists are beautiful and sexy. Drummer is a professional and his arrangements for this session really show the guy's a master. This album is a heavyweight with a whole lot of moves--dig it!"-Twin Cities Blues News

Back in Love Again
Liz Mandville Greeson
Earwig CD 4949

Back In Love Again, Liz's third Earwig album, is her autobiography of romance, self-penned tunes that comment on the roller coaster ride of love. While rooted in the blues genre, the recordings demonstrate Liz's stylistic versatilityhard-hitting blues, Americana, R&B, swing and sensual ballads. Carrying on the tradition of the classic blues singer, she engages the listener with humor and risque innuendo. This Chicago diva is a powerhouse-a soul-drenched singer, songwriter and show-woman!

Just My Luck
ROB STONE & THE C-NOTES
Earwig CD 4950

Although they're solidly rooted in postwar Chicago blues tradition (spiced with a serious tendency to swing), labeling Rob Stone & The C-Notes a traditional blues band would be an injustice to their imagination. This young Windy City combo is charting its own direction.

Rockin' In The Juke Joint
Johnny Drummer
Earwig CD 4951

Johnny Drummer, keyboardist, vocalist and bandleader of one of the tightest small combos in Chicago, has long been known for his high-energy shows in small clubs on the South and West Sides of the Windy City. Rockin' in the Juke Joint, Johnny's third Earwig release, offers his humorous takes on male/female relationships, in a variety of musical styles - funky blues, contemporary soul, passionate ballads and jukin' dance tunes. Johnny handles lead vocals, harmonica, and electronic keyboards, and is backed by a stellar cast of Chicago's finest musicians.

Hole In That Jug
Dennis Binder
Earwig CD 4952

Dennis Binder, pianist, vocalist and composer originally from Rosedale, Mississippi, has been an active member of the blues community for over 50 years. As a young man, Dennis refined his technique and music knowledge in Chicago. Determined to become a professional musician, he hung around the Chess Records studio, and eventually cut four songs for the label. In the 1950s he recorded for Sam Phillips at Sun Records, and in Clarksdale, as a featured vocalist/arranger on recordings that Ike Turner set up for Modern Records. Dennis has remained musically active in Lawton, Oklahoma, performing in local clubs and releasing several self-produced cds of blues, country, and inspirational music. After a fifty-year hiatus from the national scene, he has resumed touring throughout the United States and internationally with recent performances at major festivals around the world. 

Roamin' and Ramblin'
Honeyboy Edwards
Earwig CD 4953

Harkening back to the golden era of pre-WWII blues, when Honeyboy and the greatest Delta harmonica players gigged together, before any of them had recorded or gained notoriety.

Featuring Honeyboy's old school guitar and vocals - fresh takes on old gems and the first time release of historic recordings. New 2007 sessions with harmonica greats Bobby Rush, Billy Branch and Johnny  "Yard Dog" Jones, previously unreleased studio recordings of Honeyboy and Big Walter Horton, and circa 1976 concert tracks both solo and with Sugar Blue.

Michael Frank, Paul Kaye, Rick Sherry and Kenny Smith also play on the album on various tracks. Honeyboy and Bobby Rush also tell some short blues tales. 

Red Top
Liz Mandeville
Earwig CD 4954

This is Liz's Fourth album on Earwig. She has surrounded herself with some of the finest Chicago musicians, many of whom have been or are currently in her touring band. They play their hearts out here under her able leadership, and Liz and I thank them very much for their efforts. We are especially pleased that Chicago bluesman and sax great Eddie Shaw blew his horn on two tunes. Eddie is a great band leader who has provided inspiration, musical leadership and tutelage to many younger musicians all over the blues scene.

This album is comprised of 15 songs, all of which were written by Liz Mandeville. Guests outside of Eddie Shaw include Allen Batts, Rodney Brown, and Twist Turner.

Daylight At Midnight
Travis Haddix
Earwig CD 4955

Since cutting three well-received CDs from 1988-1994 on the Ichiban label, Travis "Moonchild" Haddix has released ten CDs on his own label - Wann Sonn Records (distributed by Earwig Music), which have also received fine reviews. He has performed in seventeen countries, and is especially popular in Scandinavia. 

Travis is also a prolific songwriter, very adept at a hook and a groove.

In a 2005 feature story, Living Blues Magazine had this to say about Travis: "Haddix delivers his fables of mischief, mayhem and mercy in a smooth but sinewy baritone, backed by arrangements that meld aggression with horn-leavened soul. His leads, influenced by the string-bending Kings, yet back-alley raw, are both incendiary and insinuating - a blend of uptown elan and down-home raucousness, shot through with sensual fervor, calculated to please listeners and dancers from the 'burbs as well as the 'hood..."

In a February 2008 review of this CD, Daylight at Midnight, Living Blues reviewer David Whiteis said: "... the fretwork is both tasteful and soulful throughout. The result, combined with Haddix's accomplished vocal and lyric artistry, is a set that should appeal to aficionados of traditional postwar blues, and more contemporary, soul-accented sounds..."

Ice Storm
Scott Ellison
Earwig CD 4956

talent. Eric Clapton's rhythm section and Freddie King's band were both based in Tulsa, as was Leon Russell's Shelter Records. Influenced by the british invasion bands, moved by the sounds of motown, and touched by the soulfulness of Rhythm and Blues music coming out of Memphis, Scott organized his first band as a youngster.

In 1977, he began touring as a guitar player with Jessica James (Conway Twitty's daughter), and by 1981 "Gatemouth" Brown had tapped scott to play rhythm in his band. By the 1990s, Scott had formed a blues band and was opening shows for such legends as Joe Cocker, Roy Orbison, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Leon Russell, Bobby Bland and Buddy Guy. He considers opening for B.B. King at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in January, 2008 a major highlight of his career.

A prolific songwriter, Scott has composed and released numerous CDs. Cold Hard Cash, produced by Dennis Walker of Robert Cray fame, featuring all songs written by Scott and Dennis, Live At Joey's, Chains Of Love and Bad Case Of The Blues have all been well received.

Scott's compositions have been played on the soundtracks of several popular TV shows, including "Buddy The Vampire Slayer," an MTV movie, and the 2007 movie, "Feast Of Love," starring Morgan Freeman.

Scott tours the U.S. and Canada extensively.

Stop And Think About It
Chris James & Patrick Rynn
Earwig CD 4957

Blues fans know vocalist and lead guitarist Chris James and Patrick Rynn as the leaders of their own band, the Blue Four, as well as for their stellar work with a dazzling array of blues legends. Now they're stepping out on their own in Stop And Think About It, their new release on the Earwig Music label.

Over the last 18 years, the duo has honer their on-stage interplay to ESP-like levels. They're proud traditionalists who delight in digging deep into a postwar Chicago vein, yet this debut album also boasts a plethora of satisfying originals. Their rollicking energy level instantly grabs young audiences who may not even be familiar with Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf.

Loving revivals of vintage numbers on this disc, such as Elmore James' crashing "Hawaiian Boogie" and Bo Diddley's "Confessin' The Blues" mesh seamlessly with their invigorating fresh material such as "You're Gone" and "Mister Coffee."

Special guests on this album include Sam Lay, David Maxwell, Bob Corritore and several more!

Listen (High Speed Internet)
Mister Coffee	[MP3]	Relaxin' At The Clarendon	[MP3]
Stop And Think About It	[MP3]	You're Gone	[MP3]

Built Right On The Ground
Andy Cohen
Earwig CD 4959
(Purchase Here)

Andy Cohen has studied and played old music all his life, wandering North America as a songster. He lives by playing old songs. On this cd, Andy plays acoustic guitar, piano, dulceola and sings. On some pieces he is accompanied by his wife Larkin Bryant, on haunting vocals and mandolin. Here are unadulterated songs from the early days of the blues - 2 piano rags done as guitar pieces, 3 blue country songs, 2 piano boogies, one of which has passed between the piano and guitar for over seventy years. The rest are a variety of blues numbers, including a talking blues by Woodie Guthrie, 2 tough ones by Memphis Minnie, 1 each by Big Bill Broonzy, Teddy Darby, and Henry Spaulding. For Andy, these songs are some of the central chunks of his troubadour life, especially “Cairo Blues”, the weirdest blues ever composed, by a barber from central Illinois.

Gonna Boogie Anyway
Chris James and Patrick Rynn
Earwig CD 4960
(Purchase Here)

Hot on the heels of their Blues Music Award-nominated Earwig debut, Stop And Think About It, San Diego-based vocalist/guitarist Chris James and bassist Patrick Rynn return with Gonna Boogie Anyway. Chris and Patrick’s roots are firmly planted in traditional blues; they’re expert at raw-edged Chicago and Delta styles as well as swinging jump blues. Gonna Boogie Anyway features several unplugged selections-a first for the duo-showcasing their unerring grasp of the idiom alongside hard-driving band-backed tracks. Original material dominates, though Chris and Patrick revive classics by Bo Diddley, Jimmy Reed, and Robert Lockwood, Jr. Their studio cohorts include piano legends Henry Gray (50s sideman to Bo Diddley and Howlin’ Wolf), ex-Freddie King keyboard accompanist David Maxwell and drummers Sam Lay and Willie Hayes; Bob Corritore and Earwig label mate Rob Stone share harmonica duties. Deep, satisfying blues with a high-energy swagger!

Back Around Here
Rob Stone
Earwig CD 4961
(Purchase Here)

Sound Clips
Chicago All Night	[MP3]	It's Hard But It's Fair	[MP3]
You're No Good For Me	[MP3]

The Blues Sessions
Tim Woods
Earwig CD 4962
(Purchase Here)

Tim Woods has been singing and playing acoustic and electric guitar for more than 25 years. This album showcases his distinctive style; he picks using his thumb, playing both lead and rhythm while interchanging chords and licks. As a young adult, Tim was immersed in the legendary Macon, Georgia music scene, which had a profound impact on him, influencing his appreciation of the blues. Delta Bluesmen David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Big Jack Johnson, and Bob Stroger and others are featured guest artists on this debut release. From the acoustic “Bad Whiskey & Cocaine”, to the rollicking “Clarksdale Boogie”, to the scarcely played (and not recorded since 1942) “Wind Howlin’ Blues”, these recordings take you on a celebrated journey that weaves across diverse fan bases of early Delta, boogie and Chicago-style blues.

Back In Mississippi: Live at the 930 Blues Cafe
Grady Champion
Earwig CD 4963
(Purchase Here)

Grady Champion, grew up on a farm in Canton, Mississippi. He released his debut album, Goin’ Back Home in 1998, drawing ever-larger crowds to blues clubs around Florida and Mississippi before signing with Shanachie Records, for which he did two albums, in 1999 and 2001.

From the inception of his career as a blues performer, Champion has sought to tackle new lyrical themes with his original compositions. He is a charismatic performer, poised to bust out worldwide, with the international release on the Earwig Music label, of his cd Back in Mississippi Live.

David Whiteis of the Chicago Reader had this to say about Grady in 1999, “…His greatest strength is his voice, a tough, raspy mix of youthful swagger and wounded weariness …
He’s one of the most eloquent blues songwriters coming up today, making music that combines emotional depth and unrestrained celebration …”

In January 2010, Grady won the 26th International Blues Challenge beating out 110 bands from around the world. As a result, Grady has been booked on high profile festivals and events, including the Chicago Blues Festival, and the Ultimate Rhythm & Blues Cruise.

Signs of the Times
Travis Haddix
Earwig CD 3801

Knee Deep In The Blues
Travis Haddix
Earwig CD 3802

Shootum Up
Travis Haddix
Earwig CD 3803

Old & Easy 
Travis Haddix
Earwig CD 3804

Milk & Bread
Travis Haddix
Earwig CD 3805

 

Listen (High Speed Internet)
Catch You In The Truth	[Windows Media] [MP3]	Do Wrong Right	[Windows Media] [MP3]
Milk & Bread	[Windows Media] [MP3]	Same Old View	[Windows Media] [MP3]

Company Is Coming
Travis Haddix
Earwig CD 3806

Listen (High Speed Internet)
All I Can Do Is Sit And Cry	[Windows Media] [MP3]	Company Is Coming	[Windows Media] [MP3]
Darkness Around My Heart	[Windows Media] [MP3]	Rough Side Drag	[Windows Media] [MP3]

Blues From Staghorn Street
Travis Haddix
Earwig CD 3807

Mud Cakes
Travis Haddix
Earwig CD 3808

 

Listen (High Speed Internet)
Acute Blues Syndrome	[Windows Media] [MP3]	Job Close To Home	[Windows Media] [MP3]
My Pet Peeve	[Windows Media] [MP3]	My Wife, My Woman, My Girlfriend	[Windows Media] [MP3]

Mean Ole Yesterday
Travis Haddix
Earwig CD 3809

  
The World Don't Owe Me Nothing, Softcover Book
Earwig 4940 Book
[Honeyboy Edwards] is, along with Robert Jr. Lockwood, the last of the old Delta players still on the road, providing listeners with a link to one of the most periods and places in recorded musical History. Good as his music is, though, it is with this book that he stakes out a unique place in the blues pantheon. Though not as personal or moving as the Lipscomb book, it describes a life that was much more in tune with the music's growth and popular evolution. It is the best primary document of the golden age of the Mississippi blues. - Elijah Ward, Boston Globe