Alberta Hunter was in the midst of one of the great comebacks in musical history when she recorded Amtrak Blues in 1978. Hunter, then 83, had become the darling of the New York jazz /blues club scene, after decades away from the music she had recorded as a young diva in the 1920s. Amtrak Blues, released in 1980, featured her in the company of such veterans as Doc Cheatham, Vic Dickenson, Gerald Cook, Frank Wess, and Billy Butler. Bessie Smith biographer Chris Albertson contributed the liner notes and John Hammond served as producer. Hunter penned the title track herself as well as ‘I’m Having a Good Time’a song that certainly summed up the irrepressible spirit of her final years.
