Producer and blues author Sam Charters headed the historic Vanguard Records project, Chicago/The Blues/Today!, which served to introduce the hardcore South and West side blues sounds to a new young audience in 1966. While Vanguard did not record the big names of Chicago like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Jimmy Reed, who were under contract to other labels, Charters went for the cream of the remaining crop from city’s bustling ghetto blues scene, including two members of the Muddy Waters band who would soon strike out on their own, James Cotton and Otis Spann. The Otis Rush Blues Band, including two sidemen (Ernest Gatewood and Jesse Green) who reportedly borrowed other musicians’ union cards in order to record, and hence appeared under false identities in the credits, was regarded by some as the best band in the city at the time. The recordings on the three-record series marked the first appearances on LP for several of the artists, as their previous releases had been singles for the black rhythm & blues market on 45 and 78 rpm. The sessions led to full Vanguard LPs for Spann, Cotton, and Junior Wells, and marked a comeback for artists like J.B. Hutto and Johnny Shines who had not recorded in more than a decade. All the artists went on to record further albums for various labels, and Charlie Musselwhite, who guested with Big Walter Horton on the LP, and Buddy Guy, who played guitar on the Junior Wells cuts, also soon made their own LP debuts on Vanguard.
— Jim O’Neal
CHICAGO/THE BLUES/TODAY! Vol. 1
Vanguard VRS-9216 (mono), VSD-79216 (stereo)
THE JUNIOR WELLS CHICAGO BLUES BAND: Help Me (A Tribute to Sonny Boy Williamson)/It Hurts Me Too (When Things Go Wrong)/Messin’ With The Kid/Vietcong Blues/All Night Long
J.B. HUTTO and HIS HAWKS: Going Ahead/Please Help/Too Much Alcohol/Married Woman Blues/That’s The Truth
OTIS SPANN’S SOUTH SIDE PIANO: Marie/Burning Fire/S.P. Blues/Sometimes I Wonder/Spann’s Stomp
CHICAGO/THE BLUES/TODAY! Vol. 2
Vanguard VRS-9217 (mono), VSD-79217 (stereo)
THE JIMMY COTTON BLUES QUARTET: Cotton Crop Blues/The Blues Keep Falling/Love Me Or Leave/Rocket 88/ West Helena Blues
THE OTIS RUSH BLUES BAND: Everything’s Going To Turn Out Alright/It’s A Mean Old World/I Can’t Quit You Baby/ Rock/It’s My Own Fault
HOMESICK JAMES AND HIS DUSTERS: Dust My Broom/Somebody Been Talkin’/Set A Date/So Mean To Me
CHICAGO/THE BLUES/TODAY! Vol. 3
Vanguard VRS-9218 (mono), VSD-79218 (stereo)
JOHNNY YOUNG’S SOUTH SIDE BLUES BAND: One More Time/Kid Man Blues/My Black Mare/Stealin’ Back/I Got Mine In Time/Tighten Up On It
THE JOHNNY SHINES BLUES BAND: Dynaflow Blues/Black Spider Blues/Layin’ Down My Shoes And Clothes/If I Get Lucky
BIG WALTER HORTON’S BLUES HARP BAND with MEMPHIS CHARLIE: Rockin’ My Boogie
THE JOHNNY SHINES BLUES BAND: Mr Boweevil/Hey Hey
All titles recorded in Chicago, 1965. Released on LP, 1966. Rereleased in 1999 as a three-CD set, Chicago/The Blues/Today!, Vanguard 172/74-2.