The Red Rooster (Little Red Rooster) -- Howlin' Wolf (Chess, 1961) “The Red Rooster,” better known as “Little Red Rooster,” is widely acknowledged as one of Howlin’ Wolf’s classics, but oddly enough it was not [...]
Mojo Hand -- Lightnin' Hopkins (Fire, 1960) Lightnin’ Hopkins, who never had a problem with coming up with songs for cash on the spot, recorded more than 40 songs in the month of November 1960 [...]
My Black Mama -- Son House (Paramount, 1930) “My Black Mama” may not be a title familiar to the many admirers of Son House’s work during his revived 1960s career, but while the title was [...]
I'm Tore Down - Freddy King, (Federal, 1961) “I’m Tore Down,” a tale of despondency set to a shuffle rhythm, was written by producer-pianist Sonny Thompson and sung with appropriate verve by Freddy (aka Freddie) [...]
Black Nights-- Lowell Fulson (Kent, 1965) Lowell Fulson (or Fulsom, as Kent Records spelled it) excelled as a songwriter, singer and guitarist, and “Black Nights” is one of his finest works and biggest hits, charting [...]
Rock fans may recognize “Eyesight to the Blind” as the only song from The Who’s rock opera Tommy that was not written by the band. This paean to a woman who could bring eyesight to [...]
Though famed for soft, romantic blues ballads, Bobby “Blue” Bland could wail hard-hitting blues, too, as he did in 1957 with the Bill Harvey Orchestra on “Farther Up the Road.” Guitarist Pat Hare’s menacing fills and sizzling solo push the intensity even [...]
A contender for the title of first rock ‘n’ roll record—or at least one that paved the way to rock, “Good Rocking Tonight” was a product of Cosimo Matassa’s legendary New Orleans studio where blues [...]
Many blues have been recorded on the “rock me” theme, but it was B.B. King’s 1964 single that climbed the charts and solidified the song as a standard in the blues canon. King’s other hits [...]
Few records can match the raw exuberance of the Baby Face Leroy Trio’s two-part “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” on Parkway, a small and short-lived Chicago label. Muddy Waters and Little Walter join singer-drummer Leroy Foster on [...]