Down Home Blues-Atlanta

Blues In The Alley features 29 artists that were influential in continuing and developing the traditions of the blues in the southeast. This release includes early down home blues recordings from none other than Ray Charles, before his climb to fame with his bigger sounding jazz-tinged blues. Alongside this, there are early recordings from Earl Hooker and Jerry McCain, two exceptionally gifted musicians who were always left on the cusp of success. Don’t forget to check out the first recordings from Frank Edwards, who captivated audiences with his rack-mounted harmonica guitar one man band style, from the 1940s right up to his last years of performing and recording in 2003.

Down Home Blues: Miami, Atlanta & The South Eastern States is a three CD set, packaged in a deluxe digipak with outer slipcase, featuring 83 tracks, all of them superbly remastered. This collection has been collated thanks to the generous help of blues collectors from both sides of the Atlantic, with rare recordings that are for the first time made available for listening via today’s compact disc medium.

An outstanding 78-page book, featuring a 15,000-word essay by blues historian Chris Bentley, accompanies the release. Rare period photographs illustrate the essay throughout with a complete sessionography and extensive gallery of original 78 and 45 record labels.

Blues In The Alley is a close companion to Wienerworld’s Tough Enough collection (WNRCD5104), with both sets dovetailing the post-war blues from America’s north and southeastern states. The southeastern states were known as slow starters in having record companies to start up to record, produce and distribute the artistes that were performing on their own doorsteps after the Second World War.

The best chance for any blues artistes in this region, looking to record, was to get up to New York for any opportunity to arise. By 1950 things certainly were different, and new recording companies who had taken the time and trouble to record such fine music had made up for a lot of lost time. Blues In The Alley captivates the efforts of those producers who gambled on their feel for the music – and their pockets to produce sounds from unadulterated country blues to the hard-edged electric tough blues sounds similar to that then being recorded in Chicago and Detroit.

FRANK EDWARDS
1. Sweet Man Blues
2. Three Woman Blues
CURLEY WEAVER
3. Brown Skin Woman *
4. She Don’t Treat Me Good No More *
5. I Keep On Drinkin’ *
DAVID WYLIE
6. Baby You Don’t Mean Me No Good *
7. Baby, You’re Gonna Change My Mind *
FRANK EDWARDS
8. Terraplane Blues
9. We Got To Get Together
POOR JIM
10. Spots Boogie
11. Brand New Woman
JOHN LEE
12. Baby Please Don’t Go *
13 Slappin’ The Boogie *
FRANK EDWARDS
14 Love My Baby *
15. Gotta Get Together *
POOR JIM
16. She Fooled Me
17. Rubber Ball Blues
MARYLIN SCOTT (MARYLYN SCOTT)
18. The Monkey Song
JOHN FERGUSON
19. John Henry Boogie
RUDY GREENE
20. No Good Woman Blues
21. Florida Blues
RICHARD ARMSTRONG
22. Gene Nobles Boogie - INSTRUMENTAL
23. Gene Nobles Blues - INSTRUMENTAL
MARYLIN SCOTT (MARYLYN SCOTT)
24. Beer Bottle Boogie
25. Uneasy Blues
JOHN BULLARD
26. Ain’t I Got You
27. Bonus Blues

Running Time: 77 minutes

TRACKLISTING – CD2 (* denotes track originally not issued, unavailable elsewhere)

RAY CHARLES
1. Guitar Blues - INSTRUMENTAL
2. Why Did You Go

EARL HOOKER
3. Shake ‘em Up * - INSTRUMENTAL
4. Race Track - INSTRUMENTAL

CHARLIE HARDING
5. Train Porter Blues
6. I’m A Man Of Experience

JOHN BULLARD
7. Help Me To Find My Right Mind
8. Western Union Blues
9. Spoiled Hambone Blues

WILLIE BAKER (C. B. BAKER)
10. Skin To Skin
11. Goin’ Back Home

CHARLIE HARDING
12. Moonrise Blues - INSTRUMENTAL
13. Peach Tree Boogie - INSTRUMENTAL

EARL HOOKER
14. Happy Blues * - INSTRUMENTAL
15. Blue Guitar Blues - INSTRUMENTAL

WILLIE BAKER (W.C. BAKER)
16. I Went Back Home
17. Kenny’s Hop - INSTRUMENTAL
18. Going’ Back Home Today

JERRY McCAIN
19. Middle Of The Night
20. Crazy ‘bout That Mess
21. Fall Guy

TOMMY MALONE
22. I’m Wading In Deep Water
23. It’s Been So Long Baby

BILL REESE
24. Whiskey, Ol’ Whiskey
25. I Gotta Find My Baby

JIMMY WILSON
26. Alley Blues
27. Poor, Poor Lover
28. Alley Blues * - ALTERNATE

Running Time: 76 minutes

TRACKLISTING – CD3 (* denotes track originally not issued, unavailable elsewhere)

EARL HOOKER
1. Sweet Angel
2. After Hours * - INSTRUMENTAL

JIMMY WILSON
3. I’ve Found Out
4. Blues In The Alley

EDDIE HOPE
5. A Fool No More
6. Lost Child

ROBERT WILLIS
7. You’re Mine
8. Never Let Me Go

SHORTY LONG
9. Redstone John

SONNY BOY WILLIAMS
10. Alice Mae Blues

CROOK Jr
11. Wiggle It Baby
12. Please Believe Me Darling

RUDY GREENE
13. Oh Baby

DAN HARRISON
14. Piney Brown Blues
15. Straighten Up Juice Head

JOHNNY SHAW
16. May’s Shuffle
17. Any May

CLIFFORD KING
18. Chicken Shack Boogie


19. Want To Jump With You Baby

LEROY DALLAS
20. Sweet Man Blues
21. She Caught The M & O

DANNY BOY THOMAS
22. Kokomo Me Baby
23. Wild Women

JERRY McCAIN
24. She’s Tough
25. Steady - INSTRUMENTAL

WILLIE BROWN
26. Cut It Out
27. Do It Like That - INSTRUMENTAL
28. Tell Me Why Love Don’t Last

Running Time: 77 minutes