There were a few labels that stood
out as far as reissues:
Sundazed, best known for great
60's garage/pop reissues turned it's attention to blues
and R&B releasing classic 60's collections by Mighty
Sam McClain and Solomon Burke, all the classic Meters
records with extra tracks and a reissue of the first
two Lee Dorsey records with many bonus cuts.
MCA continues to dip into the
Chess vaults with an excellent 2-CD Muddy Waters set
collecting his first fifty sides and a generous 3-CD
collection by the legendary Etta James.
Vanguard Records continues to
due a fine job mining their vaults with 3-CD sets of
the complete Vanguard recordings of Buddy Guy, Mississippi
John Hurt and Big Mama Thornton and single set compilations
by Otis Spann, Charlie Musslewhite and John Hammond.
Delmark continues to dig deep
into the vaults of United Records with great reissues
by Roosevelt Sykes, Walter Horton and a pair of fine
various artists collections.
32 Records owns the Trix and Muse
catalogs and dug into those vaults with first rate reissues
by Peg Leg Sam, Homesick James and Memphis Slim.
Fuel 2000 is a new label who's
acquired the legendary Jewel/Paula catlaog. This year
they've reissued classic records by Otis Rush, Fontella
Bass, Jr. Wells, Johnnie Taylor and Lowell Fulson.
The year 2000 also saw the reissue
of some classic pre-war and historical blues including
a pair of tremendous piano blues sets on the Yazoo label
dating from the 20's & 30's and Document issued
the complete recorded works Of 1920's recording artist
Henry Thomas. There was some previously unreleased recordings
that cropped up including a Son House concert from 1965
on Document, also from 1965 is a Lonnie Johnson living
room concert seeing the light for the first time and
Last Call the recently unearthed last concert
by Otis Spann from 1970.
As I'm writing this we received
two excellent box sets just in time for Christmas. Sony
has just released a 3-CD Stevie Ray Vaughn set with
an amazinfg 31 previously unreleased tracks. Also we
just received Arhoolie
Records 40th Anniversary Collection
a 5-CD recorded history of this pioneering label.
Other very good reissues worth
mentioning include: A Rudy Ray Moore collection titled
Hully Gull Fever, New Orleans Soul 60's Watch
Records, Otis Spann's Good Morning Mr. Blues,
Portrait Of Sonny Boy Williamson, Taj Mahal's
first three records, The Bluesville Years Vols. 11
& 12, Memphis Slim's The Folkway Years, Big
Bill Broonzy's Trouble In Mind, Louisiana Red's
Live In Montreux.
Blues Labels
There were a number of blues
labels that deserve special mention for consistently
putting out fine releases in 2000:
The revitalization of Rooster
Records was good news or blues fans with excellent
new releases by Willie King, DC Bellamy, Jerry Ricks,
Eddie C. Campbell and a reissue of Magic Slim's classic
Grand Slam finally issued on CD. They also
released the year's best reissue/historical collection
with the 3-CD set And This Is Maxwell Street
featuring priceless live recordings by Robert Nighthawk,
Johnny Young, Carey Bell and others taped live on
Chicago's famous Maxwell Street in 1964.
There were a few import labels
that also deserve mention: Armadillo Records who issued
excellent records by Eugene "Hideaway" Bridges
and the traditional blues of Larry Johnson, the Black
& Tan label out of the Netherlands who released
very good records by Boo Boo Davis, Erskine Oglesby,
Big George Jackson, Roscoe Chenier, Percy Strother.
Black Magic, also based in the Netherlands, released
one the year's best records by Detroit veteran Joe
Weaver who gets my nod for comeback of the year. Wolf
Records out of Austria also delivered solid records
by Magic Slim, John Primer, Vera Taylor, Vance Kelly
and Robert Lowery.
Telarc Records wins the award
for putting out the most blues releases. Notable records
included discs by James Cotton, Mighty Sam McClain,
Son Seals, Terry Evans and John Primer to name a few.
Fedora Records has been on a roll
the past few years and this year is no exception with
fine releases by Fillmore Sims, Little Buster &
The Soul Stirrers and Arthur Williams among others.
Delmark had a busy year with solid
releases from Robert Ward, James Wheeler, The Big Doo
Wopper among others.
Rounder Records is another label
that can be counted on for solid blues and zydeco releases.
Rounder hit the mark with new blues by Willie Cobbs,
Irma Thomas, Eddy Clearwater and fine zydeco from Chris
Ardoin & Double Clutchin', a live Beau Jocque set
and a first rate zydeco compilation in conjunction with
the book by the same name called The Kingdom Of Zydeco.
Rounder also kicked off their 30th anniversary with
great compilations by Johnny Adams, Boozoo Chavis, Roomful
Of Blues and Champion Jack Dupree.
Cannonball Records had a good
year with releases by Alberta Adams, Charles Walker,
Roscoe Shelton w/ Earl Gaines, James Harmon's Mo'
Napkins and a pair of new entries in their Blues
Across America series spotlighting the L.A. and Helena
scenes.
On the Southern soul/R&B side
of things special mention goes to the following labels:
Ecko Records with solid releases by Barbara Carr, Charles
Wilson, Lee "Shot" Williams and Chuck Roberson.
Malaco Records with very good releases by Mosley &
Johnson, Latimore and Bobby Rush. Mardi Gras records
with fine discs by Peggy-Scott Adams, Jimmy Lewis and
Chuck Colbert. Also worth mentioning is the reemergence
of deep soul singer Jo Jo Benson with his Reminiscing
In The Jam Zone on the Gulf Coast label which should
garner consideration for one of the year's best comebacks.
The Mississippi based Fat Possum
label had a batch of very good records including those
by Super Chikan, T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour, R.L Burnside,
King Ernest.
The APO label now has national
distribution and their releases certainly deserve a
wider audience. APO has issued good records this year
by Honeyboy Edwards, Eomot RaSun and a pair of classic
reissues by Otis Spann and Sonny Boy Williamson.
The Severn label put out a trio
of very good records including those by Roy Gaines,
Darrell Nulisch and Big Joe & The Dynaflows.
Louisiana Red Hot Records but
out some solid zydeco and blues by Jo Jo Reed, Willis
Prudhomme and young guitar slinger Kipori "Baby
Wolf" Woods.
Blues Literature
There's been some good blues
related books that have come out in 2000. Here's a
list of some notable books we've reviewed on Bad Dog
Blues: Chicago Blues: As Seen From The Inside, How
I Got Over: Clara Ward & Her World Famous Ward Singers,
Cajun And Creole Music Makers, Nat King Cole, A Blues
Life By Henry Townsend, Take Me to The River By Al
Green.
Blues Obituaries
Unfortunately there have been
a number of deaths in the blues world this year. 2000
has seen the following pass away: Wade Walton, Ervin
Charles, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, King Ernest, Diamond
Teeth Mary, Richard Trice, Alphonso "Country" Kellum,
Clarence Hollimon, Barkin' Bill Smith, James S. Hill,
Cub Koda, Bobby Forte, Johnnie Taylor, Mabel Scott,
Little Mack Simmons, Saunders King and R.H. Harris.
All in all 200 was good year for
the blues and if your a blues fan there's certainly
no shortage of touring blues acts, festivals, magazines/books
and of course plenty of good new recordings. Make sure
to keep supporting the blues by buying the music, going
to the shows and of course checking out Bad Dog Blues!
(Most of the recordings mentioned in
this article have been reviewed in Bad Dog blues. Check
the archive
section for full length reviews)
