The Best Live Blues Records
Certainly compiling a list of best live blues records is subjective. While
there have been many excellent live blues recordings there’s still not as many truly
great one as one might think. In this essay I’ll try to touch upon most of the
acknowledged classic and those of historical importance.
Most of the earliest
live blues recordings seem to have been recorded around the late 50’s and early
60’s during the beginnings of the blues revival although there are some important
earlier ones. One of the most historically important recordings was John Hammond’s
1938 “From Spiritual to Swing” concerts, which featured Big Joe Turner, Pete
Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, Sonny Terry, Big Bill Broonzy and many others. Hammond had
wanted legendary bluesman Robert Johnson to appear but Johnson could not be tracked down
(and in fact had been murdered). These concerts were originally released as a 2 LP set in
1959. It will be released shortly as a 3 CD box set from Vanguard records with many
unreleased tracks.
The blues were recorded
in a number of different settings from the big festivals of Newport and package tours like
the American Folk Blues festival to large concerts and smaller more intimate clubs
settings. In the 60’s as the blues revival hit high gear many traditional bluesman
hit the coffeehouse or college circuit resulting in many fine live recordings. Big Joe
Williams, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee all recorded live
records in these types of settings.
Of the many great
festival concerts that were recorded one of the greatest was Muddy Waters 1960 Newport
appearance issued on Chess. Waters was in tremendous form with a band that included Otis
Spann, James Cotton and Pat Hare. Another celebrated festival was The American Folk Blues
Festival that was Europe’s first major blues package tour. From 1962 until 1971, it
was responsible for bringing over dozens of the most celebrated American blues artists
such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon and more. Evidence Records has issued an
excellent 5 CD set covering the festival’s early years from 1962-1965. Another
festival worth mentioning is the Monterey Jazz Festival that often showcases blues
performers. Johnny Otis Live from Monterey cut in 1970 is an excellent live blues record
featuring Esther Phillips, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Big Joe Turner and others.
Not surprisingly some
of the greatest live blues records were cut in the clubs and the best ones manage to catch
the magical interaction between a great performer and a live audience. One of the most
celebrated is B.B. King’s “Live at The Regal” from 1964 with B.B. in top
form whipping the crowd into frenzy. King is known for his live shows and has been
recorded live often. His 1966 record “Blues is King” is another phenomenal live
set worth tracking down. A couple of records should be noted for really capturing the
atmosphere of blues played to an all black audience. Most notably Folk Festival of the Blues" aka
"Blues From Big Bill's Copacabana" which was cut in 1963 at a WPOA live radio
broadcast. There are two studio tracks added on but the rest is as raw as it gets with
Buddy Guy’s band with Otis Spann as the house band and Muddy Waters fronting on ten
tracks. Speaking of raw the blues doesn’t get any tougher than on Etta Rocks the
House recorded at the New Era Club in Nashville, 1963. Etta belts the blues to a very
enthusiastic crowd backed by a great band. Also worth mentioning are Lonnie Brooks’
Live at Pepper’s from 1968 and a decade later Son Seals “Live and Burning”
cut at Chicago’s Wise Fool’s Pub. More recently Albert Collins’
“Frozen Alive” and Magic Slim’s “Live at the Blues Bar” CD’s
are worth mentioning. In a different vein Sonny Terry And Brownie McGhee’s “Live
at the Second Fret” recorded at a coffeehouse finds the duo in peak form.
The blues has also been
captured successfully in some of the larger concert venues. Notably a pair of records cut
in Japan rank high on the list. “So Many Roads” by Otis Rush catches the
inconsistent guitar player in peak form as does Otis Clay’s “Live in Japan”
a career high point for the soul man. Recorded live at the Fillmore Auditorium in 1968,
Albert King’s Live Wire Blues Power finds him in commanding form.
One record that doesn’t fit easily into any category is Robert
Nighthawk’s “Live on Maxwell St.” cut live in the street in 1964. This is a raw, blistering set of blues with
Nighthawk playing some truly tremendous slide.
All in all there are a
number of excellent live blues recordings to be found but capturing the electricity
between artist and audience and recording it for posterity has proven to be fairly
elusive. Below you’ll find a list of the records mentioned in this article plus some
additional ones left out due to space constraints.
Essential Listening
B.B. King: Live at the Regal (MCA) and Blues is
King (Bluesway)
Mudy Waters: Live at Newport (Chess) and Muddy "Mississippi"
Waters Live (Blue Sky)
Robert Nighthawk: Live on Maxwell Street (Rounder)
Etta James: Etta Rocks the House (Chess)
Johnny Otis: Live at Monterey (Epic)
American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1965 (Evidence)
Magic Slim: Live at the Zoo Bar Vol. 1-5 (Wolf)
Folk Festival of the Blues aka Blues From Big Bill's Copacabana
(Chess )
Albert Collins: Frozen Alive and Live 92-93 (Alligator)
Otis Rush: So Many Roads (Delmark)
Albert King: Live Wire/Blues Power (Stax)
Son Seals: Live and Burning (Alligator)
Otis Clay: Soul Man Live in Japan (Bullseye)
Magic Sam: Live at the Alex Club and Live at Ann Arbor & In Chicago (Delmark)
Jimmy Witherspoon: The Spoon Concerts (Fantasy)
Sam Cooke: Live at the Harlem Square Club (RCA)
Special thanks to the members of Blues-L for all their
suggestions. |
