The Front Porch Blues Show
JD Esquire & Rich Blackmarr & TJ
Rich Blackmarr will host this week's Front Porch Blues Show, which will focus on blues, gospel, and bluesy R&B releases from the first few months of the year 1959. Featured blues artists will include Shakey Jake, Bob Gaddy, Bo Diddley, Big Maybelle, Muddy Waters, Jimmy McCracklin, Guitar Junior (Lonnie Brooks), Lavern Baker, Otis Rush, Johnny Otis, John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Rogers, Lightnin' Slim, Buddy Guy, Little Walter, Little Milton, Priscilla Bowman, Tarheel Slim, and many more. "Kansas City" was a big hit by Wilbert Harrison, but we'll also hear versions by Hank Ballard and Little Richard. A set of gospel favorites from early 1959 by the Caravans, the Skylarks, the Radio Four, the Harmonizing Four, and the Staple Singers will also be included, as will a few bluesy vocal groups and R&B rockers like the Falcons, the Olympics, Joe Tex, Esquerita, and James Brown. There are lots of great blues from later in 1959 that will be the subject of future FPBS installments from Rich.
Genre
Blues
Missed the Show?
Artist | Song | Album | Label | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wilbert Harrison (with Wild Jimmy Spruill - gtr) | Kansas City | Capricorn Records Presents The Fire/Fury Records Story | Capricorn 2cd box | Fury rec. released 3/30/59; first charted 4/19, #1 R&B for 7 wks from 5/10; |
Hank Ballard & the Midnighters | Kansas City | Hank Ballard And The Midnighters - all 20 of their chart hits (1953-1962) | Gusto King LP | Federal rel. 3/30; charted 4/12 to #16 R&B |
Little Richard (Penniman) | Kansas City (Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey) | Little Richard: The Georgia Peach | Specialty | Specialty rel. 4/06; did not chart |
Jimmy Rogers | Rock This House | Jimmy Rogers - Chess Blues Masters Series | GRT/Chess 2 LP | Chess rec; Rogers - vcl/gtr w/ Otis Spann, Mighty Joe Young, Willie Dixon, Odie Payne |
Tarheel Slim (Allen Bunn) | Wildcat Tamer | The Red Robin & Fire Years: Presents Tarheel Slim & Little Ann | Collectables | Fury rec.; Slim - vcl/gtr w/ Horace Cooper (p), Jimmy Spruill (gtr) |
Eddie Boyd | Treat Her Right | Eddie Boyd - The Blues Is Here To Stay (1947-1959) | Jasmine 2cd | unreleased Bea & Baby rec.; Boyd -vcl/piano |
Priscilla Bowman | A Rockin' Good Way | Rock 'N' Roll Mamas: Priscilla Bowman, Christine Kittrell, Camille Howard, Edith Mackey | Charly R&B LP | Abner; Bowman - vcl w/ band incl. Lefty Bates (gtr), Spaniels vcl. grp. |
Airbreak | ||||
Shakey Jake (James Harris) & the Willie Dixon Band | Call Me If You Need Me | Capricorn Records Presents The Cobra Records Story: Chicago Rock And Blues 1956-1958 | Capricorn 2cd box | Artistic; band incl. Magic Sam, Freddy King (gtrs) |
Big Maybelle (Smith) | Baby Won't You Please Come Home | Ladies Sing The Blues, Volume 2 (Roots of Rock N' Roll Vol. 12) | Arista Savoy 2 LP | Savoy; w/ Ernie Wilkins Orch incl. Hank Jones, Jerome Richardson |
Little Walter (Jacobs) | My Baby Is Sweeter | Little Walter - Hate To See You Go | Chess LP | Checker; Walter - vcl/hca, w/ Luther Tucker, Fred Robinson (gtrs) |
Bo Diddley (Ellas McDaniel) | Oh, Yeah | Bo Diddley/Go Bo Diddley (Two On One) | MCA Chess | Checker flip of I'm Sorry; charted #17 R&B; band incl. Diddley (vcl/gtr), Lafayette Leake (p), Lady Bo (gtr), Willie Dixon, Clifton James, Jerome Green |
Joe Stubbs & the Falcons | You're So Fine | Lu Pine Productions Presents The Falcons - You're So Fine | Relic/Flick LP | Flick/Unart; charted #2 R&B |
John Lee Hooker | Whiskey And Wimmen | The Very Best Of John Lee Hooker | Buddah/Vee-Jay LP | Vee-Jay; remake of 1951 orig. hit on Modern; Hooker -vcl/gtr w/ Eddie Taylor - gtr |
The Johnny Otis Show | Telephone Baby | Johnny Otis - The Capitol Years | EMI/Capitol | Capitol; Marci Lee - 2nd vcl. |
Ted Taylor | Since You're Home | I Pity The Fool - The Duke Records Story: 1952-1962 | One Day Music 3cd set | Duke; flip side of hit ballad 'Be Ever Wonderful' |
Airbreak | ||||
The Caravans | Mary Don't You Weep (Part 1) | The Best Of The Caravans | Savoy | Gospel |
The Radio Four | The Road's Rough And Rocky | The Radio Four Collection | AVI/Nashboro | Nashboro |
The Staple Singers | Going Away | The Staple Singers - Uncloudy Day & Will The Circle Be Unbroken? | Vee-Jay | Vee-Jay |
The Skylarks | When The World Is On Fire | The Best Of The Skylarks | AVI/Nashboro | Nashboro |
The Harmonizing Four | In Jerusalem | The Harmonizing Four: 'The Harmonizing Four' & 'God Will Take Care Of You' | Vee-Jay | Vee-Jay |
Airbreak | ||||
Ray Charles | That's Enough | The Ray Charles Story Vol. 3 | Atlantic LP | Atlantic; charted #19 R&B |
Esquerita (Eskew Reeder) | Just Another Lie | Esquerita - The Capitol Collector's Series | EMI/Capitol | Capitol |
Lavern Baker | I Waited Too Long | The Best Of Lavern Baker - Soul On Fire | Rhino/Atlantic | Atlantic; charted #5 R&B |
Joe Tex | Blessed Are These Tears | Early Recordings of Joe Tex, Lee Dorsey, Chuck Carbo, and Benny Spellman - Soul Stirrings (1957-1962) | Westside | Ace |
James Brown | I Want You So Bad | James Brown - The Federal Years 1956-1960 | Hip-O Select 2cd | Federal; charted #20 R&B |
Guitar Junior (Lonnie Brooks) | Please | Guitar Junior - The Crawl (Charly Blues Masterworks Vol. 1) | Charly R&B | Goldband rec. from Lake Charles, La. |
Airbreak | ||||
Muddy Waters | Mean Mistreater | Muddy Waters - The Complete Aristocrat & Chess Singles As & Bs (1947-62) | Acrobat 4cd box | Chess rec. 1/59; Muddy vocal w/ Little Walter, Luther Tucker, Otis Spann, Andrew Stephanson, Francis Clay |
Bob Gaddy | What Would I Do | Bob Gaddy - Harlem Blues Operator | Ace (UK) | Old Town; Gaddy - vcl/piano with Larry Dale, Joe Ruffin - gtrs. |
Otis Rush | Double Trouble | Capricorn Records Presents The Cobra Records Story: Chicago Rock And Blues 1956-1958 | Capricorn 2cd box | Cobra rec.; Rush - vcl/gtr, w/ Little Bro. Montgomery (p), Ike Turner (gtr), Willie Dixon (b) |
Lightnin' Slim (Otis Hicks) | Feelin' Awful Blue | Lightnin' Slim - Rooster Blues | Excello LP | Excello; Slim - vcl/gtr w/ Lazy Lester -hca |
Buddy Guy | This Is The End | Capricorn Records Presents The Cobra Records Story: Chicago Rock And Blues 1956-1958 | Capricorn 2cd box | Artistic rec; Guy - vcl/gtr w/ Harold Burrage (p), Willie Dixon (b) |
Little Milton (Campbell) | I Found Me A New Love | Little Milton - Anthology 1953-1961 | Varese Sarabande | Bobbin; Milton - vcl/gtr |
Annie Laurie | It's Gonna Come Out In The Wash Someday | Annie Laurie - It Hurts To Be In Love | Official/Sing LP | DeLuxe recording Feb. 1959 incl. Mickey Baker (gtr), Jimmy Jones (p), Hal Singer (ts) |
Airbreak | ||||
The Olympics | Chicken | The Olympics - Western Movies And Private Eyes: The Singles As & Bs 1958-1961 | Jasmine | Demon |
Jimmy McCracklin | The Wobble | The Walk: Jimmy McCracklin At His Best | Razor & Tie | Mercury; McCracklin -vcl/p w/ Everett Barksdale (gtr), Panama Francis (d) |
Googie Rene & His Combo | Skumbo | The Best Of The Googie Rene Combo - Wham Bam! | Ace (UK) | Class |