Blues

The Legendary Blues Band - Life Of Ease (1980)

2016-03-12T17:05:11Z

Legendary Blues Band - Life Of Ease (1980)


01. Life Of Ease
02. Pay Back
03. For You My Love
04. Eye To Eye
05. Lucille
06. Think Like A Million
07. Woke Up With The Blues
08. Hush Hush
09. Love You To The Bone
10. Snakeskin Strut
11. How Long, How Long

Bass – Calvin Jones, Eddie Butler Jr.
Drums – Willie Smith
Guitar – Louis Myers
Harmonica – Jerry Portnoy
Piano – Pinetop Perkins

Acceptable journeyman classic-style Chicago blues, mixing originals by harmonica player Jerry Portnoy with covers of oldies by Little Richard, Leroy Carr, Jimmy Reed, and the like. --- Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com

Fabulous CD by ex-members of Muddy Water's band including Pinetop Perkins, Willie Smith, Calvin 'Fuzz' Jones, and Jerry Portnoy, with Louis Meyers on guitar. Lots of original tunes and great spirit. Real blues. --- Catharine B, amazon.com

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Legendary Blues Band – Woke Up With The Blues (1989)

2011-07-26T08:55:51Z

Legendary Blues Band – Woke Up With The Blues (1989)


1	Another Mule			
2	I Woke Up With the Blues			play
3	Your Daughter Looks Good to Me			
4	Honey Bee			
5	I Need You So Bad			
6	Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong			
7	I'd Like to Have a Girl Like You		play
8	I've Got to Be With You Tonight			
9	You're Looking Good Again Tonight			
10	Having A Hard Time

Bill Flynn - Guitar, Vocals
Calvin "Fuzz" Jones - Bass, Vocals
Madison Slim - Harmonica, Vocals
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith - Drums
Otis Smokey Smothers - Guitar, Vocals

In June 1980, when Muddy Waters former backing musicians decided to quit, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (drums), Pinetop Perkins (piano), Louis Myers (harmonica/guitar), Calvin "Fuzz" Jones (bass guitar), and Jerry Portnoy (harmonica), formed the Legendary Blues Band. Later that year they appeared backing John Lee Hooker in the movie The Blues Brothers (1980). Smith was the only band member, besides Hooker, to appear onscreen in close-up. The following year, Dave Myers joined the others as a guitarist when they recorded their debut album, Life of Ease, on Rounder Records. Duke Robillard guested on their second release Red Hot 'n' Blue.

With varying personnel over the years, the Legendary Blues Band recorded seven albums, Life of Ease, Red Hot 'n' Blue, Woke Up with the Blues (nominated for a W. C. Handy Award), Keepin' the Blues Alive, U B Da Judge, Prime Time Blues, and Money Talks, between 1981 to 1993. The Legendary Blues Band has toured with Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton.

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Legendary Blues Band - U B Da Judge (1991)

2011-07-21T18:39:36Z

Legendary Blues Band - U B Da Judge (1991)


01.Got Love If You Want It 3:34
02.Things Could Be Worse 04:20
03.Eye to Eye 5:00
04.In the Rain 3:45
05.Watch Your Enemies 2:42
06.Don't Say That No More 3:49
07.I Don't Trust You, Man 4:12
08.No One to Love Me 4:15
09.When the Blues Come Around 3:49	play
10.Who's Been Talking? 3:24		     play

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith - Drums & Vocals
Billy Flynn - Guitars
Willie O'Shawny - Keyboard
Calvin "Fuzz" Jones - Bass & Vocals
Madison Slim - Harp & Vocals
Tony O – Guitars

When U B Da Judge was released in 1991, the Legendary Blues Band's lineup still included former Muddy Waters sidemen Willie Smith (drums, vocals) and Calvin Smith (bass, vocals), as well as harp player Madison Slim, keyboardist Willie O'Shawny and guitarists Billy Flynn and Tony O. U B Da Judge isn't a great album by any means, though it has a few decent cuts, including the originals "Watch Your Enemies" and "I Can't Trust You, Man" and a cover of Jimmy Reed's "Don't Say That No More." The CD may have been recorded in Atlanta, but the band's sound is unmistakably Chicago. Completists and diehard collectors may want this so-so CD, but for beginners, the Legendary Blues Band's Rounder albums with Pinetop Perkins would be a much better investment. ---Alex Henderson, All Music Guide.

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Legendary Blues Band – Money Talks (1993)

2011-07-20T18:51:48Z

Legendary Blues Band – Money Talks (1993)


1. Money Talks		play
2. Easy Come
3. Going Too Fast
4. I Wonder
5. Blue Shadows
6. Sitting And Drinking	play
7. Lottery Blues
8. Sock Juice
9. Rock Me
10. Woman's Word

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (vocals, drums); 
Tony O., Wilson Phillips (guitar); 
Ross Bond (harmonica); 
Ken Smith (drums).

All of a sudden, on their 1993's Money Talks, drummer Willie Smith has become a very credible singer. ~ Bill Dahl

The more recent recordings included Bill Flynn, Little Smokey Smothers, Nick Moss, and Madison Slim amongst others, although the rhythm section of Jones and Smith remained intact through to their final release in 1993.

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Legendary Blues Band - Keepin' the Blues Alive (1990)

2011-07-19T08:43:12Z

Legendary Blues Band - Keepin' the Blues Alive (1990)


01. I Don't Wanna Know 3:46 
02. Stuck in the Bottom 4:49
03. I Love My Woman 3:12		play
04. Cook Me 4:18  
05. Open Your Eyes 3:54 
06. Nobody Knows 3:02 		play
07. Without Her 3:08 
08. What's Wrong 4:23
09. Shake It for Me 4:23 
10. Reach Way Back 3:09 
11. Steady Worried Man 2:32

Willie Smith- drums
Billy Flynn- guitars
Willie O'Shawny- keyboard
Calvin Jones- bass
Mark Koenig- harp
John Duich- guitars

The Legendary Blues Band includes Calvin Jones (b.1926, Greenwood, MS; bass, violin); Willie Smith (b.1935, Helena, AR; drum); various others on vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano. When the Muddy Waters band quit the master en masse in 1980, most of the sidemen stuck together and formed their own group. The Legendary Blues Band, as they were named, included Pinetop Perkins, Jerry Portnoy, Willie Smith, and Calvin Jones throughout its early years. Short-term member Louis Myers, another Muddy Waters alumnus, appeared as guitarist on the band's first album (Rounder, 1981). The band has since changed personnel with some regularity, and while its lineup has become progressively less "legendary" in name or historic associations, its music has remained solid and true to the mainstream Chicago style. In a later configuration, they even made the Billboard Black Music charts. Recent albums have featured guitarist Billy Flynn and harmonicist Madison Slim. The rhythm section of Jones and Smith has anchored the unit throughout the changes, never failing to deliver the Chicago blues with aplomb. ---Jim O'Neal. AMG.

Straight-ahead Chicago Blues from a band comprised of players who had been at the core of Muddy Waters' touring and recording band throughout most of the 1970s. At one time or another, the band has included Pinetop Perkins on piano, Jerry Portnoy on harmonica, Willie Smith on drums, and a rotating cast of guitar players.

Only bassist Calvin Jones and drummer Willie Smith remain from Muddy Waters's old crew, but guitarist John Duich helps keep the traditional Chicago sound in place. ---Bill Dahl, allmusic.com

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Legendary Blues Band – Red Hot ‘n’ Blue (1983)

2009-12-29T10:55:04Z

Legendary Blues Band – Red Hot ‘n’ Blue (1983)


1. Money 2:40
2. Crazy 'Bout That Thing 2:59
3. I Almost Lost My Mind 5:41
4. Streamlined Baby 2:50
5. Do The Get Down 2:36
6. Loverboy 2:55
7. Come Back Baby 3:15
8. How Long 3:30
9. High Heel Sneakers 3:39
10. Blues For Big Nate 2:59

Willie Smith- Drums
Peter Ward- Guitar
Duke Robillard- Guitars
Calvin Jones- Bass & Vocals
Jerry Portnoy- Harp & Vocals
Pinetop Perkins- Piano & Vocals

For their second album, the Legendary Blues Band -- featuring members of Muddy Waters backing band, including Pinetop Perkins, Peter Ward, Calvin Jones, Jerry Portnoy and Willie Smith -- nearly captured the big, powerful sound of Muddy at his peak. Perkins and Jones don't have the same presence as Waters, but they're fine vocalists in their own right, and the band itself has the same intoxicating rush that made such latter-day Muddy efforts as Hard Again so enjoyable. And that means that Red Hot 'N' Blue is as close to Waters as you're going to get without Muddy himself -- and that means it's one of the better Chicago blues records of its era. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com

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Legendary Blues Band – Prime Time Blues (1992)

2009-12-29T10:50:23Z

Legendary Blues Band – Prime Time Blues (1992)


01.You Never Miss Me (3:58)
02.Stop Your Complaining (3:29)
03.Lonesome for My Baby (3:38)
04.Blues Today (5:25) 
05.Monday Morning (3:34)
06.Sweet Thing (3:06)
07.I Don't Know (4:08)
08.I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man (5:18) 
09.Big Town Playboy (3:49)
10.One Day Till Christmas (3:58)


Calvin "Fuzz" Jones– Bass
Willie O'Shawny– Piano
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith– Drums, Vocals, Guitar
Madison Slim– Harp, Vocals
Bill Flynn– Guitar.

The Legendary Blues Band has been around, in one form or another since the early 1980's. Originally formed by former Muddy Waters sidemen, the group included Pinetop Perkins on piano and the great Jerry Portnoy on Harmonica. This later incarnation of the group now finds Madison Slim on harmonica as well as other Chicago Blues enthusiasts filling in. Slim is a pretty fair singer and harmonica player, the guitarists; Billy Flynn and Willy Phillips do a nice job of playing good standard Chicago-style Blues. The other players do a nice job of laying a solid rhythmic base for the lead players.

Overall, it's not a bad album at all, for a group that is content to simply play the Blues the way we've been playing them in Chicago for the last 50 years. ---Peter Krampert, amazon.com

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