Little Walter - Blues with a feeling

His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection) Little Walter

 allmusic

Everyone who fancies themselves a blues harmonica player should have this one in their collection as a textbook instructional tool, while the rest of us can just bask in the glow of his genius. "Essential first purchase" doesn't even begin to describe it.

1.  "Juke"
2.  "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
3.  "Mean Old World"
4.  "Sad Hours" Instrumental
5.  "Tell Me Mama"
6.  "Off the Wall" Instrumental
7.  "Blues with a Feeling"
8.  "You're So Fine"
9.  "Too Late" (Willie Dixon)
10.  "Last Night"
11. "Mellow Down Easy" (Dixon)
12.  "My Babe" (Dixon)
13.  "Roller Coaster" (Ellas McDaniel) Instrumental
14. "Hate to See You Go"
15.  "It Ain't Right"
16.  "Boom, Boom Out Goes the Light" (Stan Lewis)
17.  "Confessin' the Blues"
18.  "Key to the Highway" (Big Bill Broonzy)
19.  "Everything Gonna Be Alright"
20.  "Just Your Fool"

Otha Turner & The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band - My Babe

Otha Turner (vocal-cane fife); Bernice Turner Pratcher (vocals); Sharde Thomas (vocals); Otha Andre Evans & Rodney Evans (snare drum); Aubrey Turner (bass drum); Corey Harris (guitar)

Wikipedia

"My Babe" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon for Little Walter. Released in 1955 on Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records, the song was the only Dixon composition ever to become a no. 1 R&B single, and it was one of the biggest hits of either of their careers.

The song was based on the traditional gospel song "This Train (Is Bound For Glory)", which Sister Rosetta Tharpe recorded in the 1939 hit, "This Train". Dixon reworked the arrangement and lyrics from the sacred, the procession of saints into Heaven, into the secular, a story about a woman that won't stand for her man to cheat: "My baby, she don't stand no cheating, my babe, she don't stand none of that midnight creeping".

The Otha Turner version featured on the CBS documentary


The Little Walter version


Appears on Muddy Waters Country Blues

Little Walter: His Best The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection

His Best:Little Walter
If you read SML often you probably know that I love harmonica players. And the harmonica player that I love listening to the most is Little Walter. And the Little Walter album that I like listening to the most, is His Best :(Little Walter)The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection.

I am serious when I tell you that if I was placed on a desert island, and could only have one album, this might be the album. And I bet someone is wondering how could I pick a Little Walter album over say a Muddy Waters album, or maybe a Howlin' Wolf album. Well part of it may be my mood right now, if I pose this question on another day, I might come up with a different album, but right now this is how I feel.

I agree with Robert Gordon's assessment of Little Walter when he said;

Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs is perhaps the most influential harmonica player on contemporary blues, and his collection is a great place to start. He was trained by Muddy Waters, but brought a more swinging feel to blues. Muddy and his band accompany Little Walter on many hits, as do Robert "Jr." Lockwood, the Aces, and other Chicago greats. In the 1950s, Little Walter's popularity eclipsed even Waters', his style a little more relaxed and pop-oriented. Walter's versions of many songs are the standards: "Blues with a Feeling," "You're So Fine," "Juke." Great stuff.

Track Listing
1. Juke 2:47
2. Can't Hold Out Much Longer 3:03
3. Mean Old World 2:57
4. Sad Hours 3:15
5. Tell Me Mama 2:47
6. Off The Wall 2:52
7. Blues With A Feeling 3:10
8. You're So Fine 3:07
9. Too Late 2:44
10. Last Night 2:46
11. Mellow Down Easy 2:45
12. My Babe 2:44
13. Roller Coaster 2:56
14. Hate To See You Go 2:20
15. It Ain't Right 2:57
16. Boom, Boom Out Goes The Light 2:53
17. Confessin' The Blues 3:06
18. Key To The Highway 2:48
19. Everything's Gonna Be Alright 2:52
20. Just Your Fool 2:23

Little Walter mp3s @Amazon

Little Walter @SqueezeMyLemon

Cadillac Records: My Review

Cadillac Records
27x41 Original Movie Poster


Movie Review

I saw Cadillac Records yesterday. It is a musical biopic that is now showing in theaters, it was written and directed by Darnell Martin. The film explores blues music starting in the early 1940s to the late 1960s. It chronicles the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company founder Leonard Chess, and some of the musicians who created and recorded Chicago blues music.

Cast

Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess
Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James
Emmanuelle Chriqui as Revetta Chess
Mos Def as Chuck Berry
Gabrielle Union as Geneva Waters
Columbus Short as Little Walter
Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters
Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon
Eamonn Walker as Howlin' Wolf

I thought it was a good movie, all things considered. The performances for the most part were well done and you can see that the actors wanted to put in a good performances. And some of them really shined.

Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright both did good jobs acting. But I could not totally suspend disbelief when it came to Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters. I think this maybe because I am such a big fan of Muddy Waters. I really like Jeffrey Wright as an actor, but here it was a hard sell. Having said that I can not think of anyone who could have done a better job, but Muddy Waters is such a strong character to play.

I thought as a whole that the movie packed too may threads into the same movie. Any one of the musicians depicted in this movie could have a movie made about their lives (and I hope someone makes those movies too). But too many threads caused the movie to play fast and lose with the facts, which again was kind of annoying to me, and again that may be because I'm such a big fan of the musicians depicted in this movie.

I was pleasantly surprised by Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James. I think she brought a lot of emotion to the part and of course her singing came across very well and is probably the high point of the movie.

Another highlight was Mos Def as Chuck Berry. I thought he really played the role well and he puts you in the mind of Mr. Berry. His mannerisms were perfect. I also really liked the part of Howlin' Wolf as played by Eamonn Walker. And because I enjoyed the way he played the part, it made me think that I would love to see a movie about Wolf's life played by Eamonn Walker.

Columbus Short as Little Walter was very well acted and he played the part in a way that portrays much of the volatility and sadness of Little Walter's life. And both Gabrielle Union as Geneva Waters and Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon put in notable performances.

The movie was very enjoyable, and while I have some criticisms of the film they are minor. This movie is a great introduction to blues music for young music fans. It has many popular young actors who may be able to attract young people to the blues pioneers and to be inspired by them.

Harmonica Day 4 - Little Walter

Well back down there in Alabama, or any where else, you could walk into a pawn shop and buy a harmonica for 5o cents, after Little Walter put out that record Juke it went up to 5 or 10 dollars.

Sam Lay - Drummer for Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Paul Butterfield Blues Band

I relate to my favorite blues harmonica players for different reasons. Little Walter is one of my favorites because he is from my home state, because of the work he did in creating the Chicago electric harmonica blues sound with Muddy Waters, and because he was a man who definitely lived the blues.



Little Walter R&R Hall of Fame film



Notes from YouTube - A brief film about blues harmonica icon Little Walter Jacobs, which was shown as part of his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008.



Hound Dog Taylor & Little Walter - Wild About you baby





Little Walter You're So Fine


References;

Little Walter's induction into the R&R Hall of Fame - Chicago blues icon Little Walter was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, March 10th, 2008. This is the complete induction ceremony: the 2:00 minute Tribute to Little Walter film, followed by musician Ben Harper's induction speech, then James Cotton performing both of Little Walter's #1 hits, "Juke" and "My Babe", accompanied by Paul Schaffer's Late Night Band, and featuring Ben Harper on "My Babe".

Bluesharp Little Walter page, includes several short mp3's of Little Walter on blues harp.

Little Walter@wikipedia

Little Walter - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection: Little Walter - His Best

Little Walter Sound Files

Lately as I play my harmonica, Little Walter has been on my mind. And one of the comments from my post on Sonny Boy Williamson mentioned him. So then I remembered that I have a few sample windows music files of his music.

As I said in a comment earlier, Little Walter is also one of my favorite blues harmonica players. If you have any doubts about that, please listen to the song called Juke. This song is awesome!

Windows media player sound files are in red below;

Little Walter - My Babe.wma file

Little Walter - Juke.wma file

Little Walter - Crazy Mixed Up World.wma file

If you like those files you may want to buy a CD of Little Walters music form Amazon.com here are a few of my favorites;

His Best :(Little Walter)The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection

The Blues World of Little Walter

1947-1953 Little Walter

file under;
blues, music, sound files, harmonica, Little Walter