Description
Limited edition 180-gram vinyl reissue of the classic Chess Records LP
High definition premium virgin vinyl pressing for super fidelity
Little Walter could make his harp sound like a tenor sax, he was instrumental in defining the sound that is now known as Chicago blues harp. Singer, composer, bandleader and peerless harmonica virtuoso, Little Walter was unquestionably the single finest blues artist to have been produced by the post war Chicago blues movement.
It was as a menber of, and a vital contributor to the Muddy Waters band that Walter was given full rein to stretch his wings, and it is a tribute to Muddys foresight and generosity of spirit that he early recognized Walters great talent and allowed him every opportunity and encouragement to develop it. Muddys band was always a great incubator of blues talent and Walters is easily the brightest jewel in the crown.
In the period 1952, when he struck out on his own, through 1968, when he died as the result of head injuries sustained in a fight, Walter recorded in all about 100 titles for the Chess label, of which slightly more than half were isssued on record, invariably as singles. Made up of songs cut between 1953 and 1959 none of which had ever appeared on LP before the original 1974 release of this collection this selection features Walter in his prime, playing alongside Robert Lockwood, Jr. and Louis Myers or Luther Tucker on guitar (with Muddy Waters present on slide on one indispensable track, Rock Bottom), mostly Willie Dixon on bass, and Fred Below on the drums, with Lafayette Leake or Otis Spann on piano. His harp work was never less than first rate during the era covered by this collection, and there are some top flight instrumentals featured, but the material (check out Crazy Legs, with its dazzling interplay between Walter on harp and Louis and Dave Myers on guitars) here also features some of Walters best singing, including the romantic One More Chance with You, the quietly raunchy Temperature, and Confessin the Blues.
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