T-Bone Blues

T-Bone Walker | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic
• ASIN: B000002I7E
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,525 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #66 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > Texas Blues

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Walker took the electric guitar torch from Charlie Christian, held it high with grace and dignity, and then passed it to Buddy Guy and Hendrix....stronger than dirt, tougher than tough, bluesy as the deep blue sea." --Q Magazine --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Product Description

T-Bone Walker's masterpiece T-Bone Blues is often cited as not only one his finest achievements, but also one of the blues genre's most important crowned jewels. This 1959 LP showcases this late blues master's legendary handling of the electric guitar & his unequalled ability to powerfully sing some of the most revered classics in modern blues history. This recording features the artist's greatest tunes like "T-Bone Shuffle," "Papa Ain't Salty No More" and of course the iconic "Stormy Monday Blues." Mastered impeccably from the original mono Atlantic tapes by Joe Reagoso, original art + 180 gram. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top-notch T-Bone, August 24, 2004

By 

Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews

This review is from: T-Bone Blues (Audio CD)

Originally issued by Atlantic Records in 1959, "T-Bone Blues" compiled 11 singles recorded between 1955 and 1957, and the 1994 CD reissue added four bonus tracks, including "Why Not", which Jimmy Rogers would later record as "Walkin' By Myself" and credit to himself, and a soulful rendition of Leroy Carr's "How Long Blues".

Many of these sides are re-recordings of Aaron "T-Bone" Walker's classic 40s sides, like "T-Bone Shuffle", "They Call It Stormy Monday", and "Mean Old World", and while any self-respecting blues collection should include Walker's original Capitol and Black & White singles (Rhino's "Blues Masters - The Very Best Of T-Bone Walker" is a great collection of those early sides), "T-Bone Blues" is perhaps the most satisfying album Walker ever made.

The sound is simply magnificent for mid-50s waxings, wonderfully clear and crisp and realistic, and T-Bone Walker is backed by men like Junior Wells, Jimmy Rogers, Ransom Knowling, legendary arranger/pianist Lloyd Glenn, and saxists John "Plas" Johnson, Jr., Edward Chamblee, Mack Easton, and Earl Hines-cohort Andrew "Goon" Gardner.
And T-Bone's own playing and singing is superb. Just listen to his inspired soloing on "Blues For Marili", "Mean Old World", the classic "T-Bone Blues", and this the definitive rendition of "Papa Ain't Salty". It's a delight to hear him playing with Little Walter Jacobs on the 1955 recordings, which include a swinging "Play On, Little Girl" and the fine bonus cut "T-Bone Blues Special", and Walker's re-recording of "They Call It Stormy Monday" captures the essence of the magnificent original version from 1947, this time with stellar fidelity.

There are a number of amazing instrumentals here, too...T-Bone Walker duels with his nephew R.S. Rankin and highly esteemed jazz guitarist Barney Kessel on the up-tempo scorcher "Two Bones And A Pick", and comes off victorious. He may have been best known for his slow, after-hours blues laments, but T-Bone could cut it with the best of them no matter if the tempo was set at 40 or 140.
The highlights on this disc are too many to mention...among the best of the lesser-known songs are the up-tempo "You Don't Know What You're Doing", sung by Rankin, and the jouyous instrumental "Shufflin' The Blues", but literally everything is worth a listen.
An essential addition to any semi-serious collection of electric blues.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential. Period., June 6, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: T-Bone Blues (Audio CD)

While these recordings did little to re-establish Walker's popularity, they might the quintessential T-Bone. His playing is still hot, Atlantic backed him with excellent musicains, and this music is recorded "state-of-the-art" for mid-50s recordings. Which means, in reality, he's recorded with a crispness and detail that far outshines any previous Walker recordings. If your a fan and don't have this one in your libaray, your missing prime T-Bone.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential blues., September 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: T-Bone Blues (Audio CD)

This recording from the mid-fifties is an absolute must for any blues lover. It fills the gap between jazz and blues in a very clever manner. The sound is absolutely great and it introduced one the most covered blues number of all time : Call it stormy monday. This is a real blues classic : buy it!