THURSDAY JUNE 16, 2005
Blues Bytes
Midnite Blues Party 
volumes one and two
A Goldmine of Rare Blues, Soul, Rockers, and R&B
BluesWax Ratings: 10
By Don "T-Bone" Erickson

Andrew Galloway of Electro-Fi Records has managed to accomplish perhaps the most important achievement in Roots music in the last several decades. He has partnered with Eddy B [Brake] to bring to the ears of the world some of the very rarest and remarkable sides of Blues and R&B from the 1950s and 1960s. Eddy B is a photographer and former DJ who has amassed one of the world's foremost collections of Blues material and recordings. I have no idea how one man could have managed to find and keep hold of such an incredible wealth of truly cool recordings by such unknown artists, but the world should extend a huge thanks to him (and Electro-Fi Records) for letting us in on this amazing stash.

Midnite Blues Party has 27 (count 'em) tracks, and I thought I really knew my shit about even the most obscure Blues artists, but I have to admit that not only hadn't I heard any of this music before, I wasn't even familiar with any of the names - not a one. You can imagine my curiosity turning into sheer delight when I put the disc in my player and song after song of rollicking, raw, raucous, rowdy, and rockin' R&B left me reeling. I'm going, "Where in the hell did all of this cool stuff come from and who are these people and why didn't they become stars?" I would love to dig into their respective backgrounds if that's possible. There has to be some interesting stories there to say the least.

There is absolutely no reason to try to give you a track-by-track rundown. It just isn't necessary. But think about what might have happened if Sam Phillips had got hold of some more recording opportunities by way of these obscure artists and spun his beautifully nasty magic in his studio. Even though most of the cuts on this disc are from the 1960s, it makes you think that these musicians stepped into a time machine and walked into the Memphis Recording Service in 1951 to get that one-of-a-kind feel and vibe, but with more contemporary elements thrown in.

This is blustery, soulful Blues at its very best. Midnite Blues Party captures the very essence of what real R&B is all about. Even though these artists here have their own individuality, as you listen, echoes of vintage Junior Wells, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Junior Parker, Big Joe Turner, LaVern Baker, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Ike Turner start bouncing off the walls of your room. And, yes, then you have to wonder how such talent could have just not gotten the breaks that it takes to get into the public's consciousness. It's a crime and a crying shame, but with this release, these unsung heroes will finally get some long lost due, even if it may be too late.

As to be expected, the overall sound may not be polished or squeaky clean (thank goodness), but it is surprising just how well these old records transferred to CD. And there are some of the most incredibly infectious grooves right here and this is one of the most important albums to have ever been released.

If you haven't stumbled upon this 2002 release yet, get yourself a copy now. Do it.

More Rare Jewels From The Treasure Chest of Eddy B

After discovering the first Midnite Blues Party, I wondered if perhaps Eddy B had some more hidden gems in his collection that he might be able to share with Andrew Galloway of Electro-Fi Records, who in turn, would be so kind to turn us on to the very finest of obscure Blues and R&B tracks. Well, they outdid themselves with this second collection of 28 fabulous tunes.

Volume Two goes even deeper into the vault and brings back out the coolest collection of mid-'40s to mid-'50s that we have "never" heard. The uptown, Jump Blues found here from this period is probably my favorite style of music and I had no idea that there were so many relatively unknown recording artists back then that were on a par with legendary figures like Louis Jordan, Wynonie Harris, Roy Brown, Pee Wee Crayton, Roy Milton, Piano Red, and Charles Brown. There are several tunes from some fantastic ladies as well.

And just like the first Midnite Blues Party, amazingly, I hadn't heard of a single one of the names on the disc's 28 tracks here. Have you ever heard any of these names before, Chocolate Williams & His Chocolateers, Lillie Mae & the House Rockers, Sister Rock-A-Way with I.H. Smalley & his Rockateers, Horse Collar Williams & His Orchestra, or George Zimmerman & The Thrills?

Again, there is no reason whatsoever to give a rundown of the tracks or even the highlights, but you gotta love some of the titles here which give you a great feel for what this disc offers up - "Be-Bop On The Boogie," "Merc-O-Matic Boogie," "A Woman Gets Tired Of One Man All The Time," "Ain't Got The Money To Pay For This Drink," and "After Hours Bounce."

And despite a slightly off-pitch vocal on "Lonesome Baby Blues" by Mike Kendrick's "Three Cheers," I will have to say that this is the coolest compilation of various Blues artists ever released. Read that last sentence again and believe it. Now get the discs already. Do it.

Don "T-Bone" Erickson is a founding editor of BluesWax.
T-Bone may be contacted at blueswax@visnat.com
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