Muddy Waters

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June 2, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Poem: You Can’t Lose What You Never Had

Muddy Waters couldn’t read or write, didn’t stop him re-writing the way music works – he’s there in folklore, painting the walls outside the Chess studio; later making new blues with streaks of his own blood to colour outside the lines

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April 8, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Bill Orcutt: Odds Against Tomorrow

Bill Orcutt Odds Against Tomorrow Palilalia If you’ve ever imagined what the common ground between John Fahey and Derek Bailey might sound like – then Bill Orcutt is your guy. He’s an Ornette Coleman-like guitarist. He’s equal parts punk, blues and jazz – as he cuts astonishing new shapes through old traditions. Primarily a soloist, […]

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July 9, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

Faris: Mississippi To Sahara

Faris Mississippi To Sahara Reaktion Faris Amine, born to an Ethiopian father and Touareg mother, tries something different, something that elevates him beyond being just another Desert Bluesman. Here, he takes songs from the Delta and drags them through the mud and back through the sands of his time, making Son House’s Death Letter over […]

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March 18, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

Sweetman Podcast: Episode 17 – Chris Cain

So it’s just the second international guest to date in the life of Sweetman Podcast – episode 17 is my chat with American blues guitarist and singer, Chris Cain. What a great pleasure it was to sit down with Chris and talk through his life, his influences, his passion for playing. More than once, as […]

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July 17, 2014 by Simon Sweetman

R.I.P. Johnny Winter

Reports are coming in that Johnny Winter, 70, has died. Man, I loved some of Johnny Winter’s playing. I say some because I never listened to it all. The first real revelation for me – the real introduction to his playing – was hearing the Captured Live album. Oh man! A friend had the LP, […]

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November 1, 2011 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 1781

Muddy Waters, Hard Again (1977) I have an old copy of this album; it’s got a piece of tape going right across the front cover, holding together a tear in the cardboard. Picked it up about 16-17 years ago for about a buck. But I’ve never thought to replace this album – because the disc […]

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July 23, 2011 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 1918

Paul Ubana Jones, Paul Ubana Jones (1988) I have all the Paul Ubana Jones albums – but I’m very pleased to have the self-titled debut on vinyl also; signed to me by Paul. I first saw Paul play when he had released Blessings And Burdens and I worked back through his catalogue from there. I’ve […]