Best of Little Walter
Best of Little Walter | ||||
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Greatest hits album by Little Walter | ||||
Released | 1958 | |||
Recorded | May 12, 1952 – January 25, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois[1][2] | |||
Genre | Chicago blues | |||
Length | 35:44 | |||
Label | Checker LP 1428[3] | |||
Producer | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Willie Dixon | |||
Little Walter chronology | ||||
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Best of Little Walter is the first LP record by American blues performer Little Walter. First released in 1958, the compilation album contains ten Little Walter songs that appeared in the Top 10 of the Billboard R&B chart from 1952 to 1955,[4] plus two B-sides. The album was first released by Checker Records as LP-1428, which was the first LP record released by Checker, and then released on Chess Records with the same catalog number.[3]
The album has been reissued numerous times, although it has been largely superseded by the twenty-song collection Little Walter His Best: Chess 50th Anniversary Collection.
Artwork and packaging
The album cover features a black-and-white photo portrait shot by Grammy award winning photographer Don Bronstein of Little Walter holding/playing a Hohner 64 Chromatic harmonica and liner notes by Studs Terkel, who had written Giants of Jazz. The original LP featured a black label.
Accolades
In 1991, The Best of Little Walter was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in the "Classics of Blues Recordings – Album" category.[3] The album is also ranked #198 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[5]
Track listing
All tracks written by All songs written by Walter Jacobs, except where noted.
Side one | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "My Babe" (Willie Dixon) | 2:44 |
2. | "Sad Hours" | 3:15 |
3. | "You're So Fine" | 3:07 |
4. | "Last Night" | 2:46 |
5. | "Blues with a Feeling (Rabon Tarrant, re-written by Jacobs)" | 3:10 |
6. | "Can't Hold Out Much Longer" | 3:03 |
Side two | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Juke" | 2:47 |
2. | "Mean Old World (T-Bone Walker, re-written by Jacobs)" | 2:57 |
3. | "Off the Wall" | 2:52 |
4. | "You Better Watch Yourself" | 3:04 |
5. | "Blue Light" | 3:14 |
6. | "Tell Me Mamma" | 2:47 |
Personnel
The following people contributed to the Best of Little Walter:[1][2]
- Little Walter – lead vocals, harmonica
- Muddy Waters – guitar on "Juke" and "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
- Jimmy Rogers – guitar on "Juke" and "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
- David Myers – guitar
- Louis Myers – guitar
- Leonard Caston – guitar on "My Babe"
- Robert Lockwood, Jr. – guitar on "My Babe"
- Willie Dixon – bass, producer
- Elgin Evans – drums on "Juke" and "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
- Fred Below – drums
- Studs Terkel – sleeve notes
Singles chart
The songs "Juke" and "My Babe" peaked at #1 on Billboard magazine's R&B Singles chart. "Sad Hours", "You're So Fine", and "Blues with a Feeling" made it to #2 on the same chart. "Last Night" and "Mean Old World" peaked at #6, "Off the Wall" and "You Better Watch Yourself" reached #8, and "Tell Me Mama" made it to #10.[4]
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 1958 | Checker/Chess Records | LP | 1428 |
United States | 1967 | Checker Records | LP | 3004 |
United States | 1988 | MCA Records/Chess Records | LP | CH-9192 |
Cassette | CHC-9192 | |||
CD | CHD-9192 | |||
References
- 1 2 George R. White; Robert L. Campbell; Tom Kelly. "The Chess Label Part I (1950–1952)". Robert Campbell. Clemson, South Carolina: Clemson University. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
- 1 2 George R. White; Robert L. Campbell; Tom Kelly. "The Chess Label Part II (1953–1955)". Robert Campbell. Clemson, South Carolina: Clemson University. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
- 1 2 3 Past Hall of Fame Inductees. Blues Foundation. Go under 1991 Hall of Fame Inductees and click on The Best of Little Walter--Little Walter (Checker, 1958) to view the album review.
- 1 2 Whiburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942-1988. Record Research. p. 613. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ↑ "#198 The Best of Little Walter". Rolling Stone. 2003. Retrieved September 20, 2010.