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Various Artists: Blues Kings of Baton Rouge
ByThe set follows two other major Baton Rouge projects by Hawkins, the definitive box set of recordings by Slim Harpo: Buzzin' the Blues: The Complete Slim Harpo (Bear Family, 2015,) and his book on Harpo and the blues environment in Baton Rouge: Slim Harpo: Blues King Bee of Baton Rouge (Louisiana State University Press, 2017).
Blues Kings of Baton Rouge provides an enjoyable introduction to the blues music of Baton Rouge, focusing on the period between 1954 and 1974. As Hawkins explains in the album's 52-page booklet, the reason for this is quite simple; before 1954, little recorded evidence of the blues scene in Baton Rouge existed, and after 1974, the blues started to disappear, making room for other genres like soul and R&B.
In the years covered by the set, a vibrant, local scene is captured with

Slim Harpo
guitar1924 - 1970
Lightnin' Slim
guitar, electric1913 - 1974

Lazy Lester
b.1933Lonesome Sundown
b.1928Aside from the commercially-driven blues music recorded by Miller, there were also deep, original folk sounds like those of

Robert Pete Williams
guitar1914 - 1980
Most of the musicians found on this compilation didn't get much success commercially, but their legacy lives on in this set of supremely crafted blues music. The stamp of Baton Rouge is on it and it's a mark of quality. ">
Track Listing
CD1: Slim Harpo: Blues Hang-Over; Butch Cage and Willie B. Thomas: Who Broke The Lock; Lightnin’ Slim: Bad Luck; Lightnin’ Slim: Bugger Bugger Boy; Schoolboy Cleve: Strange Letter Blues; Clarence Edwards: Smokestack Lightning; Robert Pete Williams: Angola Special; Butch Cage and Willie B.Thomas: Jelly Roll; Slim Harpo: I’m A King Bee; Lonesome Sundown: My Home Is A Prison; Lightning Slim: Mean ‘Ol Lonesome Train; Clarence Edwards: Stack O’ Dollars; Robert Pete Williams: Come Here Baby; Sally Dotson and Smokey Babe: Your Dice Won’t Pass; Lazy Lester: They Call Me Lazy; Jimmy Dotson: Looking For My Baby; Raful Neal: Crying Hard; Lazy Lester: I’m A Lover Not A Fighter; Lightning Slim: Lightnin’s Troubles; Slim Harpo: One More Day; Lightning Slim: Rooster Blues; Lightnin’ Slim and Lazy Lester: Trip To Chicago (alt); Slim Harpo: What A Dream; Smokey Babe and Clyde Causey: Black Gal; Smokey Babe and Lazy Lester: Mississippi River So Deep And Wide; Herman E. Johnson: Depression Blues. CD2: Slim Harpo: Rainin' In My Heart; Lightning Slim: I’m Tired Waitin’ Baby; Tabby Thomas: Hoodo Party; Lonesome Sundown: My Home Ain’t Here; Jimmy Anderson: Naggin’; Silas Hogan: Trouble At Home Blues; Lightnin’ Slim: Winter Time Blues; Jimmy Anderson: Goin Thru the Park; Lightnin’ Slim: I’m Evil; The Nitehawks (Bo Melvin): Boogie Chillun; Whispering Smith : Mean Woman Blues; Silas Hogan: I’m Goin In The Valley; Silas Hogan: Dark Clouds Rollin’; Lightnin’ Slim: Can’t Live This Life No More; Isaiah Chattman: Cold In Hand; Slim Harpo: Baby Scratch My Back; Slim Harpo: I'm Gonna Miss You (Like The Devil); Silas Hogan: Hoo Doo Blues; Henry Gray: Showers Of Rain; Arthur Kelley: Number Ten At The Station (and number 12 is on the road); Arthur Kelley: How Can I Stay (When All I Have Is Gone); Moses Smith: Baton Rouge Breakdown; Silas Hogan: Honey Bee Blues; Silas Hogan: I Didn’t Tell Her To Leave; Slim Harpo: The Music's Hot; Robert Pete Williams: Goodbye Slim Harpo; Slim Harpo: Talking Blues (aka Blues Hangover).
Personnel
Various Artists
variousVarious Artists.
Album information
Title: Blues Kings of Baton Rouge | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Bear Family
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