In the mid- '60s,
Big Mama Thornton
was a relatively obscure
blues
singer known mainly for her original recording of
"Hound Dog"
in 1953, three years before
Elvis
had a monster hit with it. Due to a lack of gigs,
Thornton
had a tough time keeping a steady band on the road and would scramble to gather consistently decent musicians. Fortunately,
Arhoolie Records
' founder and president
Chris Strachwitz
had witnessed an amazing performance of the era which had
backed by a group of Chicago musicians who included
Buddy Guy
on guitar. With that performance in mind,
Strachwitz
was determined to capture that excellence in the studio. He offered the gig to
Muddy Waters
, whom he met in San Francisco a few days prior to this session.
Muddy
accepted and brought with him
James Cotton
(harmonica),
Otis Spann
(piano),
Sammy Lawhorn
(guitar),
Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson
(bass), and
Francis Clay
(drums). What came out at
Coast Recorders
on April 25, 1966 is presented on this 17-track disc including seven previously unreleased cuts. From the low-down gutbucket
of
"Black Rat,"
and
"Big Mama's Shuffle"
(featuring both
engaging in a battle of the harps), to the hazy, late-night atmosphere of
"Life Goes On,"
"Since I Fell for You,"
"I Feel the Way I Feel,"
all of this material is absolutely timeless. One can only imagine what would have happened if
Big Mama
's hopes of recording a
gospel
album with this band had been fulfilled. ~ Al Campbell