Musselwhite’s Debut
I became familiar with the work of Charlie Musselwhite beginning with his most recent album, Delta Hardware; an album that would go on to win Album of the Year at the 2007 Blues Music Awards. That leaves nowhere to go but backwards, and the next couple Musselwhite records I bought have been of the more recent variety. I don’t regret that — well, not exactly.
As part of my big shipment of stuff, I ordered his debut, Stand Back! WOW! When the great debut albums are discussed, here’s one that might deserve a mention. He was only 22 when he recorded this. His vocals and harp are fabulous and he is really well served by the amazing backing band on the record. Veteran drummer Fred Below (played with just about everyone at Chess) and bassist —– the rhythm section —- Harvey Mandel strikes like a viper, his guitar lines striking quickly and injecting a venomous groove. Barry Goldberg’s organ work gives these blues a dose of ’60s psychadelica. This improbable combination adds up to some of the toughest back alley blues ever recorded.
If you want to start a blues library of your own and don’t know where to start — a place I found myself only a couple years ago — Stand Back! must be near the top of that list!
Filed under: Tags: Bloggin' the Blues, Charlie Musselwhite
