Alligator Records: 50 Years of Genuine Houserockin’ Music
Disc one includes legends like the aforementioned Mr. Taylor (whose
“Give Me Back My Wig” defined the label’s mission statement of “genuine
houserockin’ music”); the great Koko Taylor (whose “I’m A Woman” puts Muddy in
his place); and skilled guitarslingers like Albert Collins, Roy Buchanan,
Fenton Robinson, and Johnny Winter, who explore a variety of styles. You’ll
also find harp maestros Big Walter Horton and James Cotton, and much-beloved
artists like Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, and Saffire – The
Uppity Blues Women. Throw in some blues-rock jams by the Paladins, and
honky-tonk piano-pounding by New Orleans legend Professor Longhair and you
have a nearly-perfect 18-track album.
If that’s not enough to get
yer motor revving into overdrive, disc two will melt your brain with
incendiary tracks from talents like the late, great Michael “Iron Man” Burks,
the always-rowdy Little Charlie & the Nightcats, and more harmonica
wizardry from masters like Carey Bell and Billy Boy Arnold. Disc two showcases
the label’s incredible diversity, mixing songs from soul-blues outfits like
the Holmes Brothers and the Kinsey Report with performances by great singers
like Janiva Magness, Mavis Staples, and the underrated Katie Webster. The
legendary “Steady Rollin’” Bob Margolin is represented here, as are talented
cats like Kenny Neal and Joe Louis Walker, and lesser-known but influential
artists like Corey Harris and Michael Hill. Throw in some classic Zydeco from
C.J. Chenier and a track from the innovative blues-rock outfit the
Siegel-Schwall Band, among other fine performances, and you have 21 red-hot
tunes that will torch your stereo speakers with pure flamethrower blues…
Still
not enough for ya? Man, you drive a hard bargain…how ‘bout disc three and 21
houserockin’ tracks from skilled bluesmen and women like Marcia Ball, Billy
Branch, Toronzo Cannon, and Roomful of Blues. There’s no shortage of skilled
fretburners like Tinsley Ellis, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Selwyn Birchwood,
and Coco Montoya to be found, and bands like Lil’ Ed & the Blues
Imperials, the Nick Moss Band (featuring the extraordinary harp player Dennis
Gruenling), Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, and Tommy Castro & the
Painkillers are among the most popular (and hardest-working) blues gangs
haunting your local juke-joint these past few years. Shemekia Copeland and
Curtis Salgado are two of the most talented blues singers on the scene today,
and you can’t overlook legends like Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, and
Guitar Shorty.
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
Altogether, 50 Years of Genuine Houserockin’ Music does a great
job of documenting a half-century of Alligator Records’ irreplaceable and
invaluable contribution to American music. The three-disc set includes a 40pp
color booklet and provides the listener a veritable roadmap of the evolution
of roots ‘n’ blues music over the past five decades. It’s a great sampler of
the wealth of talent the label has to offer, and if you pick up this box set
and don’t immediate order a dozen or so discs from the featured artists, I
have to seriously question your taste in music…maybe you’d be happier with a
shiny new Justin Bieber album? For the rest of us, there’s nothing but
“genuine houserockin’ music” on the menu. Kudos to Alligator founder Bruce
Iglauer and his staff for this incredible musical milestone! (Alligator
Records, released June 18th, 2021)
Buy the CD from Amazon:
50 Years of Genuine Houserockin’ Music
Also on That Devil Music:
Bruce Iglauer - Bitten by the Blues book review
Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection CD review
