Bluesiana Triangle is a collaboration of Jazz drummer extraordinaire, Art Blakey, Mac Rebennack, better known as Dr. John, and David 'Fathead' Newman on flute and saxophone. Also featured is Essiet Okon Essiet on bass.
Guitarist Bernard Summer, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris began their musical careers with Joy Division. After Joy Division's singer, Ian Curtis, killed himself, Summer, Hook and Morris went on to form New Order along with Gillian Gilbert on keyboards. 'Brotherhood' is their fourth album, released in 1986.
The Texas Tornados were Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers from The Sir Douglas Quintet, accordion player extraordinaire, Flaco Jimenez, and country singer Baldemar Huerta, who you may know as Freddy Fender.
Sounds like a Supergroup to me.
'Hangin' On By A Thread' was their fourth album, released in 1992.
Best known for his work with Howlin' Wolf, Hubert Sumlin is one of my favorite guitarists. Always loved the way he made that guitar pop. So did quite a few Rock 'N' Roll guitarists who cited Sumlin as their inspiration, including Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page.
Robert Gordon is a Rockabilly singer who came out of the NYC Punk scene in the 70's. Link Wray has been called "the father of the power chord". They teamed up on two albums, the second one being 'Fresh Fish Special'.
In case you're wondering, the album's title refers to Elvis Presley's haircut in the film 'Jailhouse Rock'.
Aleck Miller, better known as Sonny Boy Williamson, played harmonica and sang the Blues with the best of 'em. He wasn't the first Blues man to use that name... the other was John Lee Curtis Williamson... but he's the one that most modern Blues fans are familiar with. To distinguish the two musicians, the one who is featured here is often referred to as Sonny Boy Williamson II, although he would claim that he was the first one to use the name.
'More Real Folk Blues' was part of Chess Records 'Real Folk Blues' series that was compiled to introduce musicians to the Folk crowd of the early 60's who were just discovering the Blues at the time. It was released posthumously in 1966.
Heading across the Atlantic to Germany with Can, a band that has been described as pioneers of both Prog Rock and Kraut Rock. 'Soon Over Babaluma' is their fifth studio album, released in 1974.
Another one of those Texas boys, Wayne 'The Train' Hancock cites Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey as some of his influences.
'Thunderstorms and Neon Signs' is his debut album, released in 1995.
Thought I'd feature another Jazz chanteuse, this one being Eleanora Fagan, better known as Billie Holiday. 'Songs for Distingué Lovers' is her eighth studio album, released in 1956. The musicians who worked with Billie on this album include the legendary Barney Kessel on guitar, and the wonderful Mr. Ben Webster, who may be the finest tenor saxophonist to ever play the instrument.
Another son of the bayou state, Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. Ella Fitzgerald was born sixteen years later in Newport News, Virginia.
Released in 1956, 'Ella and Louis' was the first of three albums that Satchmo and Lady Ella collaborated on for Verve Records. Their backing band consisted of Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass and Buddy Rich on drums.