Show 42: Alphabet Blues, Pt. 2: Backbeat / Blind Pig
Backbeat and Blind Pig mark two different moments in the blues business: one tied to mid-century R&B traffic, the other to revival and modern roots marketing. Grouping them shows how labels shape not just distribution, but what kind of blues each era chooses to hear.
For today's 42nd episode, we'll be continuing along our series of alphabetically covering all record labels which recorded blues musicians during the previous century. Last episode, we did the A's, and today we'll be doing the B's. We'll hear a handful of my favorites from Back Beat Records, then a few from Big Bear Records, and we'll use the overwhelming remainder to cover, arguably, the most important French blues label of all time, Black and Blue Records. Up first is Roy Head and the Traits' Eddie Cochran-style romp entitled "One More Time," followed by two tracks by O.V. Wright, and then we'll crack open the British Big Bear Records releases by Paul Butterfield and Foghat. But now, here's Roy Head.
Backbeat and Blind Pig mark two different moments in the blues business: one tied to mid-century R&B traffic, the other to revival and modern roots marketing. Grouping them shows how labels shape not just distribution, but what kind of blues each era chooses to hear.
| Order | Track | Artist | Segment | Bridge | Story |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One More Time - Back Beat Records version | Roy Head And The Traits | 1 | - | |
| 2 | A Nickel And A Nail | O.V. Wright | 1 | - | |
| 3 | Don't Let My Baby Ride | O.V. Wright | 1 | - | |
| 4 | New Walkin' Blues | Paul Butterfield's Better Days | 1 | - | |
| 5 | I Just Want to Make Love to You | Foghat | 1 | - | |
| 7 | I Feel So Fine | Washboard Willie | 1 | - | |
| 8 | I Wish I Had Somebody | Good Rockin' Charles | 1 | Yes | - |
| 10 | Sugar Mama | Billy Boy Arnold | 2 | - | |
| 11 | Short Dressed Woman | Lafayette Leake | 2 | - | |
| 12 | Dust My Broom | Sunnyland Slim | 2 | - | |
| 13 | You Don't Love Me | Eddie Taylor | 2 | - | |
| 14 | I'm So Glad You Don't Know What's On My Mind (take 1) | Jessie Mae Hemphill,Hezekiah,The Houserockers | 2 | - | |
| 15 | Crawling King Snake | James Son" Thomas" | 2 | Yes | - |
| 16 | Take A Walk With Me (Take2) | Robert Lockwood, Jr.,JR. | 3 | Yes | - |
| 17 | Nobody's Fault But Mine | Johnny Shines | 3 | - | |
| 18 | Take Me Back Baby | Whispering Smith | 3 | - | |
| 19 | On My Way To School | Doctor Ross | 3 | - | |
| 20 | Woke Up This Morning | Lonnie Brooks | 3 | - | |
| 21 | One Eyed Woman | Lefty Dizz | 3 | Yes | - |
| Baby Please Set a Date | Homesick James | - | |||
| Five Long Years | Mighty Joe Young | - | |||
| Happy With My French Friends | Hubert Sumlin | - | |||
| Honey Bee | Buster Benton | - | |||
| I Can't Lose With The Stuff I Use - Artist: Cousin Joe From New Orleans | Various Artists | - | |||
| Maybelline | Foghat | - | |||
| Pinetop Boogie woogie | Pinetop Perkins | - | |||
| Sweet Little Angel | John Littlejohn | - |