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Label Series

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.

Host Narration

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.

27Tracks
25Artists
5Theme Tags
5Genre Tags

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.

SeriesLabel Series
Tagsrecord labelsBackbeatBlind Pigmodern bluesreissues
Genreschicago bluesdelta bluestraditional bluesharmonica bluesblues
Tracklist
OrderTrackArtistSegmentBridgeStory
1One More Time - Back Beat Records versionRoy Head And The Traits1-
2A Nickel And A NailO.V. Wright1-
3Don't Let My Baby RideO.V. Wright1-
4New Walkin' BluesPaul Butterfield's Better Days1-
5I Just Want to Make Love to YouFoghat1-
7I Feel So FineWashboard Willie1-
8I Wish I Had SomebodyGood Rockin' Charles1Yes-
10Sugar MamaBilly Boy Arnold2-
11Short Dressed WomanLafayette Leake2-
12Dust My BroomSunnyland Slim2-
13You Don't Love MeEddie Taylor2-
14I'm So Glad You Don't Know What's On My Mind (take 1)Jessie Mae Hemphill,Hezekiah,The Houserockers2-
15Crawling King SnakeJames Son" Thomas"2Yes-
16Take A Walk With Me (Take2)Robert Lockwood, Jr.,JR.3Yes-
17Nobody's Fault But MineJohnny Shines3-
18Take Me Back BabyWhispering Smith3-
19On My Way To SchoolDoctor Ross3-
20Woke Up This MorningLonnie Brooks3-
21One Eyed WomanLefty Dizz3Yes-
Baby Please Set a DateHomesick James-
Five Long YearsMighty Joe Young-
Happy With My French FriendsHubert Sumlin-
Honey BeeBuster Benton-
I Can't Lose With The Stuff I Use - Artist: Cousin Joe From New OrleansVarious Artists-
MaybellineFoghat-
Pinetop Boogie woogiePinetop Perkins-
Sweet Little AngelJohn Littlejohn-