His voice has been one of the most distinctive in any form of music for seven decades; Sam Cooke's time at bat was much more brief but no less influential. That gorgeous voice was already honed when he made his first records on Specialty as part of the Soul Stirrers aged just nineteen. Over the subsequent six years he did gospel before moving to a wider platform, first with Keen and on towards his own label SAR via the RCA deal. There are dozens of theories to explain his death by shooting in Los Angeles on 11th December 1964 - those few words are the extent of the verifiable facts of the case. None of the conspiracies can bring him back so we let the reader find out more for them selves if they want. While on air I started seeing posts come in from American friends showing clips of unrest on the streets of the big cities following recent events. Muddy Waters' son - Mud Morganfield - appealed for calm and it seemed appropriate to play Sam Cooke's game changer at that point in STAR BLUES. Put the whole thing in perspective for me about how far we've come in 60 years and yet how little things have changed.
Our first section was able to feature the class action of Jackson Sloan, his self-penned work is both elegant and joyful. He's been before but Georgie Bonds hasn't; he followed a two year spell in prison with fourteen years working as a blacksmith. Plenty of material for a blues song, he strikes me as a tough cookie with the instincts of a survivor (he's now out the other side of some health worries). The other highlight in the first sixty can from Vaneese Thomas whose project is lovingly crafted piece in honour of her father Rufus.
Our second hour had Lula Reed, Al smith, Al King and Earl King - all of which were sourced from vinyl originally. The Staple singers' version of "Nobody's Fault" was inspired by the remarks made from the stage at Celebration Day by Robert Plant. I caught the dvd re-run one night in the week and it was nice to hear them acknowledge their roots so openly. This month also marks the centenary of Pops' birth so it would have been churlish to miss the chance to include his rare cover of "John Henry". Also from tv, I overheard the updated version of "hug You" in the soundtrack of one of the crime dramas I have scheduled to TIVO. Lady Blue is eagerly awaiting the Christmas tv listings (not0. Hopefully there will be some decent documentaries to while away the hours.
As for STAR BLUES we plan to turn up every Sunday including the one between Christmas and New Year. That show will unveil the 2014 awards winners. Last year Billy Boy Arnold won Artist honours, Bobby Rush scooped album and Delmark and Ace got the label gongs. Find out in 3 weeks the winners - mean time we'll bring a few runners and riders round your place on Sunday at 10pm (GMT). Until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you
| track.title | track.artistsort | index | album.title | album.artistsort | label |
| things are gettingharder to do | Otis Grand | 1 | he knows the blues | otis grand | SEQUEL |
| i can't be satisfied | Muddy Waters | 5 | Hard Again | Muddy Waters | BLUE SKY |
| the blacksmith | georgie bonds | 2 | stepping into time | georgie bonds | BGB |
| i want all that you got | jackson sloan | 2 | jukebox swing | jackson sloan | ciro |
| I Want To Hug You | John Lee Hooker | 1 | Mr. Lucky | John Lee Hooker | SPV Blue |
| Juke | Bob Margolin Et Al | 5 | All-Star Blues Jam | Bob Margolin | TELARC |
| need some good lovin | Nick Holt | 4 | You Better Watch Yourself | Nick Holt | WOLF |
| I Done Did That Already | Johnny Jones | 7 | Can I Get An Amen | Johnny Jones | SPV |
| Southern Central Blues | Thomas, Vaneese | 1 | Blues For My Father | Thomas, Vaneese | Segue Records |
| Keep On Movin' | Mighty Sam McClain | 7 | Keep On Movin' | Mighty Sam McClain | AUDIOQUEST |
| gimme some of yours | artie white | 2 | hard to explain | various artists | bgp |
| you upset me | larry davis | 3 | hard to explain | various artists | bgp |
| He Got What He Wanted (But He Lost What He Had) | Little Richard | 4 | Just About As Good As It Gets | Little Richard | SMITH & CO |
| Keep A Knockin' | Little Richard | 20 | Dizzy Miss Lizzy - The Speciality Story - 1954 -1960 | Various Artists | One Day Music |
| Rip It Up | Little Richard | 23 | The R&b Years - 1956 (Vol. 1) | Various Artists | BOULEVARD VINTAGE |
| Nobody's Fault But Mine | Staple Singers, The | 2 | Ultimate Staple Singers: A Family Affair | Staple Singers, The | Kent (U.K.) |
| St James Infirmary | Josh White | 19 | The Roots Of The Doors | Various Artists | SNAPPER MUSIC |
| when will be paid | Staple Singers, The | 20 | Ultimate Staple Singers: A Family Affair | Staple Singers, The | Kent (U.K.) |
| john henry | pops Staples | 22 | Ultimate Staple Singers: A Family Affair | Staple Singers, The | Kent (U.K.) |
| Jesus Gave Me Water | Soul Stirrers Feat. Sam Cooke, The | 9 | Gospel - The Ultimate Collection | Various Artists | RED Box |
| Touch The Hem Of His Garment | Sam Cooke | 14 | Sam Cooke With The Soul Stirrers | Soul Stirrers, TheSam Cooke | Specialty |
| Little Red Rooster | Sam Cooke | 21 | Hits! | Sam Cooke | B.M.G. |
| aint nobodys business | sam cooke | 1-16 | man who invented soul | sam coke | rca |
| change is gonna come | sam cooke | 1 | greats | sam coke | rca |
| Loaded Down (Minit 608) | Mathew Jacobs | 3 | R&b Humdingers Volume 12 | Various Artists | Vee-Tone Records |
| Bad Understanding | Al King | 6 | Together | Al KingArthur K. Adams | ACE |
| Everything Is Alright | Earl King | 14 | 20 R'n'b Greats Of The 50's | Various Artists | CASCADE |
| Everything Is Wrong | sydney maiden | 5 | The Flash Records Story | Various Artists | ACE |
| Goin' To Alabama | Al Smith | 11 | The Prestige/Bluesville Story | Various Artists | NOT NOW |
| Watch Dog | Lula Reed | 15 | The R'n'b Years 1954: 100 Hot Rhythm And Blues Tunes From 1954 | Various Artists | BOULEVARD VINTAGE |
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