Back to the Country finds Johnny Shines, accompanied by Snooky Pryor, running through a selection of standards, many of which they had played in their prime.
At the time they made Back to the Country, they were well into old age, and had suffered some losses.
Shines, in particular, was hit hard by the ravages of old age, suffering a stroke in the late '80s.
As a result, Shines couldn't play guitar for this session, so producer John Nicholas and Kent Du Chane pick up the slack.
This doesn't really hurt the music, but it's disheartening and awkward to listen to the album knowing that Shines isn't able to perform.
That said, there are some nice moments on the record -- Shines and Pryor have a nice rapport which shines through despite difficulties -- but overall, it's hard not to view this as a nostalgia exercise.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trouble in MindRichard M. Jones | Johnny Shines | Play | 03:54 | 9 MB | 19 MB |
| 2 | Corrine CorrinaBo Chatmon, Mitchell Parish, J. Mayo Williams | Johnny Shines | Play | 02:22 | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| 3 | Cool DriverJohn Shines, Johnny Shines | Johnny Shines | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 4 | They're Red HotRobert Johnson | Johnny Shines | Play | 02:21 | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| 5 | Lost a Good WomanJames Edward Pryor, James Pryor | Johnny Shines | Play | 04:19 | 10 MB | 22 MB |
| 6 | Evening SunJohnny Shines | Johnny Shines | Play | 02:59 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 7 | Peace in HellJohn Nicholas, Johnny Nicholas | Johnny Shines | Play | 02:28 | 5 MB | 11 MB |
| 8 | Come on in My KitchenRobert Johnson | Johnny Shines | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 9 | Blues Come to TexasJohn Shines, Johnny Shines | Johnny Shines | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 10 | Moon Is RisingJohn Shines, Johnny Shines | Johnny Shines | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | Hey Bobba Re BopCurley Hammer, Curley Hamner | Johnny Shines | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 12 | TerraplaneRobert Johnson | Johnny Shines | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 13 | I Make You HappyJames Edward Pryor, James Pryor | Johnny Shines | Play | 03:11 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 14 | Send Your Man To War | Snooky Pryor, Johnny Shines | Play | 03:09 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 44 mins | 104 MB | |||||
| 44 mins | 231 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bo Chatmon | Composer |
| 2 | Edward Chmelewski | Photography, Producer |
| 3 | Jerry del Giudice | Producer |
| 4 | Kent Duchaine | Guitar (Rhythm), Guitar (Steel) |
| 5 | Curley Hammer | Composer |
| 6 | Curley Hamner | Composer |
| 7 | John Hanlon | Assistant Producer, Engineer |
| 8 | John Hill | Assistant Engineer, Engineer |
| 9 | Robert Johnson | Composer |
| 10 | Richard M. Jones | Composer |
| 11 | John Morthland | Liner Notes |
| 12 | John Nicholas | Composer |
| 13 | Johnny Nicholas | Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Steel), Piano, Producer |
| 14 | Mitchell Parish | Composer |
| 15 | James Pryor | Composer |
| 16 | James Edward Pryor | Composer |
| 17 | Snooky Pryor | Harmonica, Performer, Vocals |
| 18 | John Shines | Composer |
| 19 | Johnny Shines | Composer, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 20 | J. Mayo Williams | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |