A barrelhouse piano player whose approach to the blues was full of drive, bounce, and joy, Roosevelt Sykes recorded his signature tune, Lee Green's "44 Blues," at his debut studio date in 1929, which had been arranged for him by St.
Louis record shop owner Jesse Johnson.
Sykes never looked back, practicing his own brand of joyous boogie piano while spanning the pre- and post-war generations, and he enjoyed a remarkable surge in popularity late in his career, touring the music festivals on several continents and releasing albums.
This set, which has been released countless times on several different labels, including Blues Alliance, Blue Labor, Tomato, and Rhino, and now on Fat Possum, was recorded at a session on September 17, 1975, with guitarists Johnny Shines and Louisiana Red, and the harmonica-playing Sugar Blue to help out on some of the tracks.
The results, in all honesty, are mixed, but as an example of what it means to put some veteran blues musicians together and cut an album in one day, it's a minor little archival gem.
Sykes, unlike many artists, was always best solo, and there are several solo tracks here, all full of the bouncing, buoyant piano playing that made Sykes one of a kind.
In the end, it's a fun and interesting set, wherever one picks it up.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music Is My BusinessRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 11 MB |
| 2 | Mistake in LifeRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 02:40 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 3 | New York BoogieRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 4 | Dream WomanRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 5 | Stop Stoppin' MeRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 02:55 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 6 | Look Out for YourselfRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 01:54 | 4 MB | 8 MB |
| 7 | Some Right, Some WrongRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 02:21 | 5 MB | 10 MB |
| 8 | Take Time OutRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 02:59 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 9 | Hot PantsJohnny Shines | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 02:52 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 10 | A Good WomanKent Cooper, Louisiana Red | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 05:19 | 12 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | Leavin' ChicagoRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 12 | Funky SideRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 02:16 | 5 MB | 10 MB |
| 13 | Last ChanceRoosevelt Sykes | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 01:41 | 3 MB | 7 MB |
| 14 | How LongJohnny Shines | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 15 MB |
| 15 | Just A Smile | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 02:37 | 6 MB | 11 MB |
| 16 | Who's That Pretty Woman | Roosevelt Sykes | Play | 01:47 | 4 MB | 8 MB |
| 45 mins | 105 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 204 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Adler | Remixing |
| 2 | Kent Cooper | Composer, Liner Notes, Producer |
| 3 | Louisiana Red | Composer, Featured Artist, Guest Artist, Guitar, Vocals |
| 4 | Dave Mitchell | Engineer |
| 5 | Holger Peterson | Photography, Technical Assistance |
| 6 | Johnny Shines | Composer, Featured Artist, Guest Artist, Guitar, Vocals |
| 7 | Heiner Stadler | Producer |
| 8 | Sugar Blue | Featured Artist, Harmonica |
| 9 | Roosevelt Sykes | Composer, Featured Artist, Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 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). |