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The Complete  Singles As & Bs 1954-62
The Complete Singles As & Bs 1954-62

Lightnin' Slim
Styles: Blues
Catalogue Number: ADDCD3321
Guitarist, singer and songwriter Lightnin’ Slim (real name Otis Hicks) was born in Louisiana in 1913 and was a pioneer and first prominent exponent of the “Swamp Blues” style, coming relatively late in life to recording in his early 40s to record his best-known work during the late 1950s and early ‘60s, before retreating from the business until being re-discovered and brought back to performing in the early 1970s. His music became a significant influence on British artists during the ‘60s blues boom. Swamp blues, focused in the clubs of Baton Rouge, is a laid-back but highly rhythmic blues style, influenced by Cajun music, and which the book “Music USA: A Rough Guide” states is characterised by “eerie echo, shuffle beats, tremolo guitars, searing harmonica and sparse percussion”. This great-value 46-track 2-CD set comprises all the titles which Lightnin’ Slim recorded for the Feature, Ace and Excello labels during these years, including the only R&B chart hit of his career “Rooster Blues”. He is accompanied on these recordings by a variety of other Louisiana musicians, most notably the harmonica player Lazy Lester. This collection offers an entertaining insight into the music of a highly individual artist as well as a distinctive strand of regional blues.

Disk 1:
Track Title Artist
1 Bad Luck Lightnin' Slim
2 Rock Me Mama Lightnin' Slim
3 New Orleans Bound Lightnin' Slim
4 I Can't Live Happy Lightnin' Slim
5 Bugger Bugger Boy Lightnin' Slim
6 Ethel Mae Lightnin' Slim
7 She's Gone Schoolboy Cleve
8 Strange Letter Blues Schoolboy Cleve
9 Bad Feeling Blues Lightnin' Slim
10 Lightnin' Slim Boogie Lightnin' Slim
11 I Can't Be Successful Lightnin' Slim
12 Lightnin' Blues Lightnin' Slim
13 Sugar Plum Lightnin' Slim
14 Just Made Twenty One Lightnin' Slim
15 Goin' Home Lightnin' Slim
16 Wondering And Goin' Lightnin' Slim
17 Bad Luck And Trouble Lightnin' Slim
18 Have Your Way Lightnin' Slim
19 Mean Ole Lonesome Train Lightnin' Slim
20 I'm Grown Lightnin' Slim
21 I'm A Rollin' Stone Lightnin' Slim
22 Love Me Mama Lightnin' Slim
23 Hoodoo Blues Lightnin' Slim
Disk 2:
Track Title Artist
1 It's Mighty Crazy Lightnin' Slim
2 My Starter Won't Work Lightnin' Slim
3 Long Leanie Mama Lightnin' Slim
4 I'm Leavin' You Baby Lightnin' Slim
5 Feelin' Awful Blue Lightnin' Slim
6 Sweet Little Woman Lightnin' Slim
7 Lightnin's Troubles Lightnin' Slim
8 Rooster Blues Lightnin' Slim
9 "G.I." Slim Lightnin' Slim
10 Tom Cat Blues Lightnin' Slim
11 Bed Bug Blues Lightnin' Slim
12 Too Close Blues Lightnin' Slim
13 My Little Angel Chile Lightnin' Slim
14 Cool Down Baby Lightnin' Slim
15 Nothing But The Devil Lightnin' Slim
16 I Just Don't Know Lightnin' Slim
17 Somebody Knockin' Lightnin' Slim
18 I'm Tired Waiting Baby Lightnin' Slim
19 Hello Mary Lee Lightnin' Slim
20 Mind Your Own Business Lightnin' Slim
21 You're Old Enough To Understand Lightnin' Slim
22 I'm Warning You Baby Lightnin' Slim
23 Winter Time Blues Lightnin' Slim
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