Tampa Red – The Guitar Wizard: The Tampa Red Collection 1929-53 – 5CD

Hudson Whittaker, better known as Tampa Red, was a hugely prolific and influential blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, an innovative slide guitarist and the first black musician to play a National steel-bodied guitar. Moving from Florida to Chicago in the 1920s, he started recording in 1928 with Thomas Dorsey, playing in a hokum style as well as blues, over the years incorporating a pop-oriented style with The Chicago Five. Playing electric guitar from the 1940s working with Big Maceo Merriweather, he influenced musicians like Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters and Elmore James, as his Chicago home became a centre for the blues community. This great-value 121-track 5-CD set comprises selected recordings from the 300 and more titles he released during this era on the Vocalion, Bluebird & RCA-Victor labels, as Tampa Red, Tampa Red & Georgia Tom, Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band and Tampa Red And The Chicago Five, referred to on many of his record labels as "The Guitar Wizard". It features his R&B Top 10 hits “It Hurts Me Too/When Things Go Wrong With You”, “Pretty Baby Blues”, “Let Me Play With Your Poodle”, and “Detroit Blues”, and many well-known songs that were precursors of rock ‘n’ roll. It features performances with Black Bob, Sonny Boy Williamson, Joe Williams, Big Maceo Merriweather, Blind John Davis, Ransom Knowling, Walter Horton, Sonny Boy Williamson II and others. It’s a substantial overview of a key quarter-century of his career, and an entertaining showcase for one of the most significant personalities in the genre.

Track Listing:

CD1:
Hokum Boys: 1. Selling That Stuff - 2:51   Tampa Red & Georgia Tom: 2. It's Tight Like That - 3:05   Tampa Red, "The Guitar Wizard" with Georgia Tom: 3. Train Time Blues - 3:31   Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band: 4. Good Gordon Gin - 2:50   Tampa Red, "The Guitar Wizard": 5. How Long, How Long Blues - 3:06   Tampa Red, "The Guitar Wizard" with Georgia Tom: 6. Uncle Bud - 2:40   Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band: 7. Mess Katie Mess - 2:59   Tampa Red & Georgia Tom: 8. Voice Of The Blues - 3:02   9. What You Gonna Do - 2:54   10. Strange Woman Blues 2:34   Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band: 11. I Wonder Where My Easy Rider’s Gone - 2:46   Tampa Red & Georgia Tom: 12. You Better Tighten Up On It - 2:47   13. Mama Don't Allow No Easy Riders Here - 3:13   14. Corrine Corrina - 2:45   15. That Stuff You Sell - 2:19   Tampa Red: 16. Worried Man Blues - 3:19   Tampa Red & Georgia Tom: 17. But They Got It Fixed Right On - 2:56   18. You Rascal You No. 1 - 3:13   Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band: 19. She Can Love So Good - 3:17   Tampa Red, "The Guitar Wizard": 20. Bumble Bee Blues 3:28   21. Black Hearted Blues 3:00   22. Things 'Bout Coming My Way - 3:30   23. Georgia Hound Blues - 3:11   24. Down In The Spirit Blues - 2:57

CD2:
Tampa Red, "The Guitar Wizard": 1. Please Mister Blues - 2:56 2. Don't Leave  Me  Here - 2:45   Tampa Red & Georgia Tom: 3. No Matter How She Done It- 3:17   4. You Can't Get That Stuff No More - 2:57   Tampa Red: 5. Sugar Mama Blues #1 - 3:28   6. Black Angel - 3:26   7. You've Got To Do Better - 3:10   8. I'll Kill Your Soul (And Dare Your Spirit To Move) - 2:58   9. Mean Mistreater Blues - 2:47   10. Somebody's Been Using That Thing - 3:11   11. You Don't Want Me Blues - 3:23   12. I Still Got California On My Mind - 2:56   13. Witching Hour Blues - 3:15   14. I'll Get A Break Someday - 2:37   15. Happy Jack - 3:18   16. Singing And Crying Blues - 3:15   17. If It Ain't That Gal Of Mine - 3:03   18. (Play Your Hand) Keep On Dealing - 3:28   19. Dark And Stormy Night - 3:26   20. Waiting Blues - 3:16   Tampa Red And The Chicago Five: 21. Let's Get Drunk And Truck - 3:07   22. I Wonder What's The Matter - 2:49   23. All Night Long - 2:35

CD3:
Tampa Red And The Chicago Five: 1. That's The Way I Do - 2:57   2. You Stole My Heart - 3:07   3. Your One And Only - 2:59   4. If It Wasn't For You - 3:06   5. Cheatin' On Me - 2:49   Tampa Red: 6. I See You Can't Take That - 2:46   7. It's Hard To Believe It’s True - 3:06   Tampa Red And The Chicago Five: 8. Harlem Swing - 3:10   9. I'm Gonna Get High - 3:05   Tampa Red: 10. Wrong Idea - 2:51   11. Seminole Blues - 3:03   12. Delta Woman Blues - 3:06   Tampa Red And The Chicago Five: 13. That May Get Now - 3:01   14. We Gonna Get High Together - 3:11   15. A Lie In My Heart - 3:12   Tampa Red: 16. That Don't Matter Now - 2:42   17. Why Should I Care - 3:24   Tampa Red And The Chicago Five: 18. Sweetest Gal In Town - 2:36   Tampa Red: 19. When I Had A Good Woman (You Keep On Doggin' Me) - 3:07   20. Crazy With The Blues - 3:19   21. My Baby Said Yes - 2:59   Tampa Red And The Chicago Five: 22. Checking Up On You - 2:47   23. Mr. Rhythm Man - 2:53   Tampa Red: 24. Forgive Me, Please - 2:46

CD4:
Tampa Red: 1. She's Got The Best In town - 2:47 2. You Say It’s Love - 2:54 3. Poor Old Gal Blues - 2:50 4. Nobody Knows How Bad I Feel - 2:45 5. Booze Head Woman - 3:03 6. Sweet Mellow Woman Blues - 3:00 7. Ready For Rhythm - 2:43 8. I Got A Big Surprise For You - 2:45 9. I'm Betting On You - 2:59 10. Nobody's Sweetheart Now - 2:49 11. You Say We're Through - 2:37 12. What Am I Going To Do - 2:58 13. It Hurts Me Too - 2:31 14. Don't You Lie To Me - 2:56 15. She Loves Just Right - 3:04 16. Forget About Me - 2:45 17. No Baby No - 2:43 18. It's A Lowdown Shame - 2:53 19. So Far So Good - 2:42 20. Don't Jive It Mama - 2:46 21. Let Me Play With Your Poodle - 2:37 22. You Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone - 2:54 23. The Woman I Love - 2:43 24. Detroit Blues - 3:05 25. Better Let My Gal Alone - 2:42

CD5:
Tampa Red: 1. Crying Won't Help You - 3:12 2. I'll Be Up Again Some Day - 3:01 3. Please Be Careful - 3:04 4. Corrine Blues - 2:44 5. Let's Try It Again - 2:59 6. You Better Woo Your Baby - 2:46 7. I Know My Baby Loves Me - 2:35 8. Poor Stranger Blues - 3:00 9. When Things Go Wrong With You - 2:57 10. It's A Brand New Boogie - 2:58 11. I'll Find My Way - 2:37 12. It's Too Late Now - 2:57 13. 1950 Blues - 3:15 14. It's Good Like That - 2:32 15. Sweet Little Angel- 2:59 16. Midnight Boogie 2:47 17. Early In The Morning ('bout The Break Of Day) - 3:15 18. Pretty Baby Blues - 2:53 19. Boogie Woogie Woman - 2:29 20. She's A Cool Operator - 3:04 21. Look-A There, Look-A There - 2:44 22. All Mixed Up Over You - 2:49 23. I'll Never Let You Go - 2:22 24. So Crazy About You Baby - 3:03 25. If She Don't Come Back - 2:35