Various – Right Hand Man – Lafayette Thomas – Volume One – 1948-1954

According to an article in Living Blues magazine in 1977 There is hardly a guitarist around here today who doesn't owe a little something to Lafayette Thomas. He has been called one of the finest guitarists to emerge from the San Francisco-Oakland Blues scene. I would say one of the finest players ever. Period. Many of his solos contain jaw-dropping ideas that will make any aspiring Blues guitarist go Whoa! What was that!? and move the needle back in the grooves again and again to try to learn that crazy lick he just did--I know I have.
Just listen to West Side Jump, and you'll see what I mean. Compiling all the sides Lafayette Thomas ever played on, and then selecting 28 sides that contain his best playing, has been quite a task! I don't think he ever played an uninspired solo, and his ideas just seemed to flow from him. His style was sharp, and intense, and he would switch sounds and styles to match the song. His playing ranged from dynamic and edgy, to aggressive and heavily distorted and he'd effortlessly transition between a down-home Blues and a beautiful ballad. Lafayette Jerl Thomas came into the world on June 13, 1928, in Shreveport, Louisiana.
His first exposure to The Blues was most likely through his uncle Jesse Babyface Thomas. By the late 1940s, he was living in San Francisco, where he played with Al Simmons Rhythm Rockers, Bob Geddins' Cavaliers, and the great Jimmy Wilson of Tin Pan Alley fame. In 1948, Thomas appeared on wax for the first time on the B-side of a Bob Geddins record. The track was Shermans Trio 'Jumpin For Julia' with pianist Sherman Louis and bass player Bill Bostick. Bob Geddins was the owner of the Art-Tone, Big Town, Cava-Tone, Downtown, Irma, Plaid, Rhythm, and Veltone labels, and he leased records to Swing-Time, Aladdin, Modern, Checker, and Imperial. Thomas remained closely connected to Geddins and appeared on his releases from his 1948 debut and all well into the mid-1960s.

Track Listing:
Shermans Trio: 1. Jumpin’ For Julia -   Bob Geddins Cavaliers: 2. Ghost Riders -   3. Nobody’s Business -   4. I’m a Stranger Here -   Jimmy Wilson: 5. Mistake In Life -   Jimmy McCracklin & His Blues Blasters: 6. Rockin’ All Day -   West Side Trio: 7. West Side Jump / Boogie Boy Boogie -   Bob Geddins Cavaliers: 8. Im So Tired I Could Cry -   Jimmy McCracklin & His Blues Blasters: 9. She's Gone -   L.J. Thomas and His Louisiana Playboys: 10. Baby Take A Chance With Me - 11. Sam’s Drag -   Jimmy Wilson & His All Stars: 12. Tin Pan Alley -   13. Call Me A Hound Dog -   14. Instrumental Jump (aka Whats Up!) -   Willie B. Huff: 15. I Love You Baby -   16. Operator 209 -   Jimmy Wilson: 17. A Woman Is To Blame -   Jimmy Wilson & His All Stars: 18. Tell Me - 19. Lemon Squeezer -   James Reed & His Band: 20. You Better Hold Me -   21. Things Ain’t What They Used To Be -   James Reed: 22. Tin Pan Alley -   Jimmy McCracklin And His Blues Blasters: 23. Blues Blasters Boogie -   24. The Panics On -   Jerry Thomas: 25. Lost Mind (aka Standing In The Back Door Crying) -   26. Don't Have To Worry (aka Jumpin’ In The Heart of Town) -   Jimmy Wilson and His Band: 27. Strangest Blues -   Johnny Parker & His Orchestra: 28. What You Did To Me -