Album Reviews

Johnny Shines labored long and unfairly in the shadow of Robert Johnson, who he'd met and traveled with briefly, shortly before the blues legend's death. Like Johnson, Shines was a genuine country-bred Delta bluesman. Even when he moved to the city, he retained his rural sound.

Born in a suburb of Memphis, TN in 1915, Shines broke into the music business after moving to Chicago in 1941 and while Chess recorded a few sides, the label never exerted much effort to promote them. Shines made a living working in construction.

Shines left the music business in 1958 but was “rediscovered” by Sam Charters, who included Shines in the iconic 1966 Vanguard Chicago: The Blues Today compilations. Two years later, Shines recorded this album for Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon label backed by Walter “Shakey” Horton on harmonica, Willie Dixon on bass, and Clifton James on drums, with Otis Spann sitting in on piano on one track. The set was recorded at the famous Ter-Mar Studios in Chicago, May of 1968. Same studio and same rhythm section used for Muddy Waters's Folk Singer recorded in 1963.

Shines was influenced by Robert Johnson, but when you listen to this set you'll hear a unique, high-pitched quavering voice with a distinctive catch in it that he'd use sparingly and to great effect if he wanted to rope you tight into his pain. Shines's guitar playing has a lilting suppleness and unforced clarity that comes through brilliantly in this “tubey warm” and intimate recording. It's nothing like the echo-y Folk Singer, so get ready to be drawn into the intimate setting as soon as the stylus hits the grooves.

This is probably as close to sitting at the feet of a genuine countrified Delta blues master as you're likely to get on record. I used to delight in whipping out my American issue of this at hi-fi shows, My copy is part of a Blues Masters multi-LP set issued when Blue Horizon was distributed by American Polydor. The Sterling mastered LP sounded startlingly natural and rich, as if Shines was playing right behind the speakers, and as soon as the first track “Solid Gold” began, faces in the room would turn moon eyed.

Now, thanks to UK based Pure Pleasure, this album has been reissued with the original surreal black Medusa cover, and more importantly, mastered from the original analog tape and pressed at Pallas in Germany.

Probably recorded to 4 track, the mixes mostly feature Shines's guitar hard left, the rhythm section of Dixon on acoustic bass and James on the right, and Shines's vocals dead center. “Shakey” Horton's harmonic is placed midway between Shines's voice and the rhythm section.

The intimate recording is warm, round and direct. It's all about texture and touch. Play it at an appropriate level (not too loud), and you're there. The sides are short, but the pleasures of this little known gem, long lasting. Recommended.

Many of Shines's other recordings remain in print on CD. He passed away in Alabama on April 20th, 1992, a few days before he was scheduled to perform in celebration of his 77th birthday.