While Blue Horizon gained its reputation as the home of great British blues (early Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack, and others), its spiritual home was in America, and it released far more American artists than most people realize, beginning with its first disc — 99 copies (for tax reasons) of a Hubert Sumlin single. And that largely set the tone for the first five years of the label admirably covered in this three-CD set. Label head Mike Vernon was a blues lover and he released the music he loved, often licensing a track and sometimes signing and developing artists, as he did with his British stable, most especially Fleetwood Mac, born after Green left employer John Mayall (who also released two cuts on Blue Horizon, both with another former blues-breaker, Eric Clapton, and both, thankfully, here). (98.8F),” recorded with the legendary Otis Spann in the Windy City. But the label could easily move from the raw Delta sound of Bukka White to the electrifying slide of Hound Dog Taylor without it seeming unreasonable, while bringing on British artists like Duster Bennett, Jo Ann Kelly, and TS McPhee (who’d go on to head the Groundhogs) along the way. At best this can only be a taster, but it makes for a magnificent smorgasbord, not only of the real blues, but also of its very gritty and always authentic (at least on this label) British counterpart.
Blue Horizon was the UK’s most influential blues label. In a short time span, in excess of 70 singles and 60 albums were released. This compilation features benchmark releases from a range of artists – some household names, some who have disappeared into relative obscurity, and others still walking the blues highway.
When you think about the blues capitals of the world, you think of Chicago, for sure. The Mississippi Delta, definitely. Less recognition tends to fall on 3b Godstone Road, Kenley, Surrey.
But that’s where a young and fanatical devotee of the music named Mike Vernon, a couple of years into a job with Decca Records, achieved the extremely unlikely feat of getting one of his heroes to record, and set into motion the story of Britain’s most influential and wide-reaching blues label.
On November 29, 1964, Vernon and fellow disciple Neil Slaven were at that very semi-detached, suburban-sounding address, switching their Grundig machine to record and capturing two tracks by one of the greats. Hubert Sumlin, no less, guitarist in Howlin’ Wolf’s legendary band, taped Across The Board and Sumlin Boogie for a 45rpm single, in a pressing of just 99 copies, which became Blue Horizon 1000.
“The discs will sell at 8/6d [about 43p] each plus one shilling for post and packing,” ran the advertisement in the February 1965 edition of R&B Monthly. With that release, Blue Horizon was born. The label – which would not only nurture some of the great blues names from America over the next five years, but also introduce new stars of its own – was up and running.
Between 1965 and 1970, Blue Horizon would release some 70 singles and 60 albums – all now highly collectable – that took blues music to a wider audience in the UK, and indeed internationally, than any other British company has since managed.
If the label had only given the world Fleetwood Mac, Blue Horizon’s place in history would be assured. But it also housed Chicken Shack (featuring Stan Webb and later Mac mainstay Christine McVie, née Perfect), Savoy Brown, Aynsley Dunbar, Duster Bennett and early Yardbird ‘Top’ Topham, and gave a home from home to American stars who might otherwise have been overlooked during those years, such as Bukka White, Otis Spann, Otis Rush and Champion Jack Dupree.
Artist: Various
Album: The Blue Horizon Story 1965-1970 Vol. 1
Year: 1997
Label: Columbia
Style: Blues, Blues Rock
Format: mp3/320, flac (tracks, cue, log, 44.1kHz/16bit)
Tracklist
CD1 – The Pre-CBS Years
01 Hubert Sumlin– Across The Board 4:16
02 Hubert Sumlin– Sumlin Boogie 3:39
03 Woodrow Adams With Boogie Blues Blasters– Baby You Just Don’t Know 2:58
04 Woodrow Adams With Boogie Blues Blasters– Wine Head Woman 2:45
05 Jimmy McCracklin– Christmas Time – Part 1 2:19
06 J.B. Lenore– Mojo Boogie 2:45
07 J.B. Lenore– I Don’t Care What Nobody Say 3:21
08 Doctor Isaiah Ross– Mean Old World 2:33
09 T.S. McPhee– Someone To Love Me 2:20
10 Jo Ann Kelly– I Feel So Good 2:51
11 Drifting Slim– Good Morning Baby 2:51
12 Drifting Slim– My Sweet Woman 2:55
13 John Mayall & Eric Clapton– Lonely Years 3:19
14 John Mayall & Eric Clapton– Bernard Jenkins 3:49
15 Houston Boines– Superintendent Blues 2:34
16 Houston Boines– Monkey Motion 2:24
17 Savoy Brown’s Blues Band– Can’t Quit You Baby 3:38
18 Champion Jack Dupree With T.S. McPhee– Get Your Head Happy 2:20
19 Champion Jack Dupree With T.S. McPhee– Talk All In My Sleep 3:26
20 Stone’s Masonry– Hot Rock 3:29
21 Hound Dog Taylor– Christine 2:14
22 ‘Little’ Mack Simmons & His Boys– Come Back 2:37
23 ‘Little’ Mack Simmons & His Boys– My Walking Blues 3:13
24 Eddie Boyd– It’s So Miserable To Be Alone 3:41
25 Eddie Boyd– Empty Arms 2:50
CD2 – The CBS Years – Part One
01 Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac– I Believe My Time Ain’t Long 2:57
02 Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation– Warning 3:25
03 The Chicken Shack Featuring Stan Webb– When My Left Eye Jumps 6:29
04 Arthur K. Adams– She Drives Me Out Of My Mind 3:06
05 Eddie Boyd– The Big Boat 2:38
06 Fleetwood Mac– Black Magic Woman 2:49
07 Roosevelt Holts– Prison Bound Blues 2:40
08 Fleetwood Mac– Need Your Love So Bad 3:55
09 Champion Jack Dupree With Stan Webb– How Am I Doing It 2:49
10 Otis Spann– Can’t Do Me No Good 2:21
11 B.B. King– The Woman I Love 3:03
12 Curtis Jones– You Don’t Have To Go 3:41
13 Fleetwood Mac– Albatross 3:11
14 Guitar Crusher / Jimmy Spruill Orchestra– Since My Baby Hit The Numbers 2:18
15 Garfield Love / Jimmy Spruill Orchestra– Next Time You See Me 2:34
16 Johnny Shines– Solid Gold 3:14
17 Sunnyland Slim– Layin’ In My Cell, Sleepin’ 3:12
18 Bobby Parker– It’s Hard But It’s Fair 2:18
19 Bobby Parker– I Couldn’t Quit My Baby 4:54
20 Champion Jack Dupree– Stumbling Block 2:26
21 Chicken Shack– I’d Rather Go Blind 3:16
22 Otis Spann With Fleetwood Mac– Temperature Is Rising (98.8°F) 5:14
23 Otis Rush & His Band– All Your Love (I Miss Loving) 2:37
CD3 – The CBS Years – Part Two
3-1 Magic Sam– Everything Gonna Be Alright 2:52
3-2 Chicken Shack– Hideaway 3:06
3-3 David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards– My Baby’s Gone 4:04
3-4 Coyne Clague– Mandy Lee 2:44
3-5 Gordon Smith– Too Long 2:45
3-6 Mississippi Joe Callicott– You Don’t Know My Mind 5:15
3-7 Furry Lewis– Judge Harsh Blues 4:39
3-8 Bukka White– Drifting Blues 3:54
3-9 Larry Johnson– Southern Train 2:47
3-10 Chicken Shack– Tears In The Wind 2:43
3-11 Duster Bennett– I’m Gonna Wind Up Ending Up Or I’m Gonna End Up Winding Up With You 2:57
3-12 Harmonica Slim– She Wants To Rock ‘N’ Roll 3:48
3-13 Johnny Young– Moaning And Groaning 3:10
3-14 George Smith– Someday You’re Gonna Learn (To Treat Me Right) 4:16
3-15 Top Topham– Ridin’ The Blinds 2:31
3-16 Bacon Fat– Boom Boom (Out Goes The Lights) 3:50
3-17 Jellybread– Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu 2:47
3-18 Christine Perfect– Crazy ‘Bout My Baby 3:04
3-19 Key Largo– Voodoo Rhythm 3:02
3-20 Duster Bennett– I Want You To Love Me 3:36
3-21 Martha Velez– I’m Gonna Leave You 4:09
3-22 Bacon Fat– Blues Feeling 4:01