Long John Hunter
Ride With Me
(Alligator)
When a musician becomes established with a
record label, it is rare for the artist's earlier work to become part of his current
portfolio. Luckily, in the case of Long John Hunter, Alligator records agreed, upon
signing him to their label, to re-release the Spindletop recording, "Ride with
Me," at a later date. That later date has now arrived and this previously hard to
come by CD is now available for everyone to enjoy! This CD shows the deep blues that Long
John has been refining since 1953. From the swinging title track to the mournful ballad
"Irene" this CD is full of blues that is nothing but the real deal. The humorous
side of LJH comes through on "Bad Feet," describing his friend's "vegetable
feet featuring corns, onions and bunions!" Throughout this 10 song collection, Long
John's clear and concise guitar playing is backed by a talented group of musicians
including George Rains, Sarah Brown, Mark Kazanoff and a special appearance by Derek
O'Brien on "Tell Me". Long John Hunter's career has been on an upswing since the
recording of "Ride With Me". Now is the time for LJH to reap the reward from
this fine piece of work. Thank you to Alligator Records for finding a way to bring this
recording back to the light of day.
- Scott Ferman -
Southwest Blues CD Review - December 1998
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