This morning I've been doing what I call following the primrose path. I start with an artist, in this case Shemekia Copeland, enjoy a slew of songs, then move to another with whom the first performed. Today, that led me to Robert Cray, then to Albert Collins (whom I adore), then Gary Moore, Johnny Copeland (yes, Shemekia's dad), and Stevie Ray Vaughan. I could have gone with John Lee Hooker instead of Albert Collins, but I knew that path would branch far too much for one morning's post, much as BB King or Taj Mahal would have taken me in very different directions if I'd chosen one of them for the second step.
I truly do have a point, here. Great musicians play together and searching out collaborations can help you find performers and songs you may otherwise have missed. And so I recommend the primrose path to you all, particularly if you're a blues or folk music fan. And to reward you for having waded through this rainbow of blather to find the golden song at the end, I offer something from the 1985 collaboration between Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, and Robert Cray, "Showdown!" (Have I ever mentioned how much I love Alligator Records?)
Categories:
blues
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