01/07/2026
Here's my Playlist from my Jan 7th edition of Rhythm Highways STL w/ East Side Slim, heard each Wednesday on Blues Music Fan Radio out of the USA, but available to the World!
Happy New Year to one and all, especially to all the blues lovers out there 💙
www.bluesmusicfan.com
5-7pm Eastern Time/4-6pm Central Time.
Artist New StL Song_Title Album_Source Label Year of Release
SET 1
5:00pm E / 5:15pm C
Little Walter Blue Midnight (alternate take) The Essential Little Walter MCA/Chess 1993 3:04 Used as bed music a couple shows back, it seemed only fitting to play this LW classic in-full. Recorded in Oct 1952, yes, 73 years ago and still sounding as fresh as on day one.
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton New I Ain't No Fool Either The Johnny Otis Blues Caravan, The Duke/Peacock Sessions Part One, Hound Dog, 1952-1954 Jasmine 2025 2:17 A long album title for sure, in the running for longest of 2025 fo' sho', but jammed full of groovy music. And yes, Part Two (volume 2) is also available.
Memphis Slim The Come Back Memphis Slim At The Gate Of Horn Rhino / Collectables 2000 2:18 Originally released by Vee-Jay Records in 1959. The Gate of Horn was a noted Chicago club focused on folk music of all shapes and forms.
Robert Lockwood New I'm Gonna Dig Myself A Hole Koko Mojo Presents: Right Hand Man, Robert Lockwood Volume Two, 1951-1961 Koko-Mojo 2025 2:37 RL was never actually a Junior - that came from his Mother carrying on for awhile with one Robert Johnson. Song originally released on Mercury Records, 1951.
Ernest Cotton New Uh'm Beautiful Koko Mojo Presents: Right Hand Man, Robert Lockwood Volume Two, 1951-1961 Koko-Mojo 2025 3:04 EC was a tenor sax player out of Chicago. This song was originally released on the J.O.B. label in 1959.
SET 2
5:15pm / 5:30pm
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes New Knick Knacks All Day Bentonia Blues-Right Now Crossnote 2025 5:15 The album was recorded live to tape at Jimmy's own establishment, the Blue Front Café in Bentonia, Mississippi. This song is by far the shortest on the album, with 2 tracks eclipsing the 10 minute mark.
Houston Stackhouse Cool Drink of Water The Devil's Music: The Soundtrack To the 1976 BBC TV Documentary Series Indigo / Sanctuary 2003 3:19 Houston Stackhouse was relatively unknown to the masses during his lifetime. However, he was a player's player, and gave guitar lessons to many Mississippi guitarists who became more famous.
James DeShay StL Forty Four The Devil's Music: The Soundtrack To the 1976 BBC TV Documentary Series Indigo / Sanctuary 2003 3:43 James DeShay out of St. Louis, recorded LIVE at his own nightclub. The producers must have liked JD, as he has 6 songs in this compilation.
SET 3
5:30pm / 5:45pm
The Kokomo Kings New Between Nothing and Nowhere Turbomouth Rhythm Bomb 2025 2:30 One of my favorite bands, regardless of genre. This Scandinavian outfit has a great, earthy sound that touches my soul.
Little Hat New Rhythm Rocking Boogie Rockin' This Joint Tonight Continental Record Service 2025 3:05 Little Hat is a raw trio out of The Netherlands: Machiel Meijers, lead vocals and harp; Willem Van Dullemen, guitars; and Paolo De Stigter, drums. Album produced by the one and only Little Victor.
The Freaky Buds New Nothing To Lose Western Smoke Self-Released 2025 3:44 This is a cool band out of Nantes, France, sans bass guitarist by design. If you dig King King, Lester Butler, Imperial Crowns, you'll find much to love with The Freaky Buds.
Deke Dickerson and the Whippersnappers New Gear Grinder Hot Roddin' with Deke Dickerson and the Whippersnappers Ecco-Fonic 2025 3:04 Closing out a mostly international set, Deke Dickerson and band bring us back to America and to the end of this raucous set.
SET 4
5:45pm / 6:00pm
Vaneese Thomas New Winter Blues Winter Blues - single Overton 2025 4:15 Vaneese is from Memphis music royalty, being the youngest of Rufus Thomas' children. She might also be the finest singer of the bunch, and that's saying something as older sister Carla was terrific.
Luther Dickinson New One Kind Favor Dead Blues Vol. 1 featuring Datrian Johnson Strolling Bones 2025 3:25 Take 9 classic blues songs, but play them through Luther's recent jam-band sensibilities, and you get an interesting mix. I like some a lot, some I question, but it's all interesting, and lead vocalist Datrian Johnson channels Malford Milligan throughout, so I'm hooked!
Duwayne Burnside New Talk Sweet To Me Red Rooster Lucky 13 2025 4:13 The Burnside clan has been busy this past year, with new albums from Duwayne, Kent and Garry. This one is probably closest to Hill Country Blues, but they're all really good records. Duwayne is a son of RL.
SET 5
WWW ALIVE AT 5 !!!!! GETTING' YOUR FIX OF WILLIE @ 6 !!!!! All right at Midnight w/ Wee Willie Walker!
6:00pm E / 6:15pm C
Willie Walker One Foot in the Blues Wilie Walker Self-Released 2004 6:26 The 2nd hour started with this extended cut by WWW, allowing his voice to flow over you like a nice single malt Scotch.
Lee Jackson New All Around Man Lonely Girl Good Time Records / Red Lightnin' 2025 2:48 Blues singer, guitarist and bassist, recorded under his own name for Cobra in 1956 and Keyhole in 1961, made an LP for Bluesway in 1973, but mostly a sideman behind artists such as Eddie Clearwater, Homesick James, Walter Horton, J.B. Hutto, Little Walter, Sunnyland Slim and Hound Dog Taylor
Bee Houston & His Highsteppers You Think I'm Your Good Thing The Hustler Arhoolie 1997 3:16 Arhoolie didn't just record folk musicians. Bee Houston was an uptown Los Angeles bluesman, with the album’s songs laid down in 1968 and 1970. This is the good stuff right here!
SET 6
6:15pm / 6:30pm
Dedicated Men of Zion New Victory Coming Up Through The Years Music Maker Foundation 2025 3:33 Brand new music out of North Carolina from the Daniels family's 'male' brand, the DMOZ. Anthony and Antwan Daniels, Tyjon Harris, and Marcus Suggs - new gospel in the classic vein!.
Clara Ward New Moving Up The King's Highway The Magnificent Clara Ward: Just Over the Hill, Rare Recordings 1949-1972 City Hall 2025 2:37 This song is from the early part of the 1960s, and was composed by Sister Ward, one of the most famous of the classic era gospel singers. This new compilation is a treat from track 1 to track 27.
Billy Preston That's the Way God Planned It (Parts 1 & 2) That's The Way God Planned It EMI / Apple 1991 5:32 Originally released in 1969, with Billy Preston coming as close as anyone did to becoming a 5th Beatle. Prior to BP becoming a Pop star in the 70s, he was a child star of the gospel world, recording in his early teens.
SET 7
6:30pm / 6:45pm
Kim Field and the Perfect Gentlemen New All These Little Things Don't Need But One Blues Dream 2025 4:00 Kim Field is one of the finest blues & roots harp players out there, even if he flies a bit under that radar. He's also a noted author, Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers: The Evolution of the People's Instrument. He also assisted Billy Boy Arnold with his recent biography.
Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues New The Harmonica Man The Blues Is My Biography Rosa's Lounge 2025 5:48 This is the 1st release on Rosa's Lounge Records, and it's a 1st Class effort from sound to liner notes to packaging. If CDs all looked like this people would be happy to purchase them. Oh, and this might be Billy Branch's finest album in a career of great music.
Ryan Hartt New All Night Long Be About It Far-Tone 2025 2:48 This song is a mostly instrumental to one of the great sax honkers from yesteryear, the amazing Joe Houston.
SET 8
6:45pm / 7:00pm
Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Smith Fever (alternate) Blue Bash! Verve 1999 2:51 This version of Blue Bash is a wonderful remaster with the inclusion of bonus tracks. Bluesy jazz from a couple of masters, Burrell and Smith.
Johnny DeFrancesco feat Duke Jethro You Don't Lost Your Good Thing Now A Tribute To B.B. King's Live At The Regal Ton A Chopps 2017 5:45 Jazz players steeped in the blues are my favorite type of jazz players, and you get that right here. Good stuff alert!
Jim Alfredson's Dirty Fingers String Bean A Tribute To Big John Patton Big O 2013 5:53 If you see Jim Alfredson's name attached to a project, you know you'll be hearing the best B3 sounds around. This album is a keeper!
Thanks for tuning in, and for your patience while I learn the software and get back into the groove after 1/2 a year away from a 15 year stint broadcasting on terrestrial, non-commercial radio.
Be good to each other, babies!
East Side Slim
Great blues grabs your soul and never lets go. BluesMusicFan.com is a free blues internet radio station that brings you a mix of everything blues. We bring the deep cuts in blues, blues rock, blues-based classic rock, soul - your old favorites and your favorites-to-be. Add to it a blog with a vibran...
