Personnel: Big Maceo Merriweather (vocals, piano), Tampa Red (guitar, vocals), Alfred Elkins (bass), Clifford "Snag" Jones, Melvin Draper, Tyrell Dixon, Chick Sanders (drums).
Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, between 1941 and 1945. Includes liner notes by Mike Rowe.
Personnel: Big Maceo Merriweather (vocals, piano); Tampa Red (vocals, guitar); Big Maceo (vocals, piano); Chick Sanders, Tyrell Dixon, Melvin Draper, Clifford "Snags" Jones (drums).
Liner Note Author: Mike Rowe.
The title The King of Chicago Blues Piano is no joke -- while never achieving the level of fame won by many of his contemporaries, Big Maceo Merriweather was indeed a major force behind the development of the Windy City sound, and these 1940s sides, cut in collaboration with guitarist Tampa Red, remain his most enduring legacy. Combining startling instrumental proficiency with a traditional blues sensibility, Maceo was also a powerful vocalist; despite recording just 28 sides -- all but three of which are included here -- he was still a pivotal figure, bridging the country blues of the '20s with the urbanized electric sound of the '50s. Among the highlights: the instrumental closer "Chicago Breakdown," an instrumental tribute to his incredible prowess, and "Worried Life Blues," later covered by Chuck Berry. ~ Jason Ankeny
