Champion Jack Dupree was one of the first American blues
performers to leave the States and settle in Europe, where racial
restrictions were less prominent. Arriving on the Continent in 1959,
Dupree was well established and in a good position to take advantage of
the British blues boom when it hit in the early to mid-'60s. Never one
to let contractual obligations stand in the way of a recording session,
Dupree tracked sides for a wide array of European labels, including
several for Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon Records in 1968 and 1969, which
resulted in two LPs, When You Feel the Feeling You Was Feeling and
Scooby Dooby Doo, a scattering of singles, and a live set for a
projected third album that was never released. All of that material --
38 tracks in all -- is presented here in this wonderfully varied
two-disc compilation. Dupree began his musical journey as a barrelhouse
New Orleans piano player, and elements of that driving style stayed with
him throughout his 50-year recording career (he first cut a record in
1940 and was still active as a performer when he died in 1992), but
along the way he also developed into a complete entertainer, exceedingly
casual and comfortable around audiences, capable of delivering
thundering, gutbucket blues pieces, but also able to turn things smooth
and elegant (witness his almost Vegas-styled jazz take on "The Sheik of
Araby," included on the second disc here). That versatility is certainly
on display in this anthology, which features Dupree working both solo
and with crackerjack young British blues musicians, and the live tracks
included allow a glimpse at Dupree's loose and confident stage manner.
Among the highlights in this well-sequenced set are his signature "See
My Milk Cow," a stomping version of "A Racehorse Called Mae," a
delightfully wry "My Home's in Hell," and the absolutely churning,
burning, and rocking "Grandma (You're a Bit Too Slow)." Dupree's huge
personality shines through in track after track, and because of that,
and because of the variety of musical settings,
The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions makes a nice and substantial introduction to this engaging musician.
CD 1
1. See My Milk Cow
2. Mr. Dupree Blues
3. Yellow Pocahontas (Extended Version)
4. Gutbucket Blues/Ugly Woman
5. Street Walking Woman
6. Income Tax
7. Roll On
8. I’ve Been Mistreated (Extended Version/Previously Unreleased)
9. A Racehorse Called Mae
10. My Home’s In Hell
11. How Am I Doing It?
12. I Haven’t Done No-One No Harm
13. Street Walking Woman (Alternate Version/Previously Unreleased)
14. Big Fat Woman (Previously Unreleased)
15. Whiskey, Look What You Done To Me (Previously Unreleased)
16. Going Down To The Blue Horizon
17. Jack Box Jump (Previously Unreleased)
18. Black Cat Shuffle (Previously Unreleased)
CD 2
1. I Want To Be A Hippy
2. Grandma (You’re A Bit Too Slow)
3. Puff Puff
4. Blues Before Sunshine
5. I’ll Try
6. Going Back To Louisiana
7. Ain’t That A Shame
8. Stumbling Block
9. Old And Grey
10. Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well
11. Postman Blues
12. Lawdy, Lawdy
13. Kansas City (Single Version)
14. Ba’ La Fouche (Single Version)
15. Rub A Little Boogie (Live – Previously Unreleased)
16. Black & White Blues (Live – Previously Unreleased)
17. Drinkin’ Wine Spo-dee-o-dee (Live – Previously Unreleased)
18. The Sheik Of Araby (Live – Previously Unreleased)
19. You Make Me Feel Alright (Live – Previously Unreleased)
20. Do The Boogie Woogie (Live – Previously Unreleased)
