Next time someone voices the goofball opinion that blues is simply too depressing to embrace, sit 'em down and expose 'em to a heady dose of Roosevelt Sykes. If he doesn't change their minds, nothing will. There was absolutely nothing downbeat about this roly-poly, effervescent pianist (nicknamed "Honeydripper" for his youthful prowess around the girls), whose lengthy career spanned the pre-war and postwar eras with no interruption whatsoever. Sykes' romping boogies and hilariously risqué lyrics (his double-entendre gems included "Dirty Mother for You," "Ice Cream Freezer," and "Peeping Tom") characterize his monumental contributions to the blues idiom. He was a pioneering piano pounder responsible for the seminal pieces "44 Blues," "Driving Wheel," and "Night Time Is the Right Time."
Sykes began playing while growing up in Helena. At age 15, he hit the road, developing his rowdy barrelhouse style around the blues-fertile St. Louis area. Sykes began recording in 1929 for OKeh and was signed to four different labels the next year under four different names (he was variously billed as Dobby Bragg, Willie Kelly, and Easy Papa Johnson)! Sykes joined Decca Records in 1935, where his popularity blossomed. After relocating to Chicago, Sykes inked a pact with Bluebird in 1943 and recorded prolifically for the RCA subsidiary with his combo, the Honeydrippers, scoring a pair of R&B hits in 1945 (covers of Cecil Gant's "I Wonder" and Joe Liggins' "The Honeydripper"). The following year, he scored one more national chart item for the parent Victor logo, the lowdown blues "Sunny Road." He also often toured and recorded with singer St. Louis Jimmy Oden, the originator of the classic "Going Down Slow."
In 1951, Sykes joined Chicago's United Records, cutting more fine sides over the next couple of years. A pair of Dave Bartholomew-produced 1955 dates for Imperial in New Orleans included a rollicking version of "Sweet Home Chicago" that presaged all the covers that would surface later on. A slew of albums for Bluesville, Folkways, Crown, and Delmark kept Sykes on the shelves during the '60s (a time when European tours began to take up quite a bit of the pianist's itinerary). He settled in New Orleans during the late '60s, where he remained a local treasure until his death.
Precious few pianists could boast the thundering boogie prowess of Roosevelt Sykes, and even fewer could chase away the blues with his blues as the rotund cigar-chomping 88s ace did.
Vol. 1
01. 44 Blues
02. All My Money Gone Blues
03. The Way I Feel Blues
04. Henry Ford Blues
05. I'm Tired Of Being Mistreated
06. Boot That Thing
07. Fire Detective Blues
08. Little Sow Blues
09. Single Tree Blues
10. Trouble Everywhere Blues
11. Working Man On The Seas
12. Beale And Main Blues
13. Long Tall Man Blues
14. Skeet And Garret
15. Roosevelt's Blues
16. Ten And Four Blues
17. Black River Blues
18. Bury That Thing
19. Home Of Your Own Blues
20. Lost All I Had Blues
21. Poor Boy Blues
22. Jivin' Jelly Roll Blues
23. Rough Treatin' Daddy
Vol. 2
01. 32-20 Blues
02. Give Me Your Change
03. I Love You More And More
04. Kelly's 44 Blues
05. 3, 6 And 9
06. We Can Sell That Thing
07. Conjur Man Blues
08. Cotton Seed Blues
09. No Good Woman Blues
10. Drinkin' Woman Blues
11. Papa Sweetback Blues
12. He Treats Me Like A Dog
13. Meat Cutter Blues
14. Side Door Blues
15. Big Time Woman
16. Thanksgivin' Blues
17. Kelly's Special
18. Don't Put The Lights Out
19. No Settled Mind Blues
20. As True As I've Been To You
21. Hard Luck Man Blues
22. Don't Squeeze Me Too Tight
23. You So Dumb
24. Nasty But It's Clean
Vol. 3
01. Hard Luck Blues
02. Strange Man Blues
03. Sail On Black Sue
04. Barrel Of Whiskey Blues
05. Prisoner's Blues
06. Mosby Stomp
07. Mr. Sykes Blues
08. Highway 61 Blues
09. Jelly Roll Mill
10. In Here With Your Heavy Stuff
11. Don't Rush Yourself
12. I Done You Wrong
13. Sad And Lonely Day
14. Try My Whiskey Blues
15. Lonesome Clock Blues
16. Found A Note On My Door
17. New 44 Blues
18. Working Dollar Blues
19. Big Legs Ida Blues
20. Devil's Island Gin Blues
21. Dresser With The Drawers
22. Mr. Carl's Blues
23. She Showed It All
Vol. 4
01. D.B.A. Blues
02. Ethel Mae Blues
03. Radio Broadcasting Blues
04. Old Market Street Blues
05. Central Limited Blues
06. Heavy Stuff Blues
07. Steady Grinding Blues
08. D.b.a. Blues No. 2
09. Dirty Mother For You
10. Dirty Mother For You
11. The Cannon Ball
12. Jet Black Snake
13. She Left Me Cold In Hand
14. Driving Wheel Blues
15. Barrel House Man
16. Second Floor Blues
17. Sister Kelly Blues
18. Soft And Mellow
19. Sugar Hill Blues
20. Take Off Box
21. The Honey Dripper
22. Dirty Mother For You
Vol. 5
1. Little And Low
2. Night Time Is The Right Time
3. Monte Carlo Blues
4. She Squeezed My Lemon
5. Somebody's Been Ridin' My Black Gal
6. Bread Pan
7. Ice Cream Freezer
8. Drunken Gambler
9. Hospital, Heaven Or Hell
10. Love Lease Blues
11. Hard Lead Pencil
12. My Baby's Playground
13. Night Gown Blues
14. Sad Yas Yas Yas
15. Let Me Hand Your Stockings In Your Christmas Tree
16. Mistake In Life
17. Night Time Is The Right Time, No. 2
18. The Dog In A Man
19. She's Long Gone
20. The Train Is Coming
21. Down On My Knees
22. Bitter Cup Blues
23. Have You Seen Ida B?
24. Journey From The Germs
25. You Can't Fix It Back
Vol. 6
01. Love Will Wear You Down
02. Get Your Row Out
03. Shoe Shiner's Moan
04. Under Eyed Woman
05. 44 Blues
06. Papa Low
07. New Mistake In Life
08. We Will Never Make The Grade
09. I've Made A Change
10. Concentration Blues
11. New Style Blues
12. Unlucky 13 Blues
13. She's Got What It Takes
14. Ups And Downs Blues
15. Yellow Yam Blues
16. Eight Ball Blues
17. Pistol Shootin' Blues
18. Take It With A Smile
19. Right Now
20. Knock Me Out
21. Essie Mae Blues (Take A)
22. Essie Mae Blues (Take B)
23. She's In My Blood
24. Doin' The Sally Long
25. 47th Street Jive
Vol. 7
01. K.M.A. Blues
02. Trouble And Whiskey
03. My Supply Woman Blues
04. Prison Gate Blues
05. Sykes Advice Blues
06. Low As A Toad
07. Let The Black Have His Way
08. 15 Cents A Day
09. Just Hanging Around
10. Keep Your Hands Off Her
11. Roll On Blues
12. Skin And Bones Blues
13. Third Degree Blues
14. Pay Day Blues
15. Training Camp Blues
16. Sugar Babe Blues
17. Are You Unhappy?
18. You Can't Do That Do Me
19. Love Has Something To Say
20. Honeysuckle Rose
21. Mellow Queen
22. Jivin' The Jive
23. I Wonder
Vol. 8
01. I Wonder
02. Tender Hearted Woman
03. This Tavern Boogie
04. Don't Push Me Around
05. Little Sam
06. Anytime Is The Right Time
07. The Honeydripper
08. Date Bait
09. High Price Blues
10. Peeping Tom
11. That's My Gal
12. Tonight
13. Living In A Different World
14. Sunny Road
15. Her Little Machine
16. Flames Of Jive
17. Sneakin' And Dodgin'
18. Bop De Bip
19. Bobby Sox Blues
20. Kilroy's In Town
21. Bvd Blues
22. I'm Her Honeydripper
23. Mama, Mama
24. Walkin' And Drinkin'
Vol. 9
01. Boogie Honky Tonk
02. Booze Blues
03. Time Wasted On You
04. Until The Cows Come Home
05. High As A Georgia Pine
06. I Know How You Feel
07. Candy Man Blues
08. Why Should I Cry
09. He's Just A Gravy Train
10. Southern Blues
11. Stop Her Poppa
12. My Baby Is Gone
13. Drivin' Wheel
14. Rock It
15. West Helena Blues
16. Mailbox Blues
17. Wintertime Blues
18. Blues 'N' Boogie
19. Green Onion Top
20. Wonderin' Blues
21. Dark Clouds
22. Lonesome Man Blues
23. Going Down The Line
24. Leaving Daddy Blues
Vol. 10
01. Fine And Brown
02. Lucky Blues
03. Raining In My Heart
04. Heavy Heart
05. Walkin' This Boogie
06. Four O'Clock Blues
07. Hot Boogie
08. Something Like That
09. Security Blues
10. Toy Piano Blues
11. Listen To My Song
12. Come Back Baby
13. Ruthie Lee
14. Tell Me True
15. Boogie Sykes
16. You Can't Be Lucky All The Time
17. Sweet Old Chicago
18. Blood Stains
19. Hush Oh Hush
20. I'm Tired
21. Crazy Fox
22. She's Jail Bait
23. Sputnik Baby
24. Lowland Blues
25. Savoy Boogie
