[2011-04-20]
Jimmy Dawkins: "Fast Fingers"

"Chicago guitarist Jimmy Dawkins would just as soon leave his longtime nickname "Fast Fingers" behind. It was always something of a stylistic misnomer anyway; Dawkins' West Side-styled guitar slashes and surges, but seldom burns with incendiary speed. Dawkins' blues are generally of the brooding, introspective variety -- he doesn't engage in flashy pyrotechnics or outrageous showmanship.

Fast Fingers, Dawkins' 1969 debut LP for Delmark -- still his best album to date -- was a taut, uncompromising piece of work that won the Grand Prix du Disque de Jazz from the Hot Club of France in 1971 as the year's top album." ~ AllMusic


The Nighthawks: "Open All Nite"
"A hard-driving DC-based bar band with strong Chicago blues roots. Formed in 1972 by harpist and vocalist Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery, the band earned a reputation as a solid outfit through more than a decade of touring and recording projects with John Hammond and former members of Muddy Waters' band.

The blues-rockers always sound focused, and they know exactly what they're going for on gritty performances of "Nine Below Zero," Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man," and other Chicago blues staples. The Nighthawks were never innovative, but they were always sincere and honest, which is why they bring so much enthusiasm to these performances. " ~ AllMusic