[2012-04-03]
Long John Hunter: "Ride With Me"

"For much too long, the legend of Long John Hunter was largely a local one, limited to the bordertown region between El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. That's where the guitarist reigned for 13 years (beginning in 1957) at Juarez's infamous Lobby Bar. Its riotous, often brawling clientele included locals, cowboys, soldiers from nearby Fort Bliss, frat boys, and every sort of troublemaking tourist in between. Hunter kept 'em all entertained with his outrageous showmanship and slashing guitar riffs."

"Fortunately, Hunter's reputation eventually outgrew the Lone Star State. His 1992 set for the Spindletop imprint, Ride with Me, got the ball rolling."
~ www.allmusic.com


Little Charlie and The Nightcats: "All The Way Crazy"
"One of the hardest-working barroom blues bands on the West Coast, Little Charlie & the Nightcats started out in the mid-'70s, began recording around a decade later, and just kept on going strong. The two constants over the Nightcats' long history were co-founders Little Charlie Baty (guitar) and Rick Estrin (harmonica, lead vocals). Baty's biting licks were the perfect complement to Estrin's devil-may-care swagger and wryly humorous, storytelling lyrics, and that combo was enough to maintain a decades-long career as a popular live act all across the blues circuit. The band's music relies chiefly on electric urban blues of the Chicago variety, but mixes in bits of many other compatible styles, including early rock & roll, soul, surf, swing, jump blues, and Western swing."

"After just over a decade in existence, Little Charlie & the Nightcats issued their debut album, All the Way Crazy, in 1987."
~ www.allmusic.com