From New Orleans to Chicago

From New Orleans to Chicago
Studio album by Champion Jack Dupree
Released	1966
Studio	Decca
Genre	Blues
Label	Decca
Producer	Mike Vernon
Champion Jack Dupree chronology
Champion Jack Dupree of New Orleans (1965) From New Orleans to Chicago (1966) Champion Jack Dupree and His Blues Band (1967)

From New Orleans to Chicago is an album by the American musician Champion Jack Dupree, released in 1966. ^{[1] [2]} It was released in the United States in 1970, reprocessed from mono to stereo. ^[3] The album was rereleased in 1987 as Won't Be a Fool No More, with two additional tracks, "24 Hours" and "Calcutta Blues". ^{[4] [5]}

Production

Recorded at Decca Studios in London, the album was produced by Mike Vernon. ^{[6] [7]} Dupree was backed by Tony McPhee and Eric Clapton on guitar, John Mayall on harmonica, Bill Shortt on washboard, Keef Hartley on drums, and Malcolm Pool on bass; unlike many American blues musicians, Dupree thought that his British counterparts were adept at finding the feeling of the blues. ^{[8] [3] [9]} "Won't Be Fooled No More" is a cover of the Big Maceo Merriweather song. ^[10] "T.V. Mama" is a version of the Big Joe Turner song. ^[10] "(Going Down To) Big Leg Emma's" is performed as a spoken blues. ^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[12]
Howard Publications	[10]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[13]

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune called Dupree "one of the gutsiest blues singers of all time." ^[14] Howard Publications said that the album retains "the inimitable, earthy, engaging style of playing which marks the man." ^[10] The Daily Telegraph stated that "Dupree's rolling piano and suddenly clamant voice have that indispensable timing of all good blues singers." ^[15]

The Troy Record opined that Dupree's piano "can be like velvet but whose voice has a hardness that gives his blues a special note of honesty". ^[16] The Plain Dealer preferred Dupree's skill on the piano to his voice. ^[17] The Calgary Herald concluded that From New Orleans to Chicago "just might become a classic of its type." ^[18]

Track listing

Side 1

1. "Third Degree"
2. "T.V. Mama"
3. "He Knows the Rules"
4. "Ain't It a Shame"
5. "Ooh-La-La"
6. "(Going Down To) Big Leg Emma's"
7. "Won't Be Fooled No More"

Side 2

1. "Take It Slow and Easy"
2. "She's All in My Life"
3. "Poor Poor Me"
4. "Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer"
5. "Down the Valley"
6. "Too Early in the Morning"
7. "Shim-Sham-Shimmy"

References

1. Challis, David (June 8, 1966). "In the Groove". Western Daily Press. p. 6.
2. Lichtenstein, Grace; Dankner, Laura (1993). Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans. W.W. Norton. p. 307.
3. Hilliard, William (May 3, 1970). "In the Groove". Music. The Sunday Oregon. p. 20.
4. Daly, Mike (February 5, 1987). "New Notes". The Age. Melbourne. p. GG10.
5. All Music Guide to the Blues (3rd ed.). Backbeat Books. 2003. p. 164.
6. Whitehead, Roy (May 28, 1966). "Jazz Scene". Coventry Evening Telegraph. p. 5.
7. Thompson, Dave (2012). Cream: How Eric Clapton Took the World by Storm. Virgin Books. p. 71.
8. Sweeting, Adam (June 9, 2008). "Tony McPhee obituary". Music. The Guardian. p. 8.
9. Pinch, Alan (April 23, 1966). "Orphan's home". Liverpool Daily Post. p. 3.
10. "Record Reviews". Times-News. Howard Publications. June 5, 1970. p. 15.
11. "From New Orleans to Chicago Champion Jack Dupree". AllMusic. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
12. Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. II. MUZE. p. 1656.
13. The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. pp. 174–175.
14. Laffler, William D. (March 29, 1970). "Records". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 7D.
15. Larkin, Philip (May 4, 1966). "Jazz". The Daily Telegraph. p. 14.
16. Thomas, Tom (February 21, 1970). "Turntable". The Troy Record. p. B18.
17. Batdorff, Emerson (March 15, 1970). "Off the Record". The Plain Dealer. p. 3G.
18. Musselwhite, Bill (May 29, 1970). "Records". Magazine. Calgary Herald. p. 9.