| God Knows I Tried | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Fat Possum/Epitaph [1] | |||
| Junior Kimbrough chronology | ||||
| ||||
God Knows I Tried is an album by the American blues musician Junior Kimbrough, released in 1998. [2] [3] It was his first posthumous album. [4] Buddy Guy covered "I Gotta Try You Girl" on his Sweet Tea album. [5]
The album includes tracks that were left off Kimbrough's three Fat Possum albums, and were recorded between 1992 and 1997. [6] A few songs were recorded at Kimbrough's juke joint in Chulahoma, Mississippi. [7] Kimbrough first recorded "Tramp" in 1968, as a single for Philwood Records. [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| The Commercial Appeal | [7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |  [11] |
The Plain Dealer wrote that "the music here is powerful and, on 'Tramp' and the slashing instrumental 'All Night Long', moving ... The urgency with which Kimbrough plays is undeniable, but how much thought he gave to the shape of these tunes is a question that likely will go unanswered." [12] Miami New Times called Kimbrough "an undisputed master," writing that he "sounded primitive and modern all at the same time." [13]
AllMusic wrote: "Kimbrough single-handedly invented his own blues style, a mixture of hard-edged instrumentation, conversational, ghost-touched vocals, and, unique to the North Mississippi hill country, the looping, hypnotic guitar riffs which he plays through mild, fluid distortion, giving the whole a pulsing, dream-like quality." [9] The Chicago Sun-Times deemed the album one of 1998's 10 best blues releases. [14]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You're Gonna Find Your Mistake" | |
| 2. | "How Do You Feel" | |
| 3. | "I Gotta Try You Girl" | |
| 4. | "I'm in Love with You" | |
| 5. | "I Cried Last Night" | |
| 6. | "Keep on Braggin'" | |
| 7. | "Tramp" | |
| 8. | "All Night Long (Instrumental)" |
R. L. Burnside was an American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. He played music for much of his life but received little recognition before the early 1990s. In the latter half of that decade, Burnside recorded and toured with Jon Spencer, garnering crossover appeal and introducing his music to a new fan base in the punk and garage rock scenes.
Charles Arthur Feathers was an American musician most associated with the rockabilly scene of the 1950s. Although not initially recognized for his contributions to rockabilly, over time his presence would become greatly elevated and he has been cited as an influence by a number of musicians.
Robert Franklin Palmer Jr. was an American writer, musicologist, clarinetist, saxophonist, and blues producer. He is best known for his non-fictional writing on the field of music; his work as a music journalist for The New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine; his production work for blues recordings ; and his clarinet playing as a member of the 1960s jazz band, the Insect Trust.
Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Water Valley and Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording previously unknown Mississippi blues artists. Recently, Fat Possum has signed younger rock acts to its roster. The label has been featured in The New York Times, New Yorker, The Observer, a Sundance Channel production, features on NPR, and a 2004 documentary, You See Me Laughin. Fat Possum also distributes the Hi Records catalog.
Thickfreakness is the second studio album by American rock duo The Black Keys, released in 2003. It is their debut release for the Fat Possum record label, although in the UK and Europe it was co-released by Epitaph Records.
Asie Reed Payton was an American blues musician, who lived most of his life in Holly Ridge, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta. Born in Washington County, Mississippi, he sang and played the guitar, but made his living as a farmer.
David "Junior" Kimbrough was an American blues musician. His best-known works are "Keep Your Hands off Her" and "All Night Long". In 2023, he was inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame.
Robert "Wolfman" Belfour was an American blues musician. He was born in Red Banks, Mississippi. When he was a child, his father, Grant Belfour, taught him to play the guitar, and he continued his tutelage in the blues from the musicians Otha Turner, R. L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough. Kimbrough, in particular, had a profound influence on him. His music was rooted in Mississippi hill country traditions, in contrast to Delta blues. His playing was characterized by a percussive attack and alternate tunings.
Kenny Brown is an American blues slide guitarist skilled in the North Mississippi Hill Country blues style.
Chulahoma: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough is an EP by American rock duo The Black Keys. Essentially a tribute album, it is a collection of the band's cover versions of songs by Fat Possum Records bluesman Junior Kimbrough, who died in 1998. The title is a Choctaw word for red fox and is a reference to Chulahoma, Mississippi, location of "Junior's Place", a juke joint bought by Kimbrough around 1992 and operated after his death by his sons until it burned down on April 6, 2000.
Charles W. Caldwell was an American musician from Mississippi, known for a raw and fiery brand of electric North Mississippi hill country blues.
All Night Long is the second studio album recorded by Junior Kimbrough, released in 1992.
Lester Butler was an American blues harmonica player and singer. He achieved fame as the singer and harmonica player for the Los Angeles, California, blues rock band, the Red Devils
Sad Days, Lonely Nights is an album by Junior Kimbrough, released in 1994. It was recorded live in Kimbrough's club, without an audience.
Paul "Wine" Jones was an American contemporary blues guitarist and singer.
Hill country blues is a regional style of country blues. It is characterized by a strong emphasis on rhythm and percussion, steady guitar riffs, few chord changes, unconventional song structures, and heavy emphasis on the "groove", which has been characterized as the "hypnotic boogie".
Come On In is a remix album by Delta blues guitarist R. L. Burnside, released by the label Fat Possum in 1998. Largely produced by Tom Rothrock, the album was a departure for Burnside in that it fuses his blues guitar work with dance and electronic music, incorporating sampling and looping techniques. Burnside was originally skeptical of the idea, but enjoyed the finished product. Although the album's fusion of styles was deemed unusual by critics, it received acclaim from music journalists and showed respectable sales, becoming the best-selling album distributed by Epitaph Records in early 1999. The album's sound was explored by Burnside in his later works.
What's Wrong with You is an album by the American musician Robert Belfour, released in 2000. He was 60 when the album was released. Belfour supported the album by participating in the Fat Possum Juke Joint Caravan tour.
When Lightnin' Struck the Pine is an album by the American musician CeDell Davis, released in 2002. It was released through Fast Horse Recordings, a label co-owned by some of the members of Davis's backing band. Davis supported the album with a North American tour.
Most Things Haven't Worked Out is an album by the American musician Junior Kimbrough, released in 1997. It was his third album for Fat Possum Records and the last before his 1998 death.
