| Ramblin' Mind | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2001 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Blind Pig | |||
| Producer | Dick Shurman | |||
| Big Bill Morganfield chronology | ||||
| ||||
Ramblin' Mind is an album by the American musician Big Bill Morganfield, released in 2001. [1] [2] Morganfield supported the album with a North American tour. [3]
The album was produced by Dick Shurman. [4] Morganfield wrote nine of its songs. [5] He was backed by many of the musicians who had played with his father, Muddy Waters, including pianist Pinetop Perkins and guitarist Bob Margolin. [6] Taj Mahal duetted with Morganfield on "Strong Man Holler" and "You're Gonna Miss Me". [7] Billy Branch contributed on harmonica. [8] "Mellow Chick Swing" is a cover of the Sonny Boy Williamson I song. [9] "People Sure Act Funny" is a version of the song made famous by Arthur Conley. [10]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B [12] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [13] |
| Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | [9] |
Entertainment Weekly noted that, "formulaic as it can be, Chicago blues is a powerful force in the right hands." [12] The Chicago Tribune determined that, "where his superb 1999 debut showcased veterans of Waters' Chicago band, Ramblin' Mind broadens the palette with jazz and Mississippi Delta blues." [14] The Independent deemed it "a cracking Chicago blues album." [15] The Gazette said that, "on 'Mellow Chick Swing', an old Sonny Boy Williamson tune, he jumps the blues on top of Mr. B's swinging piano pounding and Bill Lupkin's Williamson-inspired harp playing." [7] The Commercial Appeal opined that Morganfield's "guitar playing is journeyman, his songwriting pedestrian, and his singing frankly weak." [16]
AllMusic wrote that "Morganfield's expressive vocals always hit their mark." [11]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mellow Chick Swing" | |
| 2. | "Strong Man Holler" | |
| 3. | "Roll with Me" | |
| 4. | "What's the Matter" | |
| 5. | "People Sure Act Funny" | |
| 6. | "Ramblin' Mind" | |
| 7. | "Trace of You" | |
| 8. | "Dirty Dealin' Mama" | |
| 9. | "Foolish Love" | |
| 10. | "My Doggy's Got the Blues" | |
| 11. | "Troubles" | |
| 12. | "Highway 69" | |
| 13. | "Little Angel" | |
| 14. | "You're Gonna Miss Me" |
McKinley Morganfield, known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues". His style of playing has been described as "raining down Delta beatitude".
Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but is performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of African Americans of the first half of the twentieth century. Key features that distinguish Chicago blues from the earlier traditions, such as Delta blues, is the prominent use of electrified instruments, especially the electric guitar, and especially the use of electronic effects such as distortion and overdrive.
John Lee Curtis "Sonny Boy" Williamson was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He is often regarded as the pioneer of the blues harp as a solo instrument. He played on hundreds of recordings by many pre–World War II blues artists. Under his own name, he was one of the most recorded blues musicians of the 1930s and 1940s and is closely associated with Chicago producer Lester Melrose and Bluebird Records. His popular songs, original or adapted, include "Good Morning, School Girl", "Sugar Mama", "Early in the Morning", and "Stop Breaking Down".
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Homesick James was an American blues musician known for his mastery of the slide guitar. He worked with his cousin, Elmore James, and with Sonny Boy Williamson II.
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