The Swamp Boogie Queen

The Swamp Boogie Queen
Studio album by Katie Webster
Released	1988
Genre	Blues
Length	41:52
Label	Alligator
Producer	Bruce Iglauer, Ice Cube Slim
Katie Webster chronology
The Many Faces of Katie Webster (1987) The Swamp Boogie Queen (1988) Two-Fisted Mama! (1989)

The Swamp Boogie Queen is an album by the American musician Katie Webster, released in 1988. ^{[1] [2]} It was her first album for Alligator Records and her first with distribution throughout the United States and Canada. ^[3] Webster supported the album with North American and European tours. ^{[4] [5]}

Production

The album was produced by Bruce Iglauer and Ice Cube Slim. ^[6] Webster was backed by the Silent Partners on most of the tracks. ^[7] The Memphis Horns contributed to a few tracks, as did the Paladins. ^[7] Kim Wilson played harmonica and sang on the cover of Johnnie Taylor's "Who's Making Love?", which also featured Robert Cray on guitar. ^{[4] [8]} "Try a Little Tenderness" is a cover of the song written and originally performed by Otis Redding, Webster's former employer. ^[9] "Hold On to What You Got" is a version of the song by Joe Tex. ^[10] "Sea of Love" is a cover of the 1959 Phil Phillips song, on which Webster also played. ^[6] "Black Satin" is an instrumental. ^[6] Webster duetted with Bonnie Raitt on "Somebody's On Your Case". ^[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
The Cincinnati Post	[13]
The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD	[14]
Lincoln Journal Star	[15]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide	[16]
Oakland Tribune	[11]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[17]
Rolling Stone	[10]
The Times	[18]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues	[19]

The St. Petersburg Times stated that "Webster's boogie-woogie piano style is highlighted by the dexterity of her left hand, which can pound out dense, bass-heavy boogie riffs that many pianists would find difficult with both hands." ^[7] The Gazette said that "Webster's spicy musical stew of blues, gospel, soul, R&B and Louisiana stomp is a perfect vehicle for her unaffected, heartfelt singing." ^[20] The Whig-Standard noted that the album "isn't any of your glossy Motown stuff but the earthy, sexy soul you never hear in any movie soundtrack." ^[21]

The Press of Atlantic City called The Swamp Boogie Queen "the finest and most consistent blues album yet to be available in 1988." ^[6] The Lincoln Journal Star said that Webster's "piano playing, a super mix of gospel, blues, jazz and boogie woogie, is a welcome break from the guitar-oriented world of the blues." ^[15] The Herald labeled Webster "the essence of heartfelt Southern music-making." ^[22] The Cincinnati Post deemed the album "one of the year's best blues LPs". ^[13] The Times praised Webster's "gospel-influenced backwater blues style". ^[18]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Who's Making Love?"
2.	"Sea of Love"
3.	"Black Satin"
4.	"After You Get Rid of Me"
5.	"Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)"
6.	"No Bread, No Meat"
7.	"Whoo-Wee Sweet Daddy"
8.	"Try a Little Tenderness"
9.	"Hold On to What You Got"
10.	"Somebody's On Your Case"
11.	"On the Run"
12.	"Lord, I Wonder"

References

1. Krampert, Peter (2002). The Encyclopedia of the Harmonica. Mel Bay Publications, Inc. p. 182.
2. Shea, Kathleen (July 29, 1988). "She's Sittin' on the Dock of the River". Features Friday. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 42.
3. Long, Tom (August 13, 1989). "Playing the Blues and Beyond". New Hampshire Week. The Boston Globe. p. 13.
4. Arnold, Thomas K. (September 21, 1988). "El Cajon Has New Home for New, Old Rock Stars". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 2.
5. Hudson, Kathleen (October 9, 1988). "Texas Heritage Music Series". Kerrville Daily Times. p. 11A.
6. Allen, Greg (September 30, 1988). "How blue this lady can get". The Press of Atlantic City. p. C4.
7. Hall, Ken (November 6, 1988). "Boogie from the swamp". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2F.
8. Point, Michael (September 28, 1988). "Album is added jewel in Swamp Boogie Queen's crown". Austin American-Statesman. p. C5.
9. Lewis, Randy (September 22, 1988). "'Swamp Boogie Queen' Thins the Stew". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 11.
10. Gleason, Holly (January 26, 1989). "Recordings: The Swamp Boogie Queen". Rolling Stone. No. 544. p. 42.
11. Kelp, Larry (October 30, 1988). "Recordings". Calendar. Oakland Tribune. p. 8.
12. "The Swamp Boogie Queen Review by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
13. Nager, Larry (October 22, 1988). "Color fall music blue: Some fine, funky listening". The Cincinnati Post. p. 6B.
14. Hadley, Frank-John (1993). The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD. Grove Press. p. 237.
15. Wolgamott, L. Kent (October 4, 1988). "Music". Lifestyle. Lincoln Journal Star. p. 7.
16. MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 393.
17. The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 691.
18. Lounges, Tom (January 20, 1989). "Katie Webster 'The Swamp Boogie Queen'". The Times. p. D2.
19. Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin Books. p. 366.
20. Lepage, Mark (January 26, 1989). "Katie Webster sings up a spicy musical stew". The Gazette. p. B5.
21. Burliuk, Greg (February 11, 1989). "The Swamp Boogie Queen Katie Webster". Magazine. The Whig-Standard. p. 1.
22. Kelton, Jim (October 9, 1988). "Swamp Boogie Queen will steam up your ears". The Herald. p. 10F.