Showdown!

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Showdown!
Copeland, Cray and Collins - Showdown! album cover.jpeg
Studio album by
Albert Collins, Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland
Released1985
StudioStreeterville Studios, Chicago, Illinois
Genre Blues
Length42:56
Label Alligator
Producer Bruce Iglauer, Dick Shurman, Bruce Bromberg ("The Dream")
Robert Cray albums chronology
False Accusations
(1985)		Showdown!
(1985)		 Strong Persuader
(1986)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [2]

Showdown! is a collaborative blues album by guitarists Albert Collins, Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland, [1] released in 1985 through Alligator Records. [3] The album is mostly made of original material, with cover versions of songs like T-Bone Walker's "T-Bone Shuffle", Muddy Waters' "She's into Something" and Ray Charles' "Blackjack". Collins, Cray and Copeland were supported by Johnny B. Gayden and Allen Batts, who at the time were members of Collins' Icebreakers, and Alligator's household artist Casey Jones. In the album's sleeve notes, producers Bruce Iglauer and Dick Shurman observe how Copeland and Cray were both given support by Collins early in their career, and how the three musicians have often crossed paths since then, making this collaborative effort a "thirty years in the making" project. Showdown! was one of Alligator's most successful albums, peaking at n. 124 on the US charts and selling over 175,000 units worldwide. [4] The album won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Recording in 1986. [5] It was re-released on CD by Alligator in 2011. [3]

Contents

In a retrospective review, AllMusic noted that "Cray's delivery of Muddy Waters' rhumba-rocking "She's into Something" was one of the set's many highlights". [1]

Track listing

  1. "T-Bone Shuffle" (T-Bone Walker) – 4:54
  2. "The Moon Is Full" (Gwen Collins) – 4:59
  3. "Lion's Den" (Johnny Copeland) – 3:55
  4. "She's Into Something" (Carl Wright) – 3:49
  5. "Bring Your Fine Self Home" (Johnny Copeland) – 4:30
  6. "Black Cat Bone" (Ivory Lee Semien, Harding Wilson) – 4:54
  7. "The Dream" (Robert Cray, David Amy) – 5:28
  8. "Albert's Alley" (Albert Collins) – 4:01
  9. "Blackjack" (Ray Charles) – 6:26 [1]

Personnel

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dahl, Bill. "Showdown!". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  2. ↑ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings . Penguin. p. 130. ISBN   978-0-140-51384-4.
  3. 1 2 "Showdown! - Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, Robert Cray | Releases". AllMusic . Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  4. ↑ https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1999/BB-1999-01-09.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  5. ↑ "Showdown! - Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, Robert Cray | Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "Showdown! - Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, Robert Cray | Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 20 May 2021.
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