Magic Sam Blues Band – West Side Soul – Delmark Records DD-615

Sam was in that astounding pack that hurled out of Chicago’s west side, along with fellow blues guitar phenoms Buddy Guy and Otis Rush, to name but two, all young blues guitar practitioners who collectively adapted the pressures and urgencies of post-World War II Chicago life into a blues guitar format that ideally suited the environs from which it came.  The new Chicago blues sound of this period was raw, with assertive, cutting, hard-hitting solos and firm rhythm work that surged within its veins. 

Sam’s vocals were poignant and moving, often delivered with a ringing falsetto.  His voice was the ideal complement to his skipping and shattering style of picking, and his use of reverb shaped a style that he carried the entirety of his all-too brief career.

Accompanying Sam on this ground-breaking outing were both Ernest Johnson and Mack Thompson on bass, Odie Payne, Jr. and Odie Payne III providing the drumming, Stockholm Slim advancing the piano duties, and Mighty Joe Young lending guitar support.

His untimely death at the young age of 32 stopped what assuredly would have been a very successful career, as his noted set at the 1969 Ann Arbor Blues Festival suggested the strong interest in, and possible crossover of, his bountiful gifts. 

Below are the running tracks on this indispensable 1968 collection.  It is considered essential without any provisions whatsoever!

Song Titles

• That’s All I Need
• I Need You So Bad
• I Feel So Good (I Wanna Boogie)
• All Of Your Love
• I Don’t Want No Woman
• Sweet Home Chicago
• I Found A New Love
• Every Night And Every Day
• Lookin’ Good
• My Love Will Never Die
• Mama, Mama-Talk To Your Daughter For Me
• I Don’t Want No Woman (alternate)