Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

BCD17129

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

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Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2017-06-09

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

4000127171290

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Slim Harpo

Genre US

Blues / Gospel

Label US

Bear Family

American blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player, Slim Harpo was a leading exponent of the swamp blues style. Born on January 11, 1924 in Lobdell, Louisiana, he began his career performing under the pseudonym "Harmonica Slim" at local nightclubs and bars. In the mid-1950s, he started recording and released his first record as Slim Harpo in 1957.

Slim Harpo's hits include "I'm A King Bee", "I've Got Love If You Want It", "Rainin' In My Heart", "Buzzin'", "I Love The Life I Live", "Little Queen Bee" and "Baby, Scratch My Back". His soulful songs have been covered by The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, The Kinks and many others.

Unfortunately, Slim Harpo passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack on January 31, 1970 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of 46. He was laid to rest in Mulatto Bend Cemetery in Port Allen, Louisiana. With a legacy that continues to influence musicians today, Slim Harpo remains an iconic figure in the world of blues music.

White rock bands couldn't get enough of Slim Harpo's atmospheric harmonica and nasal vocals. This is the music which inspired Canned Heat, Them, the Pretty Things and, of course, the Rolling Stones who revived I'm A King Bee and Shake Your Hips. Difficult-to-find selections include Cigarettes (digitally unleashed for the first time) and Slim Harpo's craziest rocker, Wild About My Baby. But the big hits are here too; no retrospective would be complete without Baby Scratch My Back and Rainin' In My Heart. Small ensemble electrified country blues that really rocks!

James 'Slim Harpo' Moore (1924-1970) crammed a great deal into his 45 years. One of the biggest Southern blues stars of the '50s, Slim Harpo appealed to rockabillies of all generations. Sun artist Warren Smith covered I Got Love If You Want It while Marty Stuart revived Shake Your Hips. Rock 'n' roll collectors embraced Slim Harpo's originals and a slew of similarly crisp, pounding rockers on the Excello label. The white blues boom opened new doors for Slim Harpo in the mid-to-late '60s but, amongst the soul and psychedelic movements, Slim Harpo still found time to rock 'n' roll. 

This collection draws on all phases of Slim's 13 year recording career. As reissues go, his finest up tempo sides are scattered all over the place but this compilation cherry-picks 30 of the best, adding his archetypal swamp blues ballad, 'Rainin' In My Heart', as a bonus. It's the perfect overview of a largely unheralded rocker.

Rocks

Music US