Joe Mr. Google Eyes August - Life Can Be A Hard Road to Travel - Blues And Jumpin R&B - 1949-1961 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

March 5, 1977, at The Palms Café, Big Joe Turner walked onto the small Los Angeles stage with the weight of a legacy and the spark of a showman. Still larger than life at 65, he stepped onto the modest Los Angeles stage and unleashed a storm of blues power that left the walls shaking. Every note carried the weight of a lifetime spent bending music to his will, blending the grit of Kansas City's heyday with the fire of a man who wasn't ready to slow down.

This never before released session from 1972 (produced by John Bentley) features the Deep South guitarist Big Joe Williams in a solo setting with only his mighty voice & his 9-string guitar, performing songs like InchHighway 99,Inch InchCadillac Blues,Inch InchChurch Bells Ringin',Inch InchPea Vine WhistleInch & others.

Mike Zito, Life Is Hard. Zito recorded the new album in September at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood, California, with Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith producing. Both Bonamassa and Smith were involved in the production of Blood Brothers, the critically-acclaimed album Zito recorded with fellow tag guitarist Albert Castiglia. The even-dozen tracks on Life Is Hard include not only several Mike Zito originals, but also his takes on a wide variety of blues songs written by such contemporaries as Tinsley Ellis, Walter Trout, Tab Benoit and Fred James. Sprinkled in are covers from a diverse assortment of blues/roots music icons, including Little Milton (InchLonely ManInch), Stevie Wonder (InchHave a Talk with GodInch) and Reverend Gary Davis (InchDeath Don't Have No MercyInch), plus the outside-the-box blues-worthy rendering of the Guess Who classic, InchThese Eyes.Inch Mike Zito - Guitar and Vocals / Joe Bonamassa - Additional Guitar / Josh Smith - Additional Guitar / Reese Wynans - Keyboards / Calvin Turner - Bass / Lemar Carter - Drums / Paulie Cerra - Saxophone on InchLonely ManInch / Jennifer Kumma and Anna Spina - French Horn on InchForever My LoveInch and InchThese EyesInch / Jade Macrae - Background Vocals / Dannielle Deandrea - Background Vocals / Steve Ray Ladson - Background Vocals on InchDeath Don't Have No MercyInch / French Horn Arrangements by Calvin Turner