Alone & Acoustic

BUDDY GUY AND JUNIOR WELLS are doubtlessly the best known duo in contemporary blues. Buddy is a groundbreaking, fiery electric blues guitarist and Junior is one of Chicago blues' master harmonica stylists. Both have been recording since the 1950s, and their best records are amongst the cream of modern blues recordings. They have toured all over the world, playing loud, tough, electric Chicago blues, accompanied by hot and hard rhythm sections.

In 1981, Buddy and Junior spent a day in a studio in Paris, in the midst of a European tour, getting back to their roots. Instead of their usual electric guitar and amplified harmonica, both played acoustic instruments. Instead of accompaniment by a full band, they were accompanied only by each other.

The results were an hour of intimate, relaxed blues, with many of the lyrics improvised on the spot. Together they paid homage to the Deep South acoustic blues tradition from which their contemporary music sprang, and to some of the bluesmen who inspired them. Buddy offered three originals and three John Lee Hooker classics. Junior sang two originals and paid tribute to his mentor, Muddy Waters, performing one of Muddy's own songs and two traditional Delta blues that were Waters' favorites. They played and sang acoustic versions of songs that had been made famous as electric blues by Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Rogers and Ricky Allen.

We at Alligator Records are very pleased to finally make these wonderful, very personal recordings available in North America. In addition to the songs which appeared on the original French release, Isabel Records has provided five previously unissued performances for our re-release.

-- Bruce Iglauer