The Best of Little Walter
1957 greatest hits album by Little Walter
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The Best of Little Walter is the first LP record by American blues performer Little Walter.[5] First released in 1957, the compilation album contains ten Little Walter songs that appeared in the Top 10 of the Billboard R&B chart from 1952 to 1955,[8] plus two B-sides. The album was first released by Checker Records as LP-1428, which was the first LP record released by Checker, and then released on Chess Records with the same catalog number.[3] It was the first and only album released during Little Walter's lifetime.
| The Best of Little Walter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 1957 | |||
| Recorded | May 12, 1952 – January 25, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois[1][2] | |||
| Genre | Chicago blues | |||
| Length | 35:44 | |||
| Label | Checker LP 1428[3] | |||
| Producers | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Willie Dixon | |||
| Little Walter chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [5] |
| Record Mirror | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
The album has been reissued numerous times, although it has been largely superseded by the 20-song collection Little Walter His Best: Chess 50th Anniversary Collection.
Artwork and packaging
The album cover features a black-and-white photo portrait shot by Grammy Award winning photographer Don Bronstein of Little Walter holding/playing a Hohner 64 Chromatic harmonica and liner notes by Studs Terkel, who had written Giants of Jazz. The original LP featured a black label.
Accolades
In 1991, The Best of Little Walter was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in the "Classics of Blues Recordings – Album" category.[3] In 2003, the album was ranked No. 198 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[9]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Walter Jacobs (Little Walter), except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Babe" (Willie Dixon) | 2:44 |
| 2. | "Sad Hours" | 3:15 |
| 3. | "You're So Fine" | 3:07 |
| 4. | "Last Night" | 2:46 |
| 5. | "Blues with a Feeling" (Rabon Tarrant, re-written by Jacobs) | 3:10 |
| 6. | "Can't Hold Out Much Longer" | 3:03 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Juke" | 2:47 |
| 2. | "Mean Old World" (T-Bone Walker, re-written by Jacobs) | 2:57 |
| 3. | "Off the Wall" | 2:52 |
| 4. | "You Better Watch Yourself" | 3:04 |
| 5. | "Blue Light" | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Tell Me Mamma" | 2:47 |
Personnel
The following people contributed to the Best of Little Walter:[1][2]
- Little Walter – lead vocals, harmonica
- Muddy Waters – guitar on "Juke" and "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
- Jimmy Rogers – guitar on "Juke" and "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
- David Myers – guitar
- Louis Myers – guitar
- Leonard Caston – guitar on "My Babe"
- Robert Lockwood Jr. – guitar on "My Babe"
- Willie Dixon – bass, producer
- Elgin Evans – drums on "Juke" and "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
- Fred Below – drums
- Studs Terkel – sleeve notes
Singles chart
The songs "Juke" and "My Babe" peaked at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's R&B Singles chart. "Sad Hours", "You're So Fine", and "Blues with a Feeling" made it to No. 2 on the same chart. "Last Night" and "Mean Old World" peaked at No. 6, "Off the Wall" and "You Better Watch Yourself" reached No. 8, and "Tell Me Mama" made it to No. 10.[8]
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1958 | Checker/Chess Records | LP | 1428 |
| United States | 1967 | Checker Records | LP | 3004 |
| United States | 1988 | MCA Records/Chess Records | LP | CH-9192 |
| Cassette | CHC-9192 | |||
| CD | CHD-9192 | |||