T-Bone Walker - The Ultimate Collection 1929-57 (2014)

Guitarist, singer and songwriter T-Bone Walker was one of the most important and influential pioneers of the electric blues sound, specially the style most closely associated with the West Coast – he was one of the first to amplify his guitar, which he had done by 1940, and was a key influence on B.B. King and Chuck Berry. This comprehensive overview of the core decades of his recording career comprises 129 tracks in a terrific value 5-CD set, and effectively encompasses every track he recorded through to the end of the 1950s. Beginning with two early tracks recorded in 1929, it includes important performances from the early ‘40s with other leaders’ bands before the many sessions he recorded under his own name for the Black & White, Capitol, Comet and Imperial labels through to the mid-‘50s, along with the tracks from the LP “T-Bone Blues” which he recorded for Atlantic in 1956-7, and which many consider among his finest work. It naturally includes the blues standards and chart hits for which he is best known, such as “Call it Stormy Monday”, “Bobby Sox Blues” and “West End Blues”. It is a fine showcase for his distinctive guitar style and sound, and an ideal purchase for anyone wanting a thorough insight into the great bluesman.