Album Notes

Bootleggin’ the Blues contains eight songs performed by five of the bands that delivered soul-infused, guitar-drenched, horn-blowing, vocal-chords-thumping, knee-jerking and hip-swaying blues at the 10th Annual Fargo Blues Festival. The CD, recorded in 2005, represents Julie Stewart and the Motor Kings, Big Walter Smith and the Groove Merchants, the Joe Moss Band, the Inside Straight Band, and the Pop’s Blues Rhythm Band.

Julie Stewart and the Motor Kings hail from Santa Fe, NM, and are known for their electrifying, high-energy performances and rockin’ delivery of the blues. Their pumping beat, strong vocals and in-your-face solos, as heard on Hold Me and Hey Baby, will pull you to your feet, keep you dancing ‘til dawn, and leave you begging for more.

Big Walter Smith, on the other hand, brings it home with his big horn band and their old-school R&B and funk. With songs like Brother to the Blues and Big Storm Comin’ there’s no denyin’ that Big Walter has been around the block a few times. The King of Minnesota Blues received notariety early in his career playing with Albert Collins, and he has shared the stage with Albert King, Bobby “Blue” Band, and B.B. King among others.

In Chicago, the Joe Moss Band has staken their claim to popular downtown nightspots, including Buddy Guy’s Legends and The House of Blues. Their contemporary blues songs are just what you need to shake those memories of somebody who done you wrong. Another Midwestern favorite, the Inside Straight Band, plays with a blues sensibility gleaned from Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, New Orleans, and Texas.

Now it wouldn’t be a proper blues compilation without some harmonica, and if it’s the power of high-octane, flame-throwing lungs you’re looking for, the Pop’s Blue Rhythm Band delivers. So get your copy of the 10th Annual Fargo Blues Festival CD and join us in August for another weekend of finger-pickin,’ foot-stompin,’ down-home blues.