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"Adolphus Bell is the world's greatest one man blues band, Cool John is among the five greatest guitarists I have heard in my career, Drink Small is the Blues Dr. from Columbia, SC and Pura Fe's music demonstrates the indigenous influence on the blues and they are all featured on this album!" -Taj Mahal
The Music Maker Relief Foundation has given numerous musicians the opportunity to not only get back on stage in front of audiences but to record their music as well. While anyone of us can get our hands on these recordings either through Amazon or the Music Makers web site very few of us are probably every going to have the chance to see any of these artists in concert.
Thankfully there is a partial solution to that problem parts one and two of Drink House To Church House: Songs & Stories From The Roots Of America. If I’ve understood things correctly these are the first two of a four part CD/DVD series featuring the artists associated with the Music Maker record label.
Some of the performers, Captain Luke for instance, on Volumes I and II of the series have already gained some notoriety around the world through tours of Europe and Argentina. But some of the others aren’t even known in their own backyards or been seen performing by anyone but their neighbors and friends in the last twenty years.
So these discs work both ways; for the performers letting people know who they are and for us letting us see the people whose voices we’ve been listening to on CD. How else am I ever going to get a chance to see Drink Small perform, watch John Dee Holeman play his guitar, witness a performance by the incomparable Adolphus Bell (you haven’t lived until you’ve seen the leader of a one man band introduce the band), Pura Fe sing Gershwin’s “Summertime” accompanied by Cool John Ferguson and his band, or Haskell “Whistlin’ Britches” Thompson too name just a few of the amazing talents crammed within these two sets of music. -Richard Marcus
Track Listing: CD 1/Cool John Ferguson-Low Country Blues 2/Adolphus Bell-One Man Band 3/Drink Small & Cootie Stark 4/Pura Fe-Whole World Down on Me 5/Cool John Ferguson- Song for Brenda 6/Drink Small-Tied Tongue Blues 7/Adolphus Bell-Child Support Blues 8/Pura Fe-Going Home, Stomp Dance 9/Cool John Ferguson-Log Cabin Women 10/Drink Small-Moanin' 11/Adolphus Bell-Alabama Women 12/Pura Fe-Sweet Willie
Track Listing: DVD Chapter 1: Adolphus Bell, Alabama Woman, One Man Band, Make It Funky Chapter 2: Cool John Ferguson, Here Comes Floyd, I Stand Accused, Come Down Hard on Me Baby Chapter 3: Drink Small, Widow Woman, Moanin' Blues, Glory, Glory Chapter 4: Pura Fe, Familiar Joy, Rise Up Tuscarora Nation, Summertime with Cool John Ferguson