Women in Blues Showcase, a very special installment of Bob Corritore & Friends‘ From The Vaults series, features great recordings from spectacular blues women. It surveys a wide geographic and stylistic spectrum from powerhouses Barbara Lynn, Carol Fran, Koko Taylor, Francine Reed, Diunna Greenleaf, Valerie June, Shy Perry, and Aliya Primer (John Primer’s daughter).
It is such an incredible honor to be featured alongside so many of my role models in blues like Koko Taylor and Barbara Lynn. In listening to the music of Bob Corritore, listeners are greeted by a stellar musician who fearlessly shows respect for the elders on the musical path while lifting up new and younger artists like me.
Valerie June
His work is constantly bringing artists together, and the Women in Blues he’s chosen for this compilation are beyond deserving of this appreciation.
Bob Corritore has recorded all of these wonderful women with great sensitivity to their stylistic individuality! Behold a collection of spectacular, female voices, which collectively demonstrate both the undeniable power and empowering vulnerability of the feminine voice.
In case you missed it, listen to “What Kind of Man is This” featuring Koko Taylor. Widely acknowledged as the Queen of the Blues, Taylor delivers this powerhouse Chicago Blues performance. Her trademark assertive vocals are equal parts sugar and salt, and growl and grace.
The band delivers the classic Chicago shuffle with two alumni of the Muddy Waters band (Bob Margolin and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith) plus Bob Stroger, Little Frank and Bob Corritore, whose Windy City harmonica provides the perfect foil to Koko’s voice.
All hail the Queen!
