Long John Baldry: Live

One of the founding fathers of the British blues revival of the 1960s, Long John Baldry is still going strong on Live. Recorded in 1999 at the Down Town Blues Club in Hamburg, Germany, this trio outing pairs the charismatic blues scholar on 12-string acoustic guitar and rough-hewn vocals with longtime associate Butch Coulter, a remarkable harmonica player, and hotshot young British electric-guitar virtuoso Matt Taylor. Included are spirited renditions of country-blues classics like “Good Morning Blues,” “Back Water Blues” and “Can’t Keep from Crying Some Time” along with Baldryized covers of Randy Newman’s “Burn Down the Cornfield,” Tim Rose’s “Morning Dew,” Sonny Terry-Brownie McGhee’s “Walk On” and Rod Stewart’s “Flying.” Harpist Coulter wails ferociously on all the Delta blues numbers and demonstrates some staggering technique on his solo showcase “Moon Dance in Tajikistan.” Taylor turns in a moving vocal performance on Tom Waits’ haunting ballad “Blue Valentine.” And throughout it all, the gravelly voiced Baldry oozes the irrepressible charm of an old-world troubadour/rogue.

Originally Published March 1, 2001