Willie Dixon
I Am The Blues
Label: Columbia LegacyReleased: 1970 (this edition: 1993)
Genre: Blues, Chicago Blues
Willi Dixon is easily in the top five of the most important early Chicago Blues artists. Widely influential and one of Chess Records stable of hit writers.
I Am The Blues was originally put out in 1970, and is unique in that it's an album of cover tunes, all originally written by Willie in the first place. Willie was one of Chess Records song writers as well as a performer, and every track on this album was performed by another artist before hand. Muddy Waters, Willie Mabon, Howlin' Wolf, and Otis Rush (his song from this was released on Cobra Records) all performed these songs before Willie did.
Putting this in a very rare set of albums where the writer is performers covers of his own tunes. To be sure, these are much more in Willie's style than just strait imitations. Critical response was originally lukewarm on it as well. The album was eventually inducted into the hall of fame. It's been popular enough for Columbia Records to keep it in print for decades.
Personally, this is excellent blues is excellent. It's a classic sounding style, Wilie goes way back into sound and production to give us an early sounding Chicago Blues album from the 1950s with this one.
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