Live In Chicago

In 1989 on a brutally cold February night in Madison, Wisconsin Earwig recorded Big Jack with Jack’s five piece band from Clarksdale, augmented by his past band mates Frank Frost, Sam Carr and “Little Geno” Tucker. That album was not released due to the band being unfamiliar with Jack’s original tunes. Those tunes were rerecorded with a crack band of Chicago session players for what became the 1990 album Daddy, When Is Mama Comin Home? Not until Jack came back to Chicago to play with the Aron Burton Blues Band in 1994 and 1995 was Earwig finally able to capture Jack live at his full power, doing his mix of blues classics and his own contemporary Delta blues storytelling.

“You’re listening to real blues played by a real blues man. It doesn’t get any better than this; you’ll feel like you’re sitting right there in a smoky club when you listen to Live In Chicago.” – Music Paper

Related Albums

The World Don’t Owe Me Nothing

Tough Luck

Back In Mississippi Live At The 930 Blues Cafe

Song From Far Away

1. Pistol Packin Mama 6:14
2. Since I Met You Baby 6:10
3. Night Train 5:13
4. Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do 3:53
5. Daddy, When Is Mama Comin Home? 7:22
6. Twist 2:58
7. Sweet Sixteen 6:09
8. Fightin’ Woman 5:53
9. Steal Away 5:13
10. The Blues Is Alright 4:25
11. Black Rooster 6:51
12. I Got A Whole Lotta Lovin’ 4:16

Musicians:
Big Jack Johnson – vocals and lead guitar
The Aron Burton Band – with Aron Burton, bass and band leader
Allen Batts – piano
Michael Dotson – rhythm guitar
Kenny Smith – drums on Legends tracks
Tino Cortez – drums on Hothouse tracks
Special Guest Lester “Mad Dog” Davenport – harmonica on Legends tracks

Produced by Michael Robert Frank

© P 1997 Earwig Music Company, Inc.

Writers and publishers by track:

1 Big Jack Johnson, Drop Top Music
2 Ivory Joe Hunter, Unichappell Music, Inc.
3 Jimmy Forrest, Oscar Washington, Simpkins, Embassy Music Corp.
4 Deadric Malone & Joseph Wade Scott, MCA/Duchess Music Corp.
5 Big Jack Johnson, Earwig Music, administered by BMG Music
6 Hank Ballard, Trio Fort Knox Music
7 Ahmet Ertegun, Unichappell Music, Inc.
8 Big Jack Johnson, Drop Top Music
9 John Green & Joseph Scott, MCA/Duchess Music Corp.
10 Milton Campbell, Trice Publishing Co, Inc.
11 Big Jack Johnson, Fiorina Music
12 Riley B. King, Sounds of Lucille

Songs 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11 recorded live March 4, 1995 at Buddy Guy’s Legends, Chicago, Illinois
Timothy Powell – Metro Mobile, lead engineer, Paul Smith – Acme Studios, 2nd engineer
Songs 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12 recorded live June 4, 1994 at the Hothouse, Chicago, Illinois, Todd Coburn – engineer
Mixed, edited, and mastered by Paul Smith, Acme Recording
Thanks to Andre Hobus for the front cover photo
Graphic design by Terran Doehrer, Earth Star Graphics, Evanston, Illinois