Fenton Robinson - Out Of Chicago Live And Studio Sessions 1989/1992 [CD]

Sophisticated, but still deeply blues as guitarist, singer and songwriter. He cuts loose at the Burnley Blues Festival and at the Ecaussines Festival he's flying.

Back in 1989 there were still so many of the original legends playing and performing. I had 'got my hands on' booking the First Burnley Blues Festival. I had Fenton Robinson on my wanted list for many years. A unique performer and stylist with an instantly recognizable style and sound. Sophisticated, but still deeply blues as guitarist, singer and songwriter - and happily for me, a man who did not disappoint on arrival, either musically or as a genuinely nice guy.

Tracks 5 and 6 here are live at the Burnley Blues Festival in 1989 - Fenton cuts loose and so obviously feels comfortable. Tracks 1 to 4 were recorded a day or so later at the BBC studios in Manchester and have a terrific ''big'' sound. The Norman Beaker Band backs and American musicians loved them. They were far from a revivalist or copyist blues band - but genuinely contemporary and plugged into what was then a very exciting Manchester scene.

I have recently started to release live material from the Ecaussines Blues Festival held in Belgium from 1988 to 2013. On tracks 7 to 10 we have Fenton with a wonderful Chicago band and he's flying. These 1992 recordings prove that he was out there working and still playing that lovely style of his to very enthusiastic audiences.

Fenton left us in 1997 and left a too small set of recordings - so this addition to the discography is overdue.

John Stedman, JSP Records

Track Listing