Evergreen Arts

Reliable rock and roll keys man Chuck Leavell (Stones, Allmans, Crowes), toasts early blues pianists on a collection that entertains while shedding light on the genre’s pioneers. Leavell, also supplying gritty, blue-eyed, soulful vocals on most tracks, salutes Indianapolis player Leroy Carr on “Low Down Dirty Dog” and “Evening Train” – the latter is slow-boogie decorated with Keith Richards’ acoustic guitar flourishes. Richards and John Mayer, both on electric guitar, join in on a hard-driving take of Otis Spann’s “Boots and Shoes,” and Col. Bruce Hampton sings Barrelhouse Buck McFarland’s “I Got to Go Blues,” which also benefits from Danny Barnes’ manic banjo and David Blackmon’s fiddle. A rambling take on Little Brother Montgomery’s celebrated “Vicksburg Blues” closes the 15-song set – a must-have for fans of the sound.