After his reputation-building stints with Butterfield and as a solo artist, this guitar star really took off with his '70s Capricorn stuff. These are spicy dishes of hot blues and Southern rock: his hits Travelin' Shoes; Sure Feels Good; Fooled Around and Fell in Love , and Struttin' My Stuff plus Let It Flow; Ground Hog; Juke Joint Jump , and more!

What makes this new Elvin Bishop amazing are the special guests he has been able to assemble for this new release. This lineup shows just want a revered & respected guitarist Elvin is with his peers. The guests on this album are as follows B.B. King, George Thorogood, James Cotton, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Kim Wilson, Tommy Castro, Ronnie Baker Brooks, John Nemeth, Angela Strehli, Homemade Jamz Blues Band, R.C. Carrier & Andre Thierry.

Raven presents two classic elvin bishop lps on one cd for the first time - juke joint jump and struttin' my stuff. With 77 minutes of superb quality audio and informative liner notes this is a must for fans of rollicking, good-time blues rock and southern fried funk. Bishop started out in the paul butterfield blues band before striking out on his own in 1968. Always an exciting live prospect, juke joint jump (capricorn, 1975) established his unique style of slide guitar with the sprightly single 'sure feels good'. His highest charting album struttin' my stuff (billboard #18) yielded the 1976 smash hit 'fooled around and fell in love' (us #3).

Former Paul Butterfield Blues Band guitarist Bishop left to pursue a successful solo career. This live recording from 1977, originally a double album, features all his crowd pleasers such as 'Fooled Around And Fell In Love' (a US Top 5 single) and 'Struttin' My Stuff'. Digitally remastered and slipcased. New notes.

Elvin Bishop has been traveling the blues road longer than most, and he's got the stories to prove it - many of which are contained within the songs on this release. Stops along the way include his work as a founding member of the groundbreaking Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the early '60s, and pop success with his 1976 smash hit Fooled Around and Fell In Love. Bishop's long and varied career has included plenty of side trips along the way as well, from deep down gutbucket blues played in smoky south side Chicago taverns, to raucous roadhouse R&B, to good time rock & roll on concert stages and festivals around the world. And at every stage along the way, he's instilled all of his music with passion, creativity, and a healthy helping of wisdom, wit, and good humor.

Delta Groove Productions president Randy Chortkoff has been a fan and follower of Elvin's music through all the many phases of his career, beginning with Butterfield Blues Band in the mid 1960s, and when the opportunity arose to bring Elvin into the Delta Groove fold, Chortkoff jumped at the opportunity. The result was Elvin's Grammy-nominated 2008 CD The Blues Rolls On, and a flurry of other awards and accolades, including being named 2009 Male Blues Artist of The Year by Blues Blast magazine. Elvin's brand new release Red Dog Speaks, his second on Delta Groove Music, is the exciting next step in his blues journey.

Right out of the gate, Bishop leaves no doubt where his heart is, cleverly introducing his long-time cohort - a 1959 Gibson ES-345 that lovingly answers to the name of 'Red Dog', with a gritty slow blues calculated to set the pace for what's to come. Along the way he smoothly steers the way from strutting blues and R&B, to a good dose of good-time rock & roll, and even an occasional detour through doo-wop, zydeco and gospel. Elvin has made plenty of talented friends over the years, and many of them jumped at the chance to help out including John Nemeth, Buckwheat Zydeco, Roy Gaines, Tommy Castro, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and Kid Andersen who all make guest appearances. And all of it adds up to an amalgam that can only be called 'Elvin Bishop music.'

QUOTES:

'The North Bay-based musician remains one of the genre's most distinctive guitar stylists, melding a slashing attack with a keen ear for melody.' East Bay Express

'...careening slide and razor-edged bursts, all delivered with unflagging enthusiasm and wit.' Rolling Stone

'Nemeth's harp and Bishop's slide make beautiful old music beautiful again.' Pittsburgh Post Gazette

'Bishop is a good-hearted soul whose life mission is to entertain to the best of his ability.' Downbeat

No need to waste time making a mixtape for your next blues bash--just throw on this disc and let Elvin Bishop be your host for a night of rollicking fun. Bishop has traditionally been known for bouncy shows that incorporate both the deep blues he cut as an original member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the country-styled soul he gravitated to as one of the Capricorn label's popular Southern rock acts in the '70s. You can practically see his goofy grin and wild eyes as he knocks back an hour's worth of highlights from a 2006 show. Accompanied by a sympathetic eight-piece band that includes three background vocalists and a trombonist who also plays rubboard, this is a nonstop party that doesn't even slow down for the topical, politically based ruminations of "What the Hell Is Going On," one of only two tracks reprised from his appropriately titled 2005 comeback Gettin' My Groove Back. The slow blues of "Belly Rubbin'" and the opening instrumental "Stomp" spotlight Bishop's impressive guitar chops, but this is truly a group effort. He turns lead vocals over to other band members for three tracks, and if he’s not enjoying himself as much as the audience, he ought to be nominated for an Oscar instead of a Grammy. Bishop cherry-picks "Stealin' Watermelons" from his early years, but generally sticks to fresh tunes and unusual covers such as Roy Milton's humorous "Keep a Dollar in Your Pocket" and Junior Parker's frisky "I Feel Alright Again." Let the booty bumpin' begin! --Hal Horowitz