Alt 45 Records artist: Big Joe Shelton - Ridin' A Chicken - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ridin' A Chicken, from Big Joe Shelton & The Black Prairie Blues Ambassadors and it's real cool. Opening with Put The Chairs In The Wagon, a driving rocker, Big Joe Shelton is up front on vocal and harp with firm backing by Bob Damm on percussion, Ed Swan on bass and Ben Ferrell laying down some real strong riffs on guitar. Title track, Ridin' A Chicken, has a real Latin flavor and the tight percussion work of Damm is nicely complimented by Bobby Shannon on keys. Shelton shows solid vocals and Swan lays solid footing under the adventurous guitar soloing of Ferrell. Very nice! Got So Hot is a smokin' blues rocker with shifting keys, nice guitar work and strong percussive punctuation. With a walking bass line and a familiar Sonny Boy Williamson form, Just Let Me Breathe has a great feel. Shelton's vocals are solid and rich key work by Shannon is nicely complimented by the flowing guitar riffs and a nice sax solo by Doug Thomas. No Man's Land is a hot rocker with Shelton leading the way on vocals, tight riffs by Ferrell and cool sax by Thomas. Low slung blues number, Pool Hall Red, features some real nice harp work by Shelton and stinging guitar riffs by Ferrell over percussive key work of Shannon. Heavy bottomed, Too Wet To Plow has super blues roots with the rock edge of Led Zep. A great rock groove and powerful harp work, this is one of my favorites on the release. Wrapping the release is country flavored, My Future Lies Behind Me Now with it's ballad sensibilities and subtle pedal steel work of Susan Alcorn Lobato. Very nice.

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Big Joe Shelton - I'd Never let Her Down - New Release Review

I just received the newest release from Big Joe Shelton and it's quite entertaining. Opening with Frog's Hair, a shuffle tune, Shelton rally's the troops with his ruckus vocals, Ben Ferrell responds with hot riffs on the guitar and David Reese hits the keys. On title track, I'd Never Let Her Down, Bob Damm keeps a Latin rhythm as Shelton tells the tale, Doug Thomas warms up the track with nice sax work and Ferrell steps up with stinging guitar riffs. How Good Love Could Be highlights Shelton's skills on harp with a Butterfield like blues track. Stop The Hating is a reggae style track and Damm is tight with Ed Swan on bass. Laugh Out Loud is a blues ballad with nice melodic guitar riffs from Ferrell and complimentary sax riffs from Thomas. Little Willie has a strong Bo Diddley style track reminiscent of Willie and the Hand Jive or Willie the Wimp. Shelton shows really nice story telling skills on this track and slide work from Ferrell makes this track hot. Catfish Ed is a laid back country style track with a nice intro from Susan Alcorn Lobato on steel. David Reese rools the 88's nicely on this track as well. Pity Party is a solid ballad featuring some of Shelton's best vocal work on the release. Strong Addiction, a Chicago style blues track finds Shelton back on harp and the track is rolling. Another stinging solo from Ferrell on this track is a nice compliment. Riding With The Wind has country styling with a Latin rhythm. Actually pretty cool with guitar effects. I really like Ferrell's work on this track that I can only describe as like early John Mayall in nature. Wrapping the release is Leaving Yo Behind has a feel of Evil (Going On) with a cool bottom and smokey harp from Shelton and easy slide from Farrell. This is a cool release and one that I enjoyed reviewing.

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Mama Killed A Chicken - Big Joe Shelton

Big Joe Shelton was born in the Black Prairie region of Northeast Mississippi. As a child growing up in a small Mississippi town he was exposed to an African-American culture, which still strongly reflected that of the early part of the twentieth century. He attended tent minstrel shows, bar-b-que picnics and heard street musicians performing authentic traditional blues. The Black Belt region is also the birthplace of blues legends Howlin’ Wolf, Bukka White and Big Joe Williams. As a young man he was fortunate in befriending Williams and this association greatly influenced his musical sensibilities.


As a child Big Joe sang in church and grammar school choirs. In his teens he began playing the harmonica and guitar.


“The Older I Get the Better I Was” is his second release on the independent ALT 45 RECORDS label. It was recorded at the B.B. King Recording Studio on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University at Itta Bena over the Summer of 2010. It includes ten original tracks all conceived in the fertile imagination of this gifted songwriter.


“Black Prairie Blues”, his 2008 release, was a finalist in the 2009 International Blues Challenge for the Best Self-Produced CD Award. A song from that album, “Devil Lives in Memphis,” was nominated for 2008 song of the year by Blues Critic Magazine reader’s poll. The album was listed in the top ten on numerous national and international blues radio charts including: Australia, The Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, and the United States. It also received extensive play on Sirus XM satellite radio’s B.B. King’s Bluesville program. The CD garnered stellar reviews from national and international blues music magazines including: Living Blues (US), Elmore Magazine (US), Blues Matters (UK), Juke Blues (UK), and Blues Review (US).


Big Joe has performed at numerous festivals and clubs throughout the southeastern United States including: King Biscuit Blues Festival, Howlin’ Wolf Memorial Blues Festival, Freedom Creek Blues Festival and the Beal Street Mess Around. He has also toured England, France, Belgium, Bulgaria and the Netherlands.


He has played with blues legends Big Joe Williams, Furry Lewis, Son Thomas, Junior Kimbrough, Fenton Robinson and BMA / Handy Award nominees Willie King, Blind Mississippi Morris, R. L. Burnside and Johnny Rawls as well as Daniel “Slick” Ballinger, the 2007 BMA Best New Artist and 2009 Grammy nominee Elvin Bishop.


Shelton was awarded a 2010 Artist Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission and is a member of their “Artist Roster” (http://www.arts.state.ms.us/artist-roster/index.php) as well as their “Mississippi Folk arts / Folklife Directory” (http://www.arts.state.ms.us/special-projects/folklife.php). He was honored in 2007 by being included on the “Columbus / Cat Fish Alley” Mississippi Blues Trail Marker (http://www.msbluestrail.org/commission.html).
Among his contributions toward perpetuation of the blues is his involvement with the Jazz Foundation of America, The Mississippi Arts Commission, and the Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society “Blues in School” educational programs.
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