Re-issue of "Louisiana Fog". This album was originally released in 1968 by Cherry Red Records and later re-released by Kent Music without the liner notes or personnel information as "Takin' Care Of Business". It was re-released again on CD in 1995, complete with Barry Levinson's liner notes. In them he says: "These sides were recorded live in the studio, the way it's played on stage." He closes with: "This is the true blues, a must for any fan of the blues."

Harmonica ace Charlie Musselwhite falls between the more obvious generations of blues players, younger than its elder statesmen but considerably senior to young hot-shots like Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. How, then, can he find a fresh hook to his music without resorting to attention-grabbing gimmicks? Except for two songs featuring producer/guitarist Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, Charlie Musselwhite's 1997 album, Rough News, doesn't have any famous guests, but it stands out from the harmonica whiz's long and deep discography nonetheless. Musselwhite has pared down his sound so radically that every instrument has become a rhythm instrument. When these lean, groove-based arrangements are applied to tunes as simple and catchy as "Both Sides of Fence," "I Sat & Cried" and "Natural Born Lover," the results jump at the listener with the bare-basics excitement of early rock & roll.

This may be an overview of Musselwhite's career (from the late '60s to the present – with some previously unreleased tracks, including the title cut), but it is not the best introduction to the artist. For that, his Vanguard '60s output is still recommended, along with the 1984 session on Blue Rock'it and Alligator's In My Time.

The addition of jazz pianist Skip Rose gave a new dimension to the ensemble sound, and provided a perfect foil to Charlie's own soloing – especially on the re-take of "Cristo Redentor," extended to 11 minutes, shifting to double-time in spots. Rose's instrumental, "A Nice Day for Something," is a welcome change of pace, and Musselwhite's "Blue Feeling Today" compares favorably to fine covers of Little Walter and Fenton Robinson tunes.

"This is the best band I've ever had," Musselwhite proclaims on the back of this LP; longtime fans would find that debatable. Rather than schooled on the Chess sounds that provided Charlie with his foundation, these guys play a Malaco strain of blues, and Tommy Hill is simply one of the busiest (read: obnoxious) drummers anywhere. A "Boogie Chillen" takeoff ("River Hip Mama") is surprisingly not just same-old, same-old, but for the most part the funkified blues contrasts sharply with the album's two most poignant numbers, the jazz standard "Yesterdays" (with Charlie on chromatic, borrowing from trumpeter Clifford Brown's "strings" album) and "My Road Lies in Darkness" - just Charlie and his acoustic guitar.

This 20-track collection of Musselwhite's early days shows that even back then the man could blow effectively in a variety of settings. In addition to the groundbreaking recordings he made with his own group, this also includes Musselwhite backing John Hammond on two tracks and a duet with Walter Horton from the Chicago, The Blues Today! sessions – nice additions. Highlights include "Chicken Shack," "Cristo Redemptor," "Cha Cha the Blues," and "I Don't Play." A nice introduction to this blues veteran.

As authentic as the lines on his forehead and his droopy eyes, veteran bluesman Charlie Musselwhite gets better with age. (At 62, he's a respected survivor with dozens of albums to his credit.) On Delta Hardware the journeyman musician pays tribute to, and revels in, his Mississippi roots. Although he's spent time in Chicago and on the West Coast, for this album of churning swamp and deep Southern blues he taps his formative years in the town of Kosciusko. Musselwhite's poignant voice and crying harmonica convey loss and sadness on the tense, swirling "Black Water," one of two tracks dealing with Hurricane Katrina.

Recorded in 1971 and 1974. "The 14 performances on Memphis Charlie include some loose live sides and even a taste of slide guitar from Musselwhite. They're the work of a more mature artist than the brash kid on Stand Back."

Blues Hall of Fame inductee Walter Davis was a prolific and innovative artist who played an influential role in the creation of the pre-war Blues scene. On The Walter Davis Project a diverse collection of Blues Legends pay tribute to the man and his music, including Billy Boy Arnold, Jimmy McCracklin, Charlie Musselwhite, Christian Rannenberg and Keith Dunn, and Henry Townsend with Bob Corritore. The 17 track collection of Walter Davis' compositions include R&B Legend Jimmy McCracklin's final recordings as well as an interview with Mr. McCracklin, who was taught piano as a child by Walter Davis, by producer Christian Rannenberg, plus 2 tracks from Charlie Musselwhite and an unreleased track from 2002 by Henry Townsend with Living Blues Award winner Bob Corritore. 2012 Blues Hall of Fame member Billy Boy Arnold contributes 9 tracks. The Walter Davis Project album will be treasured by both Blues music lovers and collectors. "To me, Walter Davis's singing, piano playing and lyrics are really deep blues…about as deep as you can get. His lyrics are true blues poetry. His sound has such a deep deep feeling to it. It does what only deep blues can do: it touches your heart and comforts you in a poignant way." – Charlie Musselwhite

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bishop and Grammy-winning harmonica great Musselwhite join forces for a fun and historic collaboration of front porch blues. Among the most famous bluesmen in the world, with over five decades each of recording and performing, Elvin and Charlie have scanned over 600,000 units combined, despite over two dozen of their releases coming before the advent of Soundscan. Elvin and Charlie are joined by guitar and piano master Bob Welsh (of Elvin's Big Fun Trio) for an infectious set of warm, funky, down-home blues. The relaxed, spontaneous nature of the recordings reveals a unique musical chemistry on nine originals and three well-chosen covers, as the two trade licks and vocals on one of the finest, most memorable recordings of either artist's career.

"Rambler's Blues," the shuffling hip-shaker that opens Charlie Musselwhite's The Well, is the most autobiographical statement he's ever made – until you listen to the rest of the record. Despite his large catalogue, this is his first record of all original material. Musselwhite's back with Alligator after a sojourn of 14 years, during which he recorded some stellar material for various labels, including the stellar Delta Hardware for Real World in 2006. Musselwhite is accompanied here by a stellar band: guitarist Dave Gonzales, bassist John Bazz, and drummer Stephen Hodges. His own harmonica playing and vocals are everywhere and top-notch. The most compelling thing about The Well is its lack of pretension; Musselwhite has risen to the task of recording a completely autobiographical album that refuses easy cliches, or resting on laurels; its energy is infectious.

Signature is a typically engaging release from Charlie Musselwhite. The harpist runs through a set of modern blues, complete with jazz and funk overtones – indeed, there are two straight jazz instrumentals, "Catwalk" and "What's New?," which showcase his astonishing technique. Not only is Musselwhite in fine form, his band is tight, soulful, and sympathetic, making Signature a worthwhile listen for most blues fans.

Drummer/label head Pat Ford reunited with Charlie Musselwhite and brought along brother Robben Ford on guitar, producing this return to form. Musselwhite is up to the task in all departments – singing, playing (great tone), and especially songwriting (the title tune and "Seemed Like the Whole World Was Crying," inspired by Muddy Waters' death) – but it had been a while since Robben Ford had played low-down blues (touring with Joni Mitchell, putting in countless hours in L.A. studios), and it may have been wiser to give the guitar chair to Tim Kaihatsu, who by this time had seniority in terms of hours on the bandstand with Musselwhite, above any other Musselwhite alumnus. Pianist Clay Cotton is in fine form. This time out, the deviations (to be expected by now) include Don & Dewey's "Stretching Out," an impressive chromatic harp rendering of "Exodus," and Musselwhite's solo guitar outing, "Baby-O." Easily Musselwhite's best-engineered album yet (nice job, Greg Goodwin).

"I Ain't Lyin'…" is all Charlie - original tunes penned by this Grammy winning master that resonate with the South itself - rising from the Mississippi, crossing the levy, dancing through the streets and cutting to the heart of all that matters. Charlie Musselwhite’s journey through the blues was literal from his birth in Mississippi to Memphis, Chicago and California. Arriving in Chicago in the early sixties, he was just in time for the epochal blues revival. In 1966 at the age of 22 he recorded the landmark Stand Back! Here Comes Charlie Musselwhite’s Southside Band to rave reviews. A precipitous relocation to San Francisco in 1967, where his album was being played on underground radio, found him welcomed into the counterculture scene around the Fillmore West as an authentic purveyor of the real deal blues.

The album features collaborations with Bonnie Raitt, Charlie Musselwhite, Robert Cray, Canned Heat, George Thorogood, Los Lobos and Carlos Santana, among others. The Healer peaked at number 62 on the Billboard 200 and "I'm in the Mood" won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Performance.