Bob Corritore & Friends — “Ernestine Blues” — VizzTone Records
Bob Corritore is a master of two crucial musical skills — he’s a virtuoso on the blues harmonica, and a masterful producer of vital, old-school blues albums.
Corritore is based in his Phoenix, Ariz., Rhythm Room, where he’s gathered great artists for his years-long succession of extraordinary albums whose music digs deep into rich blues history.
Those seasoned vocalists and musicians make up the “Friends” who crank out the blues here for this magnificent set of classic blues stylings.
The result is “Ernestine Blues,” recorded between 2023 and 2025 with an impressive list of guest artists, including Sugaray Rayford, Bob Stroger, Tia Carroll, Oscar Wilson, Willie Buck, Teeny Tucker, Pat Thomas, and Johnny Rawls, backed by veteran musicians such as Kid Ramos, Bob Margolin, Billy Flynn, Anthony Geraci, Ben Levin, Doug James — and more. (Full list of artists by track at end of post.)
Corritore says the sixteen tracks for this album were carefully chosen: “Of all my releases, this is the most storytelling album I’ve ever done. Each song tells its own story, and as you bind them together you get a beautiful book that takes you on many adventures.” Those story-driven songs move effortlessly between classic Chicago blues, early R&B, Mississippi country blues, and soul-blues traditions. Corritore’s sensitive harp work is the thread that connects this elegant tapestry of voices and styles,
Corritore opens with the straight-ahead, tuff-enuff shuffle, “How’d You Learn To Shake It Like That,” a 1985 song by Snooky Pryor, with former B.B. King drummer Tony Coleman’s rugged vocals and rock-steady drums, Jimi ‘Primetime’ Smith on guitar, Bob Stroger on bass, and Anthony Geraci on piano. This stellar lineup, with Corritore’s soaring harp, signals good blues ahead as Coleman growls: “Your daddy was a preacher, your mama was an alley cat.”
The R&B-drenched romp “Tell Me Darling,” written by Betty Everett and Lucious Porter Weaver in 1959, features Carla Denise on vocals and adds Wes Starr on drums, and Doug James on saxophone. “Big Fat Mama,” a blues that dates back to the 1920s and ’30s, features Pat Thomas on guitar and deep blue vocals. “Trouble No More” highlights Chicago’s Willie Buck on the 1955 Muddy Waters chestnut, featuring Waters’ former bandmate, Bob Margolin.
The soul-blues legend Johnny Rawls brings his church-hewn pipes to bear on his original “I Love the South,” a Mississippi anthem cradled by a gospel chorus. “Going Fishing” is a Jimmy Reed song, revived by Jimi “Primetime” Smith, who first learned to play guitar from Reed.
Denise returns for a soulful vocal performance on “Troubles On Your Mind,” backed by a haunting piano turn by Levin and an ethereal Corritore harp solo. Denise then shifts into a tougher gear for the hard-rocking, sax-fueled “Wild As You Can Be,” originally recorded by Mary Ann Fisher, one of the Ray Charles’s Raelettes. “Pretty Girls Everywhere” is a timeless 1959 rock ‘n’ roll classic sparked here by the equally ageless Stroger. Buck displays his Muddy Waters roots again with his churning original, “Standing on the Bank.”
A swinging harp introduces soul-blues vocalist Charles Wilson on the uptown shuffle, “Sorry I Had to Leave You Behind.” Cash Box Kings vocalist Oscar Wilson offers a delicate version of the Joe Tex song, “She Might Need Me,” with elegant Corritore harp backing. Then on the next track, Wilson goes down home on “Down In Mississippi,” over a sumptuous Jimmy Reed groove.
The energetic closing track, “Shoes,” is sung by Teeny Tucker, the daughter of Tommy Tucker, who created “Hi Heel Sneakers.” Her vocal is laced with the enthusiasm that drives this entire session.
As Corritore noted, “Each song tells its own story, and as you bind them together you get a beautiful book that takes you on many adventures.” Those adventures make for the glorious blues and soul music that fills the tracks of “Ernestine Blues.” Fill your mind — and your soul — with this grand old music.
The “Ernestine Blues” cover art deserves a shout. It’s another gem from illustrator Vince Ray, whose vividly drawn work on a series of eight Corritore album covers gives visual life to the music in their tracks. It’s a welcome throwback to the golden era of LP covers that often turned into wall art.
Here’s “I Love the South” from the album:
Tracklist & credits:
1. How’d Ya Learn to Shake It Like That — 4:24 Tony Coleman sings and plays drums, with Jimi “Primetime” Smith on guitar, Bob Stroger on bass, and Anthony Geraci on piano.
2. Tell Me Darling — 2:08 Carla Denise sings, joined by Jimi “Primetime” Smith on guitar, Bob Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on piano, Wes Starr on drums, and Doug James on saxophone.
3. Big Fat Mama — 2:44 Pat Thomas handles both vocals and guitar.
4. Blind Man Cry — 5:01 Sugaray Rayford sings, with Jimi “Primetime” Smith and Johnny Rapp on guitars, Russ Harwood on organ, Yahni Riley on bass, and Brian Fahey on drums.
5. Ernestine — 2:34 Tia Carroll sings, backed by Jimi “Primetime” Smith and Bob Margolin on guitars, Bob Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on piano, Wes Starr on drums, Doug James on saxophone, and backing vocalists Eboni McDonald, Diamond Porter, and Yolanda Tharrington.
6. Trouble No More — 2:22 Willie Buck sings, with Jimi “Primetime” Smith and Bob Margolin on guitars, Bob Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on piano, and Wes Starr on drums.
7. I Love the South — 4:40 Johnny Rawls sings and plays guitar, joined by Jimi “Primetime” Smith on guitar, Terry “D” Harris on organ, Yahni Riley on bass, Brian Fahey on drums, and backing vocalists Eboni McDonald, Yolanda Tharrington, and Clarke Rigsby.
8. Going Fishing — 3:12 Jimi “Primetime” Smith sings and plays guitar, with Bob Margolin on guitar, Bob Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on piano, and Wes Starr on drums.
9. Troubles On Your Mind — 3:43 Carla Denise sings, accompanied by pianist Ben Levin.
10. Wild As You Can Be — 3:38 Carla Denise sings again, with Jimi “Primetime” Smith and Bob Margolin on guitars, Bob Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on piano, Wes Starr on drums, and Doug James on saxophone.
11. Pretty Girls Everywhere — 3:16 Bob Stroger sings, with Jimi “Primetime” Smith and Bob Margolin on guitars, Anthony Geraci on piano, and Wes Starr on drums.
12. Standing On the Bank — 3:36 Willie Buck sings, backed by Jimi “Primetime” Smith and Bob Margolin on guitars, Bob Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on piano, and Wes Starr on drums.
13. Sorry I Had to Leave You Behind — 2:58 Charles Wilson sings, with Kid Ramos and Johnny Main on guitars, Mike Turturro on bass, and Brian Fahey on drums.
14. She Might Need Me — 3:59 Oscar Wilson sings, with Nick Moss on guitar, Ross Harwood on organ, Rodrigo Mantovani on bass, and Pierce Downer on drums.
15. Down in Mississippi — 3:59 Oscar Wilson sings, with Jimi “Primetime” Smith and Bob Margolin on guitars, Bob Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on piano, and Wes Starr on drums.
16. Shoes — 2:43 Teeny Tucker sings, with Jimi “Primetime” Smith and Billy Flynn on guitars, Bob Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on piano, and Wes Starr on drums.