These Mean Old Blues is an album by the American musician George "Wild Child" Butler, released in 1992. He supported it with a North American tour with his backing band, the Blues Persuaders.
Production Produced by Mike Vernon, the album was recorded in England in 1991. Butler had not recorded in around 15 years. He wrote the majority of the album's songs. Butler continued to perform with his harmonica upside down, as it was how he learned to play. "It's a Pity" addresses the Gulf War. "Walkin' the Little Girl Home" was performed as a solo piece.
Critical reception
Billboard praised the "fine rough 'n' tumble form." The Chicago Tribune said that Butler's "wailing harp and growling vocals are the real thing on the shuffling title track and the downbeat 'Crack House Woman'".
The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD stated that Butler "sings and plays harp with the pleasing kind of authority and scampish wit that suggests a natural raconteur." The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide noted that his "raspy Howlin' Wolf-style vocal on 'Crack House Woman' is the real sound of the blues."
Track listing
References