Back to the Basics
07/26/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"John Campbell lived a short life. And the shame of it is that his recorded musical legacy is short as well. A MAN AND HIS BLUES was recorded before John fell off into the hoodoo. It contains the type of music that made John a Blues legend in East Texas and Louisiana. The music is basic Texas Blues, not the dark and forbidding over produced stuff of the New york years. This is John as he was at Yakofritz or the Crossroads in Nacogdoches on those special Saturday nights. A MAN AND HIS BLUES is a better rememberance of John and his Blues. The one regrettable thing about this CD is that John did not play any slide on it. He was a tremendous slide player. It was always a real treat when John pulled out his old National, put on his slide and dropped into some serious low-down-ness."
A True Bluesman Missed
Holak | Houston, Tx | 08/02/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For the many people who got the privalege to see John play "live", I'm sure was a real treat. This album, (as I have heard) was like hearing John play live. A Man and His Blues represent the way John was before going to New York. This is a highly recomended album and I suggest to anyone who likes traditional blues, this is one to get."
A RONNIE EARL PRODUCTION!
deepbluereview | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA | 07/10/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"ORIGINALLY RECORDED IN 1988, THIS CD WAS PRODUCED BY RONNIE EARL WHO JOINS CAMPBELL ON "SITTIN' HERE THINKIN'" AND "SUNNYLAND TRAIN" AND AGAIN WITH THE BROADCASTERS AT THAT TIME (PORTNOY, HANSON AND NULISCH) ON "JUDGMENT DAY" AND "TEXAS COUNTRY BOY". THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS CD CONTAINED AN ADDITIONAL SONG "DOWN IN THE BOTTOM" WHICH, FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, HAS BEEN DROPPED ON THIS 1994 RELEASE. NEVERTHELESS, JOHN CAMPBELL'S HOPKIN STYLE GUITAR PLAYING AND VOCALS ARE IN TOP FORM. LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS "BLUEBIRD" SOUNDS AS FRESH ON THIS CD AS THE DAY IT WAS ORIGINALLY RECORDED. IF YOU LIKE ACOUSTIC TEXAS BLUES ALA LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS, YOU WILL ENJOY THIS FINE CD."