Elmo James - The Sky Is Crying

Elmo James — The Sky Is Crying

140-gram vinyl, remastered audio

The great bluesman Elmore (Elmo) James was born in Mississippi in 1918. He crossed paths with the legendary Robert Johnson and learned the now legendary songs such as "Dust My Broom" and "Standing At The Crossroads," both of which are featured here.

He became known as the "King Of the Slide Guitar" playing his modified — electrified — acoustic model which he fashioned in his brothers workshop. He began recording soon after, scoring a top-tn R&B hit with "Dust My Broom" on Trumpet. His final recordings were cut for Bobby Robinson's Fire and Enjoy labels in the late '50s and early '60s. Robinson later recalled, "I drove by a club on the South side (of Chicago) and saw a sign that read 'Elmore James Here Tonight.' I went inside and stayed all night listening to him. I introduced myself, we went out for a bite to eat and I talked about recording.

"The next morning Elmore called his band together for a rehearsal. I remember that it was raining all day long, and I said to Elmore, 'Man, it's just pouring down rain.' And Elmore says, 'Yeah, it looks like the sky is crying.' I said 'That's a great idea.' We started writing 'The Sky Is Crying' and cut it there in Chicago with Elmore's band the Broomdusters) that very day." It would be Elmo's last chart hit, No. 15 R&B, before his death in 1963.

1. The Sky Is Crying

2. Dust My Broom

3. I Held My Baby

4. Fine Little Mama

5. Bobbie's Rock

6. I Can't Stop Lovin' You

7. I Done Somebody Wrong

8. Rollin' and Tumblin'

9. One Way Out

10. My Bleeding Heart

11. I'm Worried

12. Standing at the Crossroads

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