EDDIE KIRLAND  IT’S THE BLUES MAN
Recorded: 1961/1962
Released: 1993
Label: True-Sound / OBC
Format: Mp3 @ 320
Time: 33:25


Wildman guitarist/harpist Eddie Kirkland brought his notoriously rough-hewn attack to this vicious 1962 album for Tru-Sound, joined by a very accomplished combo led by saxman extarordinaire King Curtis and including guitarist Bill Doggett. As the crew honed in on common stylistic ground, the energy levels soared sky-high, Kirkland roaring through "Man of Stone," "Train Done Gone," and "I Tried" with ferocious fervor. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide

Born in Jamaica and brought to Alabama aged two, Kirkland made his way north, initially with a medicine show, and reached Detroit at 15. He cut singles for King and various local labels, and became the best accompanist John Lee Hooker ever had. In the '60s, Kirkland returned to the South and shifted towards soul for a time, joining Otis Redding's band and having a regional hit with 'The Hawg'. Since the '70s he played blues and soul-blues for white audience.
Prestige were bemused by 'It's The Blues Man!'; the original notes desperately suggest that it's 'perfect for Twisting'. Well, yes, if you can twist to a synthesis of industrial-strength electric guitar contortions, the vocal passion of the Pentecostal churches ('Man Of Stone' has more fire than anything Ray Charles ever did in this line) and the rhythmic force of James Brown. King Curtis and his musicians are sometimes taken a back by Kirkland's dark rawness, but they're equal to the challenge of creating a Hasting Street Saturday night in the studio. This is first solo album by Kirkland and all time, one of the his very best.


Tracklist
1. Down On My Knees - 2:25 
2. Don't Take My Heart - 2:28 
3. Daddy Please Don't Cry - 3:15 
4. Have Mercy On Me - 3:06 
5. Saturday Night Stomp - 2:29 
6. I'm Gonna Forget You - 3:30 
7. I Tried - 3:03 
8. Man Of Stone - 2:00 
9. I'm Goin' To Keep Loving You - 2:28 
10. Train Done Gone - 2:33 
11. Something's Gone Wrong In My Life - 2:55 
12. Baby You Know It's True - 2:58
Personnel: 
Eddie Kirkland - Guitar, Vocals
King Curtis, Olivier Nelson - Tenor Saxophones
Herman Foster, George Stubbs - Piano
Billy Butler - Guitar
Jimmy Lewis - Bass
Ray Lucas, Frank Shea - Drums