Bob Corritore & Friends

Don’t Let The Devil Ride

Vizztine Label Group/Southwest Musical Arts Foundation

Bob Corritore was born in Chicago and got hooked on blues harmonica when he was twelve years old. He studied and received playing tips from Carey Bell, Big Walter Horton, Junior Wells and others. At the age of twenty-five Corritore moved to Pheonix, Arizona. Ten years later he opened his own club there called The Rhythm Room. With his house band, The Rhythm Room All-Stars, he backed musicians when they came to town. Corritore has been nominated for five Blues Music Awards. This is Corritore’s twelfth album although he appears on over seventy others.

This album is a collection of songs recorded at sessions held between 2014 and 2017. These previously unreleased tracks feature harpist Corritore with numerous vocalists, guitarists, and rhythm sections.

The opening track “Went Home This Morning” is written and sung by Willie Buck who has two albums of his own on the Delmark label. Corritore gets that high reedy sound on his harp and is joined by Big Jon Atkinson, guitar; Troy Sandow, bass; and Brian Fahey, drums.

“Tell Me Mama” from Little Walter is sung by Oscar Wilson the front man for The Cash Box Kings. Wilson sings again on a Corritore original “Fork in The Road”. Henry Gray is featured on piano on both of these.

Two songs are written and sung by “Sugarray” Rayford. “The Glide” features Corritore; guitarists Jimi “Primetime” Smith and Johnny Rapp; Fred Kaplan, piano; and the rhythm section of Sandow and drummer Marty Dodson. On “Steal Your Joy” the band includes Corritore; guitarists Chris James and Mojo Mark; Patrick Rynn, bass; and Fahey, drums.

“Laundromat Blues”, first recorded in 1984 by Albert King, is sung by Alabama Mike. Corritore plays on a Chromatic harp with Atkinson, Sandow, Dodson, and Bob Welch, piano. Mike sings again on the title track “Don’t Let The Devil Ride” and on “Blues Why You Worry Me?” with guitarist Danny Michel joining in. “Lovey, Dovey, Lovey One” features Bob Welch with some absolutely fabulous guitar as Mike shouts words of encouragement.

“Willie Mae” is written and sung by guitarist Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry. He and Corritore are joined by Malachi Johnson on drums. That’s Perry howlin’ in the background. On “I Was A Fool” written and sung by George Bowman; the band is Corritore, Atkinson, Michel, Sandow and Fahey.

The closer “Thundering and Raining” is from Chicago vocalist James Y. Jones a.k.a. Taildragger; Corritore and Fahey are joined by guitarists Rockin’ Johnny and Illinois Slim; Henry Gray, piano; and Bob Stroger, bass.

Not only is Corritore a great harmonica player, producer, bandleader and arranger but he is also a 2011 Blues Music Award winner for Historical Album of The Year. Corritore is relentless as he continually chooses “the rough and rocky path” to give us yet another great Traditional Blues recording.

Richard Ludmerer

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