It was 1972 in the basement of Biggin Hall at Auburn University when I first got really hooked on the Blues. I was working on a design project in the late night hours and listening to WEGL, the campus radio station. A tune came on that really hooked me. I stopped what I was doing and listened. I called the station to find out who the artist was. It was Albert King playing the title song of his new album, "I'll Play The Blues For You". I bought the album the next day.

I had been listening to Blues influenced rock for some time. Cream, Hendrix, Zeppelin, the Stones, and more. But this was something new. The Blues, in it's many flavors, remains one of my favorite music genres today.

I discovered something else new this week and that brings me to this review of "10 Days Out - Blues From The Backroads". I guess this is the ultimate road trip. Wish I could have tagged along.

It started out in 2004 when Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Double Trouble, and a film crew hit the road to find and record Southern Blues artists in their environment. Along the way they film such artists as Jerry "Boggie" McCain, Cottie Stark, Neal "Big Daddy"Pattman, Buddy Flett, B.B. King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Bryan Lee, John Dee Holeman, Etta Baker, Henry Townsend, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Hubert Sumlin, Henry Gray, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, George "Wild Child" Butler, Willie "Big Eyes Smith, "Cool John" Ferguson, "Steady Rollin'" Bob Margolin, Lazy Lester, and "Pinetop" Perkins to name a few. They are recorded on front porches, in backyards, in the kitchen, even at the cemetery. Wow, that’s a lot of names. I’ve seen a few perform live. I’ve heard of a few more, but most are new to me.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd sits in but never steals the show. He lets these artists do their thing. The whole experience wraps up with a concert at a church in Salina, Kansas with legendary members of the Muddy Waters Band and the Howlin' Wolf Band.

There is a CD and DVD (1 hr, 46 min) in the package. They are both excellent and both necessary. I recommend watching the DVD first. It is in documentary form. There is lots of music, but many of the songs are not played in their entirety so the CD gives you the complete performance while the DVD puts images of the performances into your head.

If you're into the Blues, you will love this. If not, give it a try anyway. This is good stuff. I believe that six of these artists have passed away since this was recorded.

The tunes: (CD and DVD are different)
1) Prison Blues
2) Potato Patch
3) Honky Tonk
4) The Thrill Is Gone
5) Tina Marie
6) Born In Louisiana
7) Chapel Hill Boogie
8) Tears Come Rollin' Down
9) Knoxville Rag
10) Big Daddy Boogie
11) U-Haul
12) Red Rooster
13) Sittin' On Top Of The World
14) Spoonful
15) Grindin' Man

DVD Only - Got My Mojo Working