National Steel (album)
Encyclopedia
National Steel is a blues
album by Canadian
musician Colin James
, released in 1997 (see 1997 in music
). The album was recorded at Rat's Ass Studios and Mushroom Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia and mastered at MasterDisk in New York City.
James teams up with his longtime friend Colin Linden
to record a predominantly acoustic album running the gamut from delta blues
, to jug band
and Chicago blues
. The album covers songs written by some of the greatest bluesmen including Otis Redding
, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters
, and Willie Dixon
. The CD liner notes offer a brief commentary by James on many of the tracks.
The album is named after the resonator
guitar made by the National
guitar company, also pictured on the album's cover.
National Steel earned James the 1998 Juno Award
for "Best Blues Album".
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
album by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
musician Colin James
Colin James
Colin James is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, who plays in the blues, rock, and neo-swing genres. He grew up as a Quaker.-Early years:...
, released in 1997 (see 1997 in music
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
). The album was recorded at Rat's Ass Studios and Mushroom Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia and mastered at MasterDisk in New York City.
James teams up with his longtime friend Colin Linden
Colin Linden
Colin Linden is a Canadian musician, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with a wide variety of artists including Bruce Cockburn, Lucinda Williams, T-Bone Burnett, Colin James, Leon Redbone, Rita Chiarelli, Chris Thomas King and The Band.Linden is primarily a electric blues guitarist,...
to record a predominantly acoustic album running the gamut from delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
, to jug band
Jug band
A Jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments. These home-made instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making of sound, like the washtub bass, washboard, spoons, stovepipe and comb & tissue paper...
and Chicago blues
Chicago blues
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,...
. The album covers songs written by some of the greatest bluesmen including Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
, and Willie Dixon
Willie Dixon
William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
. The CD liner notes offer a brief commentary by James on many of the tracks.
The album is named after the resonator
Resonator guitar
A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more spun metal cones instead of the wooden sound board . Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion...
guitar made by the National
National String Instrument Corporation
The National String Instrument Corporation was a guitar company that formed to manufacture the first resonator guitars.-National resonator guitar designs:...
guitar company, also pictured on the album's cover.
National Steel earned James the 1998 Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for "Best Blues Album".
Track listing
- "Shout Baby Shout" (Rachell) – 3:15
- "Rollin' Stone" (Waters) – 3:21
- "National Steel" (James/Burgess/Ward) – 4:52
- "These Arms of Mine" (Redding) – 4:44
- "Going Up to the Country" (MahalTaj Mahal (musician)Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
) – 4:11 - "Fixin' to Die" (Bukka White) – 4:28
- "Somebody Have Mercy" (CookeSam CookeSamuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
) – 3:32 - "Postman's Sack" (Bradshaw) – 1:40
- "Please Baby" (Chatmon) – 3:41
- "Ride & Roll" (McGheeBrownie McGheeWalter Brown McGhee was a Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.-Life and career:...
) – 2:39 - "I Live the Life I Love" (Dixon) – 3:39
- "My Mind Is On Vacation" (AllisonMose AllisonMose John Allison, Jr. is an American jazz blues pianist and singer.-Biography:...
) – 3:34 - "Before the Dawn" (Linden) – 4:24
- "Kind-Hearted WomanKind Hearted Woman Blues"Kind Hearted Woman Blues" is a blues song recorded on November 23, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas by legendary bluesman Robert Johnson. The song was originally released on 78 rpm format as Vocalion 03416 and ARC 7-03-56. Johnson performed the song in the key of A, and recorded two takes, the first...
" (Johnson) – 2:41
Personnel
- Colin James - vocals, guitars
- Colin LindenColin LindenColin Linden is a Canadian musician, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with a wide variety of artists including Bruce Cockburn, Lucinda Williams, T-Bone Burnett, Colin James, Leon Redbone, Rita Chiarelli, Chris Thomas King and The Band.Linden is primarily a electric blues guitarist,...
- acoustic and slide guitars, mandolin, background vocals - Norm FisherNorm FisherNorm Fisher is a Canadian bass guitar player. He is most famous as a member of Canadian rocker Bryan Adams' backing band. He has also performed with other musicians such as Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, Powder Blues Band, Long John Baldry, Paul Dean and Colin James.- Background :Fisher was...
- bass - Chris Norquist - drums and percussion