This was
Jimmy Rogers' last "proper" Chicago blues album, and it deservedly won a
W.C. Handy Award in 1995. There are no moonlighting rock stars here; they would come out in droves for
Rogers' subsequent album Blues Blues Blues. And with the exception of the last track -- which is basically pianist
Johnnie Johnson showing off for eight minutes --
Rogers sits squarely in the spotlight for the duration of
Blue Bird. As expected,
Rogers revisits a fair amount of his earlier repertoire ("Walking By Myself," "I Lost a Good Woman"), but he also digs up several original tunes that he had never gotten around to recording until now. Throw in a few Chicago standards ("Big Boss Man," "Rock Me," "Smokestack Lightning"), and you have a solid, laid-back, and tremendously satisfying album by one of the underrated masters. The backing band is a mix of Chicago blues brethren (
Carey Bell on harp, Dave Myers on bass, Ted Harvey on drums) and family (
Rogers' son
Jimmy D. Lane on lead guitar), plus
Johnson, who is perhaps a rock star by association since he played with
Chuck Berry for 18 years. This one's a must-have. ~ Ken Chang