His Best

Jimmy Rogers, one of Chess Records' less well-known recording artists under his own name though he was a mainstay of Muddy Waters' band in the early '50s, was well-represented by the two-CD set Complete Chess Recordings issued in 1997, the year of his death. But that collection, with its numerous alternate takes, was a little more than the average blues fan needed, so this still-generous one-disc, 22-track distillation is a welcome addition to his catalog. Though Rogers did not formally launch a solo career until 1956, he was making occasional records for Chess as early as 1950, with "That's All Right" inaugurating his work as a leader. Not surprisingly, the band in which he served as guitarist backed him on these efforts, with Waters, Willie Dixon, Little Walter, and Otis Spann, among others, sitting in. The collection follows him up to his sole hit single, "Walking By Myself," and beyond, with the sound evolving from traditional Chicago electric blues in the Waters mold to more of a rock & roll sound by the last track "Rock This House." Rogers may not have the distinctiveness as a vocalist that Waters possesses, but he gets his points across and the music is classic blues of its type. ~ William Ruhlmann|