
Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Language available : english
While some hardliners will point to his early 1950s Trumpet recordings as his most undiluted work, Sonny Boy's tenure at Chess Records was his longest and most successful and therefore deserves first look for the novice coming to this remarkable bluesman at ground level. This 20-track collection takes 17 tracks from the excellent two-disc Essential Sonny Boy Williamson collection and adds "Sad To Be Alone," "My Younger Days" and an alternate session-second version of "One Way Out" with Buddy Guy on guitar (yes, this is the version that the Allman Brothers used as the blueprint for their cover version) to the final mix. This is another entry into MCA's Chess 50th Anniversary Series and the digital transfers here are exemplary, making this an automatic audio upgrade for those who already have this material in their collection. Because his output for the label was of such a uniformly high quality, virtually everything Williamson put down on tape at the Chess studios could make a final cut on any best of package you'd want to put together on the man. So bemoaning the absence of any track here would be minor critical carping, especially in light of no less than five other Sonny Boy Chess packages still being in print at press time. But if you're only going to own one of them and your wallet tends to shy away from two-disc anthologies, this makes an excellent first purchase.
© Cub Koda /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 70 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this album and more than 70 million songs with your unlimited streaming plans.

Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1955 Geffen Records
WILLIE DIXON, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Sonny Boy Williamson, Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Muddy Waters, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Rogers, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Otis Spann, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Fred Below, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1955 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1955 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Leonard Chess, Producer - Phil Chess, Producer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1956 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sonny Boy Williamson, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1957 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1957 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1957 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1957 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1957 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Leonard Chess, Producer - Phil Chess, Producer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1958 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1958 UMG Recordings, Inc.
WILLIE DIXON, Producer - Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Leonard Chess, Producer - Marshall Chess, Producer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1960 UMG Recordings, Inc.
WILLIE DIXON, Producer - Sonny Boy Williamson, Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Otis Spann, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Robert Lockwood, Jr., Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Luther Tucker, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Fred Below, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1960 UMG Recordings, Inc.
WILLIE DIXON, Producer - Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Leonard Chess, Producer - Marshall Chess, Producer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1960 UMG Recordings, Inc.
WILLIE DIXON, Producer - Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Leonard Chess, Producer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1961 UMG Recordings, Inc.
WILLIE DIXON, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Leonard Chess, Producer - Marshall Chess, Producer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1963 UMG Recordings, Inc.
WILLIE DIXON, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - RALPH BASS, ComposerLyricist - Leonard Chess, Producer - Marshall Chess, Producer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1963 UMG Recordings, Inc.
WILLIE DIXON, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist - Leonard Chess, Producer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1963 UMG Recordings, Inc.
WILLIE DIXON, Producer - Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Leonard Chess, Producer - Marshall Chess, Producer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1963 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Marshall Sehorn, ComposerLyricist - ELMORE JAMES, ComposerLyricist - WILLIE DIXON, Producer - Sonny Boy Williamson, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Leonard Chess, Producer - Marshall Chess, Producer
A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1961 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album Description
While some hardliners will point to his early 1950s Trumpet recordings as his most undiluted work, Sonny Boy's tenure at Chess Records was his longest and most successful and therefore deserves first look for the novice coming to this remarkable bluesman at ground level. This 20-track collection takes 17 tracks from the excellent two-disc Essential Sonny Boy Williamson collection and adds "Sad To Be Alone," "My Younger Days" and an alternate session-second version of "One Way Out" with Buddy Guy on guitar (yes, this is the version that the Allman Brothers used as the blueprint for their cover version) to the final mix. This is another entry into MCA's Chess 50th Anniversary Series and the digital transfers here are exemplary, making this an automatic audio upgrade for those who already have this material in their collection. Because his output for the label was of such a uniformly high quality, virtually everything Williamson put down on tape at the Chess studios could make a final cut on any best of package you'd want to put together on the man. So bemoaning the absence of any track here would be minor critical carping, especially in light of no less than five other Sonny Boy Chess packages still being in print at press time. But if you're only going to own one of them and your wallet tends to shy away from two-disc anthologies, this makes an excellent first purchase.
© Cub Koda /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 20 track(s)
- Total length: 00:55:27
- Main artist: Sonny Boy Williamson
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Geffen*
- Genre: Blues/country/folk Blues
-
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
© 1997 UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 1997 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Improve this page
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.