Ryland "Ry" Peter Cooder (born 15 March 1947, in Los Angeles, California) is an American guitarist, singer, and composer. He is known for his slide guitar
work, his interest in the American roots music, and, more recently, for
his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.
Cooder was ranked number 8 on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Greatest
Guitarists of All Time."
This
production of classic blues tunes remains one of my favorites today.
The Karate Kid steps up to the plate but his performance is mediocore
yet saleable. A great story, looking for Robert Johnson's lost tracks, a
rendeveouz with the devil, a young love affair and a quest for
redempetion make this film very likeable.
It is, however, the music that
sets it apart. If you are a fan of R. Johnson a lover of the blues then
it's a must see/listen.
Note
that this album does not include the legendary "Head-Cuttin' Duel". I
will publish this track later in the first "Many Fantastic Colors"
Anthology.
Personnel: George Bohannon (baritone horn) Jorge Calderon (bass) Ry Cooder (guitar, vocals) Miguel Cruz (percussion) Jim Dickinson (piano, dolceola) Nathan East (bass) Terry Evans (background vocals) Frank Frost (vocals, harmonica) Richard Holmes (bass) Willie Green (background vocals) Jim Keltner (drums) Bobby King (background vocals) John Logan (harmonica) Amy Madigan (vocals) Van Dyke Parks (piano) Alan Pasqua (synthesizer) John Price (drums) Joe Senaca (vocals) Walter Sereth (saxophone) William Smith (organ) Otis Taylor (guitar) Sonny Terry (harmonica)
Tracklist: 01. Crossroads (Johnson) 4.23 02. Down In Mississippi(Lenoir) 4.26 (additional recording - not featured in the movie picture) 03. Cotton Needs Pickin' (Frost/Holmes/Taylor/Price) 2.58 04. Viola Lee Blues (Lewis) 3.11 05. See You In Hell, Blind Boy (Cooder) 2.12 06. Nitty Gritty Mississippi (Burch/Hill) 2.57 07. He Made A Woman Out Of Me (Burch/Hill) 4.12 08. Feelin' Bad Blues (Cooder) 4.17 09. Somebody's Callin' My Name (Traditional) 1.45 10. Willie Brown Blues (Cooder/Seneca) 3.46 11. Walkin' Away Blues (Terry/Cooder) 3.40
