Product Description
WILLIE BUCK & BOB CORRITORE - OH YEAH!
RELEASE DATE JUNE 20, 2025. ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!
Willie Buck and Bob Corritore are true ambassadors of the classic Chicago blues sound. Their musical relationship began in the late 1970s when Willie invited Bob to join his band. And even though Bob moved to Phoenix, Arizona in the 1980s they’ve remained close friends and have reunited to perform together each year. The album OH YEAH! on the VizzTone Label Group exemplifies their shared mission statement of delivering old school Chicago blues as it’s meant to be played! Together with the All-Star backing bands on this album Willie and Bob are set up to deliver the goods. One of the unique aspects of this album is the guest appearance of Muddy Waters band alumnus Bob Margolin, whose brilliant guitar work is featured on about 2/3 of the album. This connects all participants to that elusive Muddy Waters sound rarely achieved in today’s blues. If tough, pure Chicago blues is your pleasure, the this album is sure to bring great joy!
TRACKS:
1. Oh Yeah 2. She's Alright 3. That Ain't Enough 4. Brand New Cell Phone 5. Money Can't Buy Everything 6. Went Home This Morning 7. She Turned Me Down 8. Baby Please Don't Go 9. Me And My Baby 10. Let Me Find Out Your Name
WILLIE BUCK & BOB CORITORE
Oh Yeah!
VizzTone
After hearing Oh Yeah! somebody please call Geraldo Rivera and tell him that real treasures are contained in Bob Corritore’s musical vaults, not Al Capone’s. Corritore did three sessions to create Oh Yeah! with William Crawford, aka Willie Buck, when Buck was 73 and between ages 84-86. However, Buck’s vocals are timeless and sound just as sprightly as when these songs were originally written.
Originally from Mississippi, Buck worked on his singing by performing locally and moved to Chicago in the ‘50s to perform there in the Windy City’s burgeoning blues scene. He also did some tours in Europe and his hard work paid off as he was included in the Blues Hall of Fame in 2004.
The backing band is a flawless accompaniment to Buck’s vocals. Corritore’s harp playing is skillful as he hits all the right notes in the right places on each tune. Guitarists include Bob Margolin and Jimi “Prime Time” Smith on most tracks with Billy Flynn on three with Bob Stroger and Wes Starr offering the backbeat of bass and drums as Ben Levin caresses the piano keys. Anthony Geraci also is on piano on three tracks. The cut, “Went Home This Morning,” has Mojo Mark Cihlar and Jon Atkinson playing guitar, Troy Shadow on bass, and Brian Fahey on drums. Although Corritore’s Hohner harps are customized by Joe Filisko, the sounds that he produces are created by his mastery of this humble blues instrument and are the highlight of these recordings.
Buck wrote six of the ten tunes while he sings two by Muddy Waters, “She’s Alright” and “Baby Please Don’t Go.” Opening the disc with Bo Diddley’s “Oh, Yeah,” Buck, Corritore, and the band set the atmosphere for an authentic blues concert that could have come from Maxwell Street in the ‘60s. Stand out track is Buck’s six-minute rendition of his tune “That Ain’t Enough” with Margolin’s slide and guitar driving the song as if he were back in Muddy’s band. Levin’s piano work grows on you with each succeeding tune, not that it is in the forefront, but it is both tuneful and supportive of each song.
Buck’s “Let Me Find Out Your Name” ends Oh Yeah! with just shy of eight minutes of slow sexy blues with Flynn and Smith showing off their guitar/slide skills to provide the lead ins and fills that make this one of the most powerful tracks of the ten.
If you relish the realm of great Chicago blues from days gone by, Oh Yeah! belongs in your CD library. Also, let’s hope that Corritore will release more of his blues treasures from his vaults for us all to enjoy.
– Pete Sardon