Rising Sons was a Los Angeles, California-based band founded in 1964. No one knew quite what to make of this L.A. band in the mid-'60s, who unbelievably included Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, Kevin Kelley (later in the Byrds), and even Ed Cassidy (Sprirt) in the same lineup. The group was signed to Columbia Records but their album was not issued at the time. One single, "Candy Man"/"The Devil's Got My Woman", did surface, but the group disbanded in 1966. Their recorded material was eventually released under the title Rising Sons Featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder in 1992.
Taj Mahal became a prominent blues/folk performer and Cooder made his name playing sessions and later recorded successfully under his own name. Cassidy founded the band Spirit and Kelley became a member of his cousin Chris Hillman's band the Byrds in 1968, and played on their seminal Sweetheart of the Rodeo album. Rising Sons' bluesy/folksy sound anticipated future recordings by groups like Moby Grape, Buffalo Springfield, the Grateful Dead, and The Byrds. The session became widely bootlegged and nearly three decades later was finally given an official release by Columbia Records.
Their lone single and unreleased album form the core of this 22-track reissue, which features imaginative rearrangements of standards like "Corrine, Corrina," an obscure Dylan cover ("Walkin' Down the Line"), rocking originals, a confident performance of Goffin/King's "Take a Giant Step" (later Mahal's signature tune), and some sweet guitar interplay between Mahal and Cooder throughout. This archival release has value above and beyond historical interest.
(info source: excerpts from AllMusic and wikipedia)
Personnel:
* Taj Mahal- vocals, harmonica, guitar, piano
* Ry Cooder- vocals, six and 12-string guitar, mandolin, slide guitar, dobro)
* Kevin Kelley- vocals, guitar, drums
* Gary Marker- bass
* Jesse Lee Kincaid- vocals, guitar
* Ed Cassidy- drums
Tracklist:
01. Statesboro Blues - Blind Willie McTell (2:23)
02. If the River Was Whiskey (Divin' Duck Blues) - Sleepy John Estes (2:41)
03. By and By (Poor Me) - Charlie Patton (3:31)
04. Candy Man - Reverend Gary Davis (2:04)
05. 2:10 Train - Albertano (4:09)
06. Let the Good Times Roll - Goodman, Johnson, King, Lee, Martin… (2:43)
07. 44 Blues - Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon (3:22)
08. 11th Street Overcrossing - Kincaid (2:12)
09. Corrine, Corrina - Chatmon, Dylan, Parish, Traditional…(2:55)
10. Tulsa County - Polland (2:42)
11. Walkin' Down the Line - Bob Dylan (2:13)
12. Girl with Green Eyes - Kincaid (2:14)
13. Sunny's Dream - Kincaid (3:01)
14. Spanish Lace Blues - Kincaid (2:12)
15. The Devil's Got My Woman - Skip James (3:05)
16. Take a Giant Step - Gerry Goffin and Carole King (2:54)
17. Flyin' So High - Kincaid (3:05)
18. Dust My Broom - Robert Johnson, Elmore James (3:03)
19. Last Fair Deal Gone Down - Robert Johnson (2:38)
20. Baby, What You Want Me to Do - Jimmy Reed (2:54)
21. Statesboro Blues [take 2] - Blind Willie McTell (2:24)
22. I Got a Little - Kincaid (2:07)
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