Willie Dixon – Catalyst

What can I possibly say about Willie Dixon, one of the greatest blues writers and performers of all time? Other artists made such great performances of his songs that a 1990 Chess box set devoted to Willie Dixon only features his voice on six of the 36 tracks – but Dixon himself was a dynamic singer and performer. And the Chess legacy simply doesn’t exist without him. This reissue of his 1973 “Catalyst” album sounds fantastic, and Dixon’s in good form here.

This was a pickup on Record Store Day in April 2023, at Forever Changes here in Phoenixville, which quietly feeds my blues addiction.