Willie D Warren Last Blues Volume One

Willie D Warren was one of the old time Detroit bluesmen deserving of recognition that he should have but didn’t receive. Back in the 1950s whilst playing with the Otis Rush band in Chicago, he was credited with inventing the electric bass by tuning down the three low strings on his guitar.

Last Blues – Volume One, originally recorded for UK label, Bluetrack Records and now released by Blues Archive are exactly what they say. Recorded only a few months before his death in 2000 aged 76, these tracks give an insight into the heartfelt blues vocals and subtle guitar playing of a Detroit blues master.

Full credit for these recordings must go to Howard Glazer, the Detroit guitarist who features alongside Willie on these tracks, in getting him into the studio and recording such a large body of important work. This is especially poignant as throughout Willie D Warren’s long career, he remained woefully under-recorded.