Harmonica Williams & Little Freddie King. Extremely scarce blues album, 1971.

	£		30
	$		40

Harmonica Williams with Little Freddie King:

Saydisc Records; AMS 2003, 1971.

UK issue of exceptionally scarce US release on Ahura Mazda.

I guess if you have come to this listing because you are searching for this album by name, you will know just how hard to find it is. Discogs currently lists only two copies, both of the US issue. One has an asking price of 399 Euros, the other of $500 – that’s £336.00 and £379.00, respectively! There are no copies on Discogs, of this UK release of the album, issued in 1971, the same year that it was released in the USA. The album was released on the very obscure, New Orleans-based, Ahura Mazda label in the USA. This British version was one of the earliest records released on Saydisc, the respected traditional and world music specialists, who are still in business today. It uses the same artwork as the American release.

Before you get too excited about this extremely rare blues album, I should say that this copy is not at all in the best of condition. I’ve owned it myself since the early 1980s but I was given it by a friend who was notorious for not looking after his records properly. It plays all the way through on both sides without sticking or jumping but it has many surface marks. There is light crackling audible for most of the time that it plays and there are two or three places where there are more intrusive pops or click for a few revolutions. The last track on the first side is perhaps the most affected by background crackling. There are lots of images of the sleeve above, so you should be able to make an accurate judgement about that. It’s a bit rubbed and bumped but has no serious damage. You can see that my friend marked a couple of tracks in the track listing on the back.

Incidentally, I think my friend probably bought this record new in 1971 – he was a big blues fan – but he must have had place a special order at his local record shop I think - or maybe it was retailed directly by Saydisc on mail order. It must have sold vanishingly few copies at the time. I’ve no idea how he heard about its British release.

The music is great though. The album has a very raw, intense, immediate sound and it claims to be “the first recent recording of amplified blues by New Orleans bluesmen”. I think it may be the only recording made by Harmonica Williams. There is precious little information to be had about him but looking online, I see that he was actually from Mississippi, rather than New Orleans. He lived in New Orleans for a long time though and his band gigged regularly in bars and clubs there over a long period. He died, aged 90, back in his home state, in 2011.

Little Freddie King, the featured guitarist (there are two guitar-led instrumentals on the LP), was also originally from Mississippi. He is much better documented. He was born in 1940 (real name Fread Martin) and according to Wikipedia, is cousin to Lightnin’ Hopkins. In the late 1990s, he began recording as a solo artist and since then, has released a number of country blues albums. He is still gigging at the age of 79 and has his own website, which is easy enough to find if you Google (no links allowed on eBay).

So, this is a very hard-to-find album but this is not a particularly good example in terms of its condition (but then again, you may never see another at an affordable price!). Please make sure you bear the condition problems in mind when bidding. That way you won’t be disappointed. I am starting the bidding at a very reasonable price.

UK Postage and packing:  £4.00

International postage and packing:  Postage charges to international destinations are given below.

All postage prices quoted (UK and international) are maximum charges.  If postage and packing costs less than these estimates, I will refund the difference after posting (subject to the difference being £1.00 or more. Unless otherwise indicated, the postage prices I give in the listing are for a tracked and signed-for service, as required by eBay. If however, winning buyers would prefer cheaper options, I am always happy to help with that if I can. Please contact me for a quote.

I hope this description has given you enough to go on but should you require any further information, or more images, please do e-mail.  Please also look carefully at the hi-res photos – they are part of the description.  Thanks for your interest in this auction and good luck if you decide to bid.

Please note:  I will not respond to requests to close the auction early regardless of the value of the offer made.  Ending early is contrary to both the principle and spirit of an auction. It is also unfair to other eBayers who may be watching the auction intending to bid at a later time.

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