Sonny & Brownie at Sugar Hill

• Artist: Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1961 12
• Total Time: 41:56
• Genre: Blues

Review

As anyone who knows their work is aware, there is no shortage of live recordings of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (indeed, it sometimes seems as though tapes exist of every show they ever played). Still, the 11 songs here, recorded at the famous San Francisco nightclub, and originally released as Fantasy LP 3340, catch the duo very near -- if not quite at -- their peak on a very good night. Both musicians get chances to sing some of their standards, including "Sweet Woman Blues," "Born to Live the Blues," "Baby, I Knocked on Your Door," and "I Got a Little Girl." It's a fine showcase for their interplay -- which is always a joy to hear -- as McGhee's guitar serves an inventive rhythm function around Terry's lead on the harp, and the two voices alternately mesh with and weave around each other. And the lineup of material is also extremely strong, with first-rate pieces such as "Up, Sometimes Down" and "Hooray, Hooray, This Woman Is Killing Me" all over the song list. The sound has also held up well, with near-perfect fidelity on the music and just-enough-room ambience so that you never lose sight of the fact that this is a concert performance. And while there are some better live shows available, this is thoroughly entertaining and worth the time of any of their fans. ~ Thom Owens & Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Hooray, Hooray, This Woman Is Killing Me	Sonny Terry	Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee	(2:22)
Born to Live the Blues [Live]	Brownie McGhee	Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry	(3:48)
Just About Crazy [Live]	Sonny Terry	Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry	(3:00)
Up, Sometimes Down [Live]	Brownie McGhee	Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry	(4:00)
Baby, I Knocked on Your Door [Live]	Sonny Terry	Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry	(3:56)
Keep on Walking [Live]	Brownie McGhee	Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry	(4:35)
Baby, I Got My Eye on You [Live]	Sonny Terry	Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry	(3:33)
I Got a Little Girl [Live]	Sonny Terry	Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry	(4:13)
I Feel Alright Now [Live]	Brownie McGhee	Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry	(5:06)
Worry, Worry, Worry [Live]	Brownie McGhee	Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry	(4:49)
Sweet Woman Blues [Live]	Sonny Terry	Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry	(4:27)

Credits

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee (Harmonica), Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee (Vocals), Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee (Main Performer), Brownie McGhee (Guitar), Brownie McGhee (Vocals), Brownie McGhee (Main Performer), Brownie McGhee (Performer), Phil DeLancie (Remixing), Phil DeLancie (Remastering), Phil DeLancie (Digital Remastering), Stan Page (Engineer), Sonny Terry (Harmonica), Sonny Terry (Vocals), Sonny Terry (Main Performer), Sonny Terry (Performer), Bob Willoughby (Photography), Chuck Ellsworth (Liner Notes), Orlando Cepeda (Liner Notes)