Willie Mabon, born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1925, was a blues singer, pianist and songwriter, who was very much of the Chicago school of blues performers, and enjoyed a career peak with two US R&B No. 1s in 1953, although he never reached the long-term heights of some of his more renowned contemporaries. He eventually moved to Europe in the 1970s to become part of the thriving blues scene in France and the UK. 

This 42-track 2- CD collection comprises most of his releases during this era on the Apollo, Aristocrat, Parrot, Chess, Mad, Formal & Solar labels, plus other Chess recordings which were not released at the time. It features his two No. R&B hits, “I Don’t Know” and “I’m Mad” and his 1955 R&B Top 10 hit “Poison Ivy”, along with other notable recordings including Willie Dixon’s “Seventh Son”. 

As a city blues artist, his songwriting often had a wry, tongue-in-cheek approach to social commentary, and his music had an urbane and stylishly streetwise feel, which comes across through this trawl across the primary era of his career.

CD 1
1. IT KEEPS RAINING Big Willie (Apollo 450) 1949 
2. BOGEY MAN Big Willie (Apollo 450) 1949 
3. TROUBLE IN MY HOME Blues Rockers (Aristocrat 407) 1950 
4. TIMES ARE GETTING HARD Blues Rockers (Aristocrat 407) 1950 
5. WORRY BLUES Willie Mabon and His Combo (Parrot 1050 Chess 1531) 1952 
6. I DON'T KNOW Willie Mabon and His Combo (Parrot 1050 Chess 1531) 1952 
7. I'M MAD Willie Mabon and His Combo (Chess 1538) 1953 
8. NIGHT LATCH Willie Mabon and His Combo (Chess 1538) 1953 
9. YOU'RE A FOOL Willie Mabon (Chess 1548) 1953 
10. MONDAY WOMAN Willie Mabon (Chess 1548) 1953 
11. I GOT TO GO Willie Mabon and orch (Chess 1554) 1953 
12. CRUISIN' Willie Mabon (Chess 1554) 1953 
13. WOULD YOU, BABY Willie Mabon (Chess 1564) 1954 
14. LATE AGAIN Willie Mabon (Chess 1564) 1954 
15. POISON IVY Willie Mabon (Chess 1580) 1954 
16. SAY MAN Willie Mabon (Chess 1580) 1954 
17. COME ON BABY Willie Mabon (Chess 1592) 1955 
18. WOW! I FEEL SO GOOD Willie Mabon (Chess 1592) 1955 
19. SEVENTH SON Willie Mabon (Chess 1608) 1955 
20. LUCINDA Willie Mabon (Chess 1608) 1955 
21. KNOCK ON WOOD Willie Mabon (Chess 1627) 1956 

CD 2
1. GOT TO LET YOU GO Willie Mabon (Chess 1627) 1956 
2. I GOTTA GO NOW Willie Mabon (Mad 1298) 1960 
3. MICHELL Willie Mabon (Mad 1298) 1960 
4. I DON'T KNOW Willie Mabon (Mad 1300) 1960 
5. I GOT TO HAVE HER Willie Mabon (Mad 1300) 1960 
6. GOT TO HAVE SOME Willie Mabon (Formal 1016) 1962 
7. WHY DID IT HAPPEN TO ME Willie Mabon (Formal 1016) 1962 
8. FANNIE MAE Willie Mabon (Formal 1018) 1962 
9. MEAN MISTREATER Willie Mabon (Formal 1018) 1962 
10. EARLY ONE MORNING Willie Mabon (Solar 54001) 1962 
11. GOT TO HAVE IT Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1953 
12. BEGGAR OR BANDIT Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1953 
13. LIFE COULD BE MISERABLE Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1953 
14. I'M TIRED Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1954 
15. LONELY BLUES Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1954 
16. WILLIE'S BLUES Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1954 
17. HE LIED Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1955 
18. SOMEDAY YOU GOTTA PAY Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1955 
19. WHY DID IT HAPPEN TO ME Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1960 
20. I'M MAD AT YOU Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1960 
21. I LOVE MY BABY Willie Mabon (Unissued  ) Rec. 1960