01. Born To Be Blue  3:04 
02. End Of My Hope  3:27 
03. Hide That Wine  3:25 
04. It's Not Funny Any More  3:30 
05. All Cried Out  4:18 
06. I'd Rather Be Hot Than Cool  3:05 
07. Five-Day Rain  4:50 
08. Can't Get Enough  3:31 
09. Satan  2:11 
10. She's My Woman  3:36 
11. Love Don't Get Old  5:14 
12. If I Had The Chance  3:01 

Sonny Rhodes - Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar & Vocals 
Ace Moreland & Warren King - Guitar 
Bob Greenlee & James Pritchard - Bass 
Ronnie "Byrd" Foster & Theodore Brown - Drums 
Doug Bare - Piano & Organ 
Mike Galloway - Harmonica 
Bill Samuel - Tenor & Baritone Sax 
Charlie Bertini – Trumpet

One of the few blues steel guitarists, Sonny Rhodes was born Clarence Edward Smith on November 3, 1940 in Smithville, Texas. He was the sixth and last child of Le Roy and Julia Smith, who were sharecroppers. Rhodes began playing seriously when he was 12, although he got his first guitar when he was eight as a Christmas present. Rhodes began performing around Smithville and nearby Austin in the late '50s, while still in his teens. Rhodes lists as his guitar influences T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton and B.B. King among others. Rhodes's first band, Clarence Smith and the Daylighters, played the Austin area blues clubs before Rhodes decided to join the Navy after graduating from high school.

In the Navy, he moved west to California, where he worked for a while as a radio man and closed-circuit Navy ship disc-jockey, telling off-color jokes in between the country and blues records he would spin for the entertainment of the sailors. He learned to play lap steel guitar from Oakland bluesman L.C. "Good Rockin'" Robinson.

Rhodes recorded a single for Domino Records in Austin, "I'll Never Let You Go When Something Is Wrong," in 1958, and also learned to play bass. He played bass behind Freddie King and his friend Albert Collins. After the Navy, Rhodes returned to California, and lived in Fresno for a few years before hooking up a deal with Galaxy Records in Oakland. In 1966, he recorded a single, "I Don't Love You No More" b/w "All Night Long I Play the Blues." He recorded another single for Galaxy in 1967. In 1978, he recorded "Cigarette Blues" b/w "Bloodstone Beat" on his own label. He is featured singing "Cigarette Blues" on a short film by Les Blank.

Rhodes first toured Europe in 1976. He was recorded by several European labels, apparently without much success. His European recordings include "I Don't Want My Blues Colored Bright" and a live album, "In Europe". In 1985 he released "Just Blues", on his own Rhodesway label.

In the 1980's, he began recording for the Ichiban label and later for Kingsnake. His albums for Ichiban include Disciple of the Blues (1991) and Living Too Close to the Edge (1992).

More recently, Rhodes has gotten better distribution of his albums with the Sanford, Florida-based Kingsnake label. Aside from his self-produced 1985 release Just Blues (now available on compact disc through Evidence Music), he has released The Blues Is My Best Friend, Out of Control and Born To Be Blue. --- well.com

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1 	One More Drink 	
2 	Take The Bitter With The Sweet 	
3 	Just Got In 	
4 	All Night Long They Play The Blues 	
5 	Killing Floor 	
6 	I'm So Lonely 	
7 	Country Boy 	
8 	How Long 	
9 	J.J's Blues In G 	
10 	Stranded 	
11 	Sitting & Thinking

Sonny Rhodes – vocals, guitar
J.J. Malone – piano, vocals
Charles Banks, Steve Gomes – bass
Mike Watson – guitar
Brad Johnson – alto saxophone
Michael Marcus – baritone saxophone
Ken Baker  – tenor saxophone
Harold Attyberry – trumpet
Gary Smith - harmonica
Harold Banks, Richard Milton – drums

Blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Sonny Rhodes is such a talented songwriter, so full of musical ideas, that he's destined to inherit the to seats left open by the untimely passing of blues greats like Albert King and Albert Collins.

Born November 3, 1940 in Smithville, TX, he was the sixth and last child of Le Roy and Julia Smith, who were sharecroppers. Rhodes began playing seriously when he was 12, although he got his first guitar when he was eight as a Christmas present. Rhodes began performing around Smithville and nearby Austin in the late '50s, while still in his teens. Rhodes listened to a lot of T-Bone Walker when he was young, and it shows in his playing today. Other guitarists he credits as being influences include Pee Wee Crayton and B.B. King. Rhodes' first band, Clarence Smith & the Daylighters, played the Austin area blues clubs before Rhodes decided to join the Navy after graduating from high school.

In the Navy, he moved west to California, where he worked for a while as a radio man and closed-circuit Navy ship disc jockey, telling off-color jokes in between the country and blues records he would spin for the entertainment of the sailors.

Rhodes recorded a single for Domino Records in Austin, "I'll Never Let You Go When Something Is Wrong," in 1958, and also learned to play bass. He played bass behind Freddie King and his friend Albert Collins. After his stint in the Navy, Rhodes returned to California while in his mid-twenties, and lived in Fresno for a few years before hooking up a deal with Galaxy Records in Oakland. In 1966, he recorded a single, "I Don't Love You No More" b/w "All Night Long I Play the Blues." He recorded another single for Galaxy in 1967 and then in 1978, out of total frustration with the San Francisco Bay Area record companies, he recorded "Cigarette Blues" b/w "Bloodstone Beat" on his own label. Rhodes toured Europe in 1976, and that opened a whole new European market to him, and he was recorded by several European labels, but without much success. His European recordings include I Don't Want My Blues Colored Bright and a live album, In Europe. In desperation again, Rhodes went into the studio again to record an album in 1985, Just Blues, on his own Rhodesway label.

Fortunately, things have been on track for Rhodes since the late '80s, when he began recording first for the Ichiban label and later for Kingsnake. His albums for Ichiban include Disciple of the Blues (1991) and Living Too Close to the Edge (1992).

More recently, Rhodes has gotten better distribution of his albums with the Sanford, Florida-based Kingsnake label. Aside from his self-produced 1985 release Just Blues (now available on compact disc through Evidence Music), his best albums include the ones he's recorded for Kingsnake, for these are the records that have gotten Rhodes and his various backup bands out on the road together throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. They include The Blues Is My Best Friend, and his 1995 release, Out of Control. On these albums we hear Rhodes, the fully developed songwriter, and not surprisingly, both releases drew high marks from blues critics. --- Richard Skelly, Rovi

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1 	Meet Me At The 10th Street Inn 	3:17
2 	Shame On You 	4:34
3 	Blues Is My Religion 	3:52
4 	Blue Diamond 	4:25
5 	Back Where You Come From 	3:54
6 	Rainy Day 	4:09
7 	What You're Looking For 	3:52
8 	Beside Myself 	4:21
9 	Too Much Trouble 	2:13
10 	Love From A Stone 	3:26
11 	Blues Walk 	3:57
12 	Blues Man's Prayer 	1:55
13 	Life's Rainbow 	4:15

Sonny Rhodes - Dobro, Guitar (Electric), Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals
Doug Bare - Keyboards
Byrd Foster - Drums
Bob "Rattlesnake" Greenlee - Bass, Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Producer
Mark Hodgson - Harp
Rick "Hurricane" Johnson - Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
Warren King - Guitar (Electric)
Ace Moreland - Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic)
Jimmy Payne - Drums
Bob Pickwood - Trumpet
Bill "Foots" Samuel - Horn Arrangements
Anthony "Packrat" Thompson - Harp
Noble "Thin Man" Watts - Sax (Tenor)

This very unique lap steel player of the blues stretches out on this Canadian roots label's release. Those who have seen him will never forget his shows, where he goes out of his way to entertain an audience. From his bright red suit to his bejeweled turban, and the legendary smile that is absolutely radiant, to the good humor he displays on stage, add his prowess on his lap steel, and he is every bit the entertainer. This same warm and embracing energy is captured on this disc and given as a bonus to the listener. The lap steel is far more common in country music, but it is an instrument that he has adapted to the blues and he finds it gives him the musical expressions and tones he was looking for. He was born in Texas and the blues that he heard growing up, as played by T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, and Chuck Willis can still be heard in his music. This combined with his strong and imaginative songwriting -- he wrote or co-wrote ten of the songs on this disc -- and his expressive voice make for a very worthy disc, plus as a bonus there is an in-depth interview at the tail end of the disc. Take special note of the expression and intensity displayed in "Blues Walk." This man, born Clarence Edward Smith, has come a far piece of ground from his roots, yet his appreciation and hard work -- he is on the road 250 days a year -- has honed his sound to sheer enjoyment. He is a true diplomat of the blues. ---Bob Gottlieb, Rovi

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01- Big Bag O' Blues 							play
02- Love and Harmony
03- She's Not Happy Unless She's Sad 
04- Driving Two Ways On A One-Way Street 
05- Honey Do Woman 
06- Ten Pounds of Love (In a Five-Pound Sack) 
07- I Bleed Blue 
08- If the Blues Fits, Wear It 					play
09- I Wanna Get Your Boogie 
10- Win-Win Situation 
11- Good Man, Good Woman 
12- Monkey See, Monkey Do 
13- Good Day To Sing and Play The Blues (Van Fire Blues)

Musicians:
Sonny Rhodes - Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals
Ace Moreland - Guitar
Bob Greenlee, Anthony Mitchell - Bass
Ronnie Foster, Theo Brown - Drums
Juan Perez - Percussion
Doug Bare, Steve Leigh - Keyboards
Blair Parrish, Anthony Mitchell - Background Vocals
Bill 'Foots' Samuel, Charlie Dechant, David Weaver – Horns

Sonny Rhodes is a performer who believes in giving his all with every show, and when you see this turbaned performer in one of his bright suits you won't be disappointed. Although a strong effort, this disc suffers from some inconsistent material for him to let loose and really play the blues. He was born and raised in Texas, and you can hear that in his vibrant playing; however, he lived for years in the Bay Area and thus was exposed to and influenced by a wide variety of influences. His lap steel playing is sharp, gritty, and at times stinging to the bone. His vocals display his strong Texas upbringing; he played behind Albert Collins and Freddie King when he was younger, and these roots are exposed at their most basic in his phrasing. The material here (he wrote or co-wrote eight of the 13 cuts) is not weak -- it is just not as strong and animated throughout as the session during which he recorded Blue Diamond, which was as sharp, cutting, and balanced a performance as watching a fine cutting horse work his magic on the poor hapless cow. The music here is good, but he set a benchmark for himself, and he doesn't quite reach up to it on this one (though for anyone else it would be considered a great effort). This is a showman you truly have to see live to appreciate. The consummate showman can play the blues. ---Bob Gottlieb

Sonny Rhodes made a string of solid recordings at King Snake Studios in Florida and `Good Day to Play the Blues' was the final before the death of producer/bass player Bob Greenlee. Like his other Greenlee produced sets this one is a varied set with plenty of lap steel and lead guitar playing from Rhodes. There are a few weak song selections but there are some terrific ones as well. "She's Not Happy Unless She's Sad" is a smoldering slow blues with terrific lap steel playing, while "I Wanna Get Your Boogie" is a party-anthem style rocker. "Honey-Do Woman" and "Good Man, Good Woman" are basic shuffles with nice lap steel playing and singing. The title track is a thank you to all of the people who helped him out when he and his band had a van accident. Sonny Rhodes is one of the more versatile bluesmen playing today and so his album's are always a delight and something to look forward to. While this cd is not as solid as his previous ones 'Blue Diamond' or 'Born to be Blue', it is still a fine showcase for this very talented and entertaining bluesman. ---Sam Mosley "The Junkyard Junky" (Toronto, Ontario)

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