''Return of a Legend'' is an album by the American musician

Jody Williams Jody Williams (born October 9, 1950) is an American political activist known for her work in banning anti-personnel landmines, her defense of human rights (especially those of women), and her efforts to promote new understandings of security i ...

, released in 2002. Williams had not recorded music in around 30 years; he was inspired in part to return to the studio after listening to his playing on a 1964 tape he found at his house. He supported the album with a North American tour. The album was nominated for two W. C. Handy Awards, in the "Traditional Blues Album" and "Comeback Blues Album" categories, winning for the latter.

Production

The album was produced by

Dick Shurman Richard L. Shurman (born May 23, 1950) is an American record producer, sound engineer, music journalist, music historian, and backing vocalist. He has produced numerous recordings by notable musicians including Johnny Winter, Lurrie Bell, Eddie ...

. Williams played "Red Lightnin'", his

Gibson guitar Gibson Brands, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corporation) is an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio equipment from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was former ...

Billy Boy Arnold William "Billy Boy" Arnold (born September 16, 1935, Chicago, Illinois) AllMusic biography">AllMusic.html" ;"title="AllMusic">AllMusic biography/ref> is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. Arnold is a self-taught harmonica p ...

and

Tinsley Ellis Tinsley Ellis (born June 4, 1957) is an American blues and rock musician, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and grew up in South Florida. According to ''Billboard'', "nobody has released more consistently excellent blues albums ...

were among the musicians backing Williams. "Jive Spot" is a version of Williams's song "Five Spot", which he had first recorded with

Otis Spann Otis Spann (March 21, 1924 or 1930April 24, 1970) was an American blues musician, whom many consider to be the leading postwar Chicago blues pianist. Early life Sources differ over Spann's early years. Some state that he was born in Jackson, Miss ...

Critical reception

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'' called the album "a superlative listening experience, up there with Magic Sam's sizzling 1967 ''West Side Soul''." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' deemed it "a little classic, marked by sleek solo work and delightful comic songs." ''

The Virginian-Pilot ''The Virginian-Pilot'' is the daily newspaper for Norfolk, Virginia. Commonly known as ''The Pilot'', it is Virginia's largest daily. It serves the five cities of South Hampton Roads as well as several smaller towns across southeast Virginia ...

'' determined that "the R&B-soaked blues is heartfelt, swinging and sounds fresh ... Williams' taut, note-bending playing never sounded better." ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' concluded that "Williams displays a skill and a talent that can still amaze." The ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'' stated that "he's lost little, if any, of his slashing style and, in fact, the seasoning sounds good on him ... Classic instrumentals like his rhumba-style 'Lucky Lou', and the straight-ahead 'Moanin' for Molasses', sound better."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote that it's "a tasteful showcase for one of the blues' lesser-known yet classic stars."

Track listing

References

{{reflist 2002 albums Blues albums by American artists