Leric Story

by Michael G. Nastos During the 1980s, vaunted blues guitarist Jimmy Dawkins tried his hand at owning a record company, producing these tracks for his Leric label. The material here, finally compiled and released in 2010, collects music from lesser-known musicians like Vince Evans, Sister Margo, and Big Mojo Elem, and artists who became major figures on the Chicago blues circuit. The gems of this compilation include four dynamite, funky tracks from Little Johnny Christian, two from Howlin' Wolf devotee the Tail Dragger, early works by bassist/vocalist Queen Sylvia Embry, and another pair by Nora Jean Bruso -- the latter went on to become the biggest star of this set. Dawkins helps out occasionally as a sideman, along with harmonicist Eddie Burks and pianist Lafayette Leake. The Leric Story -- though incomplete -- gives listeners yet another example of the deep wellspring of authentic urban Chi-town blues being played and recorded well after those halcyon days of the ‘50s.