Semi-obscure guitarist Brewer Phillips died in 1999. His playing was a key element of Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers, the legendary band that launched Alligator Records, one of the key forces keeping blues alive.
The classic Chicago groove “Hen House Boogie” — which Phillips helped perfect in his time playing with Memphis Slim, Roosevelt Sykes, and Taylor — comes from Brewer’s 1996 solo album Homebrew, which has one of the all-time great blues CD covers: Phillips walking through his (or his woman’s, or his woman’s other lover’s) house with a hammer. One would presume he’s planning to hang up a certificate of commendation of some sort on the wall, but the look on his face says it’s possible he’s planning to cave someone’s head in.
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