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CD
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CONJUR00 001CD
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"The cradle of civilization for Chicago blues was Maxwell Street, an open-air market just southwest of the Loop, where, through the '40s, '50s, '60s and even the '70s, all the blues greats sang on the streets. Among them was Blind Arvella Gray, who played on Maxwell from the 1940s until his death in 1980. His fans included Bob Dylan. Yet apart from a handful of 45s on his own label, Gray only recorded one album -- The Singing Drifter -- in 1972. The vinyl album was available for about a year and was never re-pressed once its initial run sold out. Now Conjuroo Recordings brings Gray's street-corner blues to the CD era. Blind Arvella Gray played a National steel dobro with a metal slide, creating a mesmerizing groove. He was known to Chicago commuters as well as international blues fans who came from all over to listen to him on Maxwell Street. With the reissue of The Singing Drifter, Conjuroo aims to turn a new generation of fans on to Arvella Gray's timeless sound."
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