Konkel, what the hell were you thinking?
BROKE & HUNGRY RECORDS ADMITS: "MISTAKES WERE MADE"
New Two-Disc Retrospective Celebrates Label’s First Five Years!
In April 2006, Jeff Konkel made the nearly 500-mile drive from his home in St. Louis, to the tiny town of Bentonia, Mississippi. There he set up a card table outside of the rural juke joint owned by blues musician Jimmy “Duck” Holmes. Konkel stacked the table high with copies of Back To Bentonia, the debut CD by Holmes and the inaugural release from Konkel’s Broke & Hungry Records.
Although the entire town of Bentonia showed up that evening for the CD release party, sales were light. At the end of the event, Konkel tallied up the transactions: Four CDs sold. It was an inauspicious label launch, but somehow Konkel and his humble operation have managed to persevere for another five years.
With a half decade under its belt, Broke & Hungry Records is celebrating the milestone with the release of Mistakes Were Made: Five Years of Raw Blues, Damaged Livers & Questionable Business Decisions, a two-CD retrospective that features 30 tracks from some of the best traditional blues artists living in Mississippi today. Included are 14 never-before-released recordings along with popular favorites from the label’s back catalogue.
In addition to Holmes, the compilation features contributions from T-Model Ford, Odell Harris, Wesley “Junebug” Jefferson, Terry “Big T” Williams, Pat Thomas, The Mississippi Marvel, L.C. Ulmer, Terry “Harmonica” Bean and Bill Abel. The collection will be available through the label’s web site (www.brokeandhungryrecords.com
“Honestly, there was never a real ‘game plan’ for Broke & Hungry Records,” Konkel confesses. “I had never owned a business before and I knew nothing about music production. I just felt very passionately that some of these great artists needed to be recorded while they were still among us, so I jumped in with both feet. Somehow, despite my inexperience, the label has managed to capture some incredible music. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past five years.”
The complete track listing for the collection is:
DISC 1
.
1. Train I Ride – Odell Harris
2. Six Little Puppies – Jimmy “Duck” Holmes (previously unreleased electric version)
3. The Wolves Are Howling – Wesley “Junebug” Jefferson
4. Pretty Baby – Terry “Harmonica” Bean (previously unreleased)
5. Woke Up This Morning – Pat Thomas (previously unreleased)
6. Everything’s Gonna Be Alright – The Mississippi Marvel
7. Taking Chances – Terry “Big T” Williams (previously unreleased)
8. It’s Over – Jimmy “Duck” Holmes
9. The Mississippi Diddley (Instrumental) – Bill Abel (previously unreleased)
10. Ain’t It Alright – R.L. Boyce & Lightnin’ Malcolm
11. All Night Long – Jimmy “Duck” Holmes
12. Bean’s Boogie – Terry “Harmonica” Bean (previously unreleased)
13. Big Road Blues – The Mississippi Marvel (previously unreleased)
14. Beefsteak Blues – Pat Thomas
15. Cooter Mae – Wesley “Junebug” Jefferson (previously unreleased)
DISC 2.
1. Meet Me In The Bottom – Wesley “Junebug” Jefferson
2. I’d Rather Be The Devil – Jimmy “Duck” Holmes
3. Laundromat Blues – Terry “Harmonica” Bean (previously unreleased)
4. Rosalee – L.C. Ulmer
5. Incarcerated Blues – Terry “Big T” Williams
6. Waterboy, Waterboy – The Mississippi Marvel
7. Boogie Chillen – Pat Thomas (previously unreleased)
8. Eyesight To The Blind – Jimmy “Duck” Holmes (previously unreleased)
9. Hill Funk – Odell Harris
10. No Hard Time (Get You Off My Mind) – Bill Abel (previously unreleased)
11. Hi Heel Sneakers – T-Model Ford
12. Rainbow At Midnight – Pat Thomas
13. Evil – The Mississippi Marvel
14. Who’s Gonna Be Your Sweet Man When I’m Gone – Terry “Harmonica” Bean (previously unreleased)
15. Take A Trip (Partial) – Jimmy “Duck” Holmes (previously unreleased)
For more information on this release or on Broke & Hungry Records, contact the label at info@brokeandhungryrecords.com
