Hot Just Like TNT by Johnny "Guitar" Watson

Personnel: Johnny "Guitar" Watson (vocals, guitar); Devonia Williams, Cordella DeMilo, Jeannie Barnes (vocals). Liner Note Author: Ray Topping. Photographers: Ray Topping; Jessica Owen. Before Johnny "Guitar" Watson became a funk performer in the 1970s, renowned for wacky tunes such as "A Real Mother for Ya," the Texas-born singer/multi-instrumentalist was a proficient bluesman during the '50s and '60s. This 28-track Ace collection presents the finest moments from this early era in Watson's career, a time when he was defining himself as an artist via his fierce blues/R&B six-string technique rather than the giddy, groove-centric material that would come later. Many of Watson's best tunes are featured in multiple versions here, including the searing "Hot Little Mama," the shuffling "Ruben," and the rollicking "Gangster of Love" (which appears in an early take as "Love Bandit"). Although the energy that Watson exudes on this compilation vaguely points to his later funk days (in fact, he would re-record "Ga...