Buy these CDs today:

The Fieldstones
Robert Nighthawk
Junior Wells

While 1998 was not as strong as previous years for blues reissues, there were still a good number of highlights. HighTone continued the release of the excellent High Water recordings made at Memphis State University in the 1980s, and several of those CDs appear on my top ten list, including the wonderful Fieldstones album. Another notable reissue, in my opinion, was the long-awaited re-release by Delmark Records of Robert Nighthawk's early '50s United recordings. Below is my top ten list of 1998 blues reissues.

--- Bill Mitchell

Bill Mitchell's favorite reissues of 1998
(click on the album title to see the original review)

1. The Fieldstones - Memphis Blues Today!
2. Robert Nighthawk - Bricks In My Pillow
3. Junior Wells - Blues Hit Big Town
4. Slim Harpo - Sings Raining In My Heart
5. Jessie Mae Hemphill - She-Wolf
6. Long John Hunter - Ride With Me
7. Junior Parker - Backtracking
8. Hezekiah and the House Rockers - Hezekiah and the House Rockers
9. John Lee Hooker - The Complete '50s Chess Recordings
10. George "Harmonica" Smith - Now You Can Talk About Me