True Confessin’

On November 9, 2018, The Rolling Stones will be presenting Confessin’The Blues, a two-disc collection of blues standards handpicked by the band themselves. For many of us who were raised on the Stones, they have been our conduit to the blues more than any other rock band in existence (with Led Zeppelin a close second, naturally). And not only in the way by which they played the blues–true enough for the icons of the art to consider them godsons but ragged enough for the young rock crowd–but also the depth of their collective knowledge of the music that exists between them, put on dazzling display on 2016’s Blue & Lonesome, the perfect bookend to their 1964 eponymous debut, subtitled England’s Newest Hit Makers.

“The first Muddy Waters album that was really popular was Muddy Waters at Newport, which was the first album I ever bought.” Keith Richards said in a statement, “If you don’t know the blues… there’s no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music.”

Additionally, the band and BMG have decided that 10% of BMG’s net receipts* from the sale of this album will be donated to Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation (registered as a 501C3 non-profit organization in the United States).

Jacqueline Dixon, President/CEO of The Blues Heaven Foundation, said: “We are extremely honoured, grateful and humbled that Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation has been included in such an astonishing project. It means so much that my father’s dream of creating an organisation that promotes, protects and preserves the Blues for future generations is being recognised and supported by artists that have achieved so much.”

Confessin’ The Blues includes tracks by the biggest blues pioneers including Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Big Bill Broonzy and Robert Johnson. As Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood says: “That’s how Mick and Keith first got close as well, on the train coming back from college. They noticed each other’s record collection and it was, “Hey, you’ve got Muddy Waters. You must be a good guy, let’s form a band.”

Confessin’ The Blues will be available as a 2-CD set, 2×2 Vinyl LP sets and a 5×10” Vinyl book-pack (mimicking the original 78 RPM releases). All versions include liner notes by music journalist Colin Larkin and the book-pack contains removable art card prints by noted blues illustrator Christoph Mueller.

The album cover artwork comes courtesy of Wood, an accomplished painter whose work can be explored on his site.

In the meantime, I’ll know what will be included on my Christmas list this year.