01. So Ezee ( 3:47)
02. Where Did You Go ( 4:25)
03. Ain't Gonna Cry No Mo ( 4:57)
04. Don't You Want A Good Man ( 3:34)
05. My Head Is Bald ( 4:16)
06. Alabama Bound ( 4:08)
07. Don't Trust Yo Woman ( 4:01)
08. Please Mr. Jailer ( 5:05)
09. Stop Lyin' ( 3:14)
10. Tail's Tale (16:41)

Tail Dragger 	Vocals
Eddie Burks 	Harmonica
Willie Kent 	Bass
Lafayette Leake 	Piano
Johnny B. Moore 	Guitar
Little Mack Simmons 	Harmonica
Larry Taylor 	Drums
Jesse Lee Williams 	Guitar 

Veteran singer James Yancey Jones, aka Tail Dragger, has been making his presence felt on the Chicago blues scene since the '60s. But like so many other bluesmen who specialize in electric Chicago blues and made their mark in the Windy City, Tail Dragger actually grew up in the Deep South. Tail Dragger was born on September 30, 1940 in Altheimer, AK, where he was raised by his grandparents and began listening to the blues as a kid. Although he appreciated a variety of blues when he was growing up (including acoustic Southern country blues), electric Chicago blues became his greatest interest. Tail Dragger's most obvious influence has been Howlin' Wolf, although his rugged, gritty approach was also affected by Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Willie Dixon. Tail Dragger left Arkansas for good in 1966, when he moved to the city that did the most to shape him stylistically: Chicago. Moving to the city's West Side, Tail Dragger didn't start earning his living from music right after his arrival; at first, he had a "day gig" as an auto mechanic. But Tail Dragger got a lucky break when he met his idol, Howlin' Wolf, who let him sit in during live performances. Howlin' Wolf, in fact, started calling him Tail Dragger because Jones often showed up late for gigs (before he became known as Tail Dragger, Jones was known as Crawlin' James in Chicago blues circles because he would sometimes crawl around on the floor when he performed).

Tail Dragger's association with Howlin' Wolf (who died in 1976) did a lot to increase his profile in the blues world, but in the early '70s, he became a full-time solo artist -- and Willie Kent, Hubert Sumlin, Carey Bell, Mack Simmons, Big Leon Brooks, and Eddie Shaw were among the Chicago-based bluesmen who performed in his various bands. Tail Dragger received some negative publicity in 1993, when he shot and killed fellow blues artist Bennie Joe Houston, aka Boston Blackie (b. 1943, Panola, AL). The two had just performed together at a gig, and allegedly, they got into a heated argument over payment. Tail Dragger said he acted in self-defense; nonetheless, he was convicted of manslaughter and spent 17 months in an Illinois prison. But after his release, he wasted no time resuming his musical career. Although Tail Dragger was a fixture in Chicago blues clubs throughout the '70s and '80s, and recorded some singles along the way, it wasn't until the mid-'90s that he finally had an album available. Crawlin' Kingsnake, Tail Dragger's first album, was released on the St. George label in 1996 (the year he turned 56). That disc was followed by a second album, American People, which was recorded in 1998 and released by Delmark the following year. Delmark put out his DVD, My Head Is Bald: Live at Vern's Friendly Lounge, in 2005 and released his Live at Rooster's Lounge as both a DVD an audio CD in 2009. --- Alex Henderson, allmusic.com

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1 	Intro 	1:18
2 	Sitting Here Singing My Blues 	9:23
3 	Talk 	1:09
4 	Tend To Your Business 	4:22
5 	Talk 	0:50
6 	Prison Blues 	8:07
7 	Talk 	1:42
8 	So Ezee 	5:19
9 	My Woman Is Gone 	7:29
10 	Talk 	3:31
11 	My Head Is Bald 	8:48
12 	You Gotta Go 	3:38
13 	Jump For Joy 	3:13

Bass – Bob Stroger
Drums – Kenny Smith
Guitar – Jimmy Dawkins (tracks: 11), Kevin Shanahan, Lurrie Bell
Harp – Billy Branch
Saxophone – Willie Young 
Vocals – Tail Dragger

James Yancy Jones, known professionally as Tail Dragger, is on the radical edge of contemporary blues simply by not changing a thing since he first hit the Chicago blues scene from his native Arkansas in the 1960s. A Howlin' Wolf protégé, Jones has grown into his role as an elder statesman, and in an era when drums are processed and guitar leads are as much synthesizer as they are strings, his "just the old blues, thank you, Ma'am," approach is downright refreshing. My Head Is Bald, a live set from Vern's Friendly Lounge on Chicago's West side, is as comfy as a pair of old wool socks, and while Jones isn't particularly innovative -- he still sounds like an ever-so-slightly polished-up version of the Wolf -- his version of the blues is so familiar and devoid of flash that it feels lived in and real, and original songs like "Tend to Your Business" and "Prison Blues" seem like they've been around forever. A Tail Dragger show is predictable, but that's the charm of it. This is blues in the neighborhood bar. You wouldn't want it to sound any other way. ---Steve Leggett, AllMusic Review

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1. Don't Trust No Woman 6:31
2. Country Boy 5:40               play
3. Be Prepared 5:30
4. I'm In The Mood 4:19
5. Do The Do 4:25
6. Cold Outdoors 5:58
7. Crawlin' Kingsnake 4:45        play
8. Monkey Blues 3:16
9. Baby Please Don't Go 3:27
10. Stop Lyin' 3:12
11. Prison Blues 6:02
12. Root Doctor 7:03

Personnel: 
Tail Dragger (vocals); 
Studebaker John (harp); 
Sho Komiya (electric bass); 
Twist Turner (drums).

The blues get served up hard, heavy and raunchy on the debut album from Chicago blues club legend Tail Dragger & His Chicago Blues Band. The 12 tracks here run the gamut from the modal "Don't Trust No Woman," six-and-a-half minutes of a non-stop trance groove, to the nastiest version of "Baby Please Don't Go" you'll ever hear, to the Jimmy Reed groove of "Cold Outdoors." With a straightforward, driving band featuring Studebaker John on harmonica, Rockin' Johnny Burgin on lead guitar, and Twist Turner on drums, a great song selection with seven of the 12 tunes emanating from the pens of either Tail Dragger or producer George Paulus, and an uncluttered production, this is one modern-day blues album that captures the spirit of Chicago blues in its classic period, yet in the here and now. The cover of this CD announces that disc contains "one hour of hardcore juke joint blues." Believe it. ~ Cub Koda

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