James Booker: The Lost Paramount Tapes
Listen to the clips

In early 1973, I had arranged with a night club named Dirty Pierre's, in the San Fernando Valley, to book a trio featuring Booker, John Boudreaux and myself (Dave Johnson). the three of us really tore the place up. One night, I invited Daniel Moore out to Dirty Pierre's to hear this band, and he was impressed with Booker's playing. We decided to add some players to the band and go into the studio and cut some tunes. Booker and I convinced Richard "Didimus" Washington, Alvin Robinson, Jessie Hill, and David Lastie, and Boudreauzx to go into Paramount Studios in Hollywood to do this album.

Not long after the session, the 16 track master tapes disappeared from the Paramount Recording Studios tape library, and their whereabouts is still unknown. Recently (1992), Daniel Moore found the tapes of the mixes he did on the last night of the sessions (thank goodness) and that's what you're hearing.

--Dave Johnson