Rating: - An essential blues DVD
At least as strong as the excellent first volume in the "American Folk Blues" series, this second disc opens with Aleck "Rice" Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson II) doing a brief solo rendition of "Bye Bye Bird", followed by a tremendous band-backed "In My Younger Days" which features Howlin' Wolf's combo of Sunnyland Slim, Hubert Sumlin, Willie Dixon and drummer Clifton James.

Willie Dixon himself (purposely) stutters his way through the novelty(-ish) "Nervous", introduced by a very dignified Memphis Slim: "He is such a big man", says Slim, "he weighs four or five hundred pounds, something like that. Imagine a guy that big being nervous!"
Well, John Chatman's own cool borders on arrogance as he tosses off a terrific "Nobody Loves Me" ("Everyday I Have The Blues") with the greatest of ease.

Other highlights include...well, the rest of the disc, really. The black-and-white footage is excellent, and the sound is surprisingly good as well. It's a bit disappointing that the booklet merely duplicates the one from volume one in the series, but that's just about the only gripe I have.
Being able to see Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins perform his classic "Mojo Hand" live with a small backing group is such a treat, as is grand old lady Victoria Spivey's spirited "Black Snake Blues", and T-Bone Walker's strikingly urbane "Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong".

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee do a fine "Stranger Blues" (AKA "I'm A Stranger Here"), but the absolute cream of the crop has to be three performances by the mighty Howlin' Wolf, "Shake For Me", "Love Me Darling" and "I'll Be Back Someday". And the two "Bonus tracks" (there's really no good reason why they're presented as such) capture Magic Sam Maghett shortly before his untimely death in 1969, doing the instrumental "Magic Sam's Boogie" and the classic "All Your Love".
No fan of classic Chicago blues should be without this wonderful collection.