Blue Gitars

Blue Guitars is a Blues album released by Chris Rea on October 14, 2005 consisting of eleven CDs, one DVD and a full colour book, including paintings by the artist, liner notes and song lyrics. The album is an ambitious project with the 137 songs recorded over the course of 1? years with a work schedule - according to Chris Rea himself - of twelve hours a day, seven days a week. Initially the project was inspired by Bill Wyman's "Blues Odyssey" and can be called an "odyssey" in its own right, for depicting a journey through the various epochs of Blues Music, starting at its African origins and finishing with modern-time Blues from the 60s and 70s. Subsequently the eleven CDs are titled the following: "Beginnings", "Country Blues", "Louisiana & New Orleans", "Electric Memphis Blues", "Texas Blues", "Chicago Blues", "Blues Ballads", "Gospel Soul Blues & Motown", "Celtic & Irish Blues", "Latin Blues" and "60s & 70s". The collection is the fifth and last release in a line of Blues recordings Chris Rea has made since recovering from a serious disease at the turn of the millennium and promising himself a return to his Bluesy roots in the event that he survived. According to Rea "Blue Guitars" will be his last solo effort; however, he will continue to release albums as a member of the band "Memphis Fireflies".