Mississippi born, Chicago based Magic Sam was one of the leading lights of the second generation of Post World War II Chicago Blues artists; a contemporary of Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and Junior Wells. Sam's music was blues with rock and soul influences. His 1967 Delmark album West Side Soul is considered one of the Top Blues albums of all time. After the release of West Side Soul, Sam began to appear at major festivals and played clubs to blues and rock audiences worldwide. Sam tragically died of a heart attack in 1969. He was only 32 years old. Rare Live features 17 previously unreleased tracks recorded at Mandrake's in Berkeley CA on July 11, 1969 by this sadly under recorded artist.