After Trumpet Records folded, on August 12, 1955, Sonny Boy Williamson II had his first recording session for Checker Records. "Don't Start Me Talkin'" was recorded at these sessions. Backing Williamson ( vocals and harmonica ) were Otis Spann on piano , Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers on guitar , Willie Dixon on bass , and Fred Below on drums . [
Rice Miller ("Sonny Boy Williamson") was a blues genius. And his backing musicians at Chess/Checker were great - together producing blues classic after blues classic..
The Doobie Brothers' version on their album, "Tolouse Street," (listed as "Don't Start Me To Talkin'"), brought me to this original version. My grandmother was a beautician and owned her own beauty shop, so, in a sense my family and I lived the lyrics to this song. This guy was in his mid 50s when this, his first and biggest R&B hit, charted and he sounds like he has been there and done that dozens of times over. He was such an inspiration in England that the Yardbirds (then with Eric Clapton) did an entire live album with him. One of the all-time greats.