Delmark Records released it under the name of "Magic Sam Blues Band" in November 1969, shortly before his death.

[1] The album was a follow-up to Magic Sam's highly influential studio debut, West Side Soul (1968), and also includes a mix of originals with songs written by his contemporaries.

[4] Blues historian Gerard Herzhaft commented that the album, along with West Side Soul, "brought unanimous praise from the critics.

The induction statement includes: Black Magic follows in the same vein as Magic Sam's first Delmark LP (and first Hall of Fame album), West Side Soul, combining burning West Side blues with heartfelt touches of soul.

Again, most of the songs are covers (Little Milton, Otis Rush, Lowell Fulson, Freddie King, et al, with the more obscure Andrew Brown cut "Stop!