Blind Dog Radio

Black Snake Moan by Blind Lemon Jefferson

Label: Snapper Music.
Release Date: March 9, 2004.
Recording Time: 56 minutes.
Recording Date: May, 1926 - September 24, 1929.
Releases: 2004 (Complete Blues), 2004 (Grammercy Records), 2008 (Grammercy Records), 2008 (Sonic Wave), 2013 (Complete Blues / Snapper).

Styles: Acoustic Blues, Country Blues, Acoustic Texas Blues, Folk-Blues, Pre-War Blues, Regional Blues, Texas Blues, Slide Guitar Blues.

Blind Lemon Jefferson was a street singer with a wide and varied repertoire, although he is best known for his straight-ahead blues pieces like the title track here, "Black Snake Moan." As this sampler of Jefferson's 1920s and 1930s 78s from Snapper Records shows, however, he was equally at home doing hillbilly spirituals ("He Arose from the Dead") and folk-blues ("See That My Grave Is Kept Clean"), and he also had a fine slide sound ("Jack O'Diamond Blues"). Immensely popular, Jefferson's 78s were poorly pressed and frequently played, so these tracks have a good deal of surface hiss, which may be bothersome to some listeners. - Review by Steve Leggett.

Credits: Russell Beecher - sleeve notes; Blind Lemon Jefferson - composer, guitar, main personnel, primary artist, vocals; J. Johnson - composer; La More - composer; George Perkins - main personnel, piano; Victoria Spivey - composer; Traditional - composer.

Tracks: 1) Hot Dogs; 2) Teddy Bear Blues; 3) Bad Luck Blues; 4) Broke and Hungry; 5) Prison Cell Blues; 6) Black Snake Moan; 7) Hangman's Blues; 8) That Crawling Baby Blues; 9) He Arose from the Dead; 10) Sunshine Special; 11) Matchbox Blues; 12) Rising High Water Blues; 13) Easy Rider Blues; 14) One Dime Blues; 15) Rabbit Foot Blues; 16) Lonesome House Blues; 17) Jack O'Diamond Blues; 18) Stocking Feet Blues; 19) Right of Way Blues; 20) See That My Grave Is Kept Clean.