Release Date: February 25, 2003.
Release Info: Studio Recording.
Recording Time: 73 minutes.
Styles: Folk-Blues, Country Blues, Delta Blues, Piano Blues, Ragtime, Regional Blues, Urban Blues, Blues Revival, East Coast Blues, Field Recordings, Folk Revival, Folksongs, Piedmont Blues, Pre-War Country Blues, Songster, St. Louis Blues, Acoustic Blues, Electric Blues.
Starting in the 1940s, Folkways made significant blues recordings, particularly of important artists who might not have had the easiest time getting or keeping contracts with more commercial labels, but still had something to say artistically. This 26-track compilation assembles material recorded between the 1940s and 1990s that showed up on various Folkways releases. Unfortunately, the liner notes don't name the exact dates of all the recordings, but certainly the substantial majority of them predate 1970. These recordings were targeted toward a somewhat scholarly folk revival audience, and some might find them a little folky and gentle. Electric instruments barely appear at all (with the notable exception of the early Chambers Brothers cut "Oh Baby, You Don't Have to Go"), and there's little that's as rough as the average prewar Delta blues track. Yet overall, it's a good compilation of many major and minor mid-20th century blues performers and styles. The bigger names include Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee (whose "Old Jabo," with drums, almost verges on Bo Diddley-styled rock & roll), Reverend Gary Davis (represented by a 1957 version of his famous "Candy Man"), Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon (performing together), Lightnin' Hopkins, Leadbelly, Roosevelt Sykes, Son House, Champion Jack Dupree, Elizabeth Cotten, Lonnie Johnson, and Josh White. While acoustic guitar blues (including a field recording of K.C. Douglas' "Mercury Blues," later covered by Steve Miller) gets a fair amount of airtime, so do boogie piano, a cappella singing (Vera Hall), and some actual Delta blues (Son House, from a 1942 field recording). - Review by Richie Unterberger.
Smithsonian Folkways: A living and dynamic tradition, blues is forged in hard times but powerful enough to bring on the good times. Legends such as Lead Belly, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy, Elizabeth Cotten, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee, among others formed the "blues backbone" of Folkways Records. This compilation from the Smithsonian Folkways collection spans half a century and features Delta, St. Louis, Southwest, and Chicago styles performed by some of the best-known figures in blues history. From boogies to ballads, full of innuendo and irony, this classic collection is a jukebox in a jewel case.
Instruments: Bass, Drum set, Guitar, Guitar Twelve-String, Harmonica, Maraca, Percussion instruments, Piano, Talking, Vocals, Vocals lead.
Credits: Pink Anderson - primary artist; Etta Baker - composer, primary artist; Tommy Bankhead - guitar; Carla Borden - editing; Big Bill Broonzy - composer, primary artist; William Carradine - composer; Cat Iron - primary artist; The Chambers Brothers - primary artist; George Chambers - bass; Lester Chambers - vocals; Willie Chambers - guitar; Peter Chatman - composer; Elizabeth Cotten - primary artist; Blind John Davis - piano; Rev. Gary Davis - arranger, composer, primary artist; Willie Dixon - primary artist; Willie Dixon Band - bass; K.C. Douglas - composer, primary artist; Champion Jack Dupree - piano, primary artist; David Honeyboy Edwards - primary artist; Robert Geddins - composer; Vera Hall - composer, primary artist; W.C. Handy - composer; Lightnin' Hopkins - primary artist; Sam Hopkins - composer; Son House - primary artist; Blind Lemon Jefferson - composer; Edith North Johnson - composer, primary artist, vocals; Lonnie Johnson - guitar, primary artist, vocals; Brian Keenan - Drums; Nora Lee King - shouts; Martha E. Koenig - composer; Lead Belly - choir/chorus, commentary, guitar (12 string), primary artist; Huddie Ledbetter - composer; Russ Lee - photography; Alan Lomax - composer; Jacob Love - editorial assistant; Brownie McGhee - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; Coyall McMahan - maracas; Memphis Slim - piano, primary artist, vocals; Mary Monseur - production coordination; Eurreal Montgomery - composer; Little Brother Montgomery - primary artist; Gene Moore - drums; Charley Patton - composer; Barry Lee Pearson - annotation; Jeff Place - archival assistant; Jimmy Reed - composerPete Reiniger - mastering; Dan Sheehy - production supervisor; Ronnie Simpkins - audio supervisor; D.A. Sonneborn - production supervisor; Roosevelt Sykes - composer, primary artist; Ruby Tartt - composer; Sonny Terry - harmonica, primary artist, vocals; Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - primary artist; Henry Townsend - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; Traditional - composer; Josh White - primary artist; Big Joe Williams - composer, primary artist; Spencer Williams - composer; Marion Post Wolcott - photography.
Tracks: 1) Old Jabo - Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee; 2) Mule-Ridin' Blues - Big Bill Broonzy; 3) Joggie Boogie - Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon; 4) Black Woman - Vera Hall; 5) Mercury Blues - K. C. Douglas; 6) Ran the Blues Out of My Window - Roosevelt Sykes; 7) Leaving Blues - Lead Belly; 8) One Dime Blues - Etta Baker; 9) County Farm Blues - Son House; 10) Clog Dance (Stomping Blues) - Champion Jack Dupree; 11) Boll Weevil - Pink Anderson; 12) Nickel's Worth of Liver - Edith North Johnson and Henry Brown; 13) Don't Leave Me Here - Big Joe Williams; 14) Jimmy Bell - Cat Iron; 15) Candy Man - Rev. Gary Davis; 16) Beer Drinking Woman - Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon; 17) Come Go Home with Me - Lightnin' Hopkins; 18) Careless Love - Josh White; 19) I Asked Her If She Loved Me - Henry Townsend; 20) Rising Sun - Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry; 21) Pony Blues - David "Honeyboy" Edwards; 22) Vicksburg Blues - Little Brother Montgomery; 23) Vastapol - Elizabeth Cotten; 24) Drifting Along Blues - Lonnie Johnson; 25) Oh Baby, You Don't Have to Go - The Chambers Brothers; 26) Don't Lie Buddy - Lead Belly and Josh White.