November radio broadcast [#1350].
If you lived west of the Mississippi and there was a war on, it's likely you'd make the trek west to get yourself a job in the burgeoning war industries. Many, if not most, of the artists featured here made their way from Texas or Oklahoma to California to do just that. A fair percentage of the emigrants had musical ability and had worked in a semi-professional capacity before their exodus west. Until the war years, one of the few things California lacked was a thriving recording industry. Vocalion, Columbia, OKeh and Victor made their presence felt but not convincingly. However, vocal groups like the Four Buddies and The Basin Street Boys flourished, and the King Cole Trio made its debut in the 1930s. Of blues, there was none until the 1944 release of Cecil Gant's blues ballad I Wonder. A market was established and the floodgates opened. This collection celebrates that outburst of pent-up blues talent.
Disc 1
1. Far East Blues - Soldier Boy Houston
2. Soldier Boy Houston Blues - Soldier Boy Houston
3. Quinsella - Sonny Boy Johnson
4. Pretty Woman - Mac Willis
5. I Got Them Blues - Sonny Boy Holmes
6. When I Get in This House Woman - Big Son Tillis
7. Model T Boogie - James Tisdom
8. Hurry Hurry Baby - Sidney Maiden
9. Rampart Street Blues - Charles Lacy
10. Shakin' the Boogie - Beverly Scott
11. T. P. Railer - Black Diamond
12. Black Snake Blues - John Hogg
13. Skin and Bone - Little Son Willis
14. New Orleans Blues - James 'Little' Houston
15. Little Machine - Ira Taylor
16. TNT Woman - Sonny Boy Holmes
17. Leavin' Korea - Soldier Boy Houston
18. Hollywood Blues - Soldier Boy Houston
19. I'm Going Upstairs - Big Son Tillis
20. Alla Blues - R. Green & Turner
21. Last Affair Blues - James Tisdom
22. Night Working Woman - Ernest McClay
23. I'm Drinking My Last Drink - Sonny Boy Johnson
24. Southern California Blues - Beverly Scott
25. Tricky Woman Blues - Slim Green
26. Old Hen - Soldier Boy Houston
Disc 2
1. Winehead Swing - James Tisdom
2. Central Avenue Blues - R. Green & Turner
3. Last Pair of Shoes - Charles Lacy
4. Lonesome Blues - Black Diamond
5. Trailway Bus Station - Soldier Boy Houston
6. At the Station Crying - Soldier Boy Houston
7. Worryin' Blues - John Hogg
8. Swimming Pool Blues - Sonny Boy Johnson
9. I Got a Letter - Big Son Tillis
10. Harlem Blues - Little Son Willis
11. Brownskin Woman - Beverly Scott
12. Rampart Street Blues, Pt. Two - Charles Lacy
13. Everything I Do Is Wrong - Sidney Maiden
14. Desert Blues - Sonny Boy Johnson
15. Penitentiary Blues - Smokey Hogg
16. Penitentiary Blues Part Two - Smokey Hogg
17. Operator Blues - Little Son Willis
18. New Orleans Blues Two - James 'Little' Houston
19. Throw This Poor Dog a Bone - James Tisdom
20. Baby I Love You - Slim Green
21. Walking and Crying Blues - Sonny Boy Holmes
22. Big Timing Woman - Ernest McClay
23. Howling Wolf - Mac Willis
24. Come and Go With Me - Sonny Boy Johnson
25. Little Girl Blues - Beverly Scott
26. Old Hen Two - Soldier Boy Houston
27. Hollywood Blues (Fragment) - Soldier Boy Houston