Release Date: 1984, 1990.
Recording Time: 66 minutes.
Recording Date: vvv.
Release Info: Yazoo - 1069, Yazoo - L-10692 x Vinyl, LP/CD, Album, Compilation.
King of the Country Blues is a highly acclaimed compilation album featuring the seminal late-1920s recordings of legendary acoustic blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson. Originally released by Yazoo Records in 1985 (and later reissued on CD in 1990), this 28/23-track (LP/CD) collection serves as an essential primer for the "Father of Texas Blues," capturing the foundational moments of early American roots music.
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Although these recordings are from the late 1920s, Jefferson lends them an elegance and sophistication that most people don't associate with blues of that era. His melodic country-blues style incorporated prominent elements of ragtime and featured numerous "break-aways," or solo-guitar riffs. Many of his songs were based around traditional folk songs, and Jefferson often presented them with asymmetrical constructions and odd time signatures. His fluent guitar work was able to step out on its own or provide cohesive support for his vocals. As one of the first commercially successful blues artists, his influence is widespread: from fellow Texans Lightnin' Hopkins and T-Bone Walker to Piedmont bluesmen such as Gary Davis. ~ Marc Greilsamer
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After proclaiming Charlie Patton Founder, and eventually King of the Delta Blues, the experts at Yazoo declared Blind Lemon Jefferson King of the Country Blues. A weighty claim considering their own catalog of early American acoustic blues would eventually include titles by Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson, and Mississippi John Hurt (as well as the exceptional Patton sets). The detailed liner notes by Stephen Calt, however -- along with the 23 performances on this disc -- make a rather convincing argument. In his heyday, few could rival Jefferson for sheer record sales or musical artistry. He was quite simply an inimitable guitarist who resided outside the Texas blues tradition he was born into. At its most impressive, his style was a complex combination of chords and patterns that seemed almost freely deployed behind his rich tenor. His tendency to string contrasting figures end to end (rather than on top of each other, in the more common, syncopated style) can be heard here on "That Crawlin' Baby Blues," "Matchbox Blues," and "Rabbit Foot Blues," among others. Heralded as classic country blues by fans, such material earned Jefferson a great deal of criticism from his musical contemporaries who felt his style was rhythmically inconsistent. Not everything present here is as stunning as the sides mentioned above, yet even when Jefferson relies on convention ("He Arose From the Dead," "Beggin' Back"), he remained the equal of his fellow bluesmen. Though Document Records have given Jefferson their complete recorded works treatment on four CDs, King of the Country Blues provides a much needed, single-disc primer of this blues great. ~ Nathan Bush
Credits: Artwork – Robert Armstrong; Artwork (Colour Photo Tinting) – Terry Zwigoff; Guitar, Vocals – Blind Lemon Jefferson; Liner Notes – Stephan Calt; Mastered by – Nick Perls; Mastered by (Digital Mastering) – Robert Vosgien; Music Librarian (From The Rare Originals Of) – Don Kent, Marc Ginzberg, Nick Perls, Sherwin Dunner.
Mastered from the rare originals of Sherwin Dunner, Marc Ginzberg, Don Kent and Nick Perls.
LP Tracklist:
- [A1] ...... Hot Dogs (4578-3)
- [A2] ...... Broke And Hungry (3076-2)
- [A3] ...... Stocking Feet Blues (3066-1)
- [A4] ...... Lonesome House Blues (20076-2)
- [A5] ...... See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (20374-1)
- [A6] ...... Got The Blues (2471-2)
- [A7] ...... Black Horse Blues (2543-1)
- [B1] ...... One Dime Blues (20075-2)
- [B2] ...... Corrina Blues (2544-2)
- [B3] ...... Rabbit Foot Blues (3089-1)
- [B4] ...... Oil Well Blues (21197-1)
- [B5] ...... Shuckin' Sugar Blues (3077-2)
- [B6] ...... He Arose From The Dead (4579-1)
- [B7] ...... That Crawlin' Baby Blues (15671)
- [C1] ...... Match Box Blues (4446-4)
- [C2] ...... Easy Rider Blues (4423-2)
- [C3] ...... Booger Rooger Blues (3088-2)
- [C4] ...... Right Of Way Blues (4515-2)
- [C5] ...... Big Night Blues (21199-1)
- [C6] ...... Booster Blues (2474-1)
- [C7] ...... Dry Southern Blues (2475-1)
- [D1] ...... Bad Luck Blues (3090-2)
- [D2] ...... Prison Cell Blues (20388-2)
- [D3] ...... Rambler Blues (20040-2)
- [D4] ...... Gone Dead On You Blues (20070-2)
- [D5] ...... Wartime Blues (3070-1)
- [D6] ...... Beggin' Back (3016-4)
- [D7] ...... Long Lonesome Blues (2472-1)
CD Tracklist:
- [01] ...... That Crawlin' Baby Blues (15671)
- [02] ...... Bad Luck Blues (3090-2)
- [03] ...... Match Box Blues (4446-4)
- [04] ...... Hot Dogs (4578-3)
- [05] ...... One Dime Blues (20075-2)
- [06] ...... Shuckin' Sugar Blues (3077-2)
- [07] ...... Rabbit Foot Blues (3089-1)
- [08] ...... Corrina Blues (2544-2)
- [09] ...... See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (20374-1)
- [10] ...... Easy Rider Blues (4423-2)
- [11] ...... Broke And Hungry (3076-2)
- [12] ...... Black Horse Blues (2543-1)
- [13] ...... Lonesome House Blues (20076-2)
- [14] ...... Oil Well Blues (21197-1)
- [15] ...... He Arose From The Dead (4579-1)
- [16] ...... Beggin' Back (3016-4)
- [17] ...... Prison Cell Blues (20388-2)
- [18] ...... Rambler Blues (20040-2)
- [19] ...... Gone Dead On You Blues (20070-2)
- [20] ...... Wartime Blues (3070-1)
- [21] ...... Booger Rooger Blues (3088-2)
- [22] ...... Right Of Way Blues (4515-2)
- [23] ...... Big Night Blues (21199-1)
Jefferson's music stands out for its intricate, asymmetrical guitar arrangements and a striking tenor voice that influenced giant figures like Lead Belly, Lightnin' Hopkins, and T-Bone Walker. Notable songs on this compilation include:
"Matchbox Blues": A cornerstone Texas blues blueprint later covered by Carl Perkins and The Beatles;
"See That My Grave Is Kept Clean": A haunting masterwork famously covered by Bob Dylan on his 1962 debut album;
"That Crawlin' Baby Blues": A premier showcase of his signature "break-away" solo guitar riffs.