Release Date: June 23, 2014.
Recording Time: 303 minutes.
Release Info: Compilation (EN4CD9017).
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Classic Blues Vocals, Classic Female Blues, Country Blues, Early American Blues, Pre-War Country Blues, Traditional Blues.
Originally released by Chrome Dreams in 2003 under the title Century of the Blues: The Definitive Country Blues Collection, this four-disc set attempts what may well be impossible: assemble the 100 greatest country-blues tracks. The problem here, aside from the obvious, which is agreeing what those tracks might be, is that not everything here is country-blues (Bessie Smith, who is collected here, is just one example; she sings the blues, true, but one would be hard put to call it country-blues), so that idea kind of goes out the window. As a set of great classic blues songs, though, and rejecting the idea that it's definitive, this one is pretty good, and has sides from everyone from Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters. ~ Steve Leggett
Credits: Texas Alexander - Primary Artist; Cripple Fulton Allen - Primary Artist; Fulton Allen - Primary Artist; Pink Anderson - Primary Artist; Ed Andrews - Primary Artist; Kokomo Arnold - Primary Artist; Lovie Austin - Primary Artist; Scrapper Blackwell - Primary Artist; Blind Blake - Primary Artist; Lucille Bogan - Primary Artist; Ishman Bracey - Primary Artist; Big Bill Broonzy - Primary Artist; Willie Brown - Primary Artist; Gus Cannon - Primary Artist; Leroy Carr - Primary Artist; Peter Chatman - Primary Artist; Sam Collins - Primary Artist; Floyd Council - Primary Artist; Ida Cox - Primary Artist; Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup - Primary Artist; Cow Cow Davenport - Primary Artist; Rev. Gary Davis - Primary Artist; Amos Easton - Primary Artist; David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Primary Artist; Sleepy John Estes - Primary Artist; Lowell Fulson - Primary Artist; Jazz Gillum - Primary Artist; William Harris - Primary Artist; Robert Hicks - Primary Artist; King Solomon Hill - Primary Artist; John Lee Hooker - Primary Artist; Sol Hoopii - Primary Artist; Lightnin' Hopkins - Primary Artist; Son House - Primary Artist; Howlin' Wolf - Primary Artist; Alberta Hunter - Primary Artist; Mississippi John Hurt - Primary Artist; Charlie "Papa" Jackson - Primary Artist; Elmore James - Primary Artist; Skip James - Primary Artist; Blind Lemon Jefferson - Primary Artist; Blind Willie Johnson - Primary Artist; J.J. Johnson - Primary Artist; Lonnie Johnson - Primary Artist; Louise Johnson - Primary Artist; Robert Johnson - Primary Artist; Tommy Johnson - Primary Artist; B.B. King - Primary Artist; Phil Leadbetter - Primary Artist; Furry Lewis - Primary Artist; Charley Lincoln - Primary Artist; Little Walter - Primary Artist; Robert Lockwood, Jr. - Primary Artist; Tommy McClennan - Primary Artist; Kansas Joe McCoy - Primary Artist; Minnie McCoy - Primary Artist; Brownie McGhee - Primary Artist; Blind Willie McTell - Primary Artist; Memphis Jug Band - Primary Artist; Memphis Minnie - Primary Artist; Big Maceo Merriweather - Primary Artist; Mississippi Sheiks - Primary Artist; McKinley Morganfield - Primary Artist; Hambone Willie Newbern - Primary Artist; Robert Nighthawk - Primary Artist; Charley Patton - Primary Artist; Robert Petway - Primary Artist; Ma Rainey - Primary Artist; Blind Joe Reynolds - Primary Artist; J. Rogers - Primary Artist; Allen Shaw - Primary Artist; Johnny Shines - Primary Artist; Bessie Smith - Primary Artist; Clara Smith - Primary Artist; Mamie Smith - Primary Artist; Victoria Spivey - Primary Artist; Frank Stokes - Primary Artist; Roosevelt Sykes - Primary Artist; Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Primary Artist; Sam Theard - Primary Artist; Henry Thomas - Primary Artist; Henry Townsend - Primary Artist; B.K. Turner - Primary Artist; T-Bone Walker - Primary Artist; Sippie Wallace - Primary Artist; Washboard Sam - Primary Artist; Muddy Waters - Primary Artist; Curley Weaver - Primary Artist; Sylvester Weaver - Primary Artist; Casey Bill Weldon - Primary Artist; Bukka White - Primary Artist; Robert Wilkins - Primary Artist; Big Joe Williams - Primary Artist; Luther Williams - Primary Artist; Sonny Boy Williamson II - Primary Artist; Sonny Boy Williamson I - Primary Artist; Jimmy Witherspoon - Primary Artist; Oscar Woods - Primary Artist.
Tracklist:
1-01. Mississippi Boweavil Blues - Charley Patton
1-02. My Black Mama (Part 1) - Son House
1-03. Future Blues - Willie Brown
1-04. Canned Heat - Tommy Johnson
1-05. Left Alone Blues - Ishman Bracey
1-06. Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped The Devil) - Robert Johnson
1-07. Kind Hearted Woman Blues - Robert Johnson
1-08. Wind Howlin' Blues - David "Honeyboy" Edwards
1-09. Devil Got My Woman - Skip James
1-10. Shake 'em Up - Bukka White
1-11. Sittin' On The Top Of The World - Mississippi Sheiks
1-12. Stack O'lee Blues - Mississippi John Hurt
1-13. Barrelhouse Blues - Ed Andrews
1-14. Catfish Blues - Robert Petway
1-15. Bottle It Up And Go - Tommy McClennan
1-16. Bull Frog Blues - William Harris
1-17. Mule Skinners Blues - Jimmie Rodgers
1-18. Farewell Blues - Sol Hoopii
1-19. Old Original Kokomo Blues - Kokomo Arnold
1-20. Country Blues - Muddy Waters
1-21. I Be's Troubled - Muddy Waters
1-22. Boogie Chillen - John Lee Hooker
1-23. Little Boy Blue - Robert Lockwood Jr.
1-24. Ramblin' - Johnny Shines
1-25. Yellow Dog Blues - Sam Collins
2-01. Matchbox Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson
2-02. Ground Hog Blues - Ramblin' Thomas
2-03. Gallis Pole - Leadbelly
2-04. Evil Heart Woman Blues - Oscar Woods
2-05. Outside Woman Blues - Blind Joe Reynolds
2-06. Maxwell Street Blues - Papa Charlie Jackson
2-07. Bulldoze Blues - Henry Thomas
2-08. Black Ace - Black Ace
2-09. It's Nobody Fault But Mine - Blind Willie Johnson
2-10. The Gone Dead Train - King Solomon Hill
2-11. Woke Up With The Blues In My Fingers - Lonnie Johnson
2-12. Penitentiary Moan Blues - Texas Alexander
2-13. Katie Mae - Lightnin' Hopkins
2-14. Diddie Wa Diddie - Blind Blake
2-15. I Want Some Of Your Pie - Blind Boy Fuller
2-16. Mama T'Ain't Long For You - Blind Willie McTell
2-17. Motherless Chile Blues - Barbecue Bob
2-18. Jealous Hearted Blues - Charley Lincoln
2-19. No No Blues - Curley Weaver
2-20. Guitar Rag - Sylvester Weaver
2-21. Big Legged Woman - Brownie McGhee
2-22. Twelve Gates To The City - Rev. Gary Davis
2-23. Every Day In The Week Blues - Pink Anderson
2-24. Runaway Man Blues - Floyd "Dipper Boy" Council
2-25. Divin' Duck Blues - Sleepy John Estes
3-01. Careless Love Blues - Bessie Smith
3-02. Goin' Crazy With The Blues - Mamie Smith
3-03. Whip It To A Jelly - Clara Smith
3-04. See See Rider - Ma Rainey
3-05. Mister Man (Part 1) - Ida Cox
3-06. Murder In The First Degree - Victoria Spivey
3-07. I'm A Mighty Tight Woman - Sippie Wallace
3-08. Black Angel Blues - Lucille Bogan
3-09. Long Way From Home - Louise Johnson
3-10. Downhearted Blues - Alberta Hunter
3-11. Rock Island Blues - Furry Lewis
3-12. Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home - Gus Cannon
3-13. Rollin' And Tumblin' Blues - Hambone Willie Newbern
3-14. Moanin' The Blues - Allen Shaw
3-15. He's In The Jailhouse Now - Memphis Jug Band
3-16. That's No Way To Get Along - Robert Wilkins
3-17. What's The Matter Blues - Frank Stokes
3-18. How Long, How Long Blues - Leroy Carr
3-19. Cow Cow Blues - Cow Cow Davenport
3-20. Bricks In My Pillow - Bumble Bee Slim
3-21. The Honeydripper - Roosevelt Sykes
3-22. Strut That Thing - Cripple Clarence Lofton
3-23. Blues At Midnight - Memphis Slim
3-24. Gangster's Blues - Peetie Wheatstraw
3-25. Kokomo Blues - Scrapper Blackwell
4-01. Key To The Highway - Big Bill Broonzy
4-02. Baby Please Don't Go - Big Joe Williams
4-03. Poor Man Blues - Henry Townsend
4-04. You Can't Get That Stuff No More - Tampa Red
4-05. Worried Life Blues - Maceo Merriweather
4-06. Jockey Blues - Jazz Gillum
4-07. That's All Right - Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
4-08. When The Levee Breaks - Joe McCoy
4-09. Me And My Chauffeur - Memphis Minnie
4-10. Guitar Swing - Casey Bill Weldon
4-11. Mama Don't Allow Nº 2 - Washboard Sam
4-12. Gipsy Woman - Muddy Waters
4-13. Moanin' At Midnight - Howlin' Wolf
4-14. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl - Sonny Boy Williamson
4-15. Eyesight To The Blind - Sonny Boy Williamson (II)
4-16. Evans Shuffle - Little Walter
4-17. This Train - Sister Rosetta Tharpe
4-18. Prowling Nighthawk - Robert Nighthawk
4-19. Ain't Nobody's Business Pt. 1 - Jimmy Witherspoon
4-20. Dust My Broom - Elmore James
4-21. B. B. Boogie - B.B. King
4-22. Three O'Clock Blues - B.B. King
4-23. Everyday I Have The Blues - Lowell Fulson
4-24. Mean Old World - T-Bone Walker
4-25. Call It Stormy Monday - T-Bone Walker