Release Date: 1996.
Recording Time: 73 minutes.
Recording Date: August 16, 1927 - May 22, 1941.
Release Info: CD, Compilation, IGOCD 2044 (Series: The Essential Recordings).
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Country Blues, East Coast Blues, Piedmont Blues, Pre-War Blues, Pre-War Country Blues, Ragtime, Regional Blues, Blues Revival, Folk-Blues, Songster, Vaudeville Blues.
Blues musicians from the southeastern U.S. in the 1920s and '30s had a regional guitar sound that prominently featured a driving thumb on the bass strings, while melody was picked out on the high strings, a pattern that may have evolved from earlier Appalachian banjo styles. In general, these so-called Piedmont guitarists seldom used the slide techniques of the Delta players and worked a repertoire heavy with rags and re-constituted string-band tunes. This collection from Indigo Records has tracks from some of the more familiar East Coast names, including Blind Gary Davis ("I'm Throwing Up My Hands", "Cross And Evil Woman Blues"), Josh White ("Good Gal", "Low Cotton", "Blood Red River"), Blind Blake ("You Gonna Quit Me Blues"), Carl Martin ("Farewell To You Baby", "Badly Mistreated Man", "Crow Jane", "Old Time Blues"), and Brownie McGhee ("Picking My Tomatoes", "Dealing With The Devil"). The real strengths here, however, are the tracks from relatively obscure artists like Pink Anderson & Simmie Dooley ("Every Day In The Week Blues"), Luke Jordan ("Church Bells Blues", "Pick Poor Robin Clean", "Cocaine Blues"), or Tarter & Gay ("Brownie Blues", "Unknown Blues"). Other highlights include Julius Daniels' desperate "Crow Jane Blues", and Willie Walker's jaunty "Dupree Blues" and "South Carolina Rag". While not as deep and ominous sounding as the more famous Delta players, the best of these musicians display dexterity on guitar that was unequaled elsewhere in country blues.
Credits: Pink Anderson - Composer, Performer, Primary Artist; Wilbert Andrews - Guitar, Primary Artist; Roland Armstrong - Performer, Primary Artist; Blind Blake - Composer, Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals; Sam Brooks - Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals; Julius Daniels - Arranger, Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals; Rev. Gary Davis - Composer, Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals; Simmie Dooley - Performer, Primary Artist, Synthesizer, Vocals; Les Fancourt - Liner Notes; Harry Gay - Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist; Luke Jordan - Composer, Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals; Carl Martin - Arranger, Composer, Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals; Brownie McGhee - Composer, Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals; William Moore - Composer, Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals; Chris Myers - Illustration Concept; Pink Anderson & Simmie Dooley - Primary Artist; Charlie Spand - Composer; Tarter & Gay - Primary Artist; Stephen Tarter - Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals; Traditional - Composer; Willie Walker - Composer, Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals; George Washington - Performer, Primary Artist; Jordan Webb - Performer, Primary Artist; Josh White - Composer, Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals; Robert Young - Performer, Primary Artist.
Tracklist:
- 01. Crow Jane Blues - Julius Daniels
- 02. You Gonna Quit Me Blues - Blind Blake
- 03. Church Bells Blues - Luke Jordan
- 04. Pick Poor Robin Clean - Luke Jordan
- 05. Cocaine Blues - Luke Jordan
- 06. Barbershop Rag - William Moore
- 07. Old Country Rock - William Moore
- 08. Raggin' The Blues - William Moore
- 09. Every Day In The Week Blues - Pink Anderson & Simmie Dooley
- 10. Brownie Blues - Tarter & Gay
- 11. Unknown Blues - Tarter & Gay
- 12. Dupree Blues - 1 - Willie Walker
- 13. South Carolina Rag - Willie Walker
- 14. Good Gal - Josh White
- 15. Low Cotton - Josh White
- 16. Blood Red River - Josh White
- 17. I'm Throwing Up My Hands - Blind Gary Davis
- 18. Cross And Evil Woman Blues - Blind Gary Davis
- 19. Farewell To You Baby - Carl Martin
- 20. Badly Mistreated Man - Carl Martin
- 21. Crow Jane - Carl Martin
- 22. Old Time Blues - Carl Martin
- 23. Picking My Tomatoes - Brownie McGhee
- 24. Dealing With The Devil - Brownie McGhee
Personnel: (1) Julius Daniels - Vocals, Guitar, Wilbert Andrews - Guitar; (2) Blind Blake - Vocals, Guitar; (3) Luke Jordan - Vocals, Guitar; (4) Luke Jordan - Vocals, Guitar; (5) Luke Jordan - Vocals, Guitar; (6) William Moore - Vocals, Guitar; (7) William Moore - Vocals, Guitar; (8) William Moore - Vocals, Guitar; (9) Pink Anderson - Vocals, Guitar, Simmie Dooley - Vocals, Guitar; (10) Stephen Tarter - Vocals, Guitar; Harry Gay - Guitar; (11) Stephen Tarter - Vocals, Guitar; Harry Gay - Guitar; (12) Willie Walker - Vocals, Guitar, Sam Brooks - Vocals, Guitar; (13) Willie Walker - Vocals, Guitar, Sam Brooks - Guitar; (14) Josh White - Vocals, Guitar; (15) Josh White - Vocals, Guitar; (16) Josh White - Vocals, Guitar; (17) Blind Gary Davis - Vocals, Guitar; (18) Blind Gary Davis - Vocals, Guitar; (19) Carl Martin - Vocals, Guitar; Roland Armstrong - Bass; (20) Carl Martin - Vocals, Guitar; Roland Armstrong - Bass; (21) Carl Martin - Vocals, Guitar; (22) Carl Martin - Vocals, Guitar; (23) Brownie McGhee - Vocals, Guitar, George Washington - Washboard; (24) Brownie McGhee - Vocals, Guitar, Jordan Webb - Harmonica, Robert Young - Washboard.