Label: Rounder Records.
Release Date: March 30, 1994.
Recording Time: 67 minutes.
Recording Date: 1939 - 1943.
Release Info: Rounder CD 1097, Compilation.
Part of the Lomax collection of Leadbelly recordings, this set focuses on Library of Congress recordings made between 1939 and 1943, after the singer had exiled himself from the South and moved to New York City. It's the singer's usual cornucopia of blues, work songs, spirituals, children's tunes and topical songs. The centerpiece is the title track, a nearly five-minute-long monologue about heavyweight champion Jack Johnson trying to board the doomed ship and his reaction upon hearing of its eventual end. The sound is grainy and scratchy, but far superior to other issues of this same material, and a solid addition to anyone's American folk music or blues collection. ~ Cub Koda
Credits: Design – Jean Wilcox; Liner Notes (Assistance), Compiled By (Assistance) – Charles K. Wolfe; Liner Notes, Compiled By (Selections) – Kip Lornell; Mastered By (Digital Mastering) – Roger Seibel; Photography By (Cover Photo) – Stephen Deutch; Recorded By – John And Alan Lomax; Transferred By (Disc-to-tape Transfers) – Mike Donaldson; Written-By – A. Lomax (tracks: 1 to 9, 11 to 15, 17), H. Ledbetter (tracks: 1 to 18), J. Lomax (tracks: 1 to 9, 11 to 15, 17).
Tracklist:
- 01. Blind Lemon Blues (4:09)
- 02. Mister Tom Hughes' Town (2:15)
- 03. Shreveport Jail (2:02)
- 04. Don't You Love Me No More (3:46)
- 05. Henry Ford Blues (3:32)
- 06. Julie Ann Johnson (2:06)
- 07. Angola Blues (So Doggone Soon) (4:14)
- 08. Dallas & Fort Worth Blues (4:27)
- 09. Mary Don't You Weep (4:44)
- 10. Easy Mr. Tom (3:09)
- 11. I Ain't Bothered A Bit (4:03)
- 12. Boll Weevil (3:37)
- 13. The Titanic (4:41)
- 14. Red Cross Sto' (3:32)
- 15. Fo' Day Worry Blues (3:54)
- 16. Hesitation Blues (2:32)
- 17. Take Me Back (1:21)
- 18. Tight Like That (3:07)
- 19. Sail On Little Girl (5:30)
All tracks recorded between 1939 to 1943.
Mistitling:
"Band 123-B ["Matchbox Blues"; instead of the intended 123-A, "Blind Lemon Blues"] appears on Rounder 1097 in error and titled Blind Lemon Blues." (Blues and gospel records 1890-1943, Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 518)