Series: The Essential Recordings.
Release Date: April 1, 1997.
Recording Time: 74 minutes.
Recording Date: 1929 - 1942.
Release Info: IGOCD 2039, CD, Compilation.
"Down The Dirt Road: The Essential Recordings Of Mississippi Blues" is a compilation album released in 1996 by the UK-based label Indigo Recordings. It features 24 tracks from the 1920s through the 1940s, showcasing influential figures in the country and Delta blues traditions.
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Drawn from vintage 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s 78s, Down the Dirt Road does a wonderful job of presenting Mississippi's country blues tradition on a single disc, with signature songs from Charley Patton ("Down the Dirt Road Blues"), Tommy Johnson ("Canned Heat Blues"), Skip James ("I'm So Glad"), Big Joe Williams ("49 Highway Blues"), and Bukka White ("Fixin' to Die Blues"), along with tracks by lesser-known figures like Garfield Akers ("Dough Roller Blues") and Tommy McClennan ("Cross Cut Saw Blues"). There are countless blues compilations out there, but this one has obviously been carefully assembled, and it presents the pure Mississippi roots of the genre. ~ Steve Leggett
Credits: Design - One To One; Illustration - Chris Myers; Liner Notes - Les Fancourt.
Tracklist:
- 01. Charley Patton - Down The Dirt Road Blues
- 02. Tommy Johnson - Maggie Campbell Blues
- 03. Tommy Johnson - Canned Heat Blues
- 04. Tommy Johnson - Big Fat Mama
- 05. Rube Lacy - Mississippi Jail House Groan
- 06. Garfield Akers - Dough Roller Blues
- 07. Willie Brown - M & O Blues
- 08. Son House - Dry Spell Blues
- 09. Skip James - I'm So Glad
- 10. Skip James - Special Rider Blues
- 11. Skip James - Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues
- 12. Skip James - 22-20 Blues
- 13. Big Joe Williams - 49 Highway Blues
- 14. Big Joe Williams - Somebody's Been Borrowing My Stuff
- 15. Johnny Temple - Lead Pencil Blues
- 16. Bukka White - Fixin' To Die Blues
- 17. Bukka White - Parchman Farm Blues
- 18. Robert Petway - Ride 'Em On Down
- 19. Robert Lockwood - Black Spider Blues
- 20. Robert Lockwood - Little Boy Blue
- 21. Tommy McClennan - Cross Cut Saw Blues
- 22. Willie "61" Blackwell - Machine Gun Blues
- 23. Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup - If I Get Lucky
- 24. Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup - Mean Old Frisco Blues
Track 01: Vocals, Guitar - Charley Patton; Written-By - Patton.
Track 02: Guitar - Charlie McCoy; Vocals, Guitar - Tommy Johnson; Written-By - Johnson.
Track 03: Vocals, Guitar - Tommy Johnson; Written-By - Johnson.
Track 04: Vocals, Guitar - Tommy Johnson; Written-By - Johnson.
Track 05: Vocals, Guitar - Rube Lacy; Written-By - Lacy.
Track 06: Vocals, Guitar - Garfield Akers; Written By - Jones.
Track 07: Vocals, Guitar - Willie Brown; Written-By - Brown.
Track 08: Vocals, Guitar - Son House; Written-By - House.
Track 09: Vocals, Guitar - Skip James; Written-By - James.
Track 10: Vocals, Guitar - Skip James; Written-By - James.
Track 11: Vocals, Guitar - Skip James; Written-By - James.
Track 12: Vocals, Piano - Skip James; Written-By - James.
Track 13: Vocals, Guitar - Big Joe Williams; Written-By - Williams.
Track 14: Vocals, Guitar - Big Joe Williams; Written-By - Williams.
Track 15: Guitar - Charlie McCoy; Vocals, Guitar - Johnny Temple; Written-By - Temple.
Track 16: Vocals, Guitar - Bukka White; Washboard - Washboard Sam; Written-By - White.
Track 17: Vocals, Guitar - Bukka White; Washboard - Washboard Sam; Written-By - White.
Track 18: Bass - Albert Elkins; Vocals, Guitar - Robert Petway; Written-By - Petway.
Track 19: Bass - Alfred Elkins; Vocals, Guitar - Robert Lockwood; Written-By - Lockwood.
Track 20: Bass - Alfred Elkins; Vocals, Guitar - Robert Lockwood; Written-By - Lockwood.
Track 21: Bass - Unknown Artist; Vocals, Guitar - Tommy McClennan; Written-By - Hollins.
Track 22: Bass - Alfred Elkins; Vocals, Guitar - Willie "61" Blackwell; Written-By - Blackwell.
Track 23: Bass - Joe McCoy; Vocals, Guitar - Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup; Written-By - Crudup.
Track 24: Bass - Ransom Knowling; Vocals, Guitar - Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup; Written-By - Crudup.