Release Date: January 23, 2001.
Recording Time: 44 minutes.
Release Info: SFW CD 40132, CD, Album, Reissue.
"Mississippi Delta Bluesman" is a landmark acoustic blues album by the legendary Grammy-winning guitarist and singer David "Honeyboy" Edwards. Originally recorded in the 1970s and reissued by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings on January 23, 2001, the album stands as a raw, unplugged masterpiece that perfectly bridges pre-war Mississippi Delta roots and post-war Chicago blues.
About Honeyboy Edwards:
David "Honeyboy" Edwards (b. June 28, 1915 - d. August 29, 2011) was an iconic Mississippi Delta blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He served as a living bridge between the raw, acoustic pre-war blues of the Delta and the electrified post-war scene in Chicago. Honeyboy Edwards was one of the last living links to the pioneers of Delta blues. He traveled, learned from, and performed alongside legendary figures like Charley Patton, Big Joe Williams, Tommy Johnson, and Robert Johnson. Notably, Edwards was present the night Robert Johnson was fatally poisoned. This 44-minute solo recording captures Edwards in an intimate, unplugged setting. It features his signature string-snapping acoustic guitar work and deep, soulful, gruff vocals.
More details:
David "Honeyboy" Edwards embodies the continuity from blues' Mississippi Delta roots to electric Chicago blues. Honeyboy's string-snapping guitar riffs and soulful voice harken back to his friends and teachers Charley Patton, Big Joe Williams, Tommy Johnson, and Robert Johnson, who first forged the blues in Delta jooks and at country suppers during the Depression. Edwards crisscrossed the South in the company of such blues giants as Big Walter Horton, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Little Walter Jacobs. He settled in Chicago, where a post-WWII electric blues boom set the pattern for modern rock and roll. This recording captures him in a relaxed, unplugged, solo moment. Deep Delta blues from Robert Johnson's sidekick, whose searing vocals and stinging guitar bridge pre-war and post-war blues. Reissue of Folkways 3539. 44 minutes. 26-page booklet.
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Edwards presented a mixture of originals and covers of songs by the likes of Tommy Johnson, Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Charley Patton, and Memphis Minnie on this solo country blues session, originally issued by Folkways in 1979. There's nothing extraordinary about this album, true, but it's solid Delta blues that feels lived in. Edwards does much to add interest and variety to the material by varying between chording and single-string playing and high and low notes, and changing the rhythms unpredictably, sometimes with a stop-start feel. His husky voice is warm and communicative, if not as distinctive as some of the legends he hung out with, which included Patton, Robert Johnson, and others. ~ Richie Unterberger
Credits: Artwork (Sleeve Design) - Joe Parisi; Coordinator (Production) - Mary Monseur; Edited By (Editorial Assistance) - Carla Borden; Liner Notes - Barry Lee Pearson; Mastered by - Pete Reiniger; Photography by (Cover, Booklet Cover) - James Fraher; Producer - Verna Gillis; Supervised by (Production) - Anthony Seeger, D. A. Sonneborn.
Tracklist:
- 01. Big Fat Mama (Written by Tommy Johnson) [2:58]
- 02. Catfish Blues (Written by Robert Petway) [3:30]
- 03. Sweet Home Chicago / Dust My Broom (Written by Robert Johnson) [3:57]
- 04. Blues Worry Me All The Time (Written by David Edwards) [3:36]
- 05. Ride With Me Tonight (Written by Chester Burnett) [3:33]
- 06. Next Time You See Me (Written by Bill Harvey, Earl Forest) [4:27]
- 07. Remarks By Honeyboy Edwards [2:06]
- 08. Pony Blues (Written by Charley Patton) [3:28]
- 09. Things Gonna Be Alright (Written by Sam Maghett) [4:07]
- 10. I Feel So Good Today (Written by David Edwards) [3:33]
- 11. Further On Up The Road (Written by Don Robey, Joe Veasey) [4:20]
- 12. You're The One For Me (Written by Jimmy Rogers) [2:51]
- 13. Bumble Bee (Written by Memphis Minnie) [2:31]