CD-Charts Position 101
Average Rating:

Sonny & Brownie at Sugar Hill

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee

Release Date July 01, 1991
In the early 1960's San Francisco had a remarkable two block section called the Broadway strip. Here one could find clubs featuring most every ethnic variety of music - except the blues. When Sugar Hill opened in May of 1961, the void was filled. Terry and McGhee had a following in the Bay area from their concerts but now blues fans could see them in a club setting, which let their talent, authenticity, and charisma shine more brightly.

The songs on this disc are all originals (I Got A Little Girl, however, is quite similar to Robert Johnson's I Got A Woman) and, though the duo had played in Europe and many big US cities, show how they dug deep into their souls as they continue to inovate and make each song better. Sometimes the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 102
Average Rating:

Mr. Scrapper's Blues

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Scrapper Blackwell

Release Date July 31, 2001
Francis "Scrapper" Blackwell was not only one of the legendary pre-war virtouosos - who, as Leroy Carr's guitarist, essentially defined what is now called "urban blues" - but a capable singer-songwriter, too. In this album he essentialy re-visited some of his pre-war material (e.g. "Penal Farm Blues", his first 78rpm single) and managed to create an album which, I think, should be included in every collection that prouds to have gone deep into the blues.

Although age had by then left visible signs on Blackwell's voice, he is at least moving singing "Goin' Where The Monon Crosses The Yellow Dog", and also in moments like "Little Boy Blue" or "Shady Lane". But, although these are good reasons to buy this album themselves, the most stunning performance ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 103
Average Rating:

A Bothered Mind

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: R.L. Burnside

Release Date August 17, 2004
Reading all the gushing positive reviews, I'm sitting here scratching my head, wondering whether they're perhaps listening to a different CD than what I have. When I first put on this album, it sounded fairly exciting. With the beefy blues riffs and funky beats, I thought I was in for a good time. But the truth is, once you hear the first ten seconds of any track, you've heard it all. This isn't minimalism, it's just simplicity. There's little variety, no depth, and when you hear the initial phrase of any given track repeat for the nth time, you can't help but wonder - what's the point? I have to give credit to Lyrics Born though - the two tracks that he raps on are hands down the best, though even they follow the rinse/repeat formula. It's too bad that his flows ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 104
Average Rating:

D.C. Blues: Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 2

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Mississippi John Hurt

Release Date August 16, 2005
I love this album. Mississippi John Hurt has such a soothing voices. This is a must for any blues fan, or anyone who likes to listen to music for that matter.

Being from Arkansas near where the blues originated, I have been able to attend many blues festivals and hear many artists. Mississippi John Hurt ranks on the top of great blues musicians.

CD-Charts Position 105
Average Rating:

Live at Gaslight Cafe, 1965

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Son House

Release Date January 01, 2002
Eddie James "Son" House was born in 1902 and was one of the earliest blues musicians in the 1920's playing with Charlie Patton and even serving as an early mentor to Robert Johnson until Johnson left town and "sold his soul to the devil" for his amazing skills.

It is amazing that with such a paucity of recordings, this Baptist bluesman's status could forever be forged in the annals of American music as legendary. Son House recorded a mere 7 Paramount sides in 1930, some field recordings by Alan Lomax in 1941 & 1942, and some sessions in 1965 after his "rediscovery." He put the guitar down around 1942 because, as he stated in an interview in the 1960's, all of his friends were dying, from Charlie Patton to Robert Johnson......he simply thought he would be next ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 106
Average Rating:

Shake Your Moneymaker: The Best of the Fire Sessions

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Elmore James

Release Date March 20, 2001
Why the reservations?
Well, this collection only focuses on Elmore James' recordings for Bobby Robinson in the early 60s. He did remake many of his early hits for Robinson's Fire, Fury and Enjoy labels, and often in even better versions, but a few early-50s classics are missing, so "Shake Your Moneymaker" doesn't really work as a definitive Elmore James-compilation.

But let's forget about what's not here for a moment, and look at what is:
"Shake Your Moneymaker: The Best Of The Fire Sessions" gathers sixteen songs from the "King Of The Slide Guitar" box set, perfectly showcasing Elmore James' incredibly intense, slide guitar-driven electric blues. James was equally at home playing a smouldering slow blues like "The Sky Is Crying", and laying down raw, rollicking ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 107
Average Rating:

Heroes of the Blues: The Very Best of Fred McDowell

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Mississippi Fred McDowell

Release Date September 09, 2003
This CD makes the perfect introduction to Mississippi Fred. He was a fine, interesting blues artist and it is easily worth the money.

CD-Charts Position 108
Average Rating:

Medicine Show Man, Vol. 2

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Pink Anderson

Release Date July 20, 1999
Pink Anderson's "I Got Mine" and "Travelin' Man" are both fantastic. However, the rest of the material on this disc is not quite as great as the stuff on the first and third volumes of Anderson's recordings on the Bluesville label. That is the sole reason I'm giving this disc four stars, and not five. Pink's few recordings with Simmie Dooley from the heyday of Country Blues are fantastic, and one should definitely seek them out. Listen to Frank Stokes' "I Got Mine" and then Pink's version. They are quite different, but both are highly memorable.

CD-Charts Position 109
Average Rating:

John Work III: Recording Black Culture

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Nathan Frazier, Frank Patterson, Fairfield Four, Heavenly Gate Quartet, Al Washington, Joe Holmes, Muddy Waters, John Wesley Work

Release Date August 31, 2007
Bruce Nemerov's accompanying booklet won the Grammy in 2008 as the "Best Album Notes of the year." They are really a contribution to serious thinking about the Black folk music tradition. Bruce opens a door into the life and work of John Work III. I hope Nemerov follows up with more substantial publication on the importance of John Work III.



As a student of Black folk music who admires John Work III, my emphasis is more on the meaning of these recordings. But I want to say this is just good music if you don't care about its cultural significance. I find it hard to get through each track without hitting the replay button on my CD player. For those not familiar with Black folk music, this recording will open the door to all kinds of good music that will stay in your ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 110
Average Rating:

King of the Blues

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: B.B. King

Release Date August 11, 2003
Bruce Nemerov's accompanying booklet won the Grammy in 2008 as the "Best Album Notes of the year." They are really a contribution to serious thinking about the Black folk music tradition. Bruce opens a door into the life and work of John Work III. I hope Nemerov follows up with more substantial publication on the importance of John Work III.



As a student of Black folk music who admires John Work III, my emphasis is more on the meaning of these recordings. But I want to say this is just good music if you don't care about its cultural significance. I find it hard to get through each track without hitting the replay button on my CD player. For those not familiar with Black folk music, this recording will open the door to all kinds of good music that will stay in your ... Read More: