CD-Charts Position 191
Average Rating:

Pee-Wee Get My Gun

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: T-Model Ford

Release Date May 20, 1997
I don't know what to say, but as far as Juke-Joint blues goes, this album is perfect, I mean flawless. I first saw T-Model Ford perform live when he came to my college campus. His unorthodox playing style, haunting voice, and lyrics which represent his twisted personality, are all things that make up a great bluesman, a real bluesman. All of these things are expressed to the 10th degree in this album.

This is his first album, which he didn't record until he was 75 years old, and in my opinion it is his best. "Cut You Loose" is in my opinion the best track on the album. If your looking for unrefined blues, the kind that makes you want to down a bottle of whiskey and howl at the moon, then this is for you.

Also ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 192
Average Rating:

The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Sonny Boy Williamson II

Release Date June 08, 1993
I saw recently where Elvis Costello had this, or some other SBW collection, in his current Top Ten play list. That got me thinking.

Handyman owns a fairly deep collection of wide ranging, well-worn and warped blues LPs.
My most heavily traveled avenue of interest being the post-war 1950's Chicago blues scene.

I have a few vinyl volumes of SBW Chess material. Those recordings are desert island blues picks for me.

Sonny Boy Williamson's take on the blues has a particular funky edge, a particular off-beat that I cannot describe in musical terminology, but which I have always found distinctive and attractive.

The goldmines of the frontliners; Muddy Waters, Howlin'Wolf, Elmore James,John Lee ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 193
Average Rating:

Southern Journey, Vol. 5: Bad Man Ballads - Songs Of Outlaws And Desperadoes

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Various Artists

Release Date April 22, 1997
While you can certainly buy music with better production (these songs were produced "on the spot" in sometimes less than ideal conditions),better musicianship and more competent vocals, you would be hard pressed to find a contemporary collection that is more heartfelt and stirring as the one offered here. This music embodies our past ~ the roots from which grew blues and bluegrass. The "artists" represented on this CD are just plain folks that learned their instruments and songs from family and friends,passed down from the preceding generations. When taken within the context of the collection each selection is a gem on its own. Among these gems, many have a rare and haunting beauty. You should buy this CD if you have even a passing interest ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 194
Average Rating:

The Definitive Blind Willie McTell

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Blind Willie McTell

Release Date May 10, 1994
This is Columbia's McTell 2-CD boxed set. The text on the back of the box tells us that the collection is complete, but doesn't specify what they means by "complete". It lacks Statesboro Blues, which means the collection is neither complete nor definitive. Typical of Columbia remastering of old blues or jazz recordings, the surface noise is minimized at the expense of depth of the actual recording. McTell's booming 12-string sounds rather thin on these Colombia remasterings.

For better alternatives, there's a new Yazoo "best-of" collection which will probably be the CD of choice if you want a one-CD collection. These guys are reliably excellent with digital remastering of early blues recordings. Then there's JSP's boxed set (5-CDs) of complete early ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 195
Average Rating:

Free & Equal Blues

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Josh White

Release Date March 17, 1998
Josh White's Free and Equal Blues is a wonderful album, full of personal and political stories. Just the liner notes about Mr. White's life are worth the price of the CD, but the songs are truly glorious. Some are funny, and some are heartbreaking, but all of them are sung with great feeling and a gorgeous, smooth voice. It's been said that some of his songs are predecessors to rap music. Whether that's true or not, Josh White's music is a real treat, even after more than 60 years. Get it!

CD-Charts Position 196
Average Rating:

King of the Electric Blues

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Muddy Waters

Release Date October 07, 1997
This is a compilation of Muddy Waters later work. Most of it was recorded in the late 1970's. It is a list of all his most popular songs and a good way to introduce someone to Muddy Waters.

CD-Charts Position 197
Average Rating:

Fixin' to Die

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Bukka White

Release Date April 19, 2004
He was born Booker T. Washington White (Bukka became his name due to a mistake in one of his recording sessions many years later) in 1909, and had a career lasting until 1977. His first recording session was in 1930; he didn't make much of an impression since he did not record anything else until 1937. This CD features his early recordings, made in 1930, 1937, 1939, and 1940.

The liner notes identify him as one of the early greats, the end of the line of blues players originating with Charley Patton and Son House (with Tommy Johnson thrown in for good measure). From this early generation came later well know blues players such as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters.

Anyhow, what about his craft and his art? Three cuts illustrate:

"The ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 198
Average Rating:

The Blues Roots of the Rolling Stones

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Various Artists

Release Date March 25, 2008
He was born Booker T. Washington White (Bukka became his name due to a mistake in one of his recording sessions many years later) in 1909, and had a career lasting until 1977. His first recording session was in 1930; he didn't make much of an impression since he did not record anything else until 1937. This CD features his early recordings, made in 1930, 1937, 1939, and 1940.

The liner notes identify him as one of the early greats, the end of the line of blues players originating with Charley Patton and Son House (with Tommy Johnson thrown in for good measure). From this early generation came later well know blues players such as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters.

Anyhow, what about his craft and his art? Three cuts illustrate:

"The ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 199
Average Rating:

The Complete Folkways Recordings

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Lonnie Johnson

Release Date July 13, 1992
Although some hardcore Blues fans may complain about songs like "Old Rocking Chair" and "My Mother's Eyes" being on this album, the fact is that Lonnie Johnson sounded phenomenal when he crooned. This just isn't the Lonnie album for the guitar nerd; that's all. The interview at the end of the disc about his entire family being musicians is fascinating. Also, despite people often listing his birth year as 1899, he was really born in 1889, according to more modern scholarship.

CD-Charts Position 200
Average Rating:

American Folk Blues Festival, 1962-1965

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Various Artists

Release Date November 30, 1995
This is one of the finest collections of the blues I have heard. Well worth the money. From Mississippi Delta to Chicago, it's all here.