Big Joe Williams - Baby Please Don't Go: The Collection 1935-1962

Size: 839 MB
Time: 5:54:14
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2024
Styles: Country Blues, Delta Blues
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Little Leg Woman (Joe Williams) (3:07)
02. Somebody's Been Borrowing That Stuff (Joe Williams) (3:04)
03. Providence Help The Poor People (Joe Williams) (3:05)
04. My Grey Pony (Joe Williams) (3:10)
05. Highway 49 Blues (Joe Williams) (3:07)
06. Stepfather Blues (Joe Williams) (3:08)
07. Wild Cow Blues (Joe Williams Washboard Blues) (3:19)
08. Baby Please Don't Go (Joe Williams Washboard Blues) (3:24)
09. Worried Man Blues (Joe Williams Washboard Blues) (2:38)
10. Stack O Dollars (Joe Williams Washboard Blues) (3:09)
11. Brother James (Joe Williams) (2:52)
12. I Know You Gonna Miss Me (Joe Williams) (3:00)
13. I Won't Be In Hard Luck Any More (2:38)
14. Rootin' Ground Hog (Joe Williams) (2:55)
15. Crawling King Snake (Joe Williams) (2:49)
16. Meet Me Around The Corner (Joe Williams) (2:56)
17. I'm Getting Wild About Her (Joe Williams) (2:46)
18. Peach Orchard Mama (Joe Williams) (2:41)
19. Please Don't Go (Joe Williams) (2:46)
20. Break Em On Down (Joe Williams) (3:13)
21. Someday Baby (Joe Williams) (3:09)
22. Highway 49 (Joe Williams) (3:12)
23. Somebody's Been Worrying (3:10)

CD 2:
01. Vitamin A (Joe Williams)(Joe Williams) (2:47)
02. His Spirit Lives On (2:44)
03. Good Mr. Roosevelt (Joe Williams) (2:43)
04. Wild Cow Moan (Joe Williams) (2:53)
05. Baby, Please Don't Go (Joe Williams) (2:48)
06. Stack O' Dollars (Joe Williams) (2:48)
07. Mellow Apples (Joe Williams) (2:47)
08. House Lady Blues (Joe Williams) (2:57)
09. Banta Rooster Blues (Joe Williams) (2:59)
10. Don't You Leave Me Here (2:52)
11. King Biscuit Stomp (2:33)
12. P Vine Blues (Joe Williams) (3:11)
13. I'm A Highway Man (Joe Williams) (2:53)
14. Jivin' Woman (Joe Williams) (2:48)
15. She's A Married Woman (Joe Williams) (2:40)
16. Mama Don't Allow Me (Joe Williams) (2:43)
17. Delta Blues (Joe Williams) (2:39)
18. Overhauling Blues (Joe Lee Williams)
(2:45)
19. Whistling Pines (Joe Lee Williams)
(2:33)
20. She Left Me A Mule (Joe Lee Williams)
(2:27)
21. Bad Heart Blues (Joe Lee Williams)
(2:44)
22. Goin’ Back (2:50)
23. My Baby Left (2:39)
24. King's Highway (2:21)
25. Eula Mae (2:18)
26. All I Want Is My Train Fare Home (2:47)

CD 3:
01. I'm Talking About You (2:46)
02. Joe Williams' Blues (4:44)
03. Don't Leave Me Here (2:14)
04. Crawlin' King Snake (2:49)
05. Cow Cow Blues (2:34)
06. I May Be Wrong (3:45)
07. Keep A-Knockin' (2:35)
08. Baby Please Don't Go (3:07)
09. Drop Down Mama (2:31)
10. Mellow Peaches (3:11)
11. No More Whisky (3:14)
12. Tailor Made Babe (3:37)
13. Big Joe Talking (3:38)
14. Some Day Baby (3:01)
15. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (3:15)
16. Peach Orchard Mama (Album Version)
(3:45)
17. Juanita (3:26)
18. Shetland Pony Blues (3:10)
19. Omaha Blues (3:29)
20. Sloppy Drunk Blues (2:45)
21. Yo Yo Blues (A Levee Camp Moan)
(3:08)
22. President Roosevelt (3:48)

CD 4:
01. Forty-Four Blues (3:08)
02. Greystone Blues (2:31)
03. I Want My Crown (2:18)
04. Mean Stepfather (2:44)
05. Brother James (3:36)
06. Shake Your Boogie (2:19)
07. Vitamin A Blues (3:01)
08. She Left Me A Mule To Ride (2:34)
09. So Glad (4:10)
10. Highway 49 Blues (3:49)
11. Poor Beggar (3:23)
12. Blues Left Texas (3:20)
13. 13 Highway (2:29)
14. Down In The Bottom (2:32)
15. Overhaul Your Machine (2:17)
16. That Thing's In Town (3:47)
17. Walk On, Little Girl (2:56)
18. Tiajuana Blues (3:17)
19. 45 Blues (3:10)
20. Arkansas Woman (3:12)
21. Four Corners Of The World (4:13)
22. I Got The Best King Biscuit (3:17)
23. Haunted House Blues (2:37)

CD 5:
01. I Done Stop Hollering (4:16)
02. I Got A Bad Mind (2:21)
03. Long Tall Woman, Skinny Mama Too (3:51)
04. Stack Of Dollars (3:20)
05. Indiana Woman Blues (4:40)
06. My Baby Keeps Hanging Around (2:44)
07. Jiving The Blues (3:43)
08. Jump Baby Jump! (3:09)
09. whistling Pines (2:56)
10. Bluebird Blues (3:25)
11. She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain (3:18)
12. Elevate Me Baby (3:14)
13. Mama Don't Allow Me To Fool Around All Night Long (4:18)
14. Kings Highway Blues (2:56)
15. Somebody's Been Fooling No. 1 (2:52)
16. T.B. Blues (3:33)
17. King Biscuit Stomp (4:43)
18. Delta Blues (2:57)
19. Somebody's Been Fooling No. 3 (3:43)
20. Rooting Ground Hog (3:11)
21. Don't Leave Me Here (2:40)

Big Joe Williams was a Delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist famous for the distinctive sound of his unique nine-string guitar, as well as for recording classic songs like “Baby Please Don’t Go” and “Crawling King Snake”. His career was remarkable for the fact that he recorded through every decade from the mid-1930s into the‘70s, although his periods of active recording were somewhat erratic, while he maintained a constant round of ‘live’ performing. This great-value 115 –track 5-CD set comprises most of the A & B sides of his releases on the Bluebird, Columbia, Bullet, Trumpet & VeeJay labels from 1935 to 1957, plus EP titles and the titles from his albums “Piney Woods Blues”, “A Man Sings The Blues, “Tough Times”, “Blues On Highway 69”, “Nine-String Guitar Blues” and “Mississippi’s Big Joe Williams & his Nine-String Guitar” from 1957 through to 1962. It includes recordings where he is accompanied by noted contemporaries like Sonny Boy Williamson, Ransom Knowling, Robert Lee McCoy, Judge Riley and others. He was one of the most impressive blues performers of his era who inspired many artists of later years like Bob Dylan, and this substantial collection offers an entertaining showcase for a highly original and influential artist.

Baby Please Don't Go: The Collection 1935-1962 MP3
Baby Please Don't Go: The Collection 1935-1962 FLAC

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Big Joe Williams - Don't Your Plums Look Mellow Hanging on Your Tree

Size: 89,4 MB
Time: 37:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1974
Styles: Delta Blues
Art: Front
Vinyl rip

1. Don't Your Plums Look Mellow Hanging On Your Tree (2:43)
2. Working On The Levy (Night & Day) (3:22)
3. Things Gonna Come My Way (3:49)
4. Mad Mad Blues (3:58)
5. Southern Whistle Blow (3:37)
6. This Old London Town (2:53)
7. Baby Please Don't Go (3:00)
8. Franklin Street Blues (2:44)
9. She Won't Do Right (3:24)
10. Going Down Home (3:43)
11. Sugar Hill (3:43)

Big Joe Williams was known as a fighter and a difficult man to work with, but he was mostly respected for his musicality. Career Big Joe Williams was born Joseph Lee Williams (1903) in Crawford, Mississippi. He became a songwriter, guitarist and singer and performed all over the streets as a child. In the early 1920s he worked with Rabbit Foot Minstrels Revue as a guitarist. In 1930 he made his first recordings with the Birmingham Jug Band. In 1935, Williams signed with Bluebird Records. He scored several hits in the ten years that he stayed there, including "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Crawlin' King Snake". In the 1950s and 1960s he mainly performed as a blues guitarist, until the 1970s he toured Europe, the US and Japan and made records for various labels. Delta Blues Big Joe Williams was best known for his way of playing guitar, which was later called the Delta blues style. He put three extra strings on his guitar, giving it a total of nine strings. His way of playing was respected and still considered unique. Williams passed away in 1982.

Don't Your Plums Look Mellow Hanging on Your Tree MP3

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Various Artists - Chicago Blues Bash

Year: 1992
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:13
Size: 93,1 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Front, back

1. Junior Wells - Good Morning Schoolgirl (3:54)
2. Big Joe Williams - I Done Stopped Hollering (4:16)
3. J.B. Hutto - Blues Do Me A Favor (3:42)
4. Jimmy Johnson - Poor Boy's Dream (4:35)
5. Big Joe Williams - Jumpin' In The Moonlight (3:39)
6. Junior Wells - Early In The Morning (4:48)
7. Big Joe Williams - Indiana Woman Blues (4:39)
8. J.B. Hutto - Young Hawks' Crawl (3:20)
9. Jimmy Johnson - Take Five (3:59)
10. Big Joe Williams - You're Gonna Need Big King Jesus (3:16)

The title Chicago Blues Bash sounds as if this material was taken from live performances by some of the Windy City's finest electric bluesmen. Unfortunately, that's not the case. These ten studio tracks, taken from the vaults of Delmark Records, include Big Joe Williams, J.B. Hutto, Jimmy Johnson, Buddy Guy, and Junior Wells.

While Chicago Blues Bash contains excellent music of the genre, pass on this Laserlight issue and go directly to the source; there are many great compilations available directly from Delmark. /Al Campbell, AllMusic

Chicago Blues Bash mc
Chicago Blues Bash zippy

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Various - Worried Life Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:45
Size: 111.6 MB
Styles: Folk/Gospel/Blues, Acoustic blues
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. Sonny Boy Williamson II - Good Morning School Girl
[2:20] 2. Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup - My Baby Left Me
[2:53] 3. Big Maceo - Worried Life Blues
[3:11] 4. St. Louis Jimmy - Going Down Slow
[3:05] 5. Memphis Slim - Grinder Man Blues
[3:21] 6. Big Joe Williams - Baby Please Don't Go
[3:05] 7. Lead Belly - Midnight Special
[2:56] 8. Tampa Red - Sweet Little Angel
[3:35] 9. Tommy Johnson - Canned Heat Blues
[2:51] 10. Robert Petway - Catfish Blues
[3:15] 11. Alberta Hunter - Beale Street Blues
[2:50] 12. Big Bill Broonzy - Keep Your Hands Off Her
[2:56] 13. Lilgreen - Why Don't You Do Right
[2:55] 14. Sleepy John Estes - The Girl I Love, She Got Long, Curly Hair
[3:25] 15. Bessie Smith - Down Hearted Blues
[3:01] 16. Johnny Moore's Three Blazers - How Blue Can You Get (Downhearted)

In the year of blues, amid the Martin Scorsese films and their requisite 30 CDs of material, other labels with substantial blues holdings got in on the act to (over)saturate the market. The good news is that a lot of material came out on CD for the first time, interesting anthologies abounded, and even the harder to find works by major and mid-level artists came to the fore. Worried Life Blues is just such a collection from BMG's massive Bluebird vaults. These 16 recordings are a who's who of the pre- and WWII era (only one cut, "Sweet Little Angel" by Tampa Red, was recorded after 1948). From Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," Big Maceo's "Worried Life Blues," Bessie Smith's "Downhearted Blues," and Leadbelly's "Midnight Special" to Tommy Johnson's "Canned Heat Blues," Big Joe Williams' "Baby, Please Don't Go," Big Bill Broonzy's "Keep Your Hands Off Her," and Alberta Hunter's "Beale Street Blues," this collection runs the gamut of prewar blues. There are a couple of real surprises here, tracks not usually included on blues compilations -- though they should be: Robert Petway's "Catfish Blues," Lil Green's "Why Don't You Do Right," St. Louis Jimmy's "Goin' Down Slow," and Johnny Moore's Blazers read of "How Blue Can You Get." In all, this is a fine-sounding, well-compiled set with great notes by no less than Colin Escott. ~Thom Jurek

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Various - Chicago City Blues: The '60s

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:48
Size: 100.3 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[2:26] 1. Big Joe Williams - Sinkin' Blues
[3:19] 2. Big Joe Williams - Screamin' And Cryin'
[2:45] 3. Big Joe Williams & Paul Butterfield - Wild Cow Moan
[3:10] 4. Mighty Joe Young - I Walked All Night
[3:53] 5. Mighty Joe Young - Things I Used To Do
[4:37] 6. Otis Rush - Everyday I Have The Blues
[3:41] 7. Otis Rush - Cut You A-Loose
[6:29] 8. Otis Rush - Mean Old World
[3:26] 9. Robert Lockwood, Jr. - Blues And Trouble
[2:44] 10. Homesick James - Crossroads
[3:04] 11. Robert Lockwood, Jr. - Lockwood's Boogie
[4:09] 12. Sonny Boy Williamson II - I'm So Glad

Chicago, Illinois is a major center for music in the midwestern United States where distinctive forms of blues (greatly responsible for the future creation of rock and roll), and house music, a genre of electronic dance music, were developed.

The "Great Migration" of poor black workers from the South into the industrial cities brought traditional jazz and blues music to the city, resulting in Chicago blues and "Chicago-style" Dixieland jazz. Notable blues artists included Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Howlin' Wolf and both Sonny Boy Williamsons.

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Chicago City Blues: The '60s zippy

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Big Joe Williams - Old Saw Mill Blues: From The Archives (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:19
Size: 78.6 MB
Styles: Delta blues, Acoustic blues
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:34] 1. So Soon I'll Be Goin' My Way Back Home
[2:46] 2. Shake 'em On Down
[2:30] 3. Saturday Night Jump
[2:29] 4. Jinx Blues
[3:14] 5. Pick A Pickle
[2:32] 6. Ramblin' And Wanderin' Blues
[2:35] 7. Old Saw Mill Blues
[2:58] 8. Don't The Apples Look Mellow
[2:18] 9. El Paso Blues
[2:53] 10. Back Home Blues
[3:02] 11. Don't You Leave Me Here
[3:23] 12. Shaggy Hound Blues

Bluesman Big Joe Williams, King of the 9 string guitar, recorded this wonderful set in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1963. Old Saw Mill Blues: From The Archives. Williams' guitar playing is rooted in the delta blues style with a unique, driving rhythm topped with masterful lead lines played simultaneously - all anchored by a penetrating vocal delivery. Old Saw Mill Blues: From The Archives songs His modified acoustic guitar, with three extra strings and homemade pickup, produced an intense sound that was unique to Big Joe. Old Saw Mill Blues: From The Archives album for sale The album features a dozen Williams originals including "Shake 'em On Down," "Pick A Pickle," "Saturday Night Jump" and "Old Saw Mill Blues." All selections newly remastered.

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Sonny Boy Williamson I - Bluebird Blues: The Secret History Of Rock & Roll

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:22
Size: 165.7 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. Good Morning School Girl
[3:03] 2. Blue Bird Blues
[2:57] 3. Sugar Mama Blues
[2:33] 4. Got The Bottle Up And Gone
[2:46] 5. Early In The Morning
[2:54] 6. Whiskey Headed Blues
[3:31] 7. Decoration Blues
[3:12] 8. Deep Down In The Ground
[2:46] 9. I Been Dealing With The Devil
[2:56] 10. My Little Machine
[2:50] 11. Jivin' The Blues
[2:59] 12. Western Union Man
[3:09] 13. My Baby Made A Change
[3:03] 14. Mattie Mae Blues
[3:13] 15. Sloppy Drunk Blues
[3:02] 16. Million Years Blues
[2:42] 17. My Black Name Blues
[2:36] 18. She Was A Dreamer
[2:45] 19. Sonny Boy's Jump
[2:38] 20. Elevator Woman
[2:54] 21. Hoodoo Hoodoo
[2:33] 22. Mellow Chick Swing
[2:26] 23. Polly Put Your Kettle On
[2:47] 24. Alcohol Blues
[2:56] 25. Better Cut That Out

Bluebird Blues focuses on 25 excellent performances by John Lee Williamson (aka Sonny Boy Williamson I, not to be confused with Rice Miller aka Sonny Boy Williamson II). These tracks were originally recorded between May 1937 through November 1947 for RCA Victor and include the staples "Sugar Mama Blues," "Blue Bird Blues," and one of the most recorded tunes in both blues and rock, "Good Morning, School Girl." Joining the versatile prewar harmonica wizard on numerous tracks are Big Joe Williams, Robert Lee McCoy, Henry Townsend, Yank Rachell, Blind John Davis, Big Bill Broonzy, Willie Dixon, and Eddie Boyd. If the only Sonny Boy you're familiar with is Rice Miller, give Sonny Boy I equal space in your collection. This is a great disc to start with. ~Al Campbell

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Big Joe Williams - Shake Your Boogie

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:36
Size: 150.2 MB
Styles: Delta blues
Year: 1990
Art: Front

[2:46] 1. Sloppy Drunk Blues
[3:07] 2. Yo Yo Blues
[3:53] 3. President Roosevelt
[3:07] 4. Forty-Four Blues
[2:29] 5. Greystone Blues
[2:17] 6. I Want My Crown
[2:43] 7. Mean Stepfather
[3:38] 8. Brother James
[2:18] 9. Shake Your Boogie
[3:00] 10. Vitamin A Blues
[2:32] 11. She Left Me A Mule To Ride
[4:09] 12. So Glad
[2:44] 13. Louisiana Bound
[3:01] 14. Killing Floor Blues
[1:59] 15. Throw A Boogie Woogie
[2:14] 16. Dirt Road Blues
[2:35] 17. Montreal Blues
[2:24] 18. Take Me Out Of The Bottom
[2:39] 19. Thinking Of What They Did To Me
[2:48] 20. The Death Of Dr. Martin Luther King
[2:56] 21. Army Man In Vietnam
[1:56] 22. Creole Queen
[2:28] 23. Remember Way Back
[1:42] 24. King Jesus

Arhoolie reissued two of Big Joe Williams' seminal rediscovery albums on one disc in 1990. The first, 1960's Tough Times, ranks among his best; the second, 1969's Thinking of What They Did to Me, isn't as strong, but the two albums provide an excellent introduction to this Delta bluesman. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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Lightnin' Hopkins & The Blues Summit - Lightnin' Hopkins & The Blues Summit

Time: 63:25
Size: 145.2 MB
Source: LL
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Blues
Released: 2001
Covers: Front

1. Ain't Nothing Like Whiskey {7:57}
2. Penitentiary Blues {6:47}
3. If You Steal My Chickens, You Can't Make 'Em Lay {5:40}
4. First Meeting {7:11}
5. How Long Have It Been Since You Been Home {4:12}
6. Wimmen From Coast to Coast {5:49}
7. Right On That Shore {2:47}
8. Early Morning Blues (aka Chain Gang Blues) {5:15}
9. Blues For Gamblers {6:55}
10. I've Been Buked And I've Been Scorned {5:13}
11. Brand New Car (aka New Car Blues) {5:34}

Lightnin' Hopkins,
Big Joe Williams,
Sonny Terry,
Brownie McGhee

An official issue of a much bootlegged studio and live session, Lightnin' Hopkins & the Blues Summit was recorded in Los Angeles on July 6, 1960. Along with Hopkins, in town at the behest of John Lomax Jr., the participants were Big Joe Williams, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee, who were all completing a residency at the Ash Grove nightclub. The first half of the album is a well-lubricated studio jam session, while the even wilder second half takes place at the Ash Grove later that night. Like most straight jam sessions, this is loose to the point of messiness most of the time, with every song but one running well past the five-minute mark, with the foursome trading choruses and solos seemingly at random. Frankly, the whole thing sounds like it's on the verge of collapse three-quarters of the time, which makes moments like the sharp interplay of Terry's harp and Hopkins' finger-picked acoustic in the middle of a rave-up version of "Blues for Gamblers" that much more impressive. However, newcomers to these artists should probably start elsewhere; this is strictly for fans.
AllMusic Review by Stewart Mason

Lightnin' Hopkins & The Blues Summit

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Big Joe Williams - Shake Your Boogie

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:15
Size: 78.4 MB
Styles: Mississippi country blues
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:36] 1. Shake Your Boogie
[2:37] 2. The Death Of Dr. Martin Luther King
[1:52] 3. Taylor Made Baby
[2:05] 4. Sloppy Drunk
[4:15] 5. Please Come On Home To Me
[2:36] 6. Annie Mae
[2:29] 7. Banty Rooster Blues
[2:02] 8. Rusty Can Blues
[2:29] 9. Some Other Man Blues
[2:53] 10. Baby, Please Don't Go
[3:18] 11. Don't Your Plums Look Mellow, Hanging Up On Your Tree
[2:48] 12. Bull Cow Blues
[2:11] 13. Someday Baby

Big Joe Williams is one of the legends in both of the prewar and postwar country blues. The prewar recordings you’ll find on the CD WB003 – “Baby Please Don’t Go” and one of the best postwar LIVE-recordings on the CD 120.916 “Shake your Boogie”.

Big Joe was born on Oct. 16, 1903 in Crawford, Mississippi and developed a style of his own with his nine string guitar. He had a similar style like Tommy McClennan (WBCD-001) and Robert Petwoy (WBCD 005) (both also available on WOLF Records).

He toured in Europe and played at every important blues Festival in the U.S.. These recordings are live recordings – recorded in Jackson, MISSISSIPPI, Nov 22, 74.

Shake Your Boogie

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Big Joe Williams & J.D. Short - Stavin' Chain Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:17
Size: 115.1 MB
Styles: Country blues, Delta blues
Year: 1966/1991
Art: Front

[4:07] 1. Stavin' Chain Blues
[2:49] 2. Roll And Tumble
[3:19] 3. Mean Stepfather
[3:20] 4. You Got To Help Me Some
[3:13] 5. You're Gonna Need King Jesus
[3:36] 6. Jumpin' In The Moonlight
[3:51] 7. Rocks And Gravel
[2:45] 8. Sweet Old Kokomo
[2:47] 9. Nobody Knows Chicago
[4:05] 10. Gonna Check Up On My Baby
[3:43] 11. You're Gonna Need King Jesus
[3:20] 12. Rambled And Wandered
[3:15] 13. Going Back To Crawford, Miss
[4:12] 14. Stavin' Chain Blues
[1:49] 15. J.D. Talks

Guitar, Harmonica – J.D. Short; Vocals – J.D. Short (tracks: 1, 4, 14); Vocals, Acoustic Guitar [9 String] – Big Joe Williams. Original Recording Date: February 8, 1958. Tracks 2, 5, 7, 14 previously unissued.

A CD reissue of 1958 recordings, it includes four previously unreleased tracks. This is raw but beautiful country-blues, featuring the otherworldly sound of Big Joe's nine-string guitar. ~Niles J. Frantz

Stavin' Chain Blues

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Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Joe Williams, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry - Folk Blues Revival

Size: 128,1+130,7 MB
Time: 54:55+56:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Folk Blues. Delta Blues, Country Blues
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Introduction To Big Car Blues (Lightnin' Hopkins) (4:01)
02. Big Car Blues (Big Black Cadillac Blues) (Lightnin' Hopkins) (3:14)
03. Coffee House Blues (Lightnin' Hopkins) (2:05)
04. Stool Pigeon Blues (Lightnin' Hopkins) (3:04)
05. Ball Of Twine (Lightnin' Hopkins) (3:23)
06. How Long Have It Been Since You Been Home (Lightnin' Hopkins) (4:12)
07. First Meeting (Brownie McGhee & Lightnin' Hopkins) (7:11)
08. Blues For The Lowlands (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee) (4:49)
09. Blowin' The Fuses (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee) (6:08)
10. Walk On (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee) (3:13)
11. Po' Boy (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee) (2:45)
12. Down By The Riverside (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee) (3:16)
13. I'm A Stranger Here (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee) (4:01)
14. Trouble In Mind (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee) (3:28)

CD 2:
01. Razor Sharp Blues (Big Joe Williams) (4:14)
02. Brand New Car (New Car Blues) (Big Joe Williams & Sonny Terry) (5:28)
03. Early Morning Blues (Chain Gang Blues) (Lightnin Hopkins, Big Joe Williams, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry) (5:22)
04. Ain't Nothing Like Whiskey (Lightnin Hopkins, Big Joe Williams, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry) (7:57)
05. You Steal My Chickens, You Can't Make 'em Lay (Lightnin Hopkins, Big Joe Williams, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry) (5:41)
06. Blues For Gamblers (Three Aces On The Bottom Of The Deal) (Lightnin Hopkins, Big Joe Williams, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry) (6:44)
07. Wimmen From Coast To Coast (Lightnin Hopkins, Big Joe Williams, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry) (5:49)
08. Penitentiary Blues (Lightnin Hopkins, Big Joe Williams, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry) (6:47)
09. Buked And Scorned (You Gonna Need Somebody To Go On Your Bond) (Lightnin Hopkins, Big Joe Williams, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry) (5:22)
10. Right On That Shore (Great Gospel Blues) (Lightnin Hopkins, Big Joe Williams, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry) (2:52)

This fantastic 2 disc set features the complete historic July 1960 recordings made by Blues legends Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Joe Williams, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry in Los Angeles. Recorded early on during the great Folk and Blues revival that occurred during the 1960s, these artists were all instrumental in bringing the classic Blues style back to the mainstream and bringing Blues music to a new generation of listeners. These recordings have been issued in several forms over the years, but never in their entirety or with the quality of sound as is featured here. This set contains the live recordings from the Ash Grove, studio recordings, and also features 2 bonus tracks by Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry recorded at the Troubadour in 1961. Presented in a beautifully Digitally Remastered state this album is sure to be enjoyed by any fan of the Country or Folk Blues.

Folk Blues Revival CD 1
Folk Blues Revival CD 2

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Big Joe Williams - Baby Please Don't Go: The Essential Big Joe Williams

Big Joe Williams (born 1903) was the ultimate embodiment of the nomadic country bluesman. From age 12 he travelled all over the South up to St. Louis and Chicago for decades. In his early years, with a homemade guitar he picked up whatever little money he could by playing railroad and lumber camps and fish fries. By the early 1930s Big Joe mentored the 17 year old Honeyboy Edwards and they travelled around in Louisiana. His travels incorporated a fair amount of recording along the way. Around 1935 Big Joe settled in St. Louis for a while, playing with Peetie Wheatstraw, Charley Jordan, Henry Townsend, St. Louis Jimmy and Walter Davis. Davis already recorded for RCA Victor and he recommended Big Joe to the label. Big Joe travelled to Aurora, Illinois to record a half dozen titles. Over the next years he recorded again for Bluebird (with Robert Lee McCoy and John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson. In 1947, Columbia picked up Big Joe for a marathon session, but recording opportunities got sparser. In 1949 he cut a 45 (Jivin' Woman/She's A Married Woman) for Bullet. He made a few 45's during the 1950s, but pounding out rough country blues on his half-homemade nine-string Sovereign guitar tuned to an open G, but as powerful as these rough sides were, they were too Delta and too rustic country blues to catch the ears of the R&B crowd. In 1951 he recorded four 45's for Lillian McMurry's Trumpet label in Jackson, MS and in 1952 one 45 for Specialty. Back in Chicago in 1956, Vee Jay got Big Joe for one 45 (Goin' Back/Baby Left Town), with harpist Sam Fowler and drummer Al Duncan. The new Cobra label was next to record Big Joe in 1957, accompanied by a young white pianist Erwin Helfer. The studio was set up in the back of Eli Toscano's TV repair shop and they recorded nine songs (tracks 1-9). But Toscano deemed their duets too oldfashioned for release, and they were shelved for decades. some time later, Big Joe visited Bob Koester, owner of Delmar(k) Records, and they produced some great acoustic delta blues albums. This two-disc set collects several of those early-'50s sides, and it's vintage Williams, wonderfully ragged and wild.

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2014
Styles: Blues
Time: 42:37 + 41:24
Size: 98,4 MB + 95,6 MB
Covers: Full

Album: Baby Please Don't Go: The Essential Big Joe Williams Disc 1
(2:34) 1. Cottage Grove
(2:18) 2. Meet Me in the Bottom
(3:24) 3. Bessemer Baby
(2:05) 4. Baby Please Don't Go [Two Takes, First Incomplete]
(2:55) 5. Highway 49
(2:07) 6. Shake Your Boogie
(2:04) 7. Jump Baby Jump
(3:08) 8. Mean Mistreater
(2:14) 9. Prison Bound
(4:19) 10. Razor Sharp Blues
(3:36) 11. So Soon I'll Be Goin' My Way Back Home
(2:48) 12. Shake 'Em on Down
(3:04) 13. Don't You Leave Me Here
(3:17) 14. Fickle Pickle
(2:36) 15. Rambin' and Wanderin' Blues

Album: Baby Please Don't Go: The Essential Big Joe Williams Disc 2
(3:01) 1. Don't the Apples Look Mellow
(2:22) 2. El Paso Blues
(3:25) 3. Shaggy Hound Blues
(2:19) 4. Whistlin' Pines
(2:57) 5. I Ain't Got Nobody
(2:40) 6. Sugar Mama
(2:44) 7. Wild Cow Moan
(3:19) 8. Screamin' and Cryin'
(2:26) 9. Sinkin' Blues
(2:16) 10. Put on Your Nightcap Baby
(2:51) 11. Don't Want No Big Fat Woman
(2:34) 12. Ride in My New Car Blues
(2:59) 13. I Feel So Worried
(2:41) 14. Stack o' Dollars
(2:42) 15. Everybody Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone

Baby Please Don't Go Disc 1
Baby Please Don't Go Disc 2
Baby Please Don't Go artwork

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Various - Savoy Blues Vols 5 & 6

Album: Savoy Blues Volume 5
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:59
Size: 80.1 MB
Styles: Assorted styles
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:44] 1. Delta John - Goin' Mad Blues
[3:14] 2. Hot Lips Page - Uncle Sam Blues
[2:22] 3. Dexter Gordon - Knockin' Myself Out
[3:11] 4. Eddie Kirkland - Snake In The Grass
[2:17] 5. H-Bomb Ferguson - Good Lovin'
[3:22] 6. Big Joe Turner - I'm Still In The Dark
[2:51] 7. Walter Brown Mcghee - Auto Mechanic Blues
[7:58] 8. Charles Brown - I Put Myself Together
[2:57] 9. Billy Wright - Goin' Down Slow
[2:59] 10. Joe Williams - Kansas City Blues

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Album: Savoy Blues Volume 6
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:28
Size: 74.3 MB
Styles: Assorted styles
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:28] 1. Big Maybelle - Blues Early, Early
[2:34] 2. Lafayette Thomas - Texarkana
[2:31] 3. Helen Humes - Sad Feeling
[3:40] 4. Eddie Kirkland - When I First Started Hoboing
[3:01] 5. Little Miss Sharecropper - Take Out Some Time
[3:01] 6. Gatemouth Moore - Love Doctor Blues
[4:29] 7. Charles Brown - I've Got A Right To Cry
[3:03] 8. Johnny Otis - Midnight In The Barrelhouse
[3:05] 9. Joe Williams - When The Sun Goes Down
[2:30] 10. Sticks McGhee & The Ramblers - Things Have Changed

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Big Joe Williams : Back to the Country / These Are My Blues

Album: Back to the Country
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1964
Styles: Blues
Time: 57:13
Size: 132,5 MB
Covers: Full

(2:41) 1. Ain't Gonna Be Your Lowdown Dog
(3:58) 2. Annie Mae
(1:50) 3. You Can Stay Out
(3:29) 4. Mean Backstabber
(1:54) 5. Worry You off My Mind
(2:43) 6. Miss Ida B.
(2:57) 7. Put on Your Nightcap
(2:22) 8. Woody Woodpecker
(3:32) 9. I Got My Ticket
(3:15) 10. Saturday Night Ball
(2:13) 11. Shake Your Boogie
(2:35) 12. See See Rider
(4:18) 13. Blues Everywhere I Go
(3:29) 14. Worried and Lonesome
(2:11) 15. My Black Woman
(2:33) 16. The Moon Is Rising
(2:46) 17. Down the Line
(2:58) 18. My Baby Left Me a Mule to Ride
(1:50) 19. Desert Blues
(1:12) 20. Breakdown
(2:20) 21. Going Back Home

Delta Blues guitarist/singer and songwriter Big Joe Williams was well known for his distinctive sound of his nine string guitar. His career spanned over four decades and he recorded for a variety of labels including Bluebird, Okeh, Prestige, Delmark and many others. In 1965 he recorded this material for Testament Records. This album is a little different from most of his recordings as in addition to the usual stunning solo sides, he is also featured in the company of two fellow Mississippi Bluesman, fiddler Jimmy Brown and harmonica player Willie Lee Harris. These three men share a commitment to the deepest, most expressive resources of the country blues. The blues traditions of their native state have been both their birthright and a vital part of the fabric of their daily lives. All three sing and play the blues with a conviction that comes only of having lived on intimate terms with them over the years, performing them in the solitude of a country cabin late at night, at rough and tumble country dances, parties and picnis, in roadhouses, taverns and juke joints. Therefore this collaboration resulted in an album that recreates the feel of that country dance or party with Browns jagged blues laden fiddle lines, Big Joe’s guitar, and Harris’ harmonica producing a sound all too rarely heard in post war blues recordings. Big Joe utterly dominates the music even when serving as a accompanist for the singing of the other two. It is he who settled on tempos and the order of solos, decided who would play on what, approved takes and so forth. Just about every aspect of Big Joe's amazing talent is displayed to excellent advantage.

Back to the Country

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Album: These Are My Blues
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1998
Styles: Blues
Time: 42:21
Size: 98,6 MB
Covers: Full

(3:54) 1. Baby Please Don't Go
(2:49) 2. A Man Amongst Men
(2:53) 3. Sun Never Go Down
(2:56) 4. Mellow Peaches
(3:09) 5. '56 Plymouth
(2:31) 6. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
(2:20) 7. These Are My Blues (Gonna Sing 'Em for Myself)
(1:48) 8. Put on Your Nightcap
(1:54) 9. Highway 49
(1:57) 10. Bottle up and Go
(2:36) 11. Low Down Dirty Shame
(2:02) 12. Sloppy Drunk Blues
(2:27) 13. Vitamin A Blues
(1:24) 14. You Are My Sunshine
(1:17) 15. Boogie Chillen
(3:14) 16. Don't Want No Arkansas Woman
(3:01) 17. Rock Me Mama

This previously unissued 17-track collection finds Big Joe Williams performing live in concert at Rockford College in Rockford, Illinois. Williams is in fine form throughout, hollering the blues with his typical no-holds-barred approach, singing and playing with passion and zest. He tackles many of his standard pieces here ("Baby Please Don't Go," "Highway 49," "Mellow Peaches") and puts his own spin on blues standards like "Rock Me Mama," "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," John Lee Hooker's "Boogie Chillen" and Jimmy Rogers' "Sloppy Drunk." There is new material; his tribute to President Kennedy, "A Man Amongst Men" and his "'56 Plymouth" are equally as fine as the more standard fare aboard. What is truly unique on here is the sound of Williams' nine-string guitar. Here it's highly amplified with the tremolo unit turned all the way up in intensity, creating an other-worldly effect, at times sounding like two guitars shimmering in tandem and at others, sounding like a cross between Pops Staples and Bo Diddley. Recorded by blues-researching trailblazer Pete Welding, this is one great addition to Williams' latter day discography. -- Allmusic.

These Are My Blues

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Various - I Have to Paint My Face

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: From LL
Released: 1995
Styles: Blues
Time: 76:33
Size: 177,7 MB
Covers: Full

(2:50) 1. Sam Chatmon - I Have to Paint My Face
(2:32) 2. K.C. Douglas - Big Road Blues
(3:54) 3. Sam Chatmon - I Stand and Wonder
(3:43) 4. Big Joe Williams - Texas Blues
(2:06) 5. K.C. Douglas - Night Shirt Blues
(2:49) 6. K.C. Douglas - Mercury Blues
(5:10) 7. Sam Chatmon - Hollandale Blues
(3:20) 8. Japser Love - The Slop
(3:35) 9. R.C. Smith - Stella Ruth
(3:54) 10. Sam Chatmon - God Don't Like Ugly
(1:22) 11. Wade Walton - Rooster Blues
(2:25) 12. R.C. Smith - Barbershop Rhythm
(2:46) 13. R.C. Smith - Going Back to Texas
(3:22) 14. Sidney Maiden - Blues and Trouble
(2:54) 15. R.C. Smith - Lonely Widower
(3:54) 16. R.C. Smith - Lost Love Blues
(2:00) 17. Big Joe Williams - Married Woman Blues
(1:25) 18. Japser Love - Love's Honeydripper
(3:42) 19. Japser Love - Desert Blues
(4:46) 20. Willie Thomas - One Thin Dime
(5:36) 21. Willie Thomas - Butch's Blues
(4:45) 22. Willie Thomas - Forty Four Blues
(3:34) 23. Sidney Maiden - Chicago Blues

In the summer of 1960 Chris Strachwitz had made his first trip through Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi with British blues scholar, Paul Oliver and his wife Valerie. Paul's homework and dedication to meet, interview and record a good many older blues artists for a series of programs sponsored by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was in large measure responsible for the success of that first trip. This CD brings you the sounds of the Mississippi blues as we were able to meet and document them during that very hot and humid summer. The rediscovery of several historic blues legends like Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Bukka White, Big Boy Crudup along with the discovery of the remarkable Fred McDowell, was still to come!
“...wonderful music, not only Chatmon's poignant and sometimes bitter songs but also driving and exciting sides by Robert Curtis Smith, the famous barber Wade Walton and Jasper Love; very few of these artists had other opportunities to make more recordings and that's a great pity...everything is excellent and there are no low points. Another one to get, definitely.” -- Blues Gazette.

I Have to Paint My Face
I Have to Paint My Face artwork

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David Honeyboy Edwards - Don't Mistreat a Fool

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Blues
Time: 51:28
Size: 118,0 MB
Covers: Full

Personnel:
Honeyboy Edwards - vocals & guitar
Big Joe Williams - guitar
Johnny Shines - guitar
Big Walter Horton - harmonica

(5:20) 1. Myrtle Mae
(2:44) 2. Bull Cow Blues, No. 2
(3:58) 3. Hot Springs (Arkansas) Blues
(4:03) 4. Must I Break 'Em on Down
(3:22) 5. 61 Highway, No. 2
(3:53) 6. Little Boy Blue
(2:23) 7. You Gonna Catch Trouble
(6:17) 8. B & O Blues
(2:50) 9. Love Honeyboy Slow
(2:28) 10. Don't Mistreat a Fool
(6:02) 11. Howlin' Wind
(4:40) 12. You're the One
(3:22) 13. (Meet the) Mornin' Train

David Honeyboy Edwards. Honey, a gifted guitarist and storyteller, knocked around the Mississippi Delta with the likes of Charley Patton and Robert Johnson back in their day, and now, at 84, he still delights in kicking it with the kids. Aside from his encyclopedic songlist, played in all keys with ageless finesse, Honey is a living history book of American music and folklife, a man who shares his gifts with uncommon joy. At the time of these recordings, Edwards was laboring in Chicago’s Great Society construction boom, separated from the music scene by realities such as changing tastes, family life and just plain bad luck. Good friend Big Joe Williams lured him out of obscurity and into a mobile recording studio set up in Chicago’s old Thunderbird Motel for the first sessions included in this album. The young people making the recordings were enchanted by Honey’s musical abilities, vast knowledge and personal charm and invited him to Washington, DC, for additional sessions over the next few years. This priceless analog treasury, the rumored lost rediscovery tapes, has been carefully mastered for digital audio and packaged with rare photographs and wonderful anecdotes from the life and times of this great artist. -- Adelphi.
Honeyboy is like scotch, it takes awhile to get use to the unique taste but once you do it is worth the effort! This effort is as good as any he has recorded. He guitar work is at its best, fluid when it needs to be and able to attack when required. The tone and timber of his voice is pure delta and city street blues. Honeyboy's claim to fame is usually that he knew Robert Johnson. He needs no claim to fame other than his own work. -- Amazon

Don't Mistreat a Fool

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Various - Delta Blues 1951 (Trumpet recordings)

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1990
Styles: Blues
Time: 48:38
Size: 112,4 MB
Covers: Full

(2:40) 1. Big Joe Williams - Delta Blues
(2:44) 2. Big Joe Williams - Mama Don't Allow Me
(2:32) 3. Big Joe Williams - She Left Me A Mule
(2:50) 4. Big Joe Williams - Bad Heart Blues
(2:37) 5. Big Joe Williams - Juanita
(2:38) 6. Big Joe Williams - Friends & Pals
(2:46) 7. Big Joe Williams - Over hauling Blues
(2:35) 8. Big Joe Williams - Whistling Pines
(2:42) 9. Luther Huff - 1951 Blues
(2:47) 10. Luther Huff - Dirty Disposition
(2:50) 11. Luther Huff - Bulldog Blues
(2:30) 12. Luther Huff - Rosalee
(2:20) 13. Willie Love & His Three Aces - Everybody's Fishing
(3:02) 14. Willie Love & His Three Aces - My own Boogle
(3:03) 15. Willie Love & His Three Aces - 74 Blues
(2:48) 16. Willie Love & His Three Aces - Shady Lane Blues
(2:38) 17. Willie Love & His Three Aces - 21 Minutes to Nine
(2:26) 18. Willie Love & His Three Aces - Vanity Dresser Boogie

This collection features material by three very different performers: Big Joe Williams, Luther Huff and Willie Love. The Big Joe Williams tracks are solid Delta blues -- Joe is playing his amplified 9-string guitar, tuned to "Spanish" tuning, and for most of the tracks is unaccompanied (a few have him with a bassist). They are fine examples of Big Joe Williams' repetoire and style -- howling slide, booming bass polyrhythms, etc. These are the best pieces on here, the songs that make me rate this five stars. Luther Huff was obscure amateur musician who played parties with his brother. The Huff brothers played in a style associated less with the Delta sound and more with the Jackson-area blues exemplified by Tommy Johnson. Their recordings are masterpieces of interplay between mandolin, guitar, and vocals. Willie Love was a wonderful barrelhouse pianist and singer, whose other recordings can be found on the album "Clownin' With the Blues" which also features Sonny Boy Williamson. None could stomp out a boogie and shout slurred lyrics like Willie Love. He is backed up by a stellar electric band (Little Milton and Elmore James are in there). --Amazon review.

Delta Blues - 1951

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Lightnin' Hopkins - Prestige Profiles (2-disc set)

Prestige Profiles, Vol. 8 contains previously released tracks taken from Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins' short stint with the label. These 16 cuts feature both solo and small-combo sessions recorded between 1960 and 1964, and include tasteful versions of such Lightnin' favorites as "Mojo Hand," "Katie Mae," "I'm a Crawling Black Snake," and "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl." Much like the discography of fellow bluesman John Lee Hooker, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the plethora of Hopkins material available, which is why both Prestige Profiles, Vol. 8 and Rhino's excellent Blues Masters: The Very Best of Lightnin' Hopkins are highly recommended collections by the legendary bluesman. ~Al Campbell

Album: Prestige Profiles (Disc 1)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 65:20
Size: 149.6 MB
Styles: Texas blues
Year: 2004

[3:18] 1. Back To New Orleans
[4:30] 2. Automobile Blues
[3:28] 3. Pneumonia Blues
[3:18] 4. Mojo Hand
[3:37] 5. Black Cadillac
[3:08] 6. You Is One Black Rat
[5:15] 7. Last Night Blues
[3:11] 8. Blues In The Bottle
[4:49] 9. Walkin' This Road By Myself
[4:00] 10. Got To Move Your Baby
[5:44] 11. Goin' Away
[5:20] 12. Happy Blues For John Glenn
[3:39] 13. Mean Old Frisco
[4:01] 14. Katie Mae
[4:48] 15. I'm A Crawling Black Snake
[3:05] 16. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

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Album: Prestige Profiles (Disc 2)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 40:03
Size: 91.7 MB
Styles: Texas blues
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[3:10] 1. Wholesale Dealin' Papa (Feat Sonny Terry)
[2:29] 2. Built For Comfort (Feat Willie Dixon)
[3:43] 3. Goin' Down Swingin' (Feat Homesick James)
[2:45] 4. Money's Gettin' Cheaper (Feat Jimmy Witherspoon)
[3:55] 5. The Devil Is A Busy Man (Feat Sunnyland Slim)
[2:05] 6. Jake's Cha Cha (Feat Shakey Jake)
[3:11] 7. Big Leg Woman (Feat Lonnie Johnson)
[3:39] 8. The Blues Never Die (Feat Otis Spann)
[4:02] 9. Samson And Delilah (Feat Rev. Gary Davis)
[3:11] 10. Trouble Gonna Take Me To My Grave (Feat Big Joe Williams)
[3:03] 11. Mailman Blues (Feat Memphis Willie B)
[2:22] 12. Salty Dog (Feat Blind Willie Mctell)
[2:22] 13. Drivin' Wheel (Feat Roosevelt Sykes)

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Various - Blues With A Message

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 72:01
Size: 164.9 MB
Styles: Assorted blues
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[2:46] 1. Sam Chatman - I Have To Paint My Face
[3:50] 2. John Jackson - John Henry
[3:04] 3. Mercy Dee - Walked Down So Many Turn Rows
[3:37] 4. Mance Lipscomb - Tom Moore's Farm
[4:55] 5. Lightnin' Hopkins - Tom Moore's Blues
[5:13] 6. Lowell Fulson - River Blues
[5:31] 7. Mississippi Fred Mcdowell - Levee Camp Blues
[3:58] 8. Essie Jenkins - The 1919 Influenza Blues
[5:55] 9. Willie Eason - Why I Like Roosevelt
[2:59] 10. Doctor Ross - Little Soldier Boy
[5:09] 11. Robert Pete Williams - Prisoner's Talking Blues
[3:11] 12. Johnie Lewis - I Got To Climb A High Mountain
[4:41] 13. Herman E. Johnson - Depression Blues
[3:19] 14. Johnny Young & Big Walter Horton - Stockyard Blues
[3:26] 15. Juke Boy Bonner - What Will I Tell The Children
[2:55] 16. Juke Boy Bonner - It's Enough
[3:06] 17. Bee Houston - Things Gonna Get Better
[4:19] 18. Big Joe Williams - Back Home Blues

Blues With a Message isn't just about lost love and the toils of specific lives, the blues (particularly within the folk-blues traditions) spent some time dealing with sociopolitical issues on the side, primarily before the rise of electric blues. Here, Arhoolie has compiled a set of pieces related to a surprisingly large number of issues. Among them: Minstrel shows, the mechanization of cotton farming, and its related exodus to the North, sharecropping, segregation, the Korean War, the influenza epidemic, the New Deal, civil rights movements, Chicago employment opportunities -- all are given a song or two here. The music quality is roughly equivalent to many of the folk-blues recordings available, though the "big name" artists are largely absent from this one (Lightnin Hopkins does make an appearance singing about sharecropping, however). The songs are deliberately focused on the issues more than the music, but the music can still carry its soul. This one probably won't be on many highest-sales lists in the blues, but it's both historically important and musically enjoyable. ~Adam Greenberg

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