Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2000
Styles: Blues
Time: 73:46
Size: 169,9 MB
Covers: Front,CD,Tray
Tracks 1-17 : Henry Townsend
Tracks 18-22: J.D. Short
Tracks 23-24: Joe Stone
(3:07) 1. Henry's Worry Blues
(3:00) 2. Mistreated Blues
(2:56) 3. Long Ago Blues
(2:59) 4. Poor Man Blues
(2:45) 5. Doctor, Oh Doctor
(3:18) 6. Jack Of Diamonds Georgia Rub
(2:52) 7. No Home Blues
(3:13) 8. Take a Chance
(2:44) 9. She's Got What I Want
(2:50) 10. My Sweet Candy
(2:52) 11. Sick With the Blues
(3:19) 12. Don't Love That Woman
(3:15) 13. She's Got a Mean Disposition
(3:29) 14. Lose Your Man
(3:26) 15. All I've Got's Gone
(2:57) 16. A Ramblin' Mind
(2:49) 17. Now I Stay Away
(3:13) 18. Telephone Arguin' Blues
(2:49) 19. Lonesome Swamp Rattlesnake
(3:23) 20. Snake Doctor Blues
(2:58) 21. Barefoot Blues
(3:14) 22. Grand Daddy Blues
(3:08) 23. It's Hard Time
(2:58) 24. Back Door Blues
Henry Townsend has had an astoundingly long blues career, one that began in St. Louis in the 1920s and still continues eight-decades later in the 21st century. This interesting compilation, attributed to Henry Townsend & Friends, collects 17 of Townsend's early 78 sides from the 1920s and '30s, adding in five by J.D. Short from the same period, and two more by Joe Stone, who is probably Short working under a different name for contractual reasons. To call Townsend and Short friends might be stretching the meaning of the word a bit, since Short is rumored to have stabbed Townsend during an altercation, while Townsend, in turn, is said to have shot Short during a later dispute between the two. Definitions of friendship aside, the music here is country blues right at the cusp of turning into something more urban, particularly when Townsend abandons the guitar for piano on a couple of tracks. Short (who could also play piano, but doesn't on this collection) sounds like he may have been a more aggressive guitar player than Townsend, and his rhythms show a tense, staccato drive, where Townsend has a more laconic sound. There isn't a tremendous amount of variety here, though, as Townsend, in particular, seems to return to the same generic blues melody for several of his cuts. In the end, Henry's Worry Blues probably has the most appeal as an archival document, since both Short and Townsend went on to record more interesting material later in their careers. -- AllMusic
Henry's Worry Blues