The 13 original 1928 recordings of Hurt. Justifiably legendary, with gentle grace and power on
these understated vocal and fingerpicking masterpieces. These are the ones to hear, although all Hurt is worth listening to.
Although the blues is the most renowned form of early 20th century African-American music (other
than jazz), it didn't dominate rural Black music to the extent that many listeners often assume. Black and White folk musics mingled extensively before the ...
The title of this compilation, Before the Blues, may be a deceiving one, particularly as
it comes from Yazoo Records, a label that specializes in the earliest music of the genre. While the performances here date back to the first ...
With his high, eerie falsetto and haunting guitar tunings, Skip James sounds like no other
country blues player. Although his lyrics were generally drawn from the floating bag of clichés that showed up in countless blues songs, his atmospheric recordings, ...
This a marvelous little companion piece to Young Big Bill Broonzy (1928-35) on Yazoo. Broonzy's
ragtime guitar picking is textbook in its scope, and his vocals are as warm as can be. Dubbed from old 78s, the ultra high quality ...
Twenty-six tracks running over 70 minutes, recorded by John Jackson between 1965 and 1969 and
featuring the rural blues legend at the very top of his form on vocals, guitar, and even banjo on one instrumental (If Hattie Wants to ...
Lucinda Williams' first collection of original material -- recorded with a full band -- is
stunning for its mixture of blues, folk, and country traditions with her captivating, complex, and visceral approach to writing and singing. Songs like Lafayette, King ...
Recorded during a three hour session on August 24, 1960, Gary Davis laid down 12
of his most impassioned spirituals for Harlem Street Singer. Starting off the session with a version of Blind Willie Johnson's If I Had My Way ...