Country Blues Troubadours contains 125 tracks, spread out over five CD's, tracing blind harpist Sonny Terry and guitarist Brownie McGhee's earliest recordings between 1938 and 1948. JSP not only does an admirable job remastering the tracks, but providing recording dates, personnel, and a bit of history that is easily accessible in individual jewel cases, as opposed to a bulky booklet. Recorded in New York and Chicago, the Piedmont duo encounter, both separately and collectively, blues, jazz, and R&B veterans including Washboard Slim, Baby Dodds, Curley Russell, Hal "Cornbread" Singer, Gene Ramey, Big Chief Ellis, Blind Boy Fuller, Stick McGhee, and Champion Jack Dupree. The discs are divided into five themes: "Getting started and getting around," "Blind Boy Fuller and what followed," "Library of Congress and living with Leadbelly," "New York residents and established artists," and "Mainly Brownie and an interlude with Champion Jack." As far as budget-blues box sets are concerned, this is one of the best.
The set Roots N' Blues features many hours worth of early blues, folk/country and gospel recordings from a variety of American artists.
The Blues Masters series, much to Rhino`s credit, adopts an expansive definition of blues, allowing the likes of Count Basie, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Muddy Waters and even Louis Prima admission. There is none of the purist`s quibbling over strict 12-bar form or the relative significance of prewar and postwar styles.
What Rhino delivers instead is the blues in all its myriad guises. This music is old and new, black and white, acoustic and electric, folksy and jazzy, performed by women and men, and yet it is all still blues at its core.
From the classic blues of Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey to female country blues pioneers Memphis Minnie and Geeshie Wiley, this Rough Guide explores the hugely significant and often overlooked role that women have played in the story of the blues. 'The fact that this release brings attention to this overlooked category is well beyond overdue'.
The Best Of The Blues - 6 CD Collection. Presenting… Big Bill Broonzy - stamped Arkansas country blues onto Chicago's urban style. Presenting… T-Bone Walker - blues singer, songwriter and guitarist, he had a profound effect on blues guitar. Presenting… Josh White - working as 'eyes' for visually challenged street singers led him to great success. Presenting… Robert Johnson - he died before his recordings brought him fame, and classed him as one of 'The Greats'. Presenting… Bessie Smith - one of the all time great stars of the gramophone record with her big, beautiful voice. Presenting… Dinah Shore - A long and successful career punctuated with numerous TV shows and awards.