Hillbilly Blues

As the elder statesman of British blues, it is John Mayall's lot to be more renowned as a bandleader and mentor than as a performer in his own right. Throughout the '60s, his band, the Bluesbreakers, acted as a finishing school for the leading British blues-rock musicians of the era…

From the earthy guitar-driven country blues of Blind Lemon Jefferson and Charley Patton to the sequined glamour of the classic blues singers Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, this Rough Guide charts the early recorded history of the blues through its key pioneers.

Roots 'N Blues: The Retrospective 1925-1950 is a four-CD box set released on Columbia Records in June 1992. The set features five hours worth of early blues, folk/country and gospel recordings from a variety of American artists. Many of these recordings had never previously been issued in any medium.

John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, guitarist, organist and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band which has counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians…

When it came to the compiling of this country blues album, the towering influence of a dozen or so of the giants of pre-war blues made them totally un-droppable. Therefore, with so many familiar names, the challenge lay with creating the best possible cross section of this most diverse of genres within the time constraints of a CD.

Despite its similarity to other works such as "Good Liquor Gonna Carry Me Down," Big Bill Broonzy turns in another typically solid performance on "Mountain Blues," on which he is assisted by the expert accompaniment of Black Bob, a blues pianist who is largely a biographical blank. Broonzy also joins Cripple Clarence Lofton on the superb "Policy Blues," with the latter utilizing a "slow 'trucking' rhythm," according to booklet notes writers Stephen Calt and John Miller. The title of "When You Left" is a misinterpretation of the song's opening line "When you' left eye go to jumpin', you know something goin' on wrong." Confusion with the lyrics aside, the song is a fine pairing of brothers Bo Carter (nee Armenter Chatmon) and rarely recorded multi-instrumentalist Harry "Tie" Chatmon…

This collection delves yet deeper into the archives of country blues, uncovering hidden gems by artists shrouded in mystery. From classic renditions of blues standards to intriguing novelty songs, this is a must-listen for any blues connoisseur.