Silvia Brownie

In a way, this is the veteran duo's version of Fathers and Sons, a meeting of old black bluesmen with young white admirers that Muddy Waters and Otis Spann cut with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. John Mayall and John Hammond, Jr. are among the "youngsters" on this powerful statement that includes a definitive version of Randy Newman's wickedly subtle anti-slavery tune "Sail Away." Sonny Terry's trademark whoops are energizing. The repartee between him and Brownie McGhee might convince you they were fast friends if you didn't know otherwise.

Lightnin' Hopkins is the star of this live recording, made at an August 1961 concert at the Ash Grove in Hollywood featuring Hopkins, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (with Big Joe Williams sitting in on three numbers…

These recordings were made in 1960, when Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee were in their prime. That is to say, when they were the most exciting entertainers out there. They were a spirited duo, so perfectly attuned they were like a single musical force, joined in perfect harmony even as their personalities clashed in joyous rivalry. Sonny wild, untamed, his free hand fanning the harmonica while his falsetto cries recalled fieldhollers of long ago. Brownie was more refined, his voice rich and domineering, decrying the unfaithfulness of women, the unkindness of strangers. He’d cast mock anguished looks at the disconcerting exuberance of his friend, then light up the room with a smile…

Well, complete as far as his pre-war country blues waxings for OKeh sans Sonny Terry (except for one or two where the whooping harpist provided accompaniment). McGhee was working firmly in the Piedmont tradition by 1940, when he signed with OKeh and began cutting the 47 enlightening sides here, which represent some of the purest country blues he ever committed to posterity.

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee were the ultimate blues duo; McGhee's stylized singing and light, flickering guitar was wonderfully contrasted by Terry's sweeping, whirling harmonica solos and intense, country-tinged singing. They were in great form during the ten tunes featured on this live date. Sometimes, as on "Custard Pie" or "Barking Bull Dog," they're funny; at other times, they were prophetic, chilling, or moving. This is Piedmont blues at its best, and this disc's tremendous remastering provides a strong sonic framework.

Here's Brownie and Sonny's gospel album, recorded in 1957 at Jenny Lind Hall in Oakland, California. Those used to hearing this duo stomp and hoot the blues will be surprised as they tackle material like "What a Beautiful City," "I Shall Not Be Moved," "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray," and Gary Davis' "Get Right Church" in their own inimitable style. But an even bigger surprise comes with the liner notes, penned by major league baseball player Orlando Cepeda! By far the most interesting of all the many recordings this twosome made during their time together.

Recorded in 1960. Classic straight forward roots blues. This is a wonderful cd of "true" blues with no fluff or frills. Nothing but acoustic duets using vocals, guitar and harmonica with astonishing results. The subject matte of the songs go to the hard basics of black southern life with references both lyrical and Sonny's wonderful "field hollers", whoops, and their combined work chants. Sonny and Brownie represented a strong link to where the modern blues came from and gave a path to how it developed, and this cd is an excellent example of that. A treasure for any real blues lover or anyone interested in understanding the genre.