Gangster State

This 52-disc (no, that is not a typo) comp, ABC of the Blues: The Ultimate Collection from the Delta to the Big Cities, may just indeed live up to its name. There are 98 artists represented , performing 1,040 tracks. The music begins at the beginning (though the set is not sequenced chronologically) with Charlie Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson, and moves all the way through the vintage Chicago years of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, with stops along the way in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, New York, and all points in between. Certainly, some of these artists are considered more rhythm & blues than purely blues artists: the inclusion of music by Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Bo Diddley, and others makes that clear.

Tommy Z is a singer/songwriter from Western New York. Sometimes is Tommy Z’s new album. He has been recognized as a top blues guitarists by top blues vocalists. He has also won numerous other awards including the Muddy Waters Award for “Artist of the Year” by Blues Society of Western New York and he was inducted into Buffalo Music Hall of Fame (making him ineligible to win any more awards). He has worked with various artists including B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Blues Traveler, and Robert Randolph just to name a few…