Contains 9 tracks previously released on Columbia as THE LEGENDARY SON HOUSE: FATHER OF FOLK BLUES and 12 previously unreleased and/or alternate takes from the same session. The set also includes liner notes in which Son House relates a story about Robert Johnson.

After being rediscovered by the folk-blues community in the early '60s, Son House rose to the occasion and recorded this magnificent set of performances. Allowed to stretch out past the shorter running time of the original 78s, House turns in wonderful, steaming performances of some of his best-known material. On some tracks, House is supplemented by folk-blues researcher/musician Alan Wilson, who would later become a member of the blues-rock group Canned Heat and here plays some nice second guitar and harmonica on several cuts. This two-disc set features alternate takes, some unissued material and some studio chatter from producer John Hammond, Sr. that ocassionally hints at the chaotic nature inherent to some of these '60s "rediscovery" sessions.

While not as overpowering as his earlier work (what could be?), all of these sides are so power packed with sheer emotional involvement from House, they're an indispensable part of his canonade.~ Cub Koda

By the time his name was spreading through the collegiate blues circles of the early '60s, Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. had been retired for nearly 20 years. Son House was already legendary for a small collection of live field recordings made by folklorist Alan Lomax in 1941 and 1942-and for having taught some important licks to both Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. Tracked down by his new fans in 1964, Son House regained his chops and went out on the college blues circuit for several years, showing worshipful youngsters just why he deserved the title "Father of the Delta Blues."

In 1965, Son House recorded the 21 tracks featured on FATHER OF THE DELTA BLUES for Columbia Records. Whereas the nine songs on disc one were released that year as THE LEGENDARY SON HOUSE, the 12 alternate takes and previously unissued songs on disc two, including an elegy called "President Kennedy," remained unheard until this 1992 release.

Living Blues (Sept.-Oct./92, p.76) - "...represents the finest of House's rediscovery recordings...intriguing works by a master...Essential recordings by one of the greatest bluesmen ever..."


  Complete Studio Recordings CD
  by Mississippi John Hurt
Our Price: $19.29 CD
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THE COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS contains TODAY! (1966)/THE IMMORTAL MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT (1967)/LAST SESSIONS (1966).



Solo performer: Mississippi John Hurt (vocals, guitar).
Producer: Patrick Sky.
Reissue producer: Tom Vickers.


Recorded at Manhattan Towers Hotel, New York, New York in February 1966. Includes liner notes by John Milward. All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Although not as consistently magnificent as Hurt's 1928 recordings, the performances the artist recorded for Vanguard in the mid 1960's would be the zenith of many blues artist's entire careers. Songs like the opening "Payday" and "Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home" rank with any folk-blues song ever recorded. This fantastic set collects the three albums Vanguard released in Hurt's lifetime and as such is undeniably the package to go for to acquire these later gems. ~ Thomas Ward

3 Cds


  Complete Early Recordings (1930) CD
  by Skip James
Our Price: 14.59 CD
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THE COMPLETE EARLY RECORDINGS by Skip James is one of the most essential blues albums in existence. With a voice that sounds like wind carving away rock (he sings in a high, quavering falsetto ringed with knowledge and pain), James laid down some of the most chilling acoustic blues ever set to wax. "Devil Got My Woman," which opens this collection, is a case in point: a snaking siren song that leads down to the root of loss and mortal dread (if that description sounds like an exaggeration, listen to the track). James's deft, fingerpicking is everywhere in evidence, especially on the uncharacteristically ebullient "I'm So Glad." The surface noise of these old 78s is a distraction, but even that can't dilute the unbelievable power of these performances.

Document's Complete Recorded Works (1931) collects the 18 Skip James performances known to exist from his Paramount recordings of 1931, including career highlights like "Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues," "I'm So Glad," and "Devil Got My Woman." Though it's been supplanted by compilations with better notes and emphasis on archival sound quality (including Yazoo's Complete Early Recordings), it's still an excellent collection of performances by one of the best blues artists of all time. ~ Thom Owens

This collection contains all the Skip James tracks released by Paramount records in 1931 in chronological order.


  Best Of Mississippi John Hurt CD
  by Mississippi John Hurt
Our Price: $14.59 CD / $9.99 MP3
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Contrary to what its title would make one believe, this record is not a collection of previously available recordings by Mississippi John Hurt -- rather, it is a complete concert from Oberlin College on April 15, 1965. Regardless, the title is justified, as the concert features Hurt in excellent form doing most of his best known classic songs from the 1920s as well as newer compositions. ~ Bruce Eder

These '60s recordings are consistent with the spirit of Hurt's early work. ~ Mark A. Humphrey The title of this double-LP set, later reissued on one CD, is slightly deceptive--although many of these songs were initially recorded by Mississippi John Hurt in 1928 during his brief flirtation with Okeh Records, this is not a compilation. Instead, it's a concert Hurt recorded at Ohio's Oberlin College in April of 1965, shortly after blues historian Tom Hoskins had rediscovered the bluesman in his north Mississippi hometown at the age of 71 and persuaded him to return to the music that he had abandoned 35 years earlier. Hurt sings and plays these 21 songs so effortlessly, and with the exact same genial good humor of his earlier recordings, that listening to THE BEST OF MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT next to a collection of his '20s sessions like AVALON BLUES: THE COMPLETE 1928 OKEH RECORDINGS, it's easy to imagine that no time at all had passed between them. Hurt died just over a year after this concert, so THE BEST OF MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT stands as a beautiful summation of his quiet genius.

2 LPs on 1 CD.
Contrary to what its title would make one believe, this record is not a collection of previously available recordings by Mississippi John Hurt. It is a complete concert from Oberlin College on April 15, 1965. Regardless, the title is justified, as the concert features Hurt in excellent form doing most of his best known classic songs from the 1920s as well as newer compositions. ~ Bruce Eder


  I Do Not Play No Rock 'N' Roll: Complete Sessions CD
  by Fred McDowell
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This reissue of the original Capitol landmark from 1969 adds ten tunes. The performance is classic and retains all of its spiky edginess. Even though blues purists griped because it was the first recording where the previously acoustic McDowell played electric guitar, his lines are so stark, spare, and jagged that the fullness and volume the instrument provides works perfectly with his hardcore Delta approach. McDowell is in wonderful voice and exuberant spirits throughout, spinning lively stories on the nine-minute "Everybody's Down on Me," where he doesn't start playing guitar or singing until four minutes into the track. The raconteur expresses, as well as explains, the album's title on the opening version of Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go," the session's only cover. The rhythm section that caused such commotion on the album's initial release remains ensconced in the background, and the drummer's contributions are so subtle as to be almost inaudible. This keeps the focus on McDowell, whose guitar work is stunning, complex, and emotionally moving. He spins quicksilver slide runs that echo and answer his sung lines like he's been plugged in all his life. Smoother and less abrasive than some of the Fat Possum artists that first appeared in the '90s, McDowell nonetheless exudes frightening power when he hits his stride on the jagged "61 Highway" and his version of "The Train I Ride," complete with chugging chords and "Mystery Train" verses.

Recorded in 1970. Includes liner notes by Pete Welding and Bonnie Raitt.


  Delta Moon CD
  by Delta Moon
Our Price: $17.09 CD
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Delta Moon -- winner of the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge held in Memphis, February 1, 2003 -- formed in the late 1990s when Gina Leigh, Mark Johnson, and Tom Gray all lived within a few blocks of each other in Atlanta's Inman Park neighborhood. The three got together regularly in Mark's livingroom to work up arrangements of classic blues and original songs for two slide guitars and voices. Soon, joined by a rotating cast of percussionists, drummers, and bassists, the band was playing in rib joints, nightclubs, and festivals around Atlanta and neighboring cities. Following the March 2002 release of their debut CD, imaginatively entitled "Delta Moon," Following the March 2002 release of their debut CD, imaginatively entitled "Delta Moon," the band started ranging farther from home, taking their energetic stage show across the US, Canada and Europe.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"The name says it all: gutbucket Delta-style blues featuring a classy female singer and a pair of funky, slunky slide guitarists who play as one voice."- The Charlotte Observer"Two slide guitars speak in tongues and a young woman dances a siren dance."

- Creative Loafing Atlanta "A perfect example of contemporary Southern roots music at its most affecting."
- All Music Guide"Delta Moon has tapped into a vein of music that is as old as the hills and as vital as a river."
- Playgrounds Magazine, Columbus, GA"Delta Moon strikes gold with raw intensity."- Southeast Performer



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