SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 1 • 1937-1938 | DOCD-5055 (1991) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A comprehensive collection of the highly influential blues pioneer's 25 earliest works, recorded in 1937 and 1938. (Note: This is the Sonny Boy Williamson who was murdered in 1948, not the one who toured England with the Yardbirds in 1963).

Several of these songs, of course, have become blues standards, particularly "Good Morning School Girl," which has been covered countless times (the Yardbirds, Ten Years After, and others), and there's a surprising variety here; "Got the Bottle Up and Gone," for example, has an obvious jug band feel to it that's thoroughly at odds with the haunted sound of "Decoration Blues," or the proto-swamp "Up the Country Blues" (a song that clearly influenced Slim Harpo). AllMusic

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. In a brief life of thirty four years Sonny Boy Williamson achieved immortality as the pioneer of what was to become part of the post war electric sound of the Chicago Blues. To allow the harmonica, sometimes described as a ‘semi-legitimate’ instrument, to compete in a band environment, with drums, usually a piano and recently amplified guitars Sonny Boy literally embraced the microphone along with the harmonica to great effect. Often he would dove-tailing and blend the sound of the instrument with the beginning or end his songs lines. His popularity and influence were immense and survive until today. His techniques paved the way for many blues artists, including Sonny Boy (Rice Miller) Williamson, Little Walter, Junior Wells and many others. This, the first of five remarkable volumes from Document of the complete recordings of the father of amplified blues harmonica, demonstrates how Sonny Boy Williamson 1st brought the instrument from the country to the city and turned the small, pocket sized instrument into a major voice in the blues. In 1934 Sonny Boy moved to north to Chicago where he worked Maxwell Street and as a sideman with numerous blues groups at the local clubs. Sonny Boy‘s first recordings (that feature on this album) were accompanied by Big Joe Williams and Robert Lee McCoy (later to become famous as Robert Nighthawk) was made at the Leland Hotel, Aurora, Illinois, on the 5th May 1937 for the Bluebird label. The first track, Good Morning, School Girl, was not an unknown tune but Sonny Boy brought to it a set of lyrics that have stayed with it ever since. His attractive short tongued delivery and clean swinging harp playing became a hit and has since become a much recorded blues classic tune. Other tracks in this first session include the personal Blue Bird Blues dedicated to Sonny Boy‘s wife Lacey Belle, and the perennial Sugar Mama Blues. Sonny Boy went on to record another session in November 1937, Black Gal Blues from this set has become known as “Wild About You Baby”, while Early In The Morning was a reworking of the number usually associated with pianist Walter Roland. It is probably an indication of the interest in their new found star that the Bluebird label offered Sonny Boy another session in March 1938, which saw 10 songs being cut. Tracks from this session include My Little Cornelious (which is another version of “Blue Bird Blues”) and the reflective masterpiece Decoration Day, a markedly up-beat version of “You Can Lead Me”. The Mandolin of Yank Rachell fills out the sound on this set and lends a brittle driving force to the faster numbers. The fastest, I’m Tired Trucking My Blues Away sees Big Joe Williams guitar setting a furious pace behind Sonny Boy‘s virtuoso harmonica playing. This track really rocks and is an indication of the direction in which Sonny Boy Williamson the 1st was to take his music over the next few years. DOCD-5055
Tracklist :
1        Good Morning, School Girl 2:58
Guitar – Joe Williams, Robert Lee McCoy
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
2        Blue Bird Blues 3:04
Guitar – Joe Williams, Robert Lee McCoy
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
3        Jackson Blues 2:53
Guitar – Joe Williams, Robert Lee McCoy
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
4        Got The Bottle Up And Gone 2:30
Guitar – Joe Williams
Guitar, Vocals – Robert Lee McCoy
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
5        Sugar Mama Blues 2:55
Guitar – Joe Williams, Robert Lee McCoy
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
6        Skinny Woman 2:57
Guitar – Joe Williams, Robert Lee McCoy
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
7        Up The Country Blues 3:16
Guitar [probably] – Henry Townsend, Robert Lee McCoy
Piano – Walter Davis
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
8        Worried Me Blues 2:28
Guitar [probably] – Henry Townsend, Robert Lee McCoy
Piano – Walter Davis
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
9        Black Gal Blues 2:45
Guitar [probably] – Henry Townsend, Robert Lee McCoy
Piano – Walter Davis
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
10        Collector Man Blues 3:15
Guitar [probably] – Henry Townsend, Robert Lee McCoy
Piano – Walter Davis
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
11        Frigidaire Blues 2:58
Guitar [probably] – Henry Townsend, Robert Lee McCoy
Piano – Walter Davis
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
12        Suzanna Blues 2:56
Guitar [probably] – Henry Townsend, Robert Lee McCoy
Piano – Walter Davis
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
13        Early In The Morning 2:45
Guitar [probably] – Henry Townsend, Robert Lee McCoy
Piano – Walter Davis
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
14        Project Highway 2:52
Guitar [probably] – Henry Townsend, Robert Lee McCoy
Piano – Walter Davis
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
15        My Little Cornelius 3:07
Guitar – Joe Williams, Elijah Jones
Mandolin – Yank Rachell
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
16        Decoration Blues 3:27
Guitar – Joe Williams, Elijah Jones
Mandolin – Yank Rachell
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
17        You Can Lead Me 3:05
Guitar – Joe Williams, Elijah Jones
Mandolin – Yank Rachell
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
18        Moonshine 2:58
Guitar – Joe Williams, Elijah Jones
Mandolin – Yank Rachell
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
19        Miss Louisa Blues 2:52
Guitar – Joe Williams, Elijah Jones
Mandolin – Yank Rachell
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
20        Sunny Land 3:14
Guitar, Speech [possibly] – Joe Williams, Elijah Jones
Mandolin, Speech [possibly] – Yank Rachell
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
21        I'm Tired Trucking My Blues Away 2:53
Guitar, Speech [possibly] – Joe Williams, Elijah Jones, Yank Rachell
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
22        Down South 3:03
Guitar – Joe Williams, Elijah Jones
Mandolin – Yank Rachell
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
23        Beauty Parlor 3:24
Guitar – Joe Williams, Elijah Jones
Mandolin – Yank Rachell
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
24        Until My Love Come Down 3:09
Guitar, Speech [possibly] – Joe Williams, Elijah Jones
Mandolin, Speech [possibly] – Yank Rachell
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson
25        Honey Bee Blues 3:02
Guitar – "Jackson" Joe Williams
Piano – Walter Davis
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Boy Williamson