TOO LATE, TOO LATE BLUES — Newly Discovered Titles & Alternate Takes ★ Volume 1 • 1926-1944 | DOCD-5150 (1993) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD initiated a logical series for the Document label. The company's goal of reissuing every single prewar recording has resulted in hundreds of valuable CDs being reissued. Inevitably, there were new discoveries of music after the fact, so this series consists of previously unreleased titles, alternate takes, and discoveries. Vol. 1 has selections from Blind Blake ("Early Morning Blues"), Blind Lemon Jefferson ("Lock Step Blues" and "Hangman's Blues"), George "Bullet" Williams, Bessie Tucker, the Memphis Jug Band, Willie Baker, Rev. D.C. Rice, Charlie Spand, Robert Peeples, Charley Patton (an alternate of "I Shall Not Be Moved"), Big Bill Broonzy, Frank Brasswell, Memphis Minnie, the team of Kansas City Kitty & Georgia Tom Dorsey, Bo Carter, Joe McCoy, Kokomo Arnold (a test pressing of his famous "Milk Cow Blues"), Little Buddy Doyle, and Lonnie Johnson. More general blues collectors should explore the more obvious releases first, but specialists will find these 26 performances (and those in later CDs included in this series) to be quite fascinating. Scott Yanow

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. Document strives to preserve and present each artist’s oeuvre in a concise, logical format that will make it available for further enjoyment and study for many years to come. Inevitably, however, some items do turn up and become available to Document after (or perhaps even because) the major alcum issue is released. It is only then that some collectors realize what rare and unusual items they already have in their collections, and they make them available for Document to share with the larger community. This issue, then, acts as a clearing house to preserve and expand on what has previously been available, and also can serve as a sampler of artists that have been featured. These additional items fall into several main categories. The Rev. D. C. Rice test pressing was one I had a dub of for some ten years, but I realized only in hindsight that it was not generally known to exist. When I sent it to Document, it turned out that technical limitations (absolute album playing time) precluded its earlier use in any case, but this is a case of better late than never. I think it was Bob Dixon who pointed out this fact of life for the compiler; as soon as the work is completed as much and as well as possible, in come the corrections and additions to keep him humble and constantly on the lookout for more. Some of these are items that have only been found in the last year or so. One of these Big Bill’s is a case in point, having been picked up in a lot that was brought in “off the street” for disposal. Richard Hite sold the 78 to Pete Wielan who made it available. Mike Kirsling has made available items that he found in the great Paramount test lot of several years ago, but which he retained. Now they will be available. Several items have been tracked down via the Rarest 78’s column in 78 Quarterly. Those we’ve been able to contact have been most generous and forthcoming to help make this (and, indeed, the whole series in general) as complete and good sounding as it is. As for the question of alternate takes, Document has been including them when they are aurally different. The Charley Patton -2 included here is an exception – not noticeably different to our ears, but a better copy in any case. Some of these alternates come to our attention aurally, as in the case of Memphis Minnie‘s Reachin’ Pete, of which only one take was thought to exist. So we know for sure that some people at least listen to these issues with intense concentration. No doubt there are interesting stories behind each item presented here, but here are included the newly found, newly recognized, and newly offered items and the background of only a few of them. In conclusion, we dedicate this issue to you, the listener, who makes this task of retrieval, preservation and presentation such a labor of love for us all. DOCD-5150
Tracklist :
1    Blind Blake–    Early Morning Blues (3057-2)    2:57
2    Blind Lemon Jefferson–    Lock Step Blues (20750)    3:05
3    Blind Lemon Jefferson–    Hangman's Blues (20751-2)    3:04
4    George "Bullet" Williams–    Frisco Leaving Birmingham (Take 3)    2:52
5    Bessie Tucker–    My Man Has Quit Me (Take 2) 3:08
Piano – K.D. Johnson
6    Memphis Jug Band–    Stealin' Stealin' (Take 3) 3:07
Vocals [Group Vcl] – Memphis Jug Band
7    Willie Baker–    Weak-Minded Woman (14782 - Test)    3:04
8    Rev. D.C. Rice–    Will They Welcome Me There? (Test) 3:17
Mandolin – Unknown Artist
Piano – Unknown Artist
Tambourine – Unknown Artist
Triangle – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Unknown Artist
Trumpet – Unknown Artist
9    Charlie Spand–    Levee Camp Man (Breakdown) (Take 6 - Test)    1:31
10    Charlie Spand–    Mississippi Blues (Take V6 - Test)    2:49
11    Robert Peeples–    Worry Blues (Test)    2:39
12    Charley Patton–    I Shall Not Be Moved (Take 2)    3:02
13    Big Bill–    Bow Leg Baby 2:38
Piano – Georgia Tom Dorsey
14    Frank Brasswell–    Mountain Jack Blues (16575) 2:26
Piano – Unknown Artist
15    Memphis Minnie–    Memphis Minnie-Jitis Blues (Take B) 3:15
Guitar – Kansas Joe McCoy
16    Kansas City Kitty & Georgia Tom–    Do It Some More    3:11
17    Kansas City Kitty & Georgia Tom–    Knife Man Blues    3:11
18    Bo Carter–    New Auto Blues    3:02
19    Big Bill–    Worried In Mind Blues    3:00
20    Joe McCoy–    Meat Cutter Blues (Alternate Take) 3:08
Guitar [Possibly] – Charlie McCoy
21    Joe McCoy–    What's The Matter With You? 2:55
Piano – Jimmie Gordon
22    Memphis Minnie–    Reachin' Pete (Take B)    3:10
23    Kokomo Arnold–    Milk Cow Blues – No. 5 (Test)    2:44
24    Memphis Minnie–    Running And Dodging Blues (Take 2 - Test) 2:43
Bass [String Bass, Probably] – Ransom Knowling
Clarinet – Arnett Nelson
Piano – Blind John Davis
25    Little Buddy Doyle–    Slick Capers Blues (Test) 2:35
Harmonica [Probably] – Walter Horton
26    Lonnie Johnson–    The Victim Of Love 3:10
Bass [String Bass] – Ransom Knowling
Piano – Blind John Davis

CHARLIE SPAND – The Complete Paramounts In Chronological Order 1929-1931 | DOCD-5108 (1992) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Document's The Complete Paramounts (1929-1931) is an invaluable Charlie Spand anthology, reissuing all of the pianist's early sides for Paramount. Classic performances include "Got to Have My Sweetbread," "Soon This Morning Blues," "Hastings Street," and his seminal duet with Blind Blake on "Moanin' the Blues." Still, it's not an exhilarating, start-to-finish listen -- the long running time, chronological sequencing, and poor fidelity, make it hard to digest. The more serious, intellectual blues listener will find all these factors to be positive, but enthusiasts and casual listeners will find that the collection is of marginal interest for those very reasons. Thom Owens

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. Charlie Spand’s recordings have long been recognized by both blues and jazz enthusiasts as a “special vintage” of African-American music. The combination of a blues poet, notable for his carefully thought-out lyrics, with inspired piano playing is indeed irresistible, yet little has been written about him apart from a brief musical study by Bob Hall and Richard Noblett in Blues Unlimited. On Hastings Street, named for a street in Detroit’s black entertainment district and issued originally under Blind Blake’s name, the guitarist teases Spand about his homesickness for Detroit and in particular for his obsession with 169 Brady Street. This address is in the same district of Detroit and may be guessed to have been the residence of a lady in whom the pianist had an interest. His first recording, Soon This Morning, was popular enough to justify the recording of a Soon This Morning No. 2 fifteen months later. His presence on the Hometown Skiffle sampler is a further testimony to Paramount’s sales expectations. Blind Blake is somewhat under-recorded on Soon This Morning but comes into his own on its session mate and on the August session, which immediately preceded the recording of Hastings St. The instrumental passages on Ain’t Gonna Stand For That in particular demonstrate considerable empathy. However, it has been suggested that the prominently featured guitarist on Good Gal is Josh White. The remainder of Charlie Spand‘s Paramount recordings feature him as a solo performer, the guitarist noted by discographers on Soon This Morning No. 2 is wholly inaudible. He addresses standard blues topics like faithless and wrong-doing women and sexual needs:
I like it in the morning, I like it late at night, Now if I don’t get my sweetbread, you know I don’t feel right. (Got To Have My Sweetbread) Financial worries loomed and he twice alludes to the difficulty of surviving without resort to crime, in Hard Time Blues and Room Rent Blues, where he complains: I ain’t got no money, I ain’t got no job, Now if something don’t happen, I’ll have to steal or rob. The jaunty and exuberant She’s Got Good Stuff takes the pianist into hokum territory with a song credited to “Lamoore“, a name which appears on forty-odd Paramounts of the era. It may conceal the identity of a member of the A&R staff, or sharp practice. Spand’s Paramount career ended with the doom-laden Evil Woman Spell. He re-emerged briefly to record for OKeh in 1940. Rumours of subsequent sightings in California appear to be just rumours. DOCD-5108
Tracklist :
1    Charlie Spand–    Soon This Morning Blues 2:55
Guitar – Blind Blake
2    Charlie Spand–    Fetch Your Water 2:27
Guitar – Blind Blake
3    Charlie Spand–    Good Gal 3:17
Guitar [Possibly] – Joshua White
4    Charlie Spand–    Ain't Gonna Stand For That 3:07
Guitar [Possibly] – Joshua White
5    Charlie Spand–    Moanin' The Blues 3:14
Guitar [Possibly] – Blind Blake
6    Charlie Spand–    Back To The Woods Blues 3:20
Guitar [Possibly] – Blind Blake
7    Blind Blake–    Hastings St. 3:12
Piano – Charlie Spand
8    Charlie Spand–    In The Barrel Blues    3:05
9    Charlie Spand–    Levee Camp Man    3:01
10    Charlie Spand–    Breakdown    1:48
11    Charlie Spand–    Mississippi Blues    2:40
12    Charlie Spand–    45th St. Blues    2:35
13    Charlie Spand–    Got To Have My Sweetbread (Take 3)    3:15
14    Charlie Spand–    Got To Have My Sweetbread (Take 4)    2:51
15    Charlie Spand–    Room Rent Blues    3:13
16    Charlie Spand–    Mistreatment Blues    2:59
17    Charlie Spand–    Soon This Morning – No. 2    2:56
18    Charlie Spand–    She's Got Good Stuff    2:58
19    Charlie Spand–    Thirsty Woman Blues    3:00
20    Charlie Spand–    Dreamin' The Blues    2:46
21    Charlie Spand–    Big Fat Mama Blues    2:52
22    Charlie Spand–    Hard Time Blues    2:34
23    Charlie Spand–    Georgia Mule Blues    2:26
24    Charlie Spand–    Tired Woman Blues    2:32
25    Charlie Spand–    Evil Woman Spell    2:42

RAGTIME BLUES GUITAR — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order 1927-1930 | DOCD-5062 (1991) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The emphasis is on inventive blues/ragtime guitarists on this CD. First there is a previously unreleased alternate take of Blind Blake playing the instrumental "Dry Bone Shuffle." Then there is the complete output of singer/guitarist Bill Moore (eight songs), the team of Tarter and Gay (two selections by the guitarists with Stephen Tarter singing), six cuts by guitarist George "Chicken" Wilson and harmonica/washboard player Jimmy "Skeeter" Hinton, four solo numbers (two of which are instrumentals) by guitarist/singer Bayless Ross, and three performances from singer/guitarist Willie Walker (including two of the "South Carolina Rag"). The obscurity of these performers should not keep vintage blues fans away, for the music is quite enjoyable in addition to being formerly very rare. Scott Yanow

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. The syncopated music that its black originators called “ragtime” was developed as a piano music in the last decade of the 19th Century, about the same time that the blues were also taking shape as a musical genre. Ragtime was a coming to terms between African cross-rhythms and the formalised syncopation of European art music and thus served equally as a vehicle for Scott Joplin’s doomed ambition to be taken seriously and as a safely exotic craze for whites. Pop fashion moved on, to take up and dilute other black musical creations but ragtime entered the American folk consciousness, both white and black; in the Eastern states, particularly, it became a vital component in the sound of black blues, its lilting dance rhythms permeating, sometimes dominating, the ideas of the musicians of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia. Of Florida too if, as seems probable, that was Blind Blake‘s home state. Blake’s complete works were thought to have been included on Document albums DOCD-5024 to DOCD-50277, but an alternate take of Dry Bone Shuffle has been found, and is included here to complete the reissue of this great musician’s output. Less extensively recorded, but better documented, is Virginia’s William Moore. Moore recorded 16 titles for Paramount, but only eight were issued. They include blues, minstrel numbers like Tillie Lee, and novelties like Ragtime Millionaire. Also Virginia-based were Steve Tarter and Harry Gay. Tarter played fiddle, piano and banjo as well as guitar, which makes it a matter for regret that they only cut two numbers. Of George “Chicken” Wilson and Jimmy “Skeeter” Hinton, we know only their music, a selection of energetic dance instrumentals interspersed with more reflective blues. Wilson plays guitar and kazoo, while his partner switches between harmonica and two makeshift percussion instruments, a “bellboard” and the more familiar washboard. Also a biographical unknown is Bayless Rose, If not a native of Virginia, he was familiar with that state; the title of his Jamestown Exhibition refers to the 1907 celebrations of the foundation of the Old Dominion, held in Jamestown, at which Rose may have played his “raggy”, music for visitors. Willie Walker, who closes this album, was remembered by Josh White as “the best guitarist I’ve ever heard. . . Blind Blake was fast but Walker was like Art Tatum.” His 1930 recordings have second guitar from Sam Brooks, whose considerable talent has tended to be overshadowed by Walker’s awe inspiring playing, unsurpassed for speed, clarity and invention even by Gary Davis, who was reluctant to play tunes he regarded as Willie Walker‘s. It’s a tragedy that Walker only recorded two numbers, mitigated a little by the existence of a second take of South Carolina Rag. Decide for yourself if Josh White‘s judgement was correct. DOCD-5062
Tracklist :
        BLIND BLAKE (1927)    
1    Blind Blake–    Dry Bone Shuffle [Unissued Take] 2:39
Guitar, Speech – Blind Blake
Rattle [Rattlebones] – Unknown Artist
        WILLIAM (BILL) MOORE (1928)    
2    William (Bill) Moore–    One Way Gal    3:15
3    William (Bill) Moore–    Ragtime Crazy    3:01
4    William (Bill) Moore–    Midnight Blues    2:42
5    William (Bill) Moore–    Ragtime Millionaire    3:07
6    William (Bill) Moore–    Tillie Lee    3:00
7    William (Bill) Moore–    Barbershop Rag    2:55
8    William (Bill) Moore–    Old Country Rock    3:00
9    William (Bill) Moore–    Raggin' The Blues    2:57
        TARTER AND GAY (1928)    
10    Tarter & Gay–    Brownie Blues 2:57
Guitar – Harry Gay
Vocals, Guitar – Stephen Tarter
11    Tarter & Gay–    Unknown Blues 3:02
Guitar – Harry Gay
Vocals, Guitar – Stephen Tarter
        CHICKEN WILSON AND SKEETER HINTON (1928)    
12    Chicken Wilson & Skeeter Hinton–    Myrtle Avenue Stomp 2:55
Guitar – George "Chicken" Wilson
Instruments [Bellboard], Washboard – Jimmy "Skeeter" Hinton
13    Chicken Wilson & Skeeter Hinton–    D.C. Rag 3:17
Guitar, Kazoo – Chicken Wilson
Instruments [Bellboard], Washboard – Jimmy "Skeeter" Hinton
14    Chicken Wilson & Skeeter Hinton–    Chicken Wilson Blues 3:06
Guitar – Chicken Wilson
Harmonica – Jimmy "Skeeter" Hinton
15    Chicken Wilson & Skeeter Hinton–    House Snake Blues 3:04
Guitar – Chicken Wilson
Harmonica – Jimmy "Skeeter" Hinton
16    Chicken Wilson & Skeeter Hinton–    Frog Eye Stomp 2:30
Guitar, Kazoo – Chicken Wilson
Harmonica, Washboard – Jimmy "Skeeter" Hinton
17    Chicken Wilson & Skeeter Hinton–    Station House Rag 2:32
Guitar, Kazoo – Chicken Wilson
Instruments [Bellboard], Harmonica, Washboard – Jimmy "Skeeter" Hinton
        BAYLESS ROSE (1930)    
18    Bayless Rose–    Jamestown Exhibition    2:47
19    Bayless Rose–    Black Dog Blues    3:07
20    Bayless Rose–    Original Blues    2:44
21    Bayless Rose–    Frisco Blues    3:05
        WILLIE WALKER (1930)    
22    Willie Walker–    Dupree Blues 3:28
Vocals, Guitar – Sam Brooks, Willie Walker
23    Willie Walker–    South Carolina Rag [Take 1] 3:08
Guitar – Sam Brooks
Vocals, Guitar – Willie Walker
24    Willie Walker–    South Carolina Rag [Take 2] 3:07
Guitar – Sam Brooks
Vocals, Guitar – Willie Walker

PAPA CHARLIE JACKSON — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 3 ∙ 1928-1934 | DOCD-5089 (1991) RM | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Papa Charlie Jackson's last 25 recordings, dating from September of 1928 through November of 1934, and doing more proper blues here than on either previous volume. By the time of the release of the material here, Jackson was one of the most seasoned of studio bluesmen, with nearly half a decade recording experience behind him -- his vocal presence on all of these records is extraordinary, and he knows how to get the most out of his instrument, guitar or banjo. "Ma and Pa Poorhouse Blues" and "Big Feeling Blues," both duets with Ma Rainey, present him at his most mature and naturally expressive vocally, in sharp contrast to the almost perfunctory vocals on volume one of this set. The Hattie McDaniels duets, two halves of "Dentist Chair Blues," are also extremely worthwhile as far more than novelty numbers. In addition to some priceless topical songs, such as "You Got That Wrong," there are some notable re-recordings here, including a killer 1934 remake of Jackson's earlier hit "Skoodle-Um-Skoo" (which by then had entered the repertory of Big Bill Broonzy, who was taught guitar by Jackson), and his last follow-up to "Shake That Thing," "What's That Thing She's Shakin'." The delightfully risqué-sounding "You Put It In, I'll Take It Out" closes this collection. The only drawback to any of this is that, despite the fact that it consists of material recorded much later than anything on volumes one or two, the sound quality on this disc is far lower, with lots of distracting surface noise on many of the sources used for individual songs -- the most disappointing of these are the two sides that Jackson cut with Blind (Arthur) Blake, who was very much an influence on Jackson; two of the greatest blues/ragtime guitarists and songsters of the early blues era together on record, and the scratchiness is nearly maddening. Only the four final 1934 sides really come up to the level one would wish on this stuff.  Bruce Eder

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. Paramount seem still to have regarded Papa Charlie Jackson as one of their stars, for his next release found him teamed with the great Ma Rainey (albeit with second billing). These two songs have been described as comic duets, but in fact they give serious treatment to the serious topics of poverty and love. Ma And Pa Poorhouse Blues uses the T. B. Blues tune that Victoria Spivey had made a hit in 1927. The boastful Good Doing Papa Blues reflects a frequent side of Papa Charlie’s recorded persona, that of the ladies’ man, effortlessly detaching women from their sweethearts. Similarly boastful, though in more fantastic vein, was the Blind Blake-influenced Jungle Man Blues. Corn Liquor Blues supplied a slow, rather lacklustre flipside, with Jackson sounding unimpressed by his own lyrics, which advertise his bootleg liquor. Don’t Break Down One Me is a gentle piece of hokum, using ingenious baseball metaphors, and a tune popular among medicine show entertainers; Hambone Willie Newbern used it for Nobody Knows What The Good Deacon Does, for instance. Baby Please Loan Me Your Heart is a sentimental little piece, with a simple, strummed accompaniment. It was as Dentist Jackson that Charlie next recorded, in duet with the first black person, and so far the only blues singer, to win an Oscar – Hattie McDaniel, later to find fame as Mammy in “Gone With The Wind”. Hot Papa Blues No. 2 and Take Me Back Blues No. 2 were both remakes of titles which had been issued back-to-back in 1925, although in 1929 they were issued separately. Hot Papa was accompanimentally quite different, replacing high speed banjo flatpicking with a chordal, and very Blind Blakeish, guitar accompaniment. Jackson continues to play guitar on We Can’t Buy It No More, which takes close notice of the incipient hokum craze; records by The Hokum Boys, which disguised a variety of lineups, were beginning to appear in early 1929, when this song was waxed, and evidently Papa Charlie Jackson was aware of their hit potential. Also topical in its reference to unemployment was Tailor Made Lover, by La Moore (sic), though it swiftly turns to sexual boasting. Like Take Me Back Blues No. 2, this song has guitar accompaniment; as had happened before, Paramount gave incorrect information on the label. As he had done on Jackson’s Blues (see DOCD-5087), Charlie plays a guitar boogie, remarkably prefiguring Leadbelly at one point. Tain’t What You Do But How You Do It starts off in apparently serious vein, but soon becomes a typically light-hearted piece, with Papa Charlie scatting his way through the verses. The Blind Blake influence was once again in evidence on the more downhearted Forgotten Blues, which features a couple of spectacular bass string slides. Also bass- orientated is Papa Do Do Do Blues, which neatly updates an old line: “I can get more women, than a passenger Zeppelin can haul.” I’ll Be Gone Babe has a sombre lyric, but Jackson’s natural exuberance works effectively against its tone, and once again he hits a flashy bass lick. On his next record, Jackson got to work with the man who seems to have been his musical hero for a while, Blind Blake. The meeting was one of musical equals, though; Jackson plays in a higher register than usual to prevent Blake’s guitar overwhelming his banjo, and it is he who plays the bugle call on which the two of them improvise, briefly but dazzlingly, in the first part of Papa Charlie And Blind Blake Talk About It. The two men sound thoroughly relaxed, and one has the sense of eavesdropping on a genuine jam session, not of an event staged by Paramount. This was to be Jackson’s penultimate record for Paramount. You Got That Wrong and Self Experience are both guitar-accompanied, the former an uncharacteristically sour attack on a girlfriend, the latter a truly remarkable, and surely autobiographical song, whose cryptic title conceals an account of a brush with the police and the courts. Jackson didn’t record again until late 1934 and early 1935, when he made four solo sides for Okeh, which were issued, and three with his friend Big Bill Broonzy, which weren’t. Skoodle-Um-Skoo was a remake of his 1927 recording (see DOCD-5088), played and sung with undiminished enthusiasm; the other three were double entendre pieces, and despite the ingenuity of You Put It In, I’ll Take It Out, which turns out to be about M-O-N-E-Y, one feels that Papa Charlie Jackson was a voice from the past. As he himself admits on What’s That Thing She’s Shaking? it was “years ago” that he had written Shake That Thing. DOCD-5089
Tracklist :
1    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Good Doing Papa Blues    3:03
2    Ma Rainey And Papa Charlie Jackson–    Ma And Pa Poorhouse Blues    3:07
3    Ma Rainey And Papa Charlie Jackson–    Big Feeling Blues    2:46
4    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Jungle Man Blues    3:03
5    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Corn Liquor Blues    3:15
6    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Don’t Break Down On Me    2:53
7    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Baby Please Loan Me Your Heart    2:58
8    Hattie McDaniels  And Dentist Jackson–    Dentist Chair Blues - Part 1    2:50
9    Hattie McDaniels And Dentist Jackson–    Dentist Chair Blues - Part 2    2:54
10    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Hot Papa Blues - No. 2    3:11
11    Papa Charlie Jackson–    We Can’t Buy It No More    2:40
12    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Tailor Made Lover    3:12
13    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Take Me Back Blues No. 2    3:07
14    Papa Charlie Jackson–    ‘Tain’t What You Do But How You Do It    2:48
15    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Forgotten Blues    2:49
16    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Papa Do Do Do Blues    2:48
17    Papa Charlie Jackson–    I’ll Be Gone Babe    2:50
18    Papa Charlie Jackson And Blind Blake–    Papa Charlie And Blind Blake Talk About It - Part I    3:14
19    Papa Charlie Jackson And Blind Blake–    Papa Charlie And Blind Blake Talk About It - Part II    3:16
20    Papa Charlie Jackson–    You Got That Wrong    2:36
21    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Self Experience    3:00
22    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Skoodle-Um-Skoo    3:12
23    Papa Charlie Jackson–    If I Got What You Want    3:24
24    Papa Charlie Jackson–    What’s That Thing She’s Shaking?    3:05
25    Papa Charlie Jackson–    You Put It In, I’ll Take It Out    3:08

BLIND BLAKE — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 1 : 1926-1927 | DOCD-5024 (1991) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Blind Blake, one of the top blues guitarists and singers of the 1920s, is a mystery figure whose birth and death dates are not definitively known. He recorded 84 selections in six years (1926-1932), and fortunately all have been reissued on four Document CDs. Vol. 1 mostly features Blake in unaccompanied performances other than six numbers backing singer Leola Wilson, one song in which he is joined by a kazoo player and two in which someone plays rattlebones behind his guitar. Among the classics heard on this CD are "Early Morning Blues," "Too Tight," "Come on Boys Let's Do That Messin' Around," and "Seabord Stomp." All four of Blind Blake's Document CDs are essential for every serious blues collection. Scott Yanow

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. Over a six year period Blind Blake recorded eighty-four titles together with numerous as house guitarist to artists like Papa Charlie Jackson, Ma Rainey, Leola B. Wilson and Irene Scruggs. This compilation covers his formative years and it has been surmised that initially he made three visits between August and December 1926 to Paramount’s Chicago studio. Blake’s first record West Coast Blues / Early Morning Blues was released on October 2 1926, the former title being basically a dance piece with Blake’s jaunty voice exhorting his listeners to do that old country rock, underpinning the spoken lyric with sophisticated, ragtime guitar accompaniment, taking the opportunity to incorporate a popular advertising slogan of the day (Good to the last drop, just like Maxwell House coffee). Early Morning Blues, on the other hand, was lyrically far more menacing, his warm, wistful and insinuating voice, at times reminiscent of Lonnie Johnson’s approach, giving lie to the seriousness of the subject (When you see me sleeping, baby don’t you think I’m drunk, I got one eye on my pistol, the other one on your trunk).
 
The role of Blind Blake as accompanist to Leola B. Wilson, an artist who sang on the vaudeville circuit, displays his ability to use double and stop time phrases, as well as managing to copy her vocal range on Down The Country Blues, a number inspired by a Bessie Smith song. The instrumental, Buck Town Dance, with kazoo playing from Dad Nelson, was probably the model for the piece so often recorded by John Hurt and Gary Davis during the 1960s while Dry Bone Shuffle and That Will Never Happen No More have noticeable echoes of minstrel and white influence. As both were recorded as part of a hillbilly session by the Kentucky Thorobreds perhaps Paramount were hoping to sell Blind Blake to both markets. Blake’s true guitar genius is evinced with Sea Board Stomp (perhaps the basis for some of Big Bill Broonzy’s stomps) where, not satisfied with emulating instruments like cornet, saxophone and trombone, he also treats his audience to a lesson in the syncopations of Dixieland Jazz. DOCD-5024
Tracklist :
1    Leola B. Wilson–    Dying Blues 2:45
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Leola B. Wilson
2    Leola B. Wilson–    Ashley St. Blues 2:58
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Leola B. Wilson
3    Blind Blake–    Early Morning Blues 2:52
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
4    Blind Blake–    West Coast Blues 3:09
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
5    Blind Blake–    Early Morning Blues 3:00
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
6    Blind Blake–    Too Tight 2:30
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
7    Blind Blake–    Blake's Worried Blues 3:03
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
8    Blind Blake–    Come On, Boys, Let's Do That Messin' Around 2:43
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
9    Blind Blake–    Tampa Bound 2:41
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
10    Blind Blake–    Skeedle Loo Doo Blues 3:05
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
11    Blind Blake–    Skeedle Loo Doo Blues 3:01
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
12    Blind Blake–    Stonewall Street Blues 2:53
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
13    Leola B. Wilson–    State Street Men Blues 3:09
Guitar – Blind Blake
Piano [possibly] – Jimmy Blythe
Vocals – Leola B. Wilson
14    Leola B. Wilson–    Down The Country 2:32
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Leola B. Wilson
15    Leola B. Wilson–    Black Biting Bee Blues 2:45
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Leola B. Wilson
16    Leola B. Wilson–    Wilson Dam 2:34
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Leola B. Wilson
17    Blind Blake With His Kazoo Band–    Buck-Town Blues 2:53
Guitar – Blind Blake
Kazoo [possibly] – Dad Nelson
18    Blind Blake–    Black Dog Blues 2:47
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
19    Blind Blake–    One Time Blues 2:36
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
20    Blind Blake–    Bad Feeling Blues 2:26
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
21    Blind Blake–    Dry Bone Shuffle 2:40
Bones [Rattlebones] – Unknown Artist
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
22    Blind Blake–    That Will Never Happen No More 3:02
Bones [Rattlebones] – Unknown Artist
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
23    Blind Blake–    Brownskin Mama Blues 2:36
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
24    Blind Blake–    Hard Road Blues 2:36
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
25    Blind Blake–    Hey, Hey, Daddy Blues 3:09
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
26    Blind Blake–    Sea Board Stomp 3:01
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake

BLIND BLAKE — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 2 : 1927-1928 | DOCD-5025 (1991) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Guitarist/singer Blind Blake's entire recorded output has been made available on four Document CDs. Vol. 2 covers a busy seven-month period and features Blake in several different diverse but equally rewarding settings. He performs solo; backs singers Elzadie Robinson, Bertha Henderson, and Daniel Brown; and holds his own with clarinetist Johnny Dodds and percussionist/xylophonist JImmy Bertrand in a jazz set. There are many memorable numbers among the 25 songs on this CD, including "Southern Rag," "He's in the Jailhouse Now," "Hot Potatoes" (an exuberant instrumental with Dodds), "Southbound Rag," and "No Dough Blues." Blind Blake at his best, but get all four volumes. Scott Yanow

Blind Blake’s guitar brilliance shines in this collection, featuring collaborations with top jazz and blues talents. His mastery of “ragtime guitar” dazzles on “Southern Rag”, where he blends African rhythms, Gullah influences, and sharp chord changes. This track reflects his roots and pioneering style. Blake’s versatility is evident in his accompaniment of artists like Elzadie Robinson and Bertha Henderson, where he switches effortlessly between guitar and piano. His one-man band approach on “Panther Squall”, using harmonica and guitar simultaneously, showcases his ingenuity. Blind Blake Complete Recorded Works Vol 2  Highlights include:

    Johnny Dodds: Clarinet brilliance on “Hot Potatoes” and “Southbound Rag”
    Jimmy Bertrand: Slide whistle and xylophone adding texture
    Bertha Henderson: Vocals complemented by Blake’s piano on “Let Your Love Come Down”
    Elzadie Robinson: Energetic performance on “Pay Day Daddy”

This volume captures Blake’s unique blend of blues, ragtime, and early jazz, solidifying his place as a guitar legend. DOCD-5025
Tracklist :
1    Blind Blake–    You Gonna Quit Me Blues 2:43
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
2    Blind Blake–    Steel Mill Blues 3:10
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
3    Blind Blake–    Southern Rag 2:50
Guitar, Speech – Blind Blake
4    Blind Blake–    He's In The Jailhouse Now 2:42
Banjo – Gus Cannon
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
5    Blind Blake–    Wabash Rag 2:51
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
6    Blind Blake–    Doggin' Me Mama Blues 3:11
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
Xylophone, Vocals, Speech – Jimmy Bertrand
7    Blind Blake–    C.C. Pill Blues 3:11
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
Slide Whistle – Jimmy Bertrand
8    Blind Blake–    Hot Potatoes 3:01
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
Slide Whistle, Wood Block, Vocals, Speech – Jimmy Bertrand
9    Blind Blake–    Southbound Rag 3:19
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
Xylophone – Jimmy Bertrand
10    Elzadie Robinson–    Pay Day Daddy Blues 2:51
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Guitar, Whistle – Blind Blake
Vocals – Elzadie Robinson
Xylophone – Jimmy Bertrand
11    Elzadie Robinson–    Elzadie's Policy Blues 3:10
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Elzadie Robinson
Xylophone – Jimmy Bertrand
12    Blind Blake–    Goodbye Mama Moan 2:46
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
13    Blind Blake–    Tootie Blues 2:59
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
14    Blind Blake–    That Lovin' I Crave 2:40
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
15    Bertha Henderson–    That Lonesome Rave 3:09
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Bertha Henderson
16    Bertha Henderson–    Terrible Murder Blues 2:58
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Bertha Henderson
17    Bertha Henderson–    Leavin' Gal Blues 2:49
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Bertha Henderson
18    Blind Blake–    No Dough Blues 2:52
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
19    Bertha Henderson–    Lead Hearted Blues 2:33
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Bertha Henderson
20    Bertha Henderson–    Let Your Love Come Down 2:27
Piano – Blind Blake
Vocals – Bertha Henderson
21    Blind Blake–    Rumblin' And Ramblin' Boa Constrictor Blues 2:49
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
22    Blind Blake–    Bootleg Rum Dum Blues 2:54
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
23    Blind Blake–    Detroit Bound Blues 3:06
Guitar, Vocals – Blind Blake
24    Daniel Brown –    Beulah Land 3:08
Guitar – Blind Blake
Piano – Tiny Parham
Vocals – Daniel Brown
Washboard – Unknown Artist
25    Blind Blake–    Panther Squall Blues 2:52
Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica [possibly] – Blind Blake
Harmonica [possibly] – George "Bullet" Williams

BLIND BLAKE — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 3 : 1928-1929 | DOCD-5026 (1991) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The third volume in the series opens with a pair of mid-1928 tracks featuring Blind Blake in the role of sideman, lending his brilliant guitar leads in support of Elzadie Robinson on "Elzadie's Policy Blues" and "Pay Day Daddy Blues." Blake's next session, from later that same year, returns him to the fore, yielding the mesmerizing "Notoriety Woman," one of the most menacingly violent tracks he ever cut; the same date also produced the comparatively lighthearted "Sweet Papa Low Down," a seeming attempt to cash in on the Charleston dance craze. The real jewel of the set, however, is a 1929 session teaming him with pianist Charlie Spand; "Hastings St." is a lively, swinging guitar and piano duet, while "Police Dog Blues" is among Blake's most vividly lyrical efforts, further galvanized by his haunting instrumental work. Jason Ankeny

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. Blind Blake, one of the top blues guitarists and singers of the 1920s, is a mystery figure whose birth and death dates are not definitively known. He recorded 84 selections in six years (1926-1932), and all have been reissued on four Document albums (DOCD-5024, DOCD-5025, DOCD-5026, DOCD-5027). By 1928 Blind Blake had gathered a faithful following, his appeal probably being due to the scope of his material, his popularity rivaling that of Blind Lemon Jefferson. The third volume in the series opens featuring Blake in the role of sideman, lending his brilliant guitar leads in support of Elzadie Robinson on Elzadie’s Policy Blues and Pay Day Daddy Blues. Returning to recording under his own name, a session, or sessions, held during September 1928 seemed to find Blake obsessed by women and the problems they were causing him, at times sounding lachrymal and despondent Search Warrant, Back Door, desperate Walkin’ Across The Country and positively violent as in Notoriety Woman, “To keep her quiet I knocked her teeth out her mouth, that notoriety woman is known all over the south”. The final number recorded that month, Sweet Papa Low Down, with its cornet, piano and xylophone accompaniment, evoke the kind of bouncy tune popular with practitioners of the Charleston dance craze. It was to be a further nine months before Blake recorded again, this time in company with pianist Alex Robinson. The five titles cut were of a far less suicidal nature than previous and on one number in particular, Doin’ A Stretch, his approach owed much to the style of Leroy Carr. There then followed a session in August 1929 which teamed him with Detroit pianist Charlie Spand that was to produce some of Blind Blake’s most vital and memorable recordings of his career. Hastings St., a swinging, boogie based piano and guitar duet, is primarily a showcase for the talents of Spand with the vocal banter between the pair celebrating the good times to be found in Detroit’s Black Bottom, “Out on Hastings Street doing the boogie, umm, umm, very woogie” in much the same manner as John Lee Hooker did in “Boogie Chillun” twenty years later. One of the best known mythical themes in black folklore is that of Diddie Wa Diddie, a kind of heaven on earth, a utopia of no work, no worries and all the food one could wish for. Blind Blake, while playing some mesmerising guitar, pokes fun at the idea, claiming that as far as he’s concerned it’s a “great big mystery”, his Diddie Wa Diddie is one for sexual gratification. The following year he cynically accepted the meaning (see Document DOCD-5027). The theme was taken up by in the 5Os by popular R&B singer, Bo Diddley. The unmistakable resonance of the steel-bodied National guitar introduces Police Dog Blues, one of Blake’s most lyrical songs and is notable for his use of the harmonics during the instrumental breaks, where he makes the guitar sound “most like a piano” (to borrow Leadbelly’s description of the technique). The haunting melody of Georgia Bound is common to the blues having been used by Charlie Patton (“Tom Rushen” – Document DOCD- 5009), Big Bill Broonzy (“Shelby County Blues” – document DOCD-5051) and Robert Johnson (“From Four Till Late”), to name but some, the sentiments of the song bearing an air of weary resignation suggesting that Blind Blake had more than just a passing acquaintance with the State. Despite the onset of the Depression, Blake went on recording, albeit sporadically, until 1932, lasting longer than many others as demonstrated in the final Document album of his work, Volume 4 (DOCD-5027). DOCD-5026
Tracklist :
1    Elzadie Robinson–    Elzadie's Policy Blues 3:12
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Guitar, Whistle – Blind Blake
Vocals – Elzadie Robinson
Xylophone – Jimmy Bertrand
2    Elzadie Robinson–    Pay Day Daddy Blues 3:07
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Elzadie Robinson
Xylophone – Jimmy Bertrand
3    Blind Blake–    Walkin' Across The Country 3:06
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
4    Blind Blake–    Search Warrant Blues 2:59
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
5    Blind Blake–    Ramblin' Mama Blues 2:48
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
6    Blind Blake–    New Style Of Loving 2:37
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
7    Blind Blake–    Back Door Slam Blues 2:45
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
8    Blind Blake–    Notoriety Woman Blues 2:45
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
9    Blind Blake–    Cold Hearted Mama Blues 2:50
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
10    Blind Blake–    Low Down Loving Gal 3:09
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
11    Blind Blake–    Sweet Papa Low Down 3:13
Cornet, Piano – Unknown Artist
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
Xylophone – Jimmy Bertrand
12    Blind Blake–    Poker Woman Blues 2:40
Piano [possibly] – Alex Robinson
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
13    Blind Blake–    Doing A Stretch 2:36
Piano [possibly] – Alex Robinson
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
14    Blind Blake–    Fightin' The Jug 2:53
Piano [possibly] – Alex Robinson
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
15    Blind Blake–    Hookworm Blues 2:54
Piano [possibly] – Alex Robinson
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
16    Blind Blake–    Slippery Rag 2:44
Guitar, Speech [probably] – Blind Blake
Piano [possibly] – Alex Robinson
17    Blind Blake–    Hastings St. 3:12
Guitar, Speech – Blind Blake
Piano – Charlie Spand
18    Blind Blake–    Diddie Wa Diddie 2:56
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
19    Blind Blake–    Too Tight Blues, No. 2 2:54
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
20    Blind Blake–    Chump Man Blues 2:49
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
21    Blind Blake–    Ice Man Blues 3:09
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
22    Blind Blake–    Police Dog Blues 2:50
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
23    The Hokum Boys –    I Was Afraid Of That -- Part 2 3:14
Piano [possibly] – Aletha Dickerson
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
24    Blind Blake–    Georgia Bound 3:20
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
25    Blind Blake–    Keep It Home
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake

BLIND BLAKE — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 4 : 1929-1932 | DOCD-5027 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The fourth and final volume in Document's series assembles a wide range of Blind Blake material, from sides cut under the name Blind Arthur ("Guitar Chimes" and "Blind Arthur's Breakdown"), collaborations with vaudeville singer Chocolate Brown (a.k.a. Irene Scruggs), and even his sole two-part blues, the morbid "Rope Stretchin' Blues." Among the final pair of tracks, from mid-1932, the first, "Champagne Charlie Is My Name," is so atypical that some question whether it is even Blake at all; however, his last known side, "Depression's Gone from Me Blues," is a career-capping triumph -- just why he never recorded again is just one of the many mysteries which continue to swirl about this legendary figure.   Jason Ankeny

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. Despite the name of Blind Arthur being used for two guitar solos recorded in October 1929, there can be little doubt that it is Blind Blake who is playing his “famous piano-sounding guitar” (to quote a Paramount advertisement) on Guitar Chimes. It has the same use of harmonics as in Police Dog Blues (DOCD-5026) but played in the key of C and latterly commented on by a noted musicologist thus, “most country blues guitarists were not sufficiently well versed in C to have hazarded such an instrumental”. By comparison, Blind Arthur’s Breakdown is an object lesson in finger-picking, the playing more in keeping with the technique of Virginian, William Moore. For Baby Lou and Cold Love, Blake again returns to his theme of the mistreating lover, Baby Lou having the chord structure and tempo of the South American tango. In May the following year Blake was in the studio, both in his own right and as accompanist to former St. Louis vaudeville singer, Irene Scruggs. Recording as Chocolate Brown, on one song, Itching Heel, Scruggs scoffs at chauvinistic blues singers (“he don’t do nothing but play on his old guitar, while I’m busting suds in the white folks yard”) to which Blake, in knee-jerk reaction, responds by speeding up the rhythm indicating that the remark hadn’t escaped unnoticed. Diddie Wa Diddie No. 2, unlike the first song (DOCD-5026), now finds Blake admitting that he knows what “diddie wa diddie means” which he delivers with heavy irony. In his long career Blind Blake only once recorded a two part blues and in Rope Stretchin’ Blues, suitably sung to the tune of “St James Infirmary”, he uses the occasion to recount, with a degree of morbidity, the ultimate penalty resulting from the infidelities of others;

Don’t trust no woman who mistreats a man, when you think she’s in your kitchen cooking, she’s got a stranger by the hand,

I have a lots of women I sure don’t want none now, she always milks me dry, than ever you milk a cow.

Blind Blake’s final two recordings took place in June 1932 and so uncharacteristic is one of the songs that commentators have argued that perhaps two singers were involved with the session. Despite doubts it is fairly certain that Blake sings on Champagne Charlie Is My Name, a song composed by George Leybourne and set to music by Alfred Lee in 1868, found fame in the Victorian music hall. The equally topical Depression’s Gone From Me, appropriately sung to the tune of “Sitting On The Top Of The World”, witnessed Blind Blake ending his six year recording career and, one assumes, his life, on a positive note. DOCD-5027
Tracklist :
1    Blind Blake–    Sweet Jivin' Mama    2:56
2    Blind Blake–    Lonesome Christmas Blues 3:36
Piano [Poss./Or] – Aletha Dickerson, Tiny Parham
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
3    Blind Blake–    Third Degree Blues 3:19
Piano [Poss./Or] – Aletha Dickerson, Tiny Parham
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Blake
4    Blind Arthur–    Guitar Chimes 2:57
Guitar – Blind Blake
5    Blind Arthur–    Blind Arthur's Breakdown 2:59
Guitar – Blind Blake
6    Blind Blake–    Baby Lou Blues    2:59
7    Blind Blake–    Cold Love Blues    2:54
8    Papa Charlie Jackson And Blind Blake–    Papa Charlie And Blind Blake Talk About It - Part I 3:14
Vocals, Banjo, Speech – Papa Charlie Jackson
Vocals, Guitar, Speech – Blind Blake
9    Papa Charlie Jackson And Blind Blake–    Papa Charlie And Blind Blake Talk About It - Part II 3:16
Vocals, Banjo, Speech – Papa Charlie Jackson
Vocals, Guitar, Speech – Blind Blake
10    Chocolate Brown–    Stingaree Man Blues 3:21
Guitar, Speech [comments] – Blind Blake
Vocals – Irene Scruggs
11    Chocolate Brown–    Itching Heel 3:16
Guitar, Speech [comments] – Blind Blake
Vocals – Irene Scruggs
12    Chocolate Brown–    You've Got What I Want 2:29
Guitar, Speech [comments] – Blind Blake
Vocals – Irene Scruggs
13    Chocolate Brown–    Cherry Hill Blues 3:00
Guitar, Speech [comments] – Blind Blake
Vocals – Irene Scruggs
14    Blind Blake–    Diddie Wa Diddie No. 2    3:25
15    Blind Blake–    Hard Pushing Papa    2:34
16    Blind Blake–    What A Low Down Place The Jailhouse Is    2:55
17    Blind Blake–    Ain't Gonna Do That No More    3:11
18    Blind Blake–    Playing Policy Blues    2:24
19    Blind Blake–    Righteous Blues    2:35
20    Laura Rucker–    Fancy Tricks 2:55
Guitar – Blind Blake
Vocals – Laura Rucker
21    Blind Blake–    Rope Stretchin' Blues - Part 2    2:46
22    Blind Blake–    Rope Stretchin' Blues - Part 1    2:58
23    Blind Blake–    Champagne Charlie Is My Name    2:29
24    Blind Blake–    Depression's Gone From Me Blues    3:30

MA RAINEY - Mother of the Blues (2007) RM / 5CD BOX SET / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This superb five-disc box set gives a sweeping overview of the hugely influential music of blues legend Ma Rainey. Rainey was already a seasoned performer by the time she made her first recordings in 1923, and though she only recorded for six years she cut over 100 songs, many of which went on to become blues classics. Those tunes, including "C.C. Rider," "Bo Weavil Blues," and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," are here, alongside dozens of other gems. Rainey ranged across styles and settings, from acoustic blues to jazz to jug bands, but her saucy, gritty vocal delivery remained a lynchpin. Given the historical impact of Rainey's output, the set's title--MOTHER OF THE BLUES--is no understatement.  by AllMusic

Disc A : Featuring Tommy Ladnier & Lovie Austin

A-1 Bad Luck Blues

A-2 Boweavil Blues: 1

A-3 Boweavil Blues: 2

A-4 Barrel House Blues

A-5 Those All Night Long Blues: 1

A-6 Those All Night Long Blues: 2

A-7 Moonshine Blues

A-8 Last Minute Blues

A-9 Southern Blues

A-10 Walking Blues

A-11 Lost Wandering Blues

A-12 Dream Blues

A-13 Honey, Where You Been So Long?

A-14 Ya Da Do: 2

A-15 Ya Da Do: 3

A-16 Those Dogs Of Mine

A-17 Lucky Rock Blues

A-18 South Bound Blues

A-19 Lawd, Send Me A Man Blues

A-20 Ma Rainey's Mystery Record

Disc B : Featuring Don Redman, Fletcher Henderson & Louis Armstrong

B-1 Shave 'Em Dry Blues

B-2 Farewell Daddy Blues

B-3 Booze And Blues

B-4 Toad Frog Blues

B-5 Jealous Hearted Blues

B-6 See See Rider Blues, Pt. 1

B-7 See See Rider Blues, Pt. 2

B-8 Jelly Bean Blues

B-9 Countin' The Blues, Pt. 1

B-10 Countin The Blues, Pt. 2

B-11 Cell Bound Blues

B-12 Army Camp Harmony Blues, Pt. 1

B-13 Army Camp Harmony Blues, Pt. 2

B-14 Explaining The Blues, Pt. 1

B-15 Explaining The Blues, Pt. 2

B-16 Louisiana Hoo-Doo Blues

B-17 Goodbye Dady Blues

B-18 Stormy Sea Blues

B-19 Rough And Tumble Blues

B-20 Night Time Blues, Pt. 1

B-21 Night Time Blues, Pt. 2

B-22 Levee Camp Moan

B-23 Four Day Honorary Scat, Pt. 1

B-24 Four Day Honorary Scat, Pt. 2

B-25 Memphis Bound Blues

Disc C : Featuring Buster Bailey, Fletcher Henderson & Coleman Hawkins

C-1 Slave To The Blues

C-2 Yonder Comes The Blues

C-3 Titanic Man Blues, Pt. 1

C-4 Titanic Man Blues, Pt. 2

C-5 Chain Gang Blues

C-6 Bessemer Bound Blues, Pt. 1

C-7 Bessemer Bound Blues, Pt. 2

C-8 Oh My Babe Blues

C-9 Wring And Twisting Blues

C-10 Stack O'Lee Blues

C-11 Breaken Hearted Blues

C-12 Jealousy Blues

C-13 Seeking Blues, Pt. 1

C-14 Seeking Blues, Pt. 2

C-15 Mountain Jack Blues, Pt. 1

C-16 Mountain Jack Blues, Pt. 3

C-17 Down In The Basement

C-18 Sissy Blues

C-19 Broken Soul Blues

C-20 Trust No Man

Disc D : Blind Blake, Kid Ory & Claude Hopkins

D-1 Morning Hour Blues

D-2 Weeping Woman Blues

D-3 Soon This Morning

D-4 Little Low Mama Blues

D-5 Grievin' Hearted Blues

D-6 Don't Fish In My Sea

D-7 Big Boy Blues

D-8 Blues Oh Blues

D-9 Damper Down Blues

D-10 Gone Dady Blues, Pt. 1

D-11 Oh Papa Blues

D-12 Misery Blues

D-13 Dead Drunk Blues

D-14 Slow Driving Moan

D-15 Blues The World Forgot, Pt. 1

D-16 Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

D-17 Blues The World Forgot, Pt. 2

D-18 Hellish Rag

D-19 Georgia Cake Walk

D-20 New Bo Weavil Blues

D-21 Moonshine Blues

D-22 Ice Bag Papa

Disc E : Featuring Georgia Tom Dorsey, Tampa Red & Papa Charlie Jackson

E-1 Black Cat Hoot Owl Blues

E-2 Log Camp Blues

E-3 Hear Me Talking To You

E-4 Hustlin' Blues

E-5 Prove It To Me Blues

E-6 Victim Of The Blues

E-7 Traveling Blues, Pt. 1

E-8 Traveling Blues, Pt. 2

E-9 Deep Moaning Blues, Pt. 1

E-10 Deep Moaning Blues, Pt. 2

E-11 Daddy Goodbye Blues

E-12 Sleep Talking Blues, Pt. 1

E-13 Sleep Talking Blues, Pt. 2

E-14 Tough Luck Blues

E-15 Blame It On The Blues

E-16 Sweet Rough Man

E-17 Runaway Blues

E-18 Screech Owl Blues

E-19 Black Dust Blues

E-20 Leaving This Morning

E-21 Black Eye Blues, Pt. 1

E-22 Black Eye Blues, Pt. 2

E-23 Ma And Pa Poorhouse Blues

E-24 Big Feeling Blues