The sixth and final volume in the series assembles the fruits of Blind Boy Fuller's final studio sessions, all dating to the first half of 1940. Despite failing health, Fuller is at his most incendiary on these sides -- "Shake It, Baby" is among his most galvanizing dance tunes, while "Little Woman You're So Sweet" stands as one of his finest originals. Most energetic, however, are the sanctified songs, including "No Stranger Now," "Jesus Is a Holy Man" and "Twelve Gates to the City" -- with his death less than a year away, Fuller burns with spiritual intensity, clearly yearning for some kind of redemption in his final months. Jason Ankeny
Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. At the beginning of 1940 Blind Boy Fuller was experiencing the medical problems that would eventually lead to his death early the following year. If his health was indeed failing, the sessions that took place in March 1940 gave no evidence of it. Step It Up And Go and Shake It, Baby were as spirited as any of the dance pieces Fuller ever recorded, J. B. Long contributed the powerful Three Ball Blues, and Little Woman You’re So Sweet was one of the most original songs associated with the guitarist. In addition, the religious pieces that were being released as by Brother George And His Sanctified Singers now included Fuller for the first time. A version of Gary Davis’ Twelve Gates To The City was recorded and, although it lacked the intensity of Davis’ performance, it still had a nice commercial swing to it that was helped along by Sonny Terry’s harmonica and Oh Red’s (Bull City Red) washboard. By the time of the June session, though, Fuller was sounding somewhat tired on the blues numbers. The four sanctified titles were in marked contrast with this. The particular standouts were No Stranger Now and Jesus Is A Holy Man which appear to bear more than a passing resemblance to the Chicago Sanctified Singers 1935 ARC release of “I Ain’t No Stranger Now”/”Tell Me What Kind of Man Jesus Is”. Both of the Fuller tracks are high energy, storefront gospel performances with guitar, washboard, and group vocals, and there is a palpable emotional atmosphere that compares favourably with the originals (no mean feat in itself). Perhaps Blind Boy Fuller was becoming concerned with his health and turning toward religion for relief. This hypothesis is supported by Richard Trice, who recalled that, before he died, Fuller swore that if he recovered he would forsake blues singing. He was in and out of the hospital for the last six months of his life during which time his bladder infection worsened until he died on February 13, 1941. A major chapter in the history of the blues had come to an end. DOCD-5096
Tracklist :
1 Blind Boy Fuller– Blue And Worried Man 2:46
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard – Oh Red
2 Blind Boy Fuller– Passenger Train Woman 2:45
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
3 Blind Boy Fuller– Shake It, Baby 2:48
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard – Oh Red
4 Blind Boy Fuller– Somebody's Been Talkin' 2:46
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard – Oh Red
5 Blind Boy Fuller– Three Ball Blues 2:53
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
6 Blind Boy Fuller– Little Woman You're So Sweet 2:44
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
7 Sonny Terry And Oh Red - (Blind Boy Fuller's Boys)– Harmonica Stomp 2:46
Guitar, Speech – Blind Boy Fuller
Vocals, Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Washboard – Oh Red
8 Blind Boy Fuller– Good Feeling Blues 2:37
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard – Oh Red
9 Brother George And His Sanctified Singers– You Can't Hide From The Lord 2:50
Vocals – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard, Vocals – Oh Red
10 Brother George And His Sanctified Singers– Twelve Gates To The City 2:41
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard – Oh Red
11 Blind Boy Fuller– Crooked Woman Blues 2:43
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
12 Blind Boy Fuller– I Don't Want No Skinny Woman 2:45
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard – Oh Red
13 Blind Boy Fuller– Bus Rider Blues 2:41
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard – Oh Red
14 Blind Boy Fuller– You Got To Have Your Dollar 2:41
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
15 Blind Boy Fuller– Lost Lover Blues 2:44
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard – Oh Red
16 Blind Boy Fuller– Thousand Woman Blues 2:44
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
17 Blind Boy Fuller– Bye Bye Baby 2:58
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
18 Blind Boy Fuller– When You Are Gone 2:45
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
19 Brother George And His Sanctified Singers– No Stranger Now 2:54
Vocals – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard, Vocals – Oh Red
20 Brother George And His Sanctified Singers– Must Have Been My Jesus 2:54
Vocals – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard, Vocals – Oh Red
21 Brother George And His Sanctified Singers– Jesus Is A Holy Man 2:47
Vocals – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Washboard, Vocals – Oh Red
22 Brother George And His Sanctified Singers– Precious Lord 2:46
Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals [possibly] – Brownie McGhee
Washboard, Vocals [possibly] – Oh Red
23 Blind Boy Fuller– Night Rambling Woman 2:47
Vocals, Guitar – Blind Boy Fuller
