JACK KEROUAC — Reads On The Road (1999) Voices Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

While Rhino's compilation might mark a better place to start, Reads on the Road is certainly a worthy collection of some of Jack Kerouac's narratives and poetry, embellished by some actual singing. Kerouac is a more enjoyable author to hear reading on disc than most, since his prose had much of a jazz rhythm, and since he was an engaging reader/performer himself. The big find on this 74-minute CD is the 28-minute excerpt from On the Road his most famous and widely-read book, found on '50s acetates that had been thought lost. "On the Road" is presented as it was discovered, with just Kerouac's voice, but guitarist Vic Juris and Hammond organist John Medeski recorded music in 1998 for his early-'60s musical song-poem "On the Road" (a separate performance from his reading of material from the book). It's unexpected, and amusing if not brilliant, to hear Kerouac sing three jazz standards by the likes of Sammy Cahn, Johnny Mercer, and Gordon Jenkins in the late 1950s (presented with the original musical backing, by unknown musicians). David Amram, who had provided musical backup for Kerouac's readings in the late 1950s, wrote and recorded music in 1998 for two more Kerouac poems, cut by Kerouac in the back of a record shop, including the previously unpublished "Washington D.C. Blues," which runs for 17 minutes. Ending the set is Tom Waits, backed by Primus, doing yet another "On the Road," for which Waits put music to Kerouac's prose. Richie Unterberger
Tracklist :
1.    Jack Kerouac–    Ain't We Got Fun 2:31
Instrumentation By – Unknown Artist
Recorded By, Mixed By – Jerry Newman
Technician – Sean Slade
Vocals – Jack Kerouac
Written-By – Egan, Whiting, Sammy Kahn
2.    Jack Kerouac–    On The Road (Jazz Of The Beat Generation)  28:40
Technician – Greg Calbi, Steve Fallone
Voice – Jack Kerouac
3.    Jack Kerouac–    On The Road 2:16
Arranged By, Guitar – Victor Juris
Arranged By, Organ [Hammond] – John Medeski
Engineer [Assistant] – James Harned
Engineer, Mixed By – Danny Lawrence
Technician – Jim Sampas
Voice – Jack Kerouac
4.    Jack Kerouac–    Come Rain Or Shine 3:37
Instrumentation By – Unknown Artist
Lyrics By – Johnny Mercer
Music By – Harold Arlen
Recorded By, Mixed By – Jerry Newman
Technician – Sean Slade
Vocals – Jack Kerouac
5.    Jack Kerouac–    Orizaba 210 Blues 9:32
Composed By, Performer, French Horn, Piano, Shanai, Goblet Drum [Dumbek], Drums [Frame Drum], Flute [Lakota], Tin Whistle [Penny], Ocarina, Congas, Percussion – David Amram
Engineer [Assistant] – James Harned
Engineer, Mixed By – Danny Lawrence
Technician – Jim Sampas
Voice – Jack Kerouac
6.    Jack Kerouac–    When A Woman Loves A Man 2:54
Instrumentation By – Unknown Artist
Recorded By, Mixed By – Jerry Newman
Technician – Sean Slade
Vocals – Jack Kerouac
Written-By – Bernard D. Hanighen, Gordon Jenkins, John H. Mercer
7.    Jack Kerouac–    Leavin' Town 3:00
Instrumentation By – Unknown Artist
Recorded By, Mixed By – Jerry Newman
Technician – Sean Slade
Vocals – Jack Kerouac
Written-By – George Handy, Jack Segal
8.    Jack Kerouac–    Washington D.C. Blues 17:43
Alto Saxophone – Jerry Dodgion
Bass – Victor Venegas
Bassoon – Jane Taylor
Composed By, Performer – The David Amram Ensemble
Congas – Candido
Drums, Bongos – Johnny Almendra
Engineer [Assistant] – Danny Harned
Engineer, Mixed By – Danny Lawrence
Guitar – Victor Juris*
Oboe, English Horn – Ronald Roseman
Organ [Hammond] – John Medeski
Piano, French Horn, Shanai, Goblet Drum [Dumbek], Whistle [Penny] – David Amram
Technician – Jim Sampas
Viola – Midhat Serbagi
Voice – Jack Kerouac
9.    Tom Waits & Primus–    On The Road 3:58
Bass [Upright], Percussion – Les Claypool
Engineer [Second] – Jeff Sloan
Guitar, Percussion – Larry LaLonde
Mixed By – Bernd Burgdorf
Music By, Performer, Vocals, Guitar, Percussion – Tom Waits
Percussion – Brain (26)
Performer – Primus
Recorded By – Biff Daws
Saxophone – Ralph Carney 

IRÈNE SCHWEIZER · HAMID DRAKE — Celebration (2021) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1.        A Former Dialogue    6:26
2.        Hot Sunflowers    5:44
3.        The Good Life    4:29
4.        Twister    5:52
5.        Stringfever    5:04
6.        Blues For Crelier    3:17
7.        Nickelsdorf Glow    2:59
8.        Celebration    4:39
9.        Song For Johnny - In Memory Of Johnny Dyani    5:22
Credits : 
Composed By, Piano – Irène Schweizer
Cover – Rosina Kuhn
Drums – Hamid Drake

BILL GAITHER — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 1 · 1935-1936 | DOCD-5251 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Bill Gaither had all the right connections for an aspiring bluesman during the 1930s, including a Decca recording contract and personal friendships with Leroy Carr, Big Bill Broonzy, Jazz Gillum, and Tampa Red. Yet Gaither has never achieved the kind of posthumous popularity that has settled upon many of his acquaintances and contemporaries. All of his known works were reissued on five CDs by Document in the '90s, with volume one containing 23 recordings dating from 1935 and 1936. A true understanding of his life and accomplishments needs to be grounded in the background and events leading up to his earliest sessions. William Arthur Gaither was born in Belmont, KY on April 21, 1910. He was descended from African American slaves owned by the Gaither family, after whom Gaithersburg, MD was named. During the 1780s, Gaither's ancestors were brought to Bullitt County, a region south of Louisville, KY. After the Civil War they remained in the area and specialized in tobacco cultivation. William's parents were named Samuel Gaither and Bertha Kennison. In 1920, following their divorce, his mother took young Bill to Louisville, and it was there that he learned to play the guitar from his uncle, a mandolin handler who worked with various jug bands. Bill is known to have cut two records for a Victor field recording unit in 1931, but these were not released and have never been located. When in 1932 Gaither moved to Indianapolis, IN, he fell in with the local blues crowd and spent much of his time maneuvering around a stretch of Indiana Avenue known as Naptown; this was the city's epicenter of African American musical activity. Soon after returning to Louisville in 1934, Gaither began appearing in clubs with various groups under his direction, providing entertainment for both black and white audiences. It was a successful time for Gaither, and he became famous throughout Louisville. The following year, this restless individual returned to Indianapolis. During a visit to Chicago he cut his first records for the Decca label on December 15, 1935, singing and strumming the guitar in duo with an excellent piano player by the name of Honey Hill. Within the framework of the 8- and 12-bar blues, Gaither had a tendency to vary the structure of his songs, more so than some of his contemporaries like Peetie Wheatstraw or Bumble Bee Slim. Most of Gaither's songs describe interpersonal relationships, with lyrics that emphasize his bittersweet attitudes about women. Leroy Carr was a major influence that Gaither proudly emphasized by having himself billed as Leroy's Buddy. Beginning in October 1936, the instrumentation was expanded to include an unidentified string bassist and an unnamed individual who operated a pair of spoons as implements of percussion. On "Who's Been Here Since I Been Gone," Hill switches from piano to the gentle celeste, and the tune is recognizable as "Organ Grinder Swing," a whimsical air popularized by the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1.        Naptown Stomp    2:33
2.        Tired Of The Same Stuff All The Time (90510)    3:01
3.        Georgia Woman Stomp (Carrying On Blues)    3:06
4.        Pains In My Heart    2:36
5.        Strange Woman    2:36
6.        Which One I Love The Best    2:45
7.        Pins And Needles    2:31
8.        Bad Luck Child    2:37
9.        You Done Lost Your Swing    2:56
10.        After The Sun's Gone Down    2:57
11.        Stoney Lonesome    3:02
12.        You Done Showed Your D.B.A.    3:11
13.        Tired Of That Same Stuff All The Time (90933)    2:50
14.        Curbstone Blues    2:31
15.        Morning Dream    2:59
16.        Tired Of Your Line Of Jive    2:44
17.        Too Many Women    2:46
18.        Evil Hearted Me    2:38
19.        Gravel In My Bread    3:00
20.        How Long Baby How Long?    2:38
21.        L & N Blues    3:07
22.        'Bout The Break Of Day    2:51
23.        Who's Been Here Since I Been Gone    2:39
Credits : 
Bass – Unknown Artist (tracks: 13 to 23)
Celesta – Honey Hill (tracks: 23)
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Liner Notes [Booklet Notes] – Pen Bogert
Piano – Honey Hill
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Spoons – Unknown Artist (tracks: 16, 22, 23)
Vocals, Guitar – Bill Gaither 

BILL GAITHER — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 2 · 1936-1938 | DOCD-5252 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second volume in Document's five-part Bill Gaither retrospective presents 23 recordings made between October 1936 and June 1938, including two numbers that specifically reference the region where he lived, worked, and played during much of this period. One of two songs sung by Frank Busby, "'Leven Light City" is about Kokomo, IN, which is due north of Indianapolis. "Blake Street Blues" was inspired by life in the African American community that existed along Indiana Avenue in the heart of Indianapolis as early as the 1860s. When Gaither cut his record, the biggest news in that district was the construction of the Lockefield Garden Apartments, a racially segregated public housing project that improved living conditions in the district for a little over a decade before urban decay set in. On this collection, Gaither, who strums guitar throughout in duet with pianist Honey Hill, sings mainly about craving female companionship, discovering how untrustworthy some of his girlfriends turned out to be, and feeling like an outsider wherever he went. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1.    Bill Gaither–    You Done Showed Your D-B-A-, No. 2    2:49
2.    Bill Gaither–    Tee-Ninecy Mama (Little Sweet Mama)    2:52
3.    Bill Gaither–    Just The Wrong Man    2:58
4.    Bill Gaither–    Jiving Man Blues    2:58
5.    Bill Gaither–    You're A Mean Mistreater    2:56
6.    Bill Gaither–    Sunrise Blues    2:50
7.    Bill Gaither–    Orneriest Girl In Town    2:49
8.    Frank Busby–    'Leven Light City    3:02
9.    Frank Busby–    Prisoner Bound    3:04
10.    Bill Gaither–    New Bad Luck Child    2:35
11.    Bill Gaither–    New Little Pretty Mama    2:37
12.    Bill Gaither–    I'm Wise To Your Sweet Line Of Jive    3:01
13.    Bill Gaither–    I Just Keep On Worrying    2:55
14.   Bill Gaither–    Blake Street Blues    2:46
15.    Bill Gaither–    New Evil Hearted Blues    2:31
16.    Bill Gaither–    Won't You Tell Me Baby    2:55
17.    Bill Gaither–    Tired Of Sleeping By Myself    2:39
18.    Bill Gaither–    Rocky Mountain Blues    3:02
19.    Bill Gaither–    In The Wee Wee Hours    3:10
20.    Bill Gaither–    Do Like You Want To Do    3:18
21.    Bill Gaither–    Thousand Years And A Day    2:44
22.    Bill Gaither–    Mean Old World To Live In    2:41
23.    Bill Gaither–    Do Like I Want To Do    2:50
Credits : 
Bass – Unknown Artist (tracks: 4 to 13)
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Guitar – Bill Gaither
Liner Notes [Booklet Notes] – Pen Bogert
Piano – Honey Hill
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Vocals – Bill Gaither (tracks: 1 to 7, 10 to 23), Frank Busby (tracks: 8, 9)

BILL GAITHER — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 3 · 1938-1939 | DOCD-5253 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Of the five installments in Document's complete recordings of Bill Gaither, volume three's 22 selections are the most instrumentally diverse. According to the liner notes by Louisville, KY historian Pen Bogert, the addition of an unidentified alto saxophonist on seven titles recorded at the session that took place in New York City on June 23, 1938 might have been suggested by a producer at Decca Records. By this time, Gaither, a friend and proud follower of Leroy Carr, had also expanded his guitar technique to combine the initial Scrapper Blackwell influence with that of Lonnie Johnson. On June 24, Gaither's Indianapolis-based colleague Honey Hill cut his only known piano solos, a tidy "Boogie Woogie" and a swinging set of variations that he called "Set ‘Em." Five days later, Gaither made his only recordings with a pianist other than Hill, anchored by a drummer and with someone else playing the guitar while he sang. According to the enclosed discography, it is possible that the trio backing him on this date consisted of pianist Lil Armstrong, guitarist Teddy Bunn, and drummer O'Neil Spencer. Whoever they were, this little group (and the aforementioned saxophonist) provided Bill Gaither with the most jazz-inflected accompaniments of his entire career. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Old Coals Will Dwindle 2:56
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
2.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Babyfield Ways Girl 2:40
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
3.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    It's Grieving Me 2:41
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
4.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Old Model "A" Blues 2:35
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
5.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    You Done Lost Your Swing No. 2 3:06
Alto Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Bass – Unknown Artist
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
6.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Champ Joe Louis 2:51
Alto Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
7.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    So Much Trouble  2:32
Alto Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
8.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    It's Coming Back Home To You 2:39
Alto Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy 
9.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Right Hand Friend 3:07
Alto Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
10.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    If I Was The Devil 2:47
Alto Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
11.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    New Pains In My Heart 2:28
Alto Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Piano – Honey Hill
Vocals, Guitar – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
12.    Honey Hill–    Boogie Woogie 2:49
Piano – Honey Hill
13.    Honey Hill–    Set 'Em 2:38
Piano – Honey Hill
14.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Sweet Mama 2:36
Drums [Poss.] – O'Neil Spencer
Guitar [Poss.] – Teddy Bunn
Piano [Poss.] – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
15.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Noah's Dove 2:33
Drums [Poss.] – O'Neil Spencer
Guitar [Poss.] – Teddy Bunn
Piano [Poss.] – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
16.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Old Fashioned Woman 2:35
Drums [Poss.] – O'Neil Spencer
Guitar [Poss.] – Teddy Bunn
Piano [Poss.] – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
17.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    I Got Your Water On 2:53
Drums [Poss.] – O'Neil Spencer
Guitar [Poss.] – Teddy Bunn
Piano [Poss.] – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
18.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Too Late Too Late 2:32
Drums [Poss.] – O'Neil Spencer
Guitar [Poss.] – Teddy Bunn
Piano [Poss.] – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
19.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    New Rocky Mountain Blues 2:50
Drums [Poss.] – O'Neil Spencer
Guitar [Poss.] – Teddy Bunn
Piano [Poss.] – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
20.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Big Time Town Woman 2:51
Drums [Poss.] – O'Neil Spencer
Guitar [Poss.] – Teddy Bunn
Piano [Poss.] – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
21.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    When My Woman's Lovin' Someone Else 2:31
Drums [Poss.] – O'Neil Spencer
Guitar [Poss.] – Teddy Bunn
Piano [Poss.] – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
22.    Leroy's Buddy, (Bill Gaither)–    Racket Blues 2:30
Drums [Poss.] – O'Neil Spencer
Guitar [Poss.] – Teddy Bunn
Piano [Poss.] – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – (Bill Gaither), Leroy's Buddy
Credits : 
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Liner Notes [Booklet Notes] – Pen Bogert
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely 

BILL GAITHER — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 4 · 1939 | DOCD-5254 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Volume four in Document's five-fold set of Bill Gaither's complete recorded works contains his last 23 Decca recordings which date from September and October of 1939. Having cut his only records without Indianapolis pianist Honey Hill in New York City (where an alto saxophonist also sat in on one date), Gaither returned to Chicago where he and Hill joined forces with a string bassist and ground out a definitive series of Midwestern blues with poignant lyrics that are typical of Gaither's psychological profile. All of his emotional elements are in evidence here: embittered cynicism, moody self-absorption, and self-pity exacerbated by his disappointing relationships with women. The cornerstone of this unhappy obsession appears to have been an abruptly terminated affair with a certain Rose Lee, who met him and left him in Louisville in 1934, then rejoined him there six years later and lived with him until he was conscripted into the army in 1942. Some of these songs were written by Honey Hill, a solid pianist who was Gaither's right-hand man. These are Hill's last known recordings. Gaither's story is played out in the fifth and final volume of his complete works as reissued by Document in the '90s. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1.        Army Bound Blues    2:50
2.        Sing Sing Blues    2:38
3.        Kentland Blues    2:31
4.        Lazy Woman Blues    2:52
5.        See My Grieve Blues    2:46
6.        Wintertime Blues    2:24
7.        Another Big Leg Woman    2:55
8.        Greyhound Blues    2:48
9.        Changing Blues    2:58
10.        Jungle Man Blues    2:55
11.        Hard Way To Go    2:52
12.        New So Much Trouble    2:43
13.        Mean Devil Blues    2:18
14.        Stony Lonesome Graveyard    2:56
15.        Cheatin' Blues    2:55
16.        Bloody Eyed Woman    2:25
17.        Bachelor Man Blues    2:23
18.        Evil Yalla Woman    2:25
19.        It's Too Late Now    2:32
20.        Sweet Woman Blues    3:03
21.        Triflin' Woman Blues    2:20
22.        Rainy Morning    3:04
23.        Fairy Tale Blues    2:44
Credits : 
Bass – Unknown Artist (tracks: 1 to 21, 23)
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Liner Notes [Booklet Notes] – Pen Bogert
Piano – Honey Hill
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Vocals, Guitar – Bill Gaither

BILL GAITHER — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 5 · 1940-1941 | DOCD-5255 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In 1940, blues guitarist Bill Gaither left Indianapolis and took himself back to Louisville, KY where he opened a music shop called Donald Duck Records out of which he ran a radio and jukebox repair service. He also ceased recording for the Decca label (for which he'd waxed about 90 sides beginning in 1935), crossing over to Okeh along with his buddy Big Bill Broonzy. This is the best explanation for why long, lanky Gaither suddenly began identifying himself as Little Bill Gaither -- out of deference to Big Bill. When he switched from Decca to Okeh, Gaither also stopped billing himself as Leroy's Buddy, a reference to his friendship with blues piano legend Leroy Carr. With the exception of an errant alternate take of "Rocky Mountain Blues," which appeared on the blues collection Too Late, Too Late, Vol.13, the fifth and final volume of Gaither's complete works as reissued by Document during the '90s, contains all of his remaining material, consisting of 26 recordings made for Okeh in the months immediately preceding the U.S. entry into WWII. The first eight titles were made on June 12, 1940 with pianist Joshua Altheimer and a string bassist whose name is now forgotten. In addition to several of his customarily bitchy tunes about soured interpersonal relationships (the most poignant example being "Money Kills Love"), Gaither tossed off a rocking boogie-woogie with boisterous lyrics entitled "Georgia Barrel House," a reverent tribute to his late friend Leroy Carr, and "Wandering Rosa Lee," a rare instance of Gaither expressing happiness in a love song. Rose Lee was a woman he'd met briefly in Louisville and had spent six years pining over and singing about. On January 24, 1941 Gaither cut another ten sides for Okeh, this time with pianist Leonard Caston (billed as Baby Doo) and another (or the same) unnamed bassist. Personnel listings for the last eight titles on this collection (which turned out to be Gaither's final recordings) mention pianist Blind John Davis and posit Jesse Ellery as the guitarist rather than Gaither. Louisville historian Pen Bogert notes the influence of Peetie Wheatstraw on Gaither during "Moonshine by the Keg," and the visceral immediacy inherent in his cover of Big Maceo's "Worried Life Blues," which was backed with a heartfelt tribute to New Orleans (and its hookers) in "Creole Queen." These selections were the product of a session that took place on November 28, 1941 nine days before Japanese fighter planes attacked Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Gaither received his conscription notice in 1942 and became a member of the African American 1st Battalion of the 24th Infantry Regiment, serving at first mainly as an electrician and radio repairman. When the racially segregated United States Army put Gaither's combat-ready unit to work in Guadalcanal, it was as manual laborers who did nothing more complicated or heroic than unloading freight. They were sent to Bougainville in the Solomon Islands in January 1944, first as stevedores and then as the first all-black infantry patrol to see active service in WWII. Pinned behind enemy lines, Gaither's unit battled their way through tropical undergrowth and across a river to relative safety. Soon afterwards, they were assigned to the island of Saipan where they engaged in the unenviable task of seeking out and apprehending Japanese soldiers who had yet to surrender. Although Gaither and the other survivors received the Combat Infantryman Badge, he came home completely transformed by his wartime experiences, encumbered by a nervous condition that caused him to abandon music altogether. His story ends ingloriously with a remarriage, a return to Indianapolis in 1948, and years of innocuous employment as a maintenance worker and cafeteria busboy. Gaither passed away in Indianapolis on October 27, 1970 and is buried in New Crown Cemetery not far from the graves of Yank Rachell, Wes Montgomery, Scrapper Blackwell, and Leroy Carr. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1.        Tired Of Your Trifling Ways    2:42
2.        Life Of Leroy Carr    2:47
3.        Love Crying Blues    2:59
4.        Love Trifling Blues    2:53
5.        Georgia Barrel House    2:27
6.        Wandering Rosa Lee    2:53
7.        Money Kills Love    2:50
8.        It's Just A Woman's Way    2:52
9.        A Short Cut To The Grave    2:46
10.        I'm Behind The 8 Ball Now    2:33
11.        Moonshine By The Keg    2:45
12.        Why Is My Baby So Nice To Me    2:41
13.        Uncle Sam Called The Roll    2:39
14.        I Got So Many Women    2:42
15.        I Can Drink Muddy Water    2:35
16.        You Done Ranked Yourself With Me    2:38
17.        1941 Blues    2:42
18.        Jealous Woman Blues    2:43
19.        That Will Never Do    2:54
20.        Please Baby    2:40
21.        It's A Sad Story    2:53
22.        Old Rainy Day Blues    2:57
23.        Why Do You Tease Me So?    2:52
24.        Worried Life Blues    2:41
25.        Bad Luck Child's Bequest    3:00
26.        Creole Queen    2:51
Credits : 
Bass – Unknown Artist
Compilation Producer – Johnny Parth
Guitar [Poss./Or] – Bill Gaither (tracks: 19 to 26), Jessie Ellery (tracks: 19 to 26)
Guitar [Prob.] – Bill Gaither (tracks: 1 to 18)
Liner Notes – Pen Bogert
Piano – Baby Doo (Leonard Caston) (tracks: 9 to 18), Blind John Davis (tracks: 19 to 26)
Piano [Prob./Or] – Blind John Davis (tracks: 1 to 8), Joshua Altheimer (tracks: 1 to 8)
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Vocals – Bill Gaither

LEDBELLY — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 1 · 1939-1940 | DOCD-5226 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Austrian Document Records label begins its series of CDs presenting Leadbelly's commercial recordings in chronological order from 1939, although annotator Ken Romanowski acknowledges that the singer "had recorded a combined total of well over two hundred titles" prior to that date, tracks made either for the Library of Congress or ARC Records under the auspices of John Lomax. Still, most of those tracks had not been issued, and, contrarily, most became readily available later on either Elektra or Columbia Records. Two exceptions are 1935 alternate takes of "Daddy I'm Coming Back to You" (take three) and "Shorty George" (take two), which lead this album off as bonus tracks. Otherwise, the remaining 23 tracks comprise two sets of sessions from 1939 and 1940, first a bunch of recordings Leadbelly made as a solo performer for Musicraft Records, which issued them as an album called Negro Sinful Tunes, and second the first group of tracks for RCA Victor, some featuring the Golden Gate Quartet, and issued either on the album The Midnight Special and Other Prison Songs or on singles on the discount-priced Bluebird Records subsidiary. Many of Leadbelly's better-known songs are included in these sessions, among them "The Bourgeois Blues," "The Boll Weevil," "The Gallis Pole," "Pick a Bale of Cotton," "Midnight Special," "Alabama Bound," "Rock Island Line," and "Good Morning Blues." The singer is in prime shape, and his guitar playing is typically forceful. The tracks have been transferred from old vinyl discs, with hiss and crackles audible throughout, but the sound quality is generally good. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
– BONUS TRACKS – Alternate Takes (1935)    
1. Daddy I'm Coming Back To You (Take 3)    2:56
2. Shorty George (Take 2)    3:02
        -    
3. Fannin Street    2:36
4. Frankie And Albert - First Half    2:49
5. Frankie And Albert - Completion    3:04
6. De Kalb Blues    2:49
7. Looky Looky Yonder / Black Betty / Yellow Women's Door Bells (On A Monday)    2:57
8. The Bourgeois Blues    3:12
9. Poor Howard / Green Corn    3:09
10. The Boll Weevil    3:04
11. The Gallis Pole    2:59
12. Ain't Goin' Down To The Well No Mo' / Go Down Old Hannah    3:13
13. Pick A Bale Of Cotton    3:00
14. Whoa Back, Buck    3:05
15. Midnight Special    3:03
16. Alabama Bound    3:03
17. Rock Island Line    2:35
18. Good Morning Blues    2:51
19. Leaving Blues    3:02
20. T. B. Blues    3:07
21.  Red Cross Store Blues    3:05
22.  Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On    3:14
23.  Roberta    2:59
24.  Alberta    3:08
25.   I'm On My Last Go Round    3:09
Credits : 
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Guitar – Leadbelly (tracks: 1 to 6, 8 to 11, 13 to 16, 18 to 25)
Liner Notes – Ken Romanowski
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Tap Dance – Leadbelly (tracks: 9)
Vocals – Henry Owens (tracks: 13 to 17), Leadbelly, Arlandus Wilson (tracks: 13 to 17), William Langford (tracks: 13 to 17), Willis Johnson (tracks: 13 to 17)
Vocals [Vocal Quartet] – The Golden Gate Quartet (tracks: 13 to 17)

LEDBELLY — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 2 · 1940-1943 | DOCD-5227 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Austrian Document Records label continues its series of CDs presenting Leadbelly's commercial recordings in chronological order from 1939 with this second volume, which picks up with the second day of the singer's two days of sessions for RCA Victor Records in June 1940, some of the tracks featuring the Golden Gate Quartet, material issued either on the album The Midnight Special and Other Prison Songs or on singles on the discount-priced Bluebird Records subsidiary. These recordings (tracks one through ten) marked the end of Leadbelly's work for major record labels for the time being. His next, far more informal, commercial sessions were made for the tiny Asch Records label run by Moses Asch (later the founder of Folkways Records) and initially issued on the Asch albums Play Parties in Song and Dance as Sung by Lead Belly; Work Songs of the U.S.A. Sung by Leadbelly; Leadbelly & His Guitar; and Songs by Lead Belly. (Leadbelly also made many recordings for the Library of Congress [issued separately by Document] and airchecks during this period that do not fit into the series' concept of commercial recordings and thus are not included.) Many of Leadbelly's better-known songs are included in these sessions, among them "Easy Rider," "Grey Goose," "Stew Ball," "Skip to My Lou," "Rock Island Line," and "John Henry" (the last featuring Sonny Terry on harmonica). Particularly notable are two 1943 takes of "(Good Night) Irene," a song that would be popularized by the Weavers shortly after Leadbelly's death in 1949. The singer is in prime shape; his guitar playing is typically forceful, and he even plays concertina on some songs. The tracks have been transferred from old vinyl discs, with hiss and crackles audible throughout (and even, in the case of some of the Asch tracks, skips), but the sound quality is generally fair. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1.        Easy Rider    3:10
2.        New York City    3:00
3.        Worried Blues    3:08
4.        Don't You Love Your Daddy No More?    3:03
5.        You Can't Lose-A Me Cholly    3:03
6.        Grey Goose    3:01
7.        Stew Ball    2:58
8.        Take This Hammer    2:59
9.        Can't You Line 'Em    2:55
10.        Ham An' Eggs    2:55
11.        Ha Ha Thisaway    2:38
12.        Little Sally Walker    2:41
13.        Redbird    2:41
14.        Christmas Song    2:41
15.        Skip To My Lou    2:21
16.        You Can't Lose Me Cholly    2:32
17.        Take This Hammer    2:13
18.        Haul Away, Joe    2:12
19.        Rock Island Line    2:04
20.        Ol' Riley    2:31
21.        Corn Bread Rough    2:04
22.        Old Man    2:30
23.        On A Monday    1:46
24.        John Henry    2:14
25.        How Long    2:10
26.        (Good Night) Irene (Tk. 1)    2:21
27.        (Good Night) Irene    2:36
28.        Ain't You Glad    2:01
29.        Good Morning Blues    2:23
Credits : 
Accordion [Button Accordion] – Leadbelly (tracks: 21)
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Guitar – Leadbelly (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 11 to 20, 22 to 29)
Harmonica – Sonny Terry (tracks: 23 to 26, 28, 29)
Liner Notes – Ken Romanowski
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Vocals – Leadbelly, The Golden Gate Quartet (tracks: 6 to 10)

LEDBELLY — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 3 · 1943-1944 | DOCD-5228 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Austrian Document Records label continues its series of CDs presenting Leadbelly's commercial recordings in chronological order from 1939 with this third volume, which picks up with a session for record company owner Moses Asch (whose label was now called Disc, but who would later found Folkways) probably held in October 1943, material issued on the album Negro Folk Songs as Sung by Leadbelly (tracks one through six). The singer's contract with Asch was nonexclusive, and in February 1944 he returned to Musicraft Records (for which he had recorded in 1939) for sessions that resulted in the album Leadbelly Sings Ballads of Beautiful Women and Bad Men/With the Satin Strings (tracks seven through 14). Asch was back to calling his label Asch Records by April 1944, when Leadbelly cut a series of sessions (tracks 15-26) that appeared on different Asch collections and, after the company's bankruptcy, on Stinson, the company controlled by Asch's partner, who took away some of the masters. Some of Leadbelly's better-known songs are included in these sessions, among them "Bring Me Lil Water Silvy," "In the Pines," and "In New Orleans" (aka "House of the Rising Sun"), and two versions of "John Hardy," and the recordings also are notable for featuring his piano and concertina playing on some tracks and for the presence of Josh White (who duets on "I've a Pretty Flower" and takes lead vocals on "Don't Lie Buddy") and Sonny Terry here and there. On "Blind Lemon (Memorial Record)," Leadbelly demonstrates the style of Blind Lemon Jefferson, whom he used to accompany. The singer is in prime shape, and his guitar playing is typically forceful. The tracks have been transferred from old vinyl discs, with hiss and crackles audible, but the sound quality is generally good. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1.        Cow Cow Yicky Yea / Out On The Western Plains    3:07
2.        Noted Rider / Big Fat Woman / Borrow Love And Go    4:02
3.        John Hardy    4:15
4.        Meeting At The Building / Talking Preaching / We Shall Walk Through The Valley    3:19
5.        Fiddler's Dream / Yallow Gal / Green Corn    3:08
6.        Bring Me Lil Water Silvy / Julia Ann Johnson / Line 'Em / Whoa Back Buck    3:52
7.        Roberta    3:04
8.        Bill Brady    3:03
9.        Where Did You Sleep Last Night?    2:59
10.        Yellow Gal    3:03
11.        When The Boys Were Out On The Western Plains    2:54
12.        Pretty Flowers In Your Backyard    2:43
13.        In New Orleans    3:13
14.        John Hardy    3:10
15.        I've A Pretty Flowers    2:23
16.        Don't Lie Buddy    2:19
17.        How Do You Know / Don't Mind The Weather    2:14
18.        (What Are) Little Boys (Made Of) / Let Me Hold Your Hand (All For You) / Polly Wolly (Polly) Wee    2:16
19.        Skip To My Lou / Christmas Day (It's Almost Over)    1:59
20.        Little Sally Walker / Ha Ha Thisaway / Red Bird    2:34
21.        Outskirts Of Town    2:38
22.        Red River / Black Girl (In The Pines) / Don't Miss Your Water Blues    4:12
23.        Blind Lemon (Memorial Record)    1:23
24.        Leadbelly's Dance    0:50
25.        Mother's Blues (Little Children Blues)    2:30
26.        Mo' Yet / (Little Boy) How Old Are You / There's A Limb On The Tree (Green Grass Grows All Around)    2:51
Credits : 
Accordion [Button Accordion] – Leadbelly (tracks: 3)
Compilation Producer – Johnny Parth
Guitar – Josh White (tracks: 15, 16, 25), Leadbelly (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 26)
Harmonica – Sonny Terry (tracks: 21, 22)
Liner Notes – Ken Romanowski
Piano – Leadbelly (tracks: 2)
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Speech – Leadbelly (tracks: 23, 24)
Tap Dance – Leadbelly (tracks: 24)
Vocals – Josh White (tracks: 15, 16), Leadbelly

LEDBELLY — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 4 · 1944 | DOCD-5310 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Austrian Document Records label continues its series of CDs presenting Leadbelly's commercial recordings in chronological order from 1939 with this fourth volume, which picks up with a series of sessions probably held in May 1944 for record company owner Moses Asch and eventually issued on various records by the labels Asch, Stinson, Folkways, and Arhoolie. The singer's contract with Asch was nonexclusive, and while residing on the West Coast later in the year, he recorded for Capitol Records in October, the tracks issued on singles and EPs. Many of Leadbelly's better-known songs are included in these sessions (in many cases as re-recordings), among them "Easy Rider" ("See See Rider"), "Bourgeois Blues," "Rock Island Line," and "Irene" ("Goodnight Irene"). There are also some newly written and timely tunes, such as "Army Life" (with a vocal chorus singing, "I don't want no more army life/Gee, but I want to go home") and "Mr. Hitler" ("Hitler Song"). The recordings also are notable for the presence of guest musicians including Woody Guthrie, who duets on "We Shall Be Free," and, curiously, Paul Mason Howard, who plays zither on the Capitol performances (tracks 20-27). Leadbelly is in prime shape, and his guitar playing is typically forceful. (He also plays piano on the last two Capitol tunes, the instrumental "Eagle Rock Rag" ["Hot Piano Rag"] and "The Eagle Rocks.") The tracks have been transferred from old vinyl discs, with hiss and crackles audible. The sound quality is generally good, though it's startling when the Capitol tracks begin and they turn out to have been mastered much louder than what came before them. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1.    In The Evenin' When The Sun Goes Down    2:31
2.    Easy Rider (See See Rider)    2:48
3.    We Shall Be Free    2:33
4.    Keep Your Hands Off Her    2:50
5.    There's A Man Going Round Taking Names    1:23
6.    Red Bird    2:53
7.    Line 'Em    1:10
8.    T. B. Blues    3:40
9.    Jim Crow Blues    2:23
10.  Bourgeois Blues    2:17
11.  Army Life    1:45
12.  Mr. Hitler    3:04
13.  Juliana Johnson    1:06
14.  Jean Harlow    1:39
15.  Corn Bread Rough    2:06
16.  National Defense Blues    3:00
17.  Children's Blues (Little Children's Blues)    2:26
18.  The Blood Done Sign My Name (Ain't You Glad)    2:18
19.  Cow Cow Yicky Yicky Yea    1:31
20.  Ella Speed    2:43
21.  Rock Island Line    2:54
22.  Tell Me Baby    2:55
23.  Take This Hammer    2:51
24.   Irene    2:52
25.   Western Plain    2:41
26.   On A Christmas Day    2:51
27.   Backwater Blues    2:56
28.   Eagle Rock Rag    2:45
29.   The Eagle Rocks    2:45
Credits : 
Compilation Producer – Johnny Parth
Concertina – Leadbelly (tracks: 15)
Guitar – Leadbelly (tracks: 1 to 6, 8 to 14, 16 to 18, 20 to 27), Woody Guthrie (tracks: 4)
Harmonica – Sonny Terry (tracks: 1 to 3)
Liner Notes – Ken Romanowski
Piano – Leadbelly (tracks: 28, 29)
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Vocals – Leadbelly (tracks: 1 to 27, 29), Sonny Terry (tracks: 3), Woody Guthrie (tracks: 3)
Vocals [Vcl Group] – Unknown Artist (tracks: 11)
Zither – Paul Mason Howard (tracks: 20 to 27) 

LEDBELLY — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 5 · 1944-1946 | DOCD-5311 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Austrian Document Records label continues its series of CDs presenting Leadbelly's commercial recordings in chronological order from 1939 with this fifth volume, which picks up at the end of the singer's series of recordings for Capitol Records in Los Angeles in October 1944. Although the next batch of performances (tracks three through 14) come from a live performance for children in San Francisco in February 1945 that was broadcast on the radio, they fit into the "commercial recordings" framework because the tape was later pressed onto a disc by Folkways Records. By June 1946, Leadbelly was back in New York doing informal sessions for Moses Asch, soon to found Folkways, though most of these tracks were issued on its predecessor, Disc Records. Here, the singer is joined by such friends as Brownie McGhee, Woody Guthrie, and Cisco Houston, as well as jazz musicians Willie "The Lion" Smith and George "Pops" Foster. Many of Leadbelly's better-known songs are included in these sessions (in many cases as re-recordings), among them "Irene, Goodnight," "John Henry" (two versions), "Boll Weevil," "Rock Island Line" (a version that served as a blueprint for Lonnie Donegan's hit cover), "Alabama Bound," and "Midnight Special." The singer is in prime shape, and his guitar playing is typically forceful. The tracks have been transferred from old vinyl discs, with hiss and crackles audible occasionally, but the sound quality is generally good. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1.        Sweet Mary Blues    2:55
2.        Grasshoppers In My Pillow    2:46
3.        Irene, Goodnight    1:22
4.        John Henry    3:59
5.        Boll Weevil    3:20
6.        When A Man's A Long Way From Home    3:00
7.        Good Morning Blues    2:51
8.        By And By When The Morning Comes    1:50
Medley    (3:23)
9a.        Everytime I Feel The Spirit    
9b.        Swing Low Sweet Chariot    
9c.        They Hung Him On The Cross    
10.        Swing Low Sweet Chariot    1:02
11.        Rock Island Line    2:30
12.        Julie Ann Johnson    3:20
13.        Haul Away Joe    2:19
14.        Christmas Is Coming    1:04
15.        We're In The Same Boat Brother    2:38
16.        Diggin' My Potatoes    2:33
17.        Defense Blues    3:16
18.        Easy Rider    2:47
19.        Pigmeat    2:16
20.        John Henry    2:20
21.        Alabama Bound    2:22
22.        Ham And Eggs    2:42
23.        Yellow Gal    2:23
24.        Stew Ball    2:27
25.        Gray Goose    1:33
26.        Midnight Special    2:12
27.        Green Corn    1:14
28.        Fiddler's Dram    2:27
Credits : 
Bass [String Bass] – Pops Foster (tracks: 16 to 19)
Chorus [Children Singing] – Unknown Artist (tracks: 5, 8, 9b, 9c, 15)
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Guitar – Brownie McGhee (tracks: 16 to 20)
Harmonica – Sonny Terry (tracks: 17, 18, 20)
Liner Notes – Ken Romanowski
Piano – Willie "The Lion" Smith (tracks: 16 to 20)
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Trumpet, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Bass [String Bass], Drums – Unknown Artist (tracks: 7, 8)
Vocals, Guitar – Cisco Houston (tracks: 21 to 28), Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie (tracks: 21 to 28)

LEDBELLY — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 6 · 1947 | DOCD-5568 (1997) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Austrian reissue label Document Records released the first five volumes of its series of the commercial recordings of Leadbelly in chronological order in 1994, taking the story up to 1946. Three years later comes the sixth volume, covering recordings made in 1947. Except for the final, barely audible live recording of "Eagle Rock Rag" made on September 6, 1947, these tracks were cut for record company owner Moses Asch (soon to found Folkways), with the discographical information incomplete. Most of them are re-recordings of songs Leadbelly recorded for Asch or another label earlier, which may indicate that, at this relatively late point in his career, he had committed most of his repertoire to disc and was repeating himself or, as annotator Ken Romanowski and others have suggested, the singer may have been recutting songs at Asch's behest because Asch had lost control of the masters to the earlier versions when he went bankrupt and he wanted replacements. In any case, the result is that this album presents good versions of many Leadbelly favorites including "Gray Goose," "Pick a Bale of Cotton" (with backup vocals by the Oleander Singers), "Bring Me a Little Water Silvy (Sylvie)" (a duet with Anna Graham), "Irene, Good Night" (actually a copy of the earlier version for Asch, except that it fades out early), "Rock Island Line," and "The Gallis Pole." Among the few newly recorded songs are "Laura" and "Sukey Jump (Win' Jammer)." Also notable is "If It Wasn't for Dicky," the tune of which was borrowed by the Weavers for their song "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine." Although the singer was only two years away from his death due to the paralyzing effects of Lou Gehrig's disease, he shows no evidence of its onset here, performing in his usual enthusiastic manner and even pausing to explain the contexts of his work and gospel songs. The sound quality is generally good, although some tracks have audible surface noise. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1.        Yellow Gal    1:21
2.        You Can't Lose Me Cholly    1:11
3.        Laura    1:38
4.        Good Morning Blues    2:13
5.        Leaving Blues    2:17
6.        Big Fat Woman    1:08
7.        Gray Goose    1:24
8.        Pick A Bale Of Cotton    1:42
9.        Take This Hammer    1:34
10.        Bring Me A Little Water Silvy (Sylvie)    0:57
11.        Moaning    1:00
12.        Meeting At The Building    1:19
13.        We Shall Walk Through The Valley    1:11
14.        Irene, Good Night    1:50
15.        Cotton Song    2:06
16.        Ha Ha This Way    1:25
17.        Sukey Jump (Win' Jammer)    1:04
18.       Black Girl    2:06
19.        Rock Island Line    2:17
20.        Blind Lemon (Song)    1:38
21.        Borrow Love And Go    2:10
22.        On A Monday (I'm Almost Done)    2:08
23.        Shorty George    1:26
24.        Duncan (And Brady)    1:05
25.        Old Riley    2:22
26.        Leavin' Blues (Leavin' In The Morning)    1:27
27.        Pigmeat    2:15
28.        If It Wasn't For Dicky    2:50
29.        Black Betty / Old Man / On A Monday    2:55
30.        Turn Yo' Radio On    2:10
31.        No Good Rider    2:44
32.        Howard Hughes    3:00
33.        New York City    3:15
34.        The Gallis Pole    2:45
35.        I'm Leavin' On The Morning Train    2:46
36.        Jean Harlow    2:26
37.        Good Mornin' Blues    3:37
38.        Eagle Rock Rag (Live)    1:35
Credits : 
Chorus [Added Vocal Group] – The Oleander Singers (tracks: 8, 12)
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Graphics – Kevin Witt
Guitar – Unknown Artist (tracks: 27)
Harmonica – Sonny Terry (tracks: 14)
Liner Notes – Ken Romanowski
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Vocals – Leadbelly (tracks: 11, 29)
Vocals [Added Vocals] – Anna Graham (tracks: 10)
Vocals, Concertina – Leadbelly (tracks: 3, 17)
Vocals, Guitar – Leadbelly (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 to 10, 12 to 16, 18 to 23, 25, 27, 28, 30 to 37)
Vocals, Percussion [Rapping On Guitar] – Leadbelly (tracks: 26)
Vocals, Piano – Leadbelly (tracks: 6, 38)

LEDBELLY — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 7 · 1947–1949 | DOCD-5640 RM (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The six earlier volumes in Austrian reissue label Document Records' unlicensed series of albums featuring Leadbelly's commercial recordings are given the date range of 1939 to 1947. But this seventh volume runs up to the year of Leadbelly's death, 1949, after having started with a couple of airchecks from a broadcast of the This Is Jazz radio series from June 14, 1947 ("Green Corn" and "John Henry"). These tracks are followed by four recorded for the Library of Congress, and the rest of the album consists of more radio broadcasts or concert performances that were issued on LPs by Folkways Records or, in the case of the last two, "Old Ship of Zion" and "I Will Be So Glad When I Get Home," from Playboy Records' album of one of the singer's last concert at the University of Texas on June 15, 1949. This is not really a "complete" account of Leadbelly's last couple of years of recording, since it deliberately excludes the material from the Folkways albums of Leadbelly's Last Sessions, because Smithsonian Folkways has reissued those tracks on CD recently. Rather, this is a kind of addendum of odds and ends. Still, it does present mature performances of some of Leadbelly's better-known songs, including "Pick a Bale of Cotton," "Go Down, Old Hannah," "Take This Hammer," and "Good Morning Blues." Of course, by the time of the University of Texas show, he was suffering from the effects of Lou Gehrig's disease, which would kill him in December, and he was joined by his wife, Martha, on the two spirituals, apparently included here because they were left off a CD reissue of the album by Magnum in Europe. Surface noise is audible on many tracks, but the overall sound is good. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1.    Leadbelly–    Green Corn ("This Is Jazz" Broadcast)    0:54
2.    Leadbelly–    John Henry ("This Is Jazz" Broadcast)    2:58
3.    Leadbelly–    Tell Me Baby What Was Wrong With You    3:15
4.    Leadbelly–    Noted Rider    3:28
5.    Leadbelly–    Take A Whiff On Me    3:24
6.    Leadbelly–    Ox Driving Moan    2:39
7.    Leadbelly–    John Henry 3:09
Guitar [2nd], Speech – Brownie McGhee
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
8.    Leadbelly–    Pick A Bale Of Cotton 1:23
Guitar [2nd], Speech – Brownie McGhee
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
9.    Leadbelly–    Go Down, Old Hannah    2:04
10.    Leadbelly–    Ain't Going Down To The Well No More    1:05
11.    Leadbelly–    Shout On (Honey I'm All Out And Down) 2:09
Vocals – Sonny Terry
12.    Leadbelly–    It Was Soon One Morning    1:12
13.    Leadbelly–    Whoa Back Buck 2:09
Vocals – Sonny Terry
14.    Leadbelly–    Birmingham Jail (Down In The Valley)    1:48
15.    Leadbelly–    Take This Hammer    2:15
16.    Leadbelly–    It Was Early One Mornin' (Jail House Blues)    2:23
17.    Leadbelly–    Going Back To Mary (If I Had You Governor/Governor Pat Neff)    3:39
18.    Leadbelly–    Come And Sit Down Beside Me    1:02
19.    Leadbelly–    Ha, Ha This A Way    1:32
20.    Leadbelly–    You Can't Lose Me, Charlie    1:32
21.    Leadbelly–    Rooster Crows At Midnight (Christmas Day)    1:19
22.    Leadbelly–    Skip To My Lou    1:29
23.    Leadbelly–    Parting Song (When You Smile-o)    2:50
24.    Leadbelly–    Good Morning Blues (WNYC Jazz-Festival)    2:53
25.    Leadbelly–    Ain't Gonna Let You Worry My Life No More (WNYC Jazz-Festival)    2:16
26.    Leadbelly–    Pretty Papa (WNYC Jazz-Festival)    2:36
27.    Leadbelly With Martha Ledbetter–    Old Ship Of Zion (Live)    1:57
28.    Leadbelly With Martha Ledbetter–    I Will Be So Glad When I Get Home    2:07
Credits : 
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Liner Notes – Ken Romanowski
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Vocals – Leadbelly (tracks: 5, 10, 12), Martha Ledbetter (tracks: 27, 28)
Vocals, Guitar – Leadbelly (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 9, 11, 13 to 28)

PEETIE WHEATSTRAW — The Devil's Son~In~Law : Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 1 · 1930- 1932 | DOCD-5241 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In 1994, more than 160 of Peetie Wheatstraw's recordings were rounded up, placed in chronological sequence, and reissued by the Document label in an unprecedented effort that filled seven compact discs. The contents of volume one stand as a fascinating prologue to Wheatstraw's main body of work, providing valuable insights as a composite portrait of this legendary and influential bluesman continues to emerge from the shadows. Born in Ripley, TN in 1902 and raised in Cotton Plant, AK, William Bunch was already operating under his colorful new name when, in 1929, he landed in East St. Louis and quickly earned a reputation as a blues guitarist and barrelhouse piano player. According to his biographer Paul Garon, when Bunch drew upon African American folklore to reinvent himself as Peetie Wheatstraw, the Devil's Son in Law, he was transcending his racially imposed second-class citizenship by initiating "a poetic motive force in the direction of freedom and liberation." This uncompromising and individualistic power is especially evident in the recordings that Wheatstraw made during his first 19 months as a recording artist. His earliest 78 rpm platter was cut for the Vocalion record company on August 13 1930, in the company of a musician whose name may have been J.D. Short or Willie Fields, but is listed only as "Neckbones." The two men shared the vocals, with Neckbones coming across as the comparative lightweight while Wheatstraw expressed himself through gritty, passionate moaning and groaning, pushing his voice to the limit and sounding at times almost like Charley Patton. This is quite different from the way he would sound beginning in 1934, and even those who are accustomed to Southern African American dialect will probably find much of his singing on this album to be difficult to comprehend. The listener is forced instead to focus upon the singer's emotive texture and intonation, and that's a good way to listen. In September and October of 1930, Wheatstraw recorded eight sides with his close friend Charley Jordan, a well-known bootlegger who was responsible for hooking Peetie up with Vocalion to begin with. These were the first records to appear with the words "The Devil's Son-in-Law" right on the label. In September, 1931, Wheatstraw went to Chicago and cut four sides for Bluebird with a guitarist who is believed to have been Charlie McCoy. Although for a change he was not identified on the label as such, the first song of the session was titled "Devil's Son-In-Law," and the song on the flipside was "Pete Wheatstraw." Distributed by Victor, these Bluebird recordings provided him with terrific publicity, spreading his colorful name and distinctive sound throughout the land. Wheatstraw's next opportunity to record was in March 1932 at a studio in New York City, playing piano behind vocalist Pretty Boy Walker, and this marks the first appearance of what would become Wheatstraw's signature introduction. Every recording up until this point had opened with a rhythmic pulse that made it feel like part of a continuum. Without the signature intro, those sides fit together like segments of a longer ritual, and that is the best way to appreciate them, as the three-minute duration was an invention of the recording industry. While the only extant photograph of Peetie Wheatstraw shows him playing a National brand Style 3 Tricone guitar, he recorded almost exclusively as a pianist. The last four titles on this collection feature him singing and playing guitar, and the picture in question was probably taken during that week in 1932. These records should be savored as definitive proof of Wheatstraw's influence on Robert Johnson, Johnny Shines, Big Joe Williams, Muddy Waters, and Bukka White. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1.    Peetie Wheatstraw, Neckbones–    Tennessee Peaches Blues 2:59
Bass – Unknown Artist
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Vocals – "Neckbones" (prob. J. D. Short)
Vocals, Piano [Poss.] – Peetie Wheatstraw
2.    Peetie Wheatstraw, Neckbones–    Four O' Clock In The Morning 2:42
Bass – Unknown Artist
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Vocals – "Neckbones" (prob. J. D. Short)
Vocals, Piano [Poss.] – Peetie Wheatstraw
3.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Don't Feel Welcome Blues 3:08
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
4.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Strange Man Blues 3:09
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
5.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    School Days 3:24
Guitar [Prob.] – Charlie Jordan
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
6.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    So Soon 3:23
Guitar [Prob.] – Charlie Jordan
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
7.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    So Long Blues 3:16
Guitar – Charlie Jordan
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
8.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Mama's Advice 3:16
Bass – Unknown Artist
Guitar – Charlie Jordan
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
9.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Ain't It A Pity And A Shame? 3:13
Guitar – Charlie Jordan
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
10.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Don't Hang My Clothes On No Barb Wire Line 3:03
Guitar – Charlie Jordan
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
11.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    C And A Blues 3:05
Guitar – Charlie Jordan
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
12.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Six Weeks Old Blues 3:16
Guitar – Charlie Jordan
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
13.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Devil's Son-In-Law 3:22
Guitar [Poss.] – Charlie McCoy 
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
14.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Pete Wheatstraw 3:14
Guitar [Poss.] – Charlie McCoy 
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
15.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Creeping Blues 2:58
Guitar [Poss.] – Charlie McCoy (2)
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
16.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Ice And Snow Blues 2:32
Guitar [Poss.] – Charlie McCoy (2)
Vocals, Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
17.    Pretty Boy Walker–    The Break I'm Gettin' 2:52
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
Vocals – Pretty Boy Walker
18.    Pretty Boy Walker–    Hog-Love Blues 3:12
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
Vocals – Pretty Boy Walker
19.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Police Station Blues 3:02
Vocals, Guitar – Peetie Wheatstraw
20.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    All Alone Blues 3:06
Vocals, Guitar – Peetie Wheatstraw
21.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Can't See Blues 2:58
Vocals, Guitar – Peetie Wheatstraw
22.    Peetie Wheatstraw–    Sleepless Nights Blues 2:49
Vocals, Guitar – Peetie Wheatstraw
Credits : 
Compilation Producer – Johnny Parth
Liner Notes – Paul Garon
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely 

PEETIE WHEATSTRAW — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 2 · 1934- 1935 | DOCD-5242 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With the second of seven volumes comprising Document's complete works of Peetie Wheatstraw, we arrive at the threshold of his fully formed style, perfected over many months of steady gigging while the Great Depression prevented him from making any records. Tracks 1-9 were cut in March and August 1934 with guitarist Charley Jordan, and when compared with Peetie's earlier achievements the difference is apparent from the get-go. Until 1938, when he began to vary the structure of his tunes, nearly every Peetie Wheatstraw record would begin with an instrumental introduction he had initiated, while backing vocalist Pretty Boy Walker back in 1932. This patented intro would become Wheatstraw's signature, as instantly recognizable and ubiquitous as those of inner-city graffiti artists during the final decades of the 20th century. The other audible innovation is Peetie's singing style, which by 1934 had undergone a dramatic transformation involving what would swiftly become his other trademark: the soon-to-be-widely-imitated use of the phrase "ooh, well, well" to punctuate and accentuate his delivery. During this period, Wheatstraw recorded for Decca (the label on which his music would appear exclusively beginning in October 1936) and Vocalion, the company responsible for peddling some of his titles to the Sears & Roebuck Co., who released them on their Conqueror label. Originally backed with a title by Tee McDonald, the jazzy "Throw Me in the Alley" is a rare treat in the form of an upbeat Wheatstraw record involving extra instrumentalists. Billed as Peetie Wheatstraw & His Blue Blowers, this hot little group included trombonist Ike Rodgers and pianist Henry Brown, as well as two unidentified individuals playing clarinet and violin. Other participants on this satisfying collection which covers Wheatstraw's progress through July 1935 are guitarists Teddy Darby and Charlie McCoy, as well as steel guitarist Casey Bill Weldon, whose handle derived from K.C., an abbreviation of his old stomping ground, Kansas City. "Keyhole Blues" and "Long Time Ago Blues" pare the instrumentation down once again to Wheatstraw and his guitar, sounding more lonesome and personal than he generally did at the piano. Issued as the flipside of a Jimmie Gordon record, "Doin' the Best I Can" borrows its melody from "Sittin' on Top of the World" which was first introduced by the Mississippi Sheiks. "Good Whiskey Blues" and its sequel "More Good Whiskey Blues" are straightforward appreciations of legalized liquor (including imported Holland gin!) as opposed to the perils of unregulated, often poisonous prohibition booze. "C & A Train Blues," which refers to the Chicago and Alton railroad, is the first recording on which Wheatstraw amends his nickname by calling himself the High Sheriff from Hell. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1.    Back Door Blues    3:09
2.    Packin' Up Blues    3:09
3.    Long Lonesome Drive    3:19
4.    Midnight Blues    3:18
5.    The Last Time    3:21
6.    All Night Long Blues    3:14
7.    Numbers Blues    3:18
8.    Good Home Blues    3:18
9.    These Times    2:57
10.    Throw Me In The Alley    2:50
11.    C & A Train Blues    3:18
12.    Last Week Blues    3:08
13.    Keyhole Blues    3:13
14.    Long Time Ago Blues    3:15
15.    Doin' The Best I Can    2:53
16.    The Rising Sun Blues    3:00
17.    Blues At My Door    3:03
18.    Truthful Blues    3:07
19.    Good Whiskey Blues    3:14
20.    More Good Whiskey Blues    3:02
21.    Letter Writing Blues    3:01
22.    Whiskey Head Blues    2:46
23.    Slave Man Blues    2:50
24.    C And A Train Blues    2:46
Credits : 
Clarinet – Unknown Artist (tracks: 10)
Compilation Producer – Johnny Parth
Guitar – Peetie Wheatstraw (tracks: 10, 13, 14)
Guitar [Poss.] – Charlie McCoy (tracks: 15), Teddy Darby (tracks: 21)
Guitar [Prob.] – Charlie Jordan (tracks: 1 to 6, 8, 9)
Liner Notes – Paul Garon
Piano – Henry Brown (tracks: 10), Peetie Wheatstraw (tracks: 1 to 9, 11, 12, 15 to 24)
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Steel Guitar – Casey Bill Weldon (tracks: 16 to 21)
Trombone [Prob.] – Ike Rodgers (tracks: 10)
Violin – Unknown Artist (tracks: 10)
Vocals – Peetie Wheatstraw 

PEETIE WHEATSTRAW — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 3 · 1935- 1936 | DOCD-5243 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The third installment in Document's seven-volume Peetie Wheatstraw edition opens with songs about pimping and hustling, mixing cocktails, and making love like a spider. Tracks 1-11 were recorded in Chicago, alone at the piano and with guitarists Charley Jordan or Charlie McCoy. Peetie and Charley Jordan were the best of friends, and many of the songs in the Wheatstraw discography have Jordan listed as composer. The two men maintained a musicians' club and rehearsal space adjacent to Jordan's pad at 17th and O'Fallon where people like Roosevelt Sykes, Walter Davis, and Big Joe Williams would pay their 35-cent dues in order to be able to practice, jam, and prepare for their own recording sessions. Peetie gigged all over the Midwest during this period, and listening to his records, one can imagine him performing at length in all kinds of settings without ever running out of stories to tell. "Up the Road Blues" and "Last Dime Blues" are noteworthy for the absence of the famous Wheatstraw introduction, a musical fingerprint that instantly stamped dozens of other records with his unmistakable presence because he used the same structural template as a reusable canvas for his many improvised lyrics. "Johnnie Blues" kicks up the tempo a bit, and is considered one of this artist's stronger offerings. Peetie's first recording of 1936 was "No Good Woman (Fighting Blues)," a duet with Amos Easton, popularly known as Bumble Bee Slim. During the spoken introduction, Slim tries to pick a fight over a disputed female companion, to which Peetie replies "...don't fight, just play the blues and sing a little while, forget it." In his well-researched biography of Wheatstraw, Paul Garon marvels over the words to the "Kidnapper's Blues," noting the unlikelihood of a Depression-era bluesman being able to pay $10,000 ransom for a kidnapped black woman, or that a Chief Detective of that time period would even bother with such a case. He also points out that low-profile abductions were not unknown in the high-crime neighborhoods where Peetie and his primary audience lived and worked. Five days after this Vocalion record was cut in Chicago, Wheatstraw was in New York City making records for Decca with guitarist Kokomo Arnold, forging a working friendship that would bear fruit while strengthening Wheatstraw's relations with Decca. In October of 1936, he would become an exclusive Decca artist and would remain so until his sudden death in 1941. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1.    Good Hustler Blues    2:58
2.    Cocktail Man Blues    2:43
3.    King Spider Blues    2:58
4.    Hi-De-Ho Woman Blues 3:11
Guitar [Possibly/Or] – Charlie Jordan
Guitar [Probably/Or] – Charlie McCoy 
5.    Sorrow Hearted Blues 3:13
Guitar [Possibly/Or] – Charlie Jordan
Guitar [Probably/Or] – Charlie McCoy 
6.    Up The Road Blues 3:05
Guitar [Possibly/Or] – Charlie Jordan
Guitar [Probably/Or] – Charlie McCoy 
7.    Last Dime Blues 3:10
Guitar [Possibly/Or] – Charlie Jordan
Guitar [Probably/Or] – Charlie McCoy 
8.    King Of Spades 3:00
Guitar [Possibly/Or] – Charlie Jordan
Guitar [Probably/Or] – Charlie McCoy 
9.    Johnnie Blues 2:42
Guitar [Possibly/Or] – Charlie Jordan
Guitar [Probably/Or] – Charlie McCoy 
10.    Santa Claus Blues 3:12
Guitar [Possibly] – Charlie Jordan
11.    Lonesome Lonesome Blues 3:00
Guitar [Possibly] – Charlie Jordan
12.    No Good Woman (Fighting Blues) 2:49
Vocals – Bumble Bee Slim
13.    First And Last Blues 2:46
Guitar – Unknown Artist
14.    True Blue Woman 2:35
Guitar – Unknown Artist
15.    Kidnapper's Blues (C-1259) 2:40
Guitar – Unknown Artist
16.    Sweet Home Blues (Take 1) 2:44
Guitar – Unknown Artist
17.    Sweet Home Blues (Take 2) 2:44
Guitar – Unknown Artist
18.    Good Woman Blues 2:41
Guitar – Unknown Artist
19.    Working Man (Doing The Best I Can) 2:31
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
20.    Low Down Rascal 2:51
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
21.    When I Get My Bonus (Things Will Be Coming My Way) 2:32
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
22.    Coon Can Shorty 2:52
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
23.    Meat Cutter Blues 3:00
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
24.    The First Shall Be Last And The Last Shall Be First 2:46
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
25.    Kidnapper's Blues (60527) 3:04
Credits : 
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Liner Notes – Paul Garon
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Vocals – Peetie Wheatstraw (tracks: 1 to 11, 13 to 25)