Memphis Jug Band 1932 - 1934
Memphis Jug Band CDs Of all the Jug Bands to record, the Memphis Jug Band featuring Will Shade and Charlie Burse must be one of the best known and most memorable. Jug, harmonica, mandolin, guitar, piano, drums and woodblocks are put to great use with some of the most energetic and lively to have been recorded.

Memphis Harp & Jug Blowers 1927 - 1939
It just might be that Memphis invented the harmonica blues – or at least that they grew up in the city and environs – considering the number of major harp players living there. Will Shade, Jed Davenport of neighbouring Tennessee, Noah Lewis from Ripley, Hammie Nixon from Brownsville and later John Lee (Sonny Boy Wiliamson No. 1) Williamson from Jackson, Tennessee. As an indication of the Memphis area’s pre-eminence in affairs of the harp we could look at the record company’s field trips. For example with over 30 trips each to Atalnta and Texas (compared to just 12 to Memphis) only a hand full of harmonica players were discovered. Atlanta could only muster Palmer McAbee (who may have been white). De Ford Bailey (from Nashville). Birmingham’s Jaybird Coleman and a Buddy Moss accompaniment While Texas produced one William McCoy and an unknown accompanist to Hattie Hyde! But more important than mere superiority of numbers is the difference in style; while the other harmonica players were fox-chasing and playing trains (see DOCD-5100) the Memphis men were playing hard blues.

Memphis Harp & Jug Blowers 1927 - 1939
It just might be that Memphis invented the harmonica blues – or at least that they grew up in the city and environs – considering the number of major harp players living there. Will Shade, Jed Davenport of neighbouring Tennessee, Noah Lewis from Ripley, Hammie Nixon from Brownsville and later John Lee (Sonny Boy Wiliamson No. 1) Williamson from Jackson, Tennessee. As an indication of the Memphis area’s pre-eminence in affairs of the harp we could look at the record company’s field trips. For example with over 30 trips each to Atalnta and Texas (compared to just 12 to Memphis) only a hand full of harmonica players were discovered. Atlanta could only muster Palmer McAbee (who may have been white). De Ford Bailey (from Nashville). Birmingham’s Jaybird Coleman and a Buddy Moss accompaniment While Texas produced one William McCoy and an unknown accompanist to Hattie Hyde! But more important than mere superiority of numbers is the difference in style; while the other harmonica players were fox-chasing and playing trains (see DOCD-5100) the Memphis men were playing hard blues.

Memphis Jug Band, the essential DOUBLE CD
Classic Blues is devoted to re-issuing the classic recordings of America's greatist blues artists.

Memphis Jug Band Vol 1 1927 - 1928
Memphis Jug Band CDs

Memphis Jug Band Vol 2 1928 - 1929
Memphis Jug Band CDs

Memphis Jug Band Vol 3 1930

Too Late Too Late Blues 1926 - 1944
Too Late Too Late Blues CDs Vol 1 The first Document CD appeared in 1990 with DOCD-5001 “Tommy Johnson”. Three years and 150 releases later the first volume of the “Too Late, Too Late” albums appeared. The unprecedented unleashing of such a fast growing bulk of blues and gospel recordings in such a “completist” fashion inspired both fans of the music and collectors alike. Once that the great river of releases had been flowing for a while collectors began to think again about what might be hidden in the corners of their collections or had until then been regarded of no real significance. In addition there were recent and continuing finds. A Big Bill Broonzy 78 had just recently been found, having been picked up in a lot that was saved from the street where it had been left for disposal. Then there was the box of Paramount tests that had been found several years ago were made available. Collectors also began to revisit their records with more attention being paid to the recordings themselves and on many occasions found that takes that appeared on their records were not the takes that had thus far been re-issued. The question was; what to do with these gems many which had seen the light of day since they were first issued fifty or sixty years previously? It was “too late” to put them onto the original albums covering each particular artists work. The logical solution was to periodically release albums which gathered together these items; the “Too Late, Too Late” albums. Some of these recordings have been found after the main event, some where not even known to have existed until recently, everyone of them is a piece of missing treasure

Too Late Too Late Vol 3 1927 - 1960's

God Don`t Like It - Document Shortcuts Vol 1 Blues Sampler
Maybe you already know something about Document, maybe (to use a music biz term) you are just “scratching the surface”. Either way, here is a clip, a snippet, an appetizer made up from tracks found within the catalogue. You don’t have to be a collector, worrying about matrix numbers or what colour socks such and such an artist was wearing during his 1953 recording of his big hit “I’m Really Happy Blues”, to appreciate the Shortcuts albums. This music was never recorded to be analysed, it was just for people to dig it, savour it, perhaps to hear it’s message, more than likely dance to it.