Memphis Blues Volume 3 (1927 – 1930)
Memphis, the ‘Home of the Blues’, may not be where the music started but it was there that it was nurtured to a pitch of perfection. It also fed into other musical genres from jazz to rockabilly. When early in 1927 the Victor record company decided to send a field recording unit into the South to record blues, gospel and white country music, it struck gold in Memphis...

Memphis Blues Volume 4 (1929-1953)

Memphis Blues Volume 4 (1929-1953)

Charlie Burse And his Memphis Mudcats - Memphis Highway Stomp
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Roosevelt Sykes Live At Webster College St Louis 1974
DOCD-5688 Roosevelt Sykes Live At Webster College St Louis 1974 Roosevelt Sykes; vocal, piano. Genre; Blues. Sub-Genres; Blues piano, Boogie-Woogie piano, St. Louis blues, Chicago blues. Informative booklet notes by Gillian Atkinson. Detailed discography. Abridged from booklet notes; Document are pleased to re-issue on CD the original Document album DLP 526, Roosevelt Sykes “Live” at Webster College, St Louis (1st Feb 1974) which was released as a Document vinyl LP, limited edition in 1988.

Field Recordings Vol 17 - Son House (1941-1942)
Son House; vocal, guitar. Includes: Willie Brown, guitar; Fiddlin’ Joe Martin, vocal, speech, mandolin; Willie Brown, guitar; Leroy Williams, harmonica. Genres; Country Blues, Mississippi Delta Blues, Bottleneck-slide guitar. Extensive booklet notes by Bob Groom, with previously unpublished information. Detailed discography. Described as "The Father of Folk Blues" and known as "The man who taught Robert Johnson", Son House recorded 17 outstanding tracks for the Library of Congress in his home state of Mississippi. Four of them were made with fellow musicians, the rest are solo performances. Made only fourteen years after his classic Paramount recordings, Document DOCD-5002)the L of C sessions reflect Son House still in his prime and are undoubtably among his best.

Blind Willie Johnson Vol. 1 (1927 to 10th December 1929)
DOCD-5690 Blind Willie Johnson: Complete Recorded Titles Vol. 1 (1927 to 10th December 1929) Blind Willie Johnson, vocal, guitar. Includes: Willie B. Richardson, vocal. Genres; Gospel, Guitar Evangelist, Bottleneck-slide guitar. Texas. Informative booklet notes by Mark Makin. Detailed discography. "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all American Music" - was Ry Cooder's description of "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground". Whether this judgement is excessive or not, it certainly cements the guitar evangelist and street singer, Blind Willie Johnson's position as one of the greatest of all American slide guitarists. In his short recording career from December 1927 to April 1930, a little under two and a half years, he would produce music that would have an immense influence on his contemporaries and later generations and cultures.

Blind Willie Johnson Vol. 2 (11th December 1929 to 20th April 1930)
Blind Willie Johnson, vocal, guitar. Includes: Willie B. Richardson, vocal. Genres; Gospel, Guitar Evangelist, Bottleneck-slide guitar. Texas. Informative booklet notes by Mark Makin. Detailed discography. By the end of the 1920s, Blind Willie Johnson had probably already heavily influenced many of the performing blues and gospel singers of Black America. It is possible to see his influence in many artists at the time, such as Ramblin’ Thomas and Blind Willie McTell, who became a friend of Johnson’s. McTell’s songs such as “Ain’t It Grand To Be A Christian” and “Dying Gambler” recorded in the mid 30s show a heavy Willie Johnson influence.

Blues From Maxwell Street (1960 & 1965)
Featuring; Daddy Stovepipe (Johnny Watson); vocal, guitar and harmonica. Blind James Brewer; vocal and guitar. King David; vocal and harmonica. Blind Arvella Gray; vocal and National steel guitar. Genres; Country Blues, Country Blues guitar, Country Blues harmonica, Field Recordings. Extensive, informative, booklet notes by Paul Oliver, Rien Wisse and Gary Atkinson. Detailed discography. Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market was once a hive of mercantile activity from the 1870s until it finally closed and fell silent in 1994. Like Beale Street in Memphis, this was also a home and a birth place for the blues. From Papa Charlie Jackson to Robert Nighthawk, Arvella Gray to John Wrencher, Maxwell Street played host to some of the best and greatest blues musicians and served as a working example where could be found one of the most iconic figures of the blues; the street musician. For many of them, such as Charley Jackson from New Orleans, Arvella Gray from Texas, Maxwell Street was a landing place for the many musicians who migrated from the South to Chicago, bringing with them their music and songs and making them part of the Chicago blues landscape.

An Afternoon with Reverend Gary Davis
DOCD-5693 An Afternoon with Reverend Gary Davis Rev. Gary Davis: vocal, guitar, banjo, harmonica. Genres: blues, ragtime-guitar, blues harmonica, banjo Informative booklet notes by Gary Atkinson Detailed discography The Reverend Gary Davis was one of the best known and most well received artists of the concert stage during the blues and gospel revival period of the 1960s and 70s. His pre-war recordings remain as outstanding examples of the “Guitar Evangelist” genre. Not only was he a fine ragtime and blues guitarist but he was also fearsome singer with the voice of preacher and street singer. With many studio albums and countless concert appearances behind him it was in the role of a music teacher that he excelled. Among his earliest pupils was Blind Boy Fuller!...

Granville Stick McGhee Volume 1 (1947-1951)
DOCD-5694 Granville “Stick” McGhee Volume 1(1947-1951) “Stick” McGhee, vocal, guitar. With contributions by; Wilbert “Big Chief” Ellis, piano Brownie McGhee, vocal, guitar Bob Harris, vocal, stand-up bass Joe Morris, trumpet Sonny Terry, harmonica Harry Van Walls, piano Gene Brooks, drums And others… Genres; blues, rhythm & blues. Extensive, informative notes by Gillian Atkinson. Detailed discography. In the military, Granville McGhee (brother of Brownie) entertained his buddies as he played his guitar. One of the songs that McGhee was best known for was "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee". He revived the song after his demob and began performing it with Harris. It was raucous and popular and began to attract attention. Granville and Bob were asked into the studio by the legendary record producer J. Mayo “Ink” Williams to record the song (Granville or maybe Mayo added some verses) and recorded it in its cleaned up guise. The record came out on the Harlem label in 1947 credited to Stick McGhee and his Buddy and in typical Williams style the composition itself was credited to McGhee and Williams. The story of the success of the song remains as popular as the song itself.

Granville Stick McGhee Volume 2 (1951-1960)
DOCD-5695 Granville “Stick” McGhee Volume 2 (1951-1960) Stick McGhee, vocal, guitar. With contributions by; Brownie McGhee, guitar. Harry Van Walls, piano. Maxwell Lucas, alto sax. Ed Vanderveer, trumpet. Mickey Baker, guitar. David “Bubba” Brooks, tenor sax. Charles Rwalins, alto sax, tenor sax. And others… Genres: blues, rhythm & blues. Informative booklet notes by Gillian Atkinson. Detailed discography.