Big Maceo Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Vol. 1 (1941-1945)
DOCD-5673 Big Maceo Vol 1. 1941-1945 – Flying Boogie Big Maceo, vocal, piano. With contributions by: Tampa Red, vocal, guitar; Ransom Knowling, stand-up bass, Clifford Jones, drums; and others… Genres: Blues, Blues Piano, Chicago Blues. Informative 12 page illustrated booklet by Gillian George. Detailed discography. Hattie Spruel was an ambitious woman and first met Big Maceo when she hired him to play for parties in her home. They were soon married and Hattie went to work to make a name for her new husband. The couple moved to Chicago in 1941, where she made the acquaintance of prominent guitarists Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red. She introduced them to Maceo and the two were impressed with his skills. They brought him to the attention of RCA's master producer, Lester Melrose, and within just a few weeks Maceo was recording for the famed Bluebird label. The first session would prove to be extremely fruitful for Merriweather. He recorded a total of 14 sides, with the first single becoming the most important of his career; Worried Life Blues. Continued...

Big Maceo Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Vol. 2 (1945-1950)
DOCD-5674 Big Maceo Vol. 2 1945-1950 - Big City Blues Big Maceo, vocal, piano. With contributions by: Tamps Red, vocal, guitar; Tyrell Dixon, drums; Eddie Boyd, piano; Big Crawford, bass; Odie Payne, drums; John Brim, guitar; Grace Brim, harmonica; and others… Genres: Blues, Chicago Blues, Blues Piano. Informative, illustrated 8 page booklet by Gillian George. Detailed discography. The first 4 tracks of this CD were recorded on the 5th July 1945 in Chicago with Tampa Red and Tyrell Little T Dixon on drums. The opening track, Maceo’s 32-20 (a superlative re-working of ’44 Blues’) is quite remarkable. His vocal phrasing is at times languorous, almost sexual, whilst the piano accompaniment is ominous and unrelenting. Maceo is out looking for his woman with his 32-20 in his hand. He means business! The band are on form, maybe it was a hot and sultry day in Chicago, perhaps a few drinks had flowed, whatever the circumstances of that recording they produced a session with all the elements of a deep soulful R&B sound that would be later exemplified by Muddy Waters and the Chicago 50’s sound. Continued...

Boll Weevil Here, Boll Weevil Everywhere
DOCD-5675 Field Recordings Vol 16 “Boll Weevil Here, Boll Weevil Everywhere” Various artists. Genres: Blues, Folk, Cajun, Songster. Informative, 8 page, booklet notes by Bob Groom. Detailed discography. The “Ballad of the Boll Weevil” is at least a century old. Numerous variants on the basic theme were recorded right across the American South during the years 1900-1960, either for the Library of Congress or song collections. There were also related commercial blues recordings such as Charley Patton’s and Joe Calicott’s “Mississippi Bo Weavil Blues”, Kokomo Arnold’s “Bo Weavil Blues”, Ma Rainey’s “Bo Weavil Blues” and “Devil And My Brown Blues” by Sam Butler (Bo Weavil Jackson). In 1961 the “Boll Weevil Song” made No. 2 in the American Hot 100, subsequently becoming an international smash hit, in a version by black ballad singer Brook Benton on Mercury. Although the composer credit on the 45 was to Benton and arranger Clyde Otis and on CD album issue to rock singer Eddie Cochran (who had recorded it a couple of years earlier) and Jerry Capehart, the song was in fact the most familiar version of the traditional Ballad of the Boll Weevil! Continued...

Leadbelly
DOCD-5676 Leadbelly “Live” – New York 1947 and Austin, Texas 1949 ‘I Want To Go Home’ Lead Belly, vocal, guitar. With contributions by Bunk Johnson’s and his Band; Martha Ledbetter, vocal. Genres: Blues, Country Blues, Texas Blues, 12-String Guitar, Jazz. Songster. Informative 12 page illustrated booklet notes by Sean Killeen Detailed discography. The first session was recorded in New York City on 6 September 1947 and Lead Belly, although nearly always a solo performer, here with veteran jazz men from New Orleans. Lead Belly feels and conveys the blues in his interpretation of Good Morning Blues. He compliments legendary trumpeter Bunk Johnson whose horn we hear. Johnson had played with jazz’s early greats at the turn of the century, and had only recently been “re-located” and brought to New York. Continued...

Blind Willie McTell Statesboro Blues The Early Years 1927 ~ 1935
DOCD-5677 Blind Willie McTell Statesboro Blues - The Early Years (1927 – 1935) Blind Willie McTell, vocal, 12-string guitar, 6-string guitar. With contributions by: Curly Weaver, vocal guitar. Ruby Glaze, vocal. Kate McTell, vocal. Genres: Country Blues, Georgia Blues, Ragtime Guitar, Bottleneck-slide Guitar, Guitar Evangelist. Informative, illustrated 20 page booklet by David Evans. Detailed discography. If Robert Johnson was the king of the Mississippi blues and Blind Lemon Jefferson was the king of the Texas blues then the Royal Crown of the Georgia blues must go to Blind Willie McTell. In addition, he was also a king of the twelve string guitar on which he played some of the deepest “country blues”, intricate “ragtime” and some of the finest “bottleneck slide guitar” to have been recorded. This three CD set covers the early years of this unique and extraordinary blues musician who, though revered by many including, Taj Mahal, The Alman Brothers, Bob Dylan and Jack White, all of who have covered his songs, has never been imitated. Continued...

Never Let The Same Bee Sting You Twice.
DOCD-5678 ‘Never Let The Same Bee Sting You Twice – Blues, Ballads, Rags and Gospel In The Songster Tradition. Various artists. Genres 3 CD Set Informative booklet notes by Chris Smith. Detailed discography. The blues as a musical form emerged around 1900. When recordings of blues music began in 1920 it was a more sophisticated form of, later termed the “Classic Blues”, a mixture of jazz and blues that was first offered to the record buying public. It would not be for another seven years that the popularity of the older form of the blues known as the “Country Blues” would reach popularity with the recordings of Blind Lemon Jefferson. Continued...

Bukka White Aberdeen Mississippi Blues
DOCD-5679 Bukka White Complete Recordings (1930-1940) Bukka White; vocal, guitar, bottleneck slide guitar With contributions by; Napolean Harris; 2nd guitar Washboard Sam; washboard. ‘Miss Minnie’ (prob. Memphis Minnie) vocals. Genre; Mississippi pre-war country blues, blues bottleneck guitar. Informative booklet notes by Keith Briggs Detailed discography Along with Son House and Skip James, Bukka White was one of the major Mississippi bluesmen to be re-discovered during the great blues revival of the 1960’s. His early recordings made between 1930 and 1940 are among the most creative and dynamic blues ever recorded. These early sessions have always been revered as being among the finest in blues history with his last recording date being referred to as the last great pre-war country blues recording session. Continued...

Lil Son Jackson Volume 1
DOCD-5680 Lil Son Jackson – Volume 1 'Rockin' and Rollin' - (1948 - 1950) Lil Son Jackson, vocal, guitar. Genres: Blues, Country Blues, Country Blues Guitar, Texas Country Blues. Informative booklet notes by Gary Atkinson. Detailed discography. In 1948 Lil’ Son Jackson took the 250-mile trip south to Houston where he was persuaded to cut an acetate demo for the Gold Star record company. In the final two years of the decade new releases by solo bluesman was already becoming a minority. There were still some strong “country blues” artists, including another Texas bluesman, Lightin’ Hopkins, who were having significant hits on labels such as Regal based in New Jersey and Gotham which were still putting out records in the “rural blues genre”. Gold Star’s owner, Bill Quinn, liked what he heard on the demo and decided, perhaps with Hopkins success in mind, to record and release four titles by Jackson giving him the recording name of “Little Son” Jackson.

Lil Son Jackson Volume 2
I never did take music to be a thing that I could make a livin of; I didn’t even think about that because I was a mechanic - mechanic-inclined - I like to work on automobiles. So said Lil Son Jackson being interviewed in 1960. Fortunately for us he did take time out from fixing motors to record these 23 great tracks between the years of 1950 and 1952.

Mississippi Blues Volume 4
DOCD-5682 Mississippi Blues Vol 4 - Delta Blues Goin' North (1935 – 1935) Otto Virgil, vocal, guitar. Robert Johnson, vocal, guitar. Robert Lockwood Jnr., vocal, guitar. With contributions by: Sunnyland Slim, piano; Alfred Elkins, bass; Alfred Wallace, drums. Genres: Blues, Mississippi Blues, Mississippi Country Blues, Down-home, Chicago Blues. Informative booklet notes by Gary Atkinson. Detailed discography. This album was originally released in 1987 as DLP 519 in the early years of Document Records vinyl productions, prior to the changeover to CD format. The opportunity to re-release it has allowed us to include take 1 of Robert Johnson's Travelling Riverside Blues. This track having not been released as part of Johnson's original output was issued for the first time on Document (‘Too Late, Too Late. Volume 11’ DOCD-5625). Continued...

Rufus Thomas - Tiger Man - Complete Recordings (1950-1957)
DOCD-5683 Rufus Thomas – ‘Tiger Man’ – Complete Recordings (1950 – 1957) Includes previously unreleased tracks. Genres: Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Down-home. Informative booklet notes by Dave Clarke Detailed discography. Extracts abridged from this CD’s booklet notes: In 1950 Rufus Thomas was performing at a north Memphis club called “Currie`s Club Tropicana” when he was approached by Dallas record man Jessie Erickson who asked if he could record Rufus and his band. An agreement was made and the first four tracks on this CD are the result of that meeting, although only the first two titles were issued. Continued...

Willie Egan - Come On
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