Masters of the Delta Blues: The Friends of Charlie Patton

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-12-08 rating:
Deep Delta Blues
In his recent book, "Delta Blues" (2008), Ted Gioia writes of the blues tradition that developed in the Mississippi Delta early in the 20th century. "This is strange wonderful music, no less peculiar for having eventually achieved lasting appeal and commercial success. Especially in its earliest days, the Delta blues tended to defy all the common expectations of popular art forms. Nowhere is this more evident than in the lyrics to these songs. On a superficial level, the Delta music dealt with the familiar themes of love and courtship, travels and adventures, the psychological aspects of those encounters almost always overwhelming the incidents related. Indeed, these songs almost never told a complete story, but merely sketched enough detail to communicate a charged and turbulent state of mind. Odder still was the propensity of the Delta blues singers to address these secular topics with a fervor more typical of religious music.... We are blessed to have inherited these songs as a key part of our American - and now global - cultural legacy." (Gioia, pp 5-6).

The early Delta blues were recorded in the late 1920s - early 1930s on primitive recording equipment. Forgotten for many years, interest in this music revived during the 1960s. This excellent CD "Masters of the Delta Blues" features early musicians who were friends of Charlie Patton, the first Delta bluesman to be commercially recorded. Patton's recordings are available on earlier compilations and not on this CD, except as an occasional accompanist. Instead, this CD features early recordings by eight Delta blues singers, including two women, who knew and were influenced by Patton. The disc offers an excellent introduction to the depth, passion and variety of the early Delta blues. I have owned this recording for many years and was inspired to revisit it upon reading Gioia's book.

The CD features seven tracks by Son House, including complete versions of his masterful two-track songs, "My Black Mama", "Preachin' the Blues", and "Dry Spell Blues." Son House vacillated throughout his life between the wandering, life of a bluesman, filled with liquor, violence, and sex, and his attraction to a religious vocation. His ambivalence show in these extraordinary songs. House sings and shouts, rants and raves, in a large, deep gravelly-filled voice accompanied by subtle shifts on simple riffs on his bottleneck guitar. House remains my favorite of the Delta bluesmen, even including Patton or the slightly later Robert Johnson. This CD includes Son House at his best.

Tommy Johnson is represented on this CD by five tracks. As was later the case with Robert Johnson, legend had it that Tommy sold his soul to the devil at the railroad tracks in exchange for the gift of making music. One can discount such stories entirely and realize the presence of a gifted artist. Unlike Son House, Johnson sang in a smooth, silky voice, frequently punctuated by falsetto. Tommy Johnson was also known for the lightness of his guitar accompaniment. This CD includes several of his most famous songs, including the much-covered "Big Fat Mama Blues" ("I want a big fat mama/with meat shaking on her bones"), "Canned Heat Blues", which sings of Johnson's own descent into alcohol abuse, and "Maggie Campbell Blues" (which opens with the lines "Cryin who did you know/Comin down the road" before turning in the second stanza to a chorus of "C.C. Rider". Tommy Johnson was also among the most famous of early bluesmen.

The CD includes two tracks by Bukka White, "I am in the Heavenly Way" and "Promise True and Grand". White enjoyed a lengthy career as a singer. The two songs here have distinctly religious themes, as White sings with a "Miss Minnie" (probably the blues singer better known as Memphis Minnie.). Female performers were a rarity in the Delta, but this CD includes two of them: Louise Johnson was highly unusual as a Delta musician both because of her gender and because of her skill on the piano, an uncommon instrument in the Delta. Her two tracks on this CD show a driving pianist of great force. Bertha Lee was Charlie Patton's longtime companion and is also represented on this CD by two tracks, including "Yellow Bee" which also is closely associated with Memphis Minnie.

The remaining performers on this CD include the mysterious Kid Bailey, who recorded only two songs and is difficult to track or identify. Both his songs, "Rowdy Blues" and "Mississippi Bottom Blues" are included. Willie Brown was closely associated with Bailey (some people think the two musicians were in fact the same person), and he is included in the the brooding "Future Blues" and the railroad blues "M and O Blues." Ishmon Bracey sang a passionate blues in his younger years, but he too felt the force of religion and abandoned the music later in life. His early release "Brown Mama Blues" is included on this CD.

It is easy to underestimate this music. But the early Delta musicians, with their restlessness, passion, wanderlust, sense of the outcast and loner, and genuine musical gifts made a vital contribution to American culture. The music will bear close and repeated listening. This CD offers a good cross- section of the best of the early Delta blues.

Robin Friedman

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review by: date: 2007-11-18 rating:
Interesting compilation of the works of early blues singers
This is a compilation of quite a few contemporaries of the early blues great, Charlie Patton. Artists included: Son House, Tommy Johnson, Willie Brown, Kid Bailey, Bertha Lee, Ishmon Bracey, Louise Johnson, and Bukka White. Interesting is the inclusion of two early female blues singers. Some of these cuts are pretty raw, not making it easy to make out the words in some songs.

Tommy Johnson is represented by different songs. In "Big Fat Momma Blues," he demonstrates simple acoustic guitar playing and simple vocal work. This and "Maggie Campbell Blues" are a good representation of his work.

Bukka White is one of the early great blues singers. In "I Am in the Heavenly Way," he sings a religious song, with a female (unclear who it is). The back and forth between them is a nice touch and adds considerably to the song. This is a lively piece; White's voice is quite expressive.

Willie Brown has multiple cuts on this CD. His "Future Blues" displays a raw voice and driving acoustic guitar work. The liner notes speak to his "brooding, agitated sense." That seems quite accurate to me. He has an expressive, lively voice, with a nice "blues growl."

Then there is the legendary Son House. Several of his recordings are on this CD. He shows nice guitar work and an expressive voice across songs such as "Walking Blues."

Bertha Lee, a "friend" of Charlie Patton, is represented by a couple songs. In "Yellow Bee," her singing is quite good. Patton plays guitar and provides some interactive vocalization with Lee.

Louise Johnson, in "On the Wall," plays a lively piano and sings in an animated fashion. This is an engaging piece.

The main contribution of this CD is providing a sense of the range of early blues singers. The quality of the recordings varies greatly. But hearing some of these blues songs is a real payoff.

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review by: date: 2005-02-07 rating:
The true roots of the blues
In the late 80`s early 90`s,I began collecting early blues discs.It seemed to me that Yazoo seemed to have the most varied collections so I started there.Charley Patton`s King of the Delta Blues was a very shocking and yet positive discovery for me,then I found this one.Imagine my suprise when I picked this baby up.I was floored....it`s a who`s who of the first wave of counry blues artists that were recorded in the late 20`s and early 30`s - Tommy Johnson,Son House,Willie Brown,Bukka White,Kid Bailey.....just incredible.
My tastes run to all sorts of music but this is what I trully love to listen to,anytime.The true gems are the Son House sides - powerful and frightning with a vocal that I really don`t think have been matched since.An excellent introduction to the blues,the songs exist in those old records and given the technology of cd`s they take some getting used to but the music eventually shines though.Overall,a great disc....friends indeed.

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review by: date: 2003-11-29 rating:
showcase of the blues' greatest strength
Any fan of the blues will appreciate the enormous influence Charley Patton had over the blues players of the delta, and this appreciation can only be increased by the songs presented here.
We see here the greatest strength of the blues-the tendancy to individualism, the taking of another's tune and molding it to one's own style until it became one's own. This Album showcases that beautifully as it includes many varied and superb treatments of classic Patton tunes such as pony blues or maggie. Of particular interest are the Kid Bailey cuts, a mysterious figure who according to the liner notes was identified by Son house as Willie Brown with Patton accompanying. They are my personal favorites, but overall a very good album. A must for anyone interested in the development of the blues, or who just wants something to howl along with.


review by: date: 2001-02-06 rating:
One of the best blues CD's I've ever owned! Essential!
This is a wonderful blues CD. One of the best I've ever purchashed. It includes great performances by legendary blues figures such as Tommie Johnson, Willie Brown, Ishmon Bracey, Son House, Kid Bailey, Bukka White and others. This is the true Mississippi Delta Blues from the late 20's and 30's. The guitar work is mesmorizing and is a blueprint for rock and roll. There are 5 Tommie Johnson cuts, recorded for Victor, that are superb. He was as good as Robert Johnson, in my opinion. Yazoo captures these classic recordings with all that old Mississippi dirt with some scratchiness, yet the sound is vibrant and alive. Willie Brown's "Future Blues" and Tommie Johnson's "Canned Heat Blues" are worth the price of admission alone. Essential!

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