Piedmont Blues Albums
BUDDY MOSS – ATLANTA BLUES
This 23 track compilation traces Buddy’s career from blowing harp on Atlanta street-corners to his later work with Josh White and Brownie McGhee.
JOSH WHITE – IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER VOL 1
This collection of ARC tracks from 1929/33 show ‘Pinewood Tom’ to be a stunning guitarist and an accomplished Blues singer. There are 18 examples of fine Piedmont picking on this compilation, and six religious songs when Joshua White was performing as ‘The Singing Christian’.
BLIND BOY FULLER – GET YOUR YAS YAS OUT
There are cheaper samplers and more expensive box sets, but this 27 track compilation has all Fuller’s biggest hits.
CURLEY WEAVER – 1933-35
This 23 track album has almost all of Curley’s solo output and includes six tracks by the Georgia Borowns.
Rev. GARY DAVIS – HEROES OF THE BLUES. VERY BEST OF REV. GARY DAVIS
Tracks from the 30s have been well cleaned up to give sparkle to the guitar sound, and the later recordings are superb too.
BLIND WILLIE McTELL – PIG’N’WHISTLE RED
It is hard to fault this album. The singing is so evocative and passionate, and the playing precise and delicate, they would have been Folk/Blues superstars had they survived into the 60s.
LARRY JOHNSON – BLUES FOR HARLEM
An interview with Larry completes a 13 track selection, including Trouble in Mind, Mean Ol’ Frisco and That’s Alright Mama.
SONNY TERRY – WHOOPIN’
Great players, great material, and a great way to end a long career, strong in voice and harp technique to the end.
BROWNIE McGHEE – THE FOLKWAYS YEARS 1945-59
This is excellent Folk/Blues, recorded when it was a new concept, and Brownie gives it his heart and soul.
BLIND BLAKE – ALL THE PUBLISHED SIDES
Instrumentals, solo songs, duets with singers like Irene Scruggs and Leola Wilson, and fantastic musicians like Johnny Dodds and Gus Cannon, this collection is an absolute jewel.
PINK ANDERSON – MEDICINE SHOW MAN
It is difficult to chose between the three excellent Bluesway albums. ‘Bluesman’ has some classic Piedmont songs, while ‘Folk Singer’ has everything from railroad songs to a dig at ‘Kaiser Wilhelm’
CEPHAS & WIGGINS – COOL DOWN
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PEG LEG HOWELL – COMPLETE RECORDINGS VOL.1
Document have collected 22 tracks from this original Piedmont slide-guitar picker, and they sound OK for ninety-year-old records.
GUITAR SHORTY – ALONE IN HIS FIELD
Little known and almost forgotten, this superb Piedmont Bluesman played some old-school guitar in the style of Blind Boy Fuller, with some sharp-edged breaks remeniscent of Lightnin’ Hopkins.
BABY TATE – SEE WHAT YOU DONE DONE
Baby gives each of these songs his individual flair, even those you will recognise from elsewhere. Dupree Blues and Truckin’ Them Blues Away are particular highlights.
