Recording Details

SFW40134
Classic Blues from Smithsonian Folkways
Various artists


Notes - AA living and dynamic tradition, blues is forged in hard times but powerful enough to bring on the good times. Legends such as Lead Belly, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy, Elizabeth Cotten, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee, among others formed the "blues backbone" of Folkways Records. This compilation from the Smithsonian Folkways collection spans half a century and features Delta, St. Louis, Southwest, and Chicago styles performed by some of the best-known figures in blues history. From boogies to ballads, full of innuendo and irony, this classic collection is a jukebox in a jewel case.

Country(s) - United States

Language(s) - English

Year of Release - 2003

Record Label - Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Source Archive - Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Credits - Produced by Barry Lee Pearson ; Liner Notes by Barry Lee Pearson




Tracks -
101 Old Jabo
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee
Duration:2:14




102 Mule-Ridin' Blues
Big Bill Broonzy
Duration:3:46




103 Joggie Boogie
Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon
Duration:3:28




104 Black Woman
Vera Hall
Duration:1:27




105 Mercury Blues
K. C. Douglas
Duration:2:21




106 Ran the Blues Out of My Window
Roosevelt Sykes
Duration:2:57




107 Leaving Blues
Lead Belly
Duration:2:23




108 One Dime Blues
Etta Baker
Duration:3:46




109 County Farm Blues
Son House
Duration:2:11




110 Clog Dance (Stomping Blues)
Champion Jack Dupree
Duration:2:02




111 Boll Weevil
Pink Anderson
Duration:3:06




112 Nickel's Worth of Liver
Edith North Johnson and Henry Brown
Duration:2:43




113 Don't Leave Me Here
Big Joe Williams
Duration:2:43




114 Jimmy Bell
Cat Iron
Duration:2:20




115 Candy Man
Rev. Gary Davis
Duration:2:35




116 Beer Drinking Woman
Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon
Duration:2:32




117 Come Go Home with Me
Lightnin' Hopkins
Duration:3:55




118 Careless Love
Josh White
Duration:3:23




119 I Asked Her If She Loved Me
Henry Townsend
Duration:2:55




120 Rising Sun
Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry
Duration:2:43




121 Pony Blues
David "Honeyboy" Edwards
Duration:3:28




122 Vicksburg Blues
Little Brother Montgomery
Duration:4:02




123 Vastapol
Elizabeth Cotten
Duration:2:11




124 Drifting Along Blues
Lonnie Johnson
Duration:2:59




125 Oh Baby, You Don't Have to Go
The Chambers Brothers
Duration:2:49




126 Don't Lie Buddy
Lead Belly and Josh White
Duration:2:20