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Top Old-time Country Blues Records (mostly Pre-war blues)

People have been asking me to share my top-favorite old blues albums to advise them on building a CD collection. I do this somewhat reluctantly. There are many sources for similar lists of favorites. There is nothing new or special here. Every serious blues fan knows these records. But, not everybody is a serious old-blues fan quite yet, so here it is, as a primer for those who want to know more. These are just a few. There are many more. Others may recommend different recordings that are just as good as these picks of pre-war or traditional blues. It’s purely subjective, my own personal preference, but, you can’t go wrong with any of these (NOT listed and NOT intended as a ranking):

1. Robert Johnson – King of the Delta Blues Vol.I and II – Columbia (get the box set)

2. Blind Blake – Ragtime Guitar’s Foremost Fingerpicker-  Yazoo

3. Muddy Waters – The Complete Plantation Recordings – Lomax – Testament

4. Sleepy John Estes- I ain’t gonna be worried no more – Yazoo

5. Blind Willie McTell 1927-1933 – Yazoo

6. Fred McDowell-  The Lomax Field Recordings- Rounder

7. Blind Willie Johnson – Dark was the Night – Columbia

8. Blind Boy Fuller- Untrue Blues-  Catfish Records

9. Son House – Father of the Delta Blues – Columbia

10. Charley Patton – King of the Delta Blues – Yazoo

11. Scrapper Blackwell- The Virtuoso Guitar of – Yazoo

12. Big Maceo – The King of Chicago Blues Piano- Arhoolie

13. Lonnie Johnson – He’s a Jelly Roll Maker – Bluebird

14. Mississippi Sheiks-  Stop & Listen – Yazoo

15. Henry Thomas – 1927-29 – Document

16. Blind Lemon Jefferson- The Story- Déjà vu

17. Bukka White- The Complete… – Columbia

18. Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) – King of the 12 String Guitar –  Columbia Legacy

19. Snooky Pryor -Snooky Pryor- Paula Records

20. Mississippi John Hurt – Avalon Blues 1963-  Rounder

21. Josh White – Blues Singer 1932-1936 – Columbia Legacy

22. Skip James – Blues from the Delta – Vanguard

23. Arthur Big Boy Crudup- Rock me Mama- Tomato

24. Furry Lewis- In his Prime 1927-1928- Yazoo

25. Honeyboy Edwards – Mississippi Delta Bluesman- Smithsonian Folkways

26. Rev. Gary Davis- Pure Religion & Bad Company- Smithsonian Folkways

27. Mance Lipscomb- Pure Texas Country Blues- Arhoolie

28. Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry – Brownie and Sonny Sing- Smithsonian Folkways

29. Texas Alexander, Vol. 2: 1928 – 1930 – Document

30.  Peetie Wheatstraw- 1931-1941 – Fremeaux & Assiocies

31. Frank Stokes- The Victor Recordings 1928-1929- Document

32. Big Bill Broonzy- Warm, Witty & Wise- Columbia

33. Bo Carter- 1931-1940- Yazoo

34. Robert Pete Williams- Poor Bob’s Blues- Arhoolie

35. Son House- Delta blues- Biograph

36. Eddie Lang & Lonnie Johnson – Blue Guitars 1 & 2; BGO Records (UK)

37. Mamie Smith – Crazy Blues- The Best of Mamie Smith- Columbia/Legacy

38. The Best of Leroy Carr- Columbia/Legacy

39. Harmonica Blues- Great harmonica performances 0f the 1920s and ’30s- Yazoo

40. Bottleneck Guitar – Trendsetters of the 1930s- Kokomo Arnold & Casey Bill Weldon

41. Bessie Smith- Do Your Duty- The Essential Recordings- Indigo (or the Columbia box set- The Complete Recordings)

42. Son House and the great Blues Singers 1928-30- Document

43. Harmonica Blues 1929-40 – Wolf (Germany)

44. The Essential Recordings of Blues Harmonica- 1926-40 – Indigo

45. Slide Guitar – The Streamline Special- Columbia/Legacy

46. Skip James- The Complete Early Recordings- 1930- Yazoo

47. Lonnie Johnson- Blues in my Soul- 1937/1946 – EPM- (France)

48. The Best of the Mississippi Sheiks- Columbia/Legacy

49. The Best of the Spivey Sisters- 1929-1937 – RST Rcordings- (Austria)

50. Kokomo Arnold- The Complete Recordings- Vol. 1- 1930-35- Document

 

 

 

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