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