Various Artists
Classic Piedmont Blues from Smithsonian Folkways (CD)

SFW-CD-40221

With a selection of indelible recordings made over 70 years, Classic Piedmont Blues captures the essence of this fascinating blues tradition. Originating in the foothills of Southern Appalachia, the Piedmont blues served as a breeding ground for cross-pollination between traditions: rural and urban, black and white, country and coastal. Swept up on the tide of the Great Migration, it was carried from the Carolinas and Virginia, north and east through Maryland and Washington, D.C., to New York City and back again. Featuring influential artists like John Jackson, Cephas & Wiggins, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and many others, this collection offers an illuminating overview of the Piedmont style. 64 minutes, 36-page booklet with extensive notes.

Track listing:

1.Truckin’ Little Baby John Jackson 3:00
2.Mamie John Cephas and Phil Wiggins 4:13
3.Hey Bartender, There’s a Big Bug in My Beer Warner Williams and Eddie Pennington 2:47
4.Confusion Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry 3:21
5.T.B. Blues Josh White 3:24
6.If I Could Holler Like a Mountain Jack Baby Tate 3:06
7.Clog Dance Hobart Smith 1:09
8.Daisy Brownie McGhee 3:27
9.Going Down the Road Feeling Bad Elizabeth Cotten 2:13
10.I Got a Woman 'Cross Town Pink Anderson 1:56
11.Red River Blues John Jackson 3:01
12.I Ain’t Gonna Pick No More Cotton Warner Williams and Jay Summerour 3:50
13.Sweet Woman Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee 3:06
14.The Train that Carried My Girl from Town Doc Watson 2:22
15.Mountain Jack Reverend Gary Davis 3:31
16.Crow Jane John Cephas and Phil Wiggins 3:04
17.Fore Day Creep Brownie McGhee 4:14
18.Sittin’ On Top of the World Roscoe Holcomb 2:43
19.Meet Me in the Bottom Pink Anderson 3:33
20.Dirty Mistreater Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, and J. C. Burris 3:01
21.The Road is Rough and Rocky Archie Edwards 3:24

Published: 2017

Genre: Blues & Jazz & USA
Label: Smithsonian Folkways