Mississippi Blues & Gospel - 1934-1942 Field Recordings (Document, 1995)

This fantastic release on Document compiles various blues, proto-blues, and gospel performances collected by John A. Lomax for The Library of Congress during the Depression and the first years of World War II. The title is somewhat inaccurate since some of the musicians were recorded in Arkansas and even as far north as Detroit. However, the subjects of Lomax's field recordings all seem to have been at least somewhat influenced by musical styles prevalent in the Mississippi Delta, so the title is probably as good as any. As with other Library of Congress projects, the portable equipment used to record these artists did not always provide the best sound quality, and even listeners used to dealing with scratchy old 78s may find that certain tracks leave a bit to be desired in the listenability department.

The three tracks that open the album are driving gospel pieces that can make even the staunchest of atheists feel like getting into the spirit. "Jesus is My Everything" positively kicks ass and sounds as if the guitarist is employing rhythms that Chuck Berry would become famous for during the following decade. The two Charles Berry (no relation) pieces are what their titles say they are: unaccompanied field hollers that sound as if they could have been recorded 100 years earlier. "Four O'Clock (Flower) Blues" is a re-recording of song a Willie "61" Blackwell had done a year earlier for Bluebird, but this time is assisted by the presence of another guitarist. That other guitarist is William Brown, whose three songs are among the many highlights of this collection. What Lomax's portable recording equipment lacked in sound quality, it more than made up for with its ability to let musicians stretch out longer than the three-and-a-half-minute limit imposed on them when recording ten-inch 78s. The six-minute "Mississippi Blues" and nearly five-minute "Ragged and Dirty" give the listener an idea of what a real Mississippi juke joint performance (without any time restraints) might have sounded like. And despite Lomax's faulty recollection in The Land Where the Blues Began, this William Brown is not the same person as the Willie Brown who associated with Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson, although he too would be recorded during another field trip. George Boldwin, Lucious Curtis, and Willie Ford were all recorded in Natchez, Mississippi and display varying degrees of competency with "Time is Gittin' Hard" being the strongest performance in this group. Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White provides what may be the finest songs on this set. Recorded at the notorious Parchman Farm penitentiary, "Sic 'Em Dogs On" and "Po' Boy" are true classics of the genre and fraught with such intense emotion that it is nearly palpable coming through your speakers or headphones. "Oh Mary" is a well-traveled gospel number performed by Lonnie and Clara Frazier, while the excellent "Welfare Blues" is a secular piece by another member of the musical family, Calvin, who would go on to become a professional blues musician in the 1950s. Mississippi Blues & Gospel concludes with street musicians Blind Pete & Partner whose performances include bad-man ballads and jaunty guitar-and-fiddle reels.

All in all, this is an extraordinary cross-section of southern African-American music styles from the 1930s and early 1940s. Prewar blues aficionados will find plenty of material to enjoy.

1. No Condemnation - Church of God in Christ
2. Testimony (One Day Lord I'll Give Up This World For You) - Rev. McGhee
3. Jesus is My Everything - Rev. McGhee
4. Cornfield Holler (6629-A-4) - Charles Berry
5. Cornfield Holler (6629-B-5) - Charles Berry
6. Four O'Clock (Flower) Blues - Willie "61" Blackwell
7. Mississippi Blues - William Brown
8. East St. Louis Blues - William Brown
9. Ragged and Dirty - William Brown
10. Country Girl Blues - George Boldwin
11. Guitar Picking Song - Lucious Curtis
12. Time is Gittin' Hard - Lucious Curtis
13. Nobody's Business - Willie Ford
14. Sic 'Em Dogs On - Bukka White
15. Po' Boy - Bukka White
16. Oh Mary Don't You Weep - Frazier Family
17. Welfare Blues (2475-B) - Calvin Frazier
18. Booker - Blind Pete & Partner
19. Stagolee - Blind Pete & Partner
20. Cacklin' Hen - Blind Pete & Partner
21. Black Bayou Ain't Got No Bottom - Blind Pete & Partner
22. Banty Rooster (fragment) (243-A-2) - Blind Pete & Partner
23. Blues (fragment) - Blind Pete & Partner
24. Banty Rooster (243-B-1) - Blind Pete & Partner
25. Banty Rooster (243-B-2) - Blind Pete & Partner