Artist: Son House
Title: Delta Blues The Original Library of Congress Sessions From Field Recordings 1941-1942
Label: Biograph Records
Release Date: 1991
Format: flac 768 kBit/s
These Son House "field recordings" were made in 1941 and ‘42 by folklorist Alan Lomax, who toured the country with a crude 300-pound machine documenting all sorts of regional music.
The ’41 session took place in a general store near Memphis; with Son is his old partner Willie Brown, plus some local musicians. A major presence is Fiddlin’ Joe Martin; his mandolin trills steady as the grainy voice tells his woe. Some girl cries at the "Levee Camp"; Martin does the weeping. "Government Fleet" is a simpler plaint: harp gets it going but up close is Son’s guitar, thumping out a bassline.
The first five tracks here – all from the 1941 session – are some of the most famous blues sides ever recorded. They feature House with his good friend Willie Brown on guitar, Joe Martin on fiddle and LeRoy Williams on harmonica. The format — raw Delta blues in a group setting — served as the inspiration for the Chicago blues bands of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. In the background you can even hear a couple of steam locomotives roar by the trackside grocery store where the session took place. The remaining 10 tracks are solo performances with House in excellent form on slide guitar and vocals.
Track List:
1- Levee Camp Blues
2- Goverment Fleet Blues
3- Walking Blues
4- Shetland Pony Blues
5- Delta Blues
6- Special Rider Blues
7- Low Down Dirty Dog Blues
8- Depot Blues
9- American Defense
10- Am I Right Or Wrong
11- Walking Blues
12- Country Farm Blues
13- The Pony Blues
14- The Jinx Blues (1)
15- The Jinx Blues (2)