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Garfield Akers & Joe Calicott – "Cottonfield Blues (Part One)"
This is one of the few blues recordings that has a bonafide recording date – September 23, 1929. Garfield Akers on lead guitar and vocals with Joe Calicott on second guitar and is often cited by musicologist as one of the greatest blues guitar duets of all time. The intensity and raw passion of these great guitarist is clearly apparent as Garfield and Joe shine with rhythmic complexity and raw passion.
Diddie Wa Diddie shows off Blind Blake’s distinctive vocal and guitar rhythm. This song was later covered by Ry Cooder and Hot Tuna.
Born in 1874 in Big Sandy, TX, Henry Thomas learned to hate cotton and to love writing songs. This is some heavy blues.
More than any other black folk-blues artist of his time, Leadbelly helped expose his race’s vast musical riches to white America and helped preserve a folk legacy that has become a significant part of this nation’s musical treasury. Kurt Cobain sang this song on Nirvana’s Unplugged album.
Blind Willie Johnson, Texas blues man and virtuoso of the “bottleneck” or slide guitar, was born in Marlin, Texas, about 1902, and blinded at age seven. Johnson’s unique voice and his original compositions influenced musicians throughout the South, especially Texas bluesmen.
In 1928, he recorded this (the original) version of “Corrine, Corrina,” which later became a hit for Big Joe Turner. The general consensus is Bo Carter (born Armenter Chatmon) had the dirtiest mind in all of blues recording various sexually charged songs, like, “Banana in Your Fruit Basket.” I say that’s going beyond the innuendo boundary. To this day his character is still unequaled. Enjoy!
There are perhaps only a handful of blues musicians with as much to offer as Robert Wilkins. His breadth of material is practically unmatched among his peers and he is one of the few artists who puts a premium on the individuality of his songs.
