VARIOUS ARTISTS
Roots of the Blues (Vanguard)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner


In my September Cosmik Blues column I shouted about the Great Tomato Blues Package on Tomato Records, and this month's collection from Vanguard is also a 3-CD treasure trove of the blues. Aptly titled Roots of the Blues, Vanguard's boxed set features two and a half hours of blues from folkies, traditional Delta and country artists, and urban blues pioneers.

On the folk set one of Bob Dylan's early partners, Spider John Koerner, sings those "Traveling Blues" and it's easy to see where the Allman Brothers got their inspiration from "Statesboro Blues," this time covered by John Hammond. Hammond's father was a pioneer producer at Vanguard in the 1950's and discovered Count Basie, Billie Holliday, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen, among many others. Jesse Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues" is a treat, and each time I put on the folk disc I marvel at how similar traditional country, bluegrass, and blues styles really are. Just listen to Sam & Kirk McGee's "Milk Cow Blues" or Tony Glover on "I Don't Need No Whiskey" or Bill Monroe's "Blue Yodel #4." Check out the work of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band with Maria Muldaur, Dave Van Ronk, or Eric Von Schmidt: although these artists have traditionally been billed as folkies, they've got the blues in a big way on this Vanguard set.

There are artists that crossover from disc to disc, and that's to be expected from the depth of the Vanguard folk and blues catalogues. On the folk disc, Texas songster Mance Lipscomb sings "Keep On Trucking Mama" (previously unreleased from the 1965 Newport Folk Festival), and on the Delta and Country Blues set, Mance's got the uptempo "Freddie." The Delta and Country Blues disc includes a sweet "Candyman" from Mississippi John Hurt. That song's been a staple of Guy Davis' live shows, and other blues roots include "Key to the Highway" by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and "You Got to Move" from Rev. Gary Davis. Muddy Waters works his acoustic slide magic on "I Can't Be Satisfied," and Muddy's fellow Mississippian Fred McDowell wishes he was a diving duck on "If The River Was Whiskey."

Predictably, the third CD, Urban Blues, features more plugged-in performances from the likes of Junior Wells, Otis Rush, J.B. Hutto and the Hawks, and John Lee Hooker. Muddy Waters and Otis Spann take on "Blow Wind Blow," powered by Spann's boogie woogie piano. Vanguard's selections show how the roots of the blues took hold in American folk music, matured in the Delta, and grew up in America's cities like Detroit, Chicago, and Memphis.

Roots of the Blues is an encyclopedia of the blues and is a must for any serious blues fan. Make that any blues fan, 'cause this 3-CD set tells the story of the blues from some of America's well-known and not-so-well-known players. It's an achievement.

Track Lists:

Disc: 1, Folk Blues: San Francisco Bay Blues - Jesse Fuller * See See Rider - Chambers Brothers * Statesboro Blues - John Hammond * Freight Train - Elizabeth Cotton * Cocaine - Dave Van Ronk * You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your * Bond - Buffy Sainte-Marie * Traveling Blues - Spider John Koerner * Blue Yodel #4 - Bill Monroe * Richland Woman - Jim Kweskin Jug Band/Maria Muldaur * Chevrolet - Jim Kweskin Jug Band/Geoff & Maria Muldaur * Milk Cow Blues - Sam & Kirk McGee * I Don't Need No Whiskey - Tony Glover * What You Gonna Do When Your Meat Gives Out? - Josh White * Grizzly Bear - Eric Von Schmidt * Keep on Truckin' Mama - Mance Lipscomb *

Disc: 2, Delta and Country Blues: Candy Man - Mississippi John Hurt * You Got to Move - Rev. Gary Davis * I'm So Glad - Skip James * Empire State Express - Son House * Aberdeen Mississippi Blues - Bukka White * If the River Was Whiskey - Mississippi Fred McDowell * I Can't Be Satisfied - Muddy Waters * Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out - Odetta * Key to the Highway - Sonny Terry/Brownie McHee * Clean Up at Home - Sleepy John Estes * Freddie - Mance Lipscomb * How Long - Memphis Slim * Midnight Boogie - Robert Pete Williams * Five Long Years - Eddie Boyd/Willie Dixon * Devil Got My Woman - Skip James

Disc: 3, Urban Blues: Messin' with the Kid - Junior Wells * I Can't Quit You Baby - Otis Rush * Going Ahead - J.B. Hutto & The Hawks * Marie - Otis Spann * Rocket 88 - James Cotton* Dust My Broom - Homesick James & His Dusters * One More Time - Johnny Young's South Side Blues Band * If I Get Lucky - Johnny Shines Blues Band * One Room Country Shack - Buddy Guy * Blow Wind Blow - Muddy Waters/Otis Spann * Baby Please Don't Go - Lightnin' Hopkins * Blues with a Feeling - Paul Butterfield Blues Band * Juke - Charlie Musselwhite * Ball and Chain - Big Mama Thornton * Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker

© 2002 - Eric Steiner