Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, GEORGE MITCHELL recorded extensively in the South. Mitchell concentrated mainly on local blues traditions recording some famous bluesmen and many otherwise ignored artists. The George Mitchell Collection was originally released as a series of forty-five EPs on Fat Possum, this LP contains Mississipi’s favorite fourteen tracks. This LP represents songs from many well known blues musicians such as FRED MCDOWELL, FURRY LEWIS and JOE CALICOTT, as well as some from criminally under represented artists like JESSIE MAE HEMPHILL, ROSA LEE HILL and JOHN LEE ZIEGLER. Comes with a short booklet of photos, discographical notes and recollections.
1. Who's Gonna Be Your Man / John Lee Ziegler 4:47 2. Bullying Well / Rosa Lee Hill 4:47 3. Shake 'Em On Down / Fred McDowell 3:03 4. What Makes Grandma Love Grandpa / Jimmy Lee Williams 4:15 5. Old Country Rock #1 / James Davis 3:56 6. Big Road Blues / Houston Stackhouse 2:39 7. Search Me Lord / James Shorter 2:44 8. Home Going / Jessie Mae Hemphill 2:34 9. Georgia Buck / Precious Bryant 2:34 10. Country Blues / Joe Callicott 3:37 11. Rabbit On A Log / Lonzie Thomas 2:33 12. Trouble Brought Me Down / Greeb Paschal 1:47 13. Good Morning Judge / Furry Lewis 5:50 14. Hold My Body Down / Robert Johnson 2:51
On Vol. 1: George Mitchell still recorded several vibrant, distinctive Delta blues performances here. The artists he chronicled ranged from such legendary greats as Robert Nighthawk, Johnny Woods and Fred McDowell to obscure but exciting performers such as Napoleon Strickland, Peck Curtis and Do-Boy Diamond. Their songs were quite simple; many were reworked tunes they had heard and/or played all their lives. They performed with no fanfare, sophisticated support to cover flaws, or pretension. The songs were about heartbreak, anguish, disappointment and indignation, and sometimes about getting drunk, sexual potency, or whatever else came to mind. There are 12 unreleased cuts among these 23 numbers, and the mastering and notes provide an added bonus to this nice set. And Vol. 2: Maintaining the same high quality as its predecessor, Mississippi Delta Blues, Vol. 2: Blow My Blues Away compiles more recordings collected by George Mitchell between 1967 and 1968; among the artists included are R.L. Burnside, Joe Callicott and Houston Stackhouse. (Allmusic)
*R.L. Burnside's first recordings are some of GC's very favorite raw, driving country blues ever put to tape. Here's a couple of clips, just to give you an idea:
"Long Haired Doney"
"poor Black Mattie"
And lets not forget Napoleon Strickland on fife:
Mediafire Download Link- Mississippi Delta Blues: "Blow My Blues Away", Volume 1 & Volume 2 (mp3 192)
VOL. 1 1 Oh Baby - Napoleon Strickland 2 Como Breakdown - Napoleon Strickland 3 Three O'Clock In The Morning - Johnny Woods/Fred McDowell 4 My Jack Don't Need No Water (Long Haired Doney) - Johnny Woods/Fred McDowell 5 Catfish Blues - Teddy Williams 6 Down Home Blues - Teddy Williams 7 Long Haired Doney (My Jack Don't Need No Water) - Do-Boy Diamond 8 Hard Time Blues - Do-Boy Diamond 9 Shaggy Hound, The - Do-Boy Diamond 10 Going Away Blues - Do-Boy Diamond 11 Stuttgart, Arkansas - Walter Miller 12 Vicksburg Blues - Walter Miller 13 Mississippi Goin' To Be My Home - Robert Diggs 14 Dangerous Slim - Robert Diggs 15 Drink, Drink, Drink - Robert Diggs 16 Pork & Beans - Rosa Lee Hill 17 Fishing In The Dark - Dewey Corley 18 Tri-State Bus - Dewey Corley 19 Gonna Bring Her Right Back Home - Tom Turner 20 Death Of Sonny Boy Williamson, The - Peck Curtis 21 Nighthawk Boogie - Robert Nighthawk 22 You Call Yourself A Cadillac - Robert Nighthawk 23 Blues Before Midnight - Robert Nighthawk
VOL. 2 1. Lonesome Katy Blues - Joe Calicott 2. Come Home to Me Baby - Joe Calicott 3. Fare You Well Baby Blues - Joe Calicott 4. Country Blues - Joe Calicott 5. Laughing to Keep From Crying - Joe Calicott 6. Love Me Baby Blues - Joe Calicott 7. I Rolled and Tumbled [#] - Joe Calicott 8. Old Bo Weevil [#] - Joe Calicott 9. Uptown Blues [#] - Joe Calicott 10. Traveling Mama Blues [#] - Joe Calicott 11. Fare Thee Well Blues [#] - Joe Calicott 12. Poor Black Mattie - R.L. Burnside 13. Long Haired Doney - R.L. Burnside 14. Goin' Down South - R.L. Burnside 15. Skinny Woman - R.L. Burnside 16. I's Be Troubled - R.L. Burnside 17. Catfish Blues - R.L. Burnside 18. See My Jumper Hangin' on the Line [#] - R.L. Burnside 19. I Rolled and I Tumbled [#] - R.L. Burnside 20. Walking Blues [#] - R.L. Burnside 21. Nightmare Blues [#] - R.L. Burnside 22. Cool Water Blues [#] - Houston Stackhouse 23. Big Road Blues [#] - Houston Stackhouse 24. Right Around the Corner [#] - Houston Stackhouse 25. Canned Heat - Houston Stackhouse
I had the opportunity to pick up some nice new releases over at Mississippi Records this afternoon. Among them was the extremely promising Excavated Shellac: StringsLP curated by Jonathan Ward of the Excavated Shellac Blog, and released with the help of the good folks over at Parlortone/ Dust-to-Digital. Yours truly is looking forward to putting this one on as soon as I get home from ye olde jobbe. Check it:
side 1 1. Sogoman Seranyan – Eraz (Armenia) 2.Sundaram Balachander – Dayapayonidhe, Pt. 2 (India) 3.Alberto Ruiz y su Lira Incaica – Paceñita (Bolivia) 4.Nzila Joseph et son ensemble – Moleke Mbwa (Congo) 5.Tấn and Đồng - Nam Bình (Vietnam) 6.Tatyana Makharadze & G. Bugadze – Lale (Georgia) 7.Abol-hasan Sabā – Chaopan (Iran)
Side 2 1. Trio Tipico Paraguayo de Félix Pérez Cardoso – Pajaro Campana (Paraguay) 2. Brača Kapugi Tamburica Orchestar i Pjevački Zbor – Tko Se Bregom Seče (Croatia) 3. Kjetil Flatin – Jornvrongia-Springar (Norway) 4. Yamaura Toyoko – Ko-uta, Ryukyu Bushi (Japan) 5. Chahadé Effendi Saadé – Taqsim Rast (Lebanon) 6. Galabuzi and Party – Okubulirwa Lupiza Otambula Osopza (Uganda) 7. Kemanî Amâ Recep – Çifte kiriş ile Rast Taksim (Turkey)
*FYI, ya'll can expect to see the following new Mississippi Records LPs ripped and posted right here at the GC in the coming day(s): Abner Jay- Folk Song Stylist