11. Various Artists – 'Memphis Blues, Vol. 4' (Document Records)
Photo courtesy Document Records
This volume in Document's ongoing series features Jenny Pope and guitarist Jimmy DeBarry, documenting the years 1930 through 1953 and illustrating the evolution of the blues over two decades. Remastered with sound restoration and liner notes, the album also include artists like guitarist Tampa Red, Georgia Tom Dorsey, and harpist Walter Horton. (Release date: 08/11/09)
12. Walter Trout – 'Unspoiled By Progress' (Provogue Records)
Photo courtesy Provogue Records
Walter Trout's Unspoiled By Progress is a retrospective of the blues-rock guitarist's 20 years in the trenches. The album includes three brand-new songs – "They Call Us The Working Class," "Two Sides To Every Story" and "So Afraid Of The Darkness" – as well as a bunch of unreleased live and studio tracks drawn from across the two decades of Trout's career. (Release date: 08/04/09)
13. Watermelon Slim – 'Escape From The Chicken Coop' (Northern Blues Music)
Photo courtesy Northern Blues Music
The Blues Foundations' 2008 Blues Music Award winners as "Band of the Year," Watermelon Slim & the Workers have garnered a record 16 award nominations through the years. Watermelon Slim parted from his long-time band to record Escape From The Chicken Coop, a Nashville-styled, blue-collar love-letter to the big rig jockeys that roam the highways of America. The album was recorded in the Music City with top-flight musicians like Gary Nicholson, Kenny Greenberg, and Darrell Scott and features as much country twang as bluesy grit. (Release date: 08/04/09)
