While the Delta blues style may receive the lion's share of critical and academic acclaim, the dirty little secret of the blues world is that "Appalachian" blues – a category including Piedmont blues, ragtime, string bands, and medicine show performers – has enjoyed a widespread popularity over the past few decades.
Perhaps this is due to the basic dynamic of the music. Delta blues evolved for a solo artist or duo performing in loud, crowded juke-joints, enjoying a brief high-water point during the folk-blues boom of the early 1960s. Appalachian-styled blues came out of a communal music-making tradition that adapted better to the festival stages of the 1970s and onward. Just a theory, and one that doesn't really matter 'cause regardless of its popularity, the Appalachian style still gets short-shrift from serious blues purists.
The release of the Classic Appalachian Blues compilation won't do much to change the music's status, but it could and should turn a few blues fans onto an entertaining and exciting style of the music. Released by the good folks at Smithsonian Folkways, who dug deep into the archives of Moses Asch's legendary Folkways Records label for many of these tunes, Classic Appalachian Blues was rounded out with a number of thrilling live performances taken from the Smithsonian's Festival of American Folklife, which was held from 1971 through 1982.
Classic Appalachian Blues
Classic Appalachian Blues represents a veritable "who's who" of East Coast bluesmen, from familiar names like Brownie McGhee and Josh White, to lesser-known but no less deserving artists like Sticks McGhee (Brownie's brother), Pink Anderson, and Peg Leg Jackson. Classic Appalachian Blues opens with Stick McGhee's "My Baby's Gone," an up-tempo rocker from 1958 that features some fine shuffling fretwork by McGhee and freight-train harp riffs courtesy of Sonny Terry and J.C. Burris.
The barrelhouse sound of "Louise Blues" is created by "Chief" Wilbert Ellis and his rollicking piano-play, this spirited live 1976 performance including an early appearance by guitarist John Cephas and harp player Phil Wiggins as part of Ellis's Barrelhouse Rockers band. The duo would later enjoy fame as the Piedmont blues duo Cephas & Wiggins, but their contributions here are priceless, their instrumental prowess enhancing Ellis's plaintive vocals and tinkling keys. Although Doc Watson is better known as a folk-country performer, his laid-back, sublime reading of the Mississippi Sheiks' great "Sitting On Top Of The World," featuring some elegant finger-picked guitar, shows that Watson also brought a bit of blues to his diverse repertoire.
Unsung Heroes of the Blues
Classic Appalachian Blues also shines the light on some of the unsung heroes of the blues, artists like the talented singer and guitarist John Jackson. A self-described "songster," Jackson performed blues, country, folk ballads…whatever would entertain the audience. His 1997 performance here of the story-song "Railroad Bill" features Jackson's gruff vocals and elegant fretwork. South Carolina bluesman Pink Anderson will live forever in infamy, his name (and that of fellow bluesman Floyd Council) borrowed by Syd Barrett to name British rock legends Pink Floyd. Musically, Anderson was a charismatic "songster" that worked the medicine show circuit, and his "You Don't Know My Mind" is a classic slice of East Coast blues that features Anderson's spry guitar style and warm vocal drawl.
Another unsung medicine show veteran, "Peg Leg" Sam Jackson was a harpslinger in the country style of DeFord Bailey, and this live performance from 1976 shows him at his flamboyant best. Laying down some mean notes on his flailing harmonica, Jackson hams it up on "Walking Cane," the song adapted from an old minstrel tune. Baby Tate's name is better-known than his music, perhaps, and the bluesman performed alongside folks like Pink Anderson, Peg Leg Sam, and Buddy Moss. While his music showed a distinctive Blind Boy Fuller influence, Tate's 1962 recording of "See What You Done Done" offers up energetic guitar pickin' and soulful, partially-spoken vocals notable for their warmth.
Heavy Hitters
You'll find a few heavy hitters in the grooves of Classic Appalachian Blues as well. A contemporary of 1920s and '30s-era artists like Blind Blake and Blind Boy Fuller, folk legend Rev. Gary Davis was a major influence on artists like Bob Dylan, Taj Mahal, the Grateful Dead, and many other musicians. His 1957 performance of the instrumental "Hesitation Blues" shows why, his nimble-fingered, ragtime-styled technique providing the song with heart and melody. One of the most popular of the Piedmont bluesmen, guitarist Brownie McGhee had an engaging vocal style and a distinctive guitar technique, which is shown in full-bloom on the wonderful "Pawnshop Blues." Adapted from his mentor Blind Boy Fuller's "Three Ball Blues," this 1945 performance is highlighted by delightful, wide-ranging fretwork and true-to-life blues lyrics that sound as relevant in 2010 as they did over 50 years ago.
Josh White is another folk legend that had one foot firmly in the blues, and his take on this 1944 recording of a Big Bill Broonzy song (a traditional number also performed by Blind Boy Fuller) offers the best of both worlds. White's impressive vocals sound like a 1950s-era R&B singer, while his subtle guitarplay foreshadowed the folk-blues style of the 1960s. Classic Appalachian Blues finishes up with Sticks McGhee's best-known tune, the lively "Wine Blues (Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee)." This 1958 version was McGhee's third (or fourth) stab at the traditional drinking song, a raucous barn-burner with crankshaft guitar and the dueling mouth harps of Sonny Terry and J.C. Burris.
The Reverend's Bottom Line
Truth is, the above songs and descriptions barely scratch the surface of the great music offered by Classic Appalachian Blues. With 21 tracks total, we don't want to overlook considerably entertaining performances from the likes of Archie Edwards, Etta Baker, Roscoe Holcomb, John Tinsley, and many others. The album features a diverse and entertaining mix of blues artists, and shouldn't be overlooked by any fan of the acoustic blues style. Whether you're a Piedmont blues fan or no, you'll find a lot to like on Classic Appalachian Blues. The Rev says "check it out!" (Smithsonian Folkways, released February 16, 2010)
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