Broke, Black & Blue delivers multiple surprises within its 100 songs of prewar blues. Arranged chronologically by Joop Visser, the set admirably covers the first 22 years of recorded blues, 1924 to 1946, from vaudeville and Delta to boogie-woogie and jump blues. It's a swell gift for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of blues. But old-timers will be pleased, too, as special attention has been paid to culling rare and idiosyncratic tracks by the well-known and the obscure. The first three discs present single tracks by artists as diverse as the Memphis Jug Band, De Ford Bailey, Tommy Johnson, Son House, Skip James, Peetie Wheatstraw, Lonnie Johnson, and Bukka White, alongside unknowns such as Isaiah "The Mississippi Moaner" Nelson, Barbecue Bob and Laughing Charley, Ed Andrews, Chicken Wilson, and Bumble Bee Slim. On the fourth disc, this convention is jettisoned to luxuriate in a series of very rare sides of lovely, oddly subdued boogie-woogie and jump blues by Jimmie Gordon, Johnny Temple, and Lee Brown.
CD 1 - Up Country Blues 1924-1928
01-Andrews, Ed - Barrel House Blues
02-Delaney, Tom - Georgia Stockade Blues
03-Memphis Jug Band - Sun Brimmers Blues
04-Big Boy Cleveland - Goin' To Leave You Blues
05-Blind Blake - Dry Bone Shuffle
06-Bailey, Deford - Up Country Blues
07-Wallace, Sippie - Dead Drunk Blues
08-Reed, Long 'cleve' - Original Stack O'lee Blues
09-Barbecue Bob - Easy Rider Don't You Deny My Name
10-Brown, Kid - Bo Lita
11-Smith, William & Versey - Everybody Help The Boys Come Home
12-Jordan, Luke - Church Bells Blues
13-Glen, Emery - Two Ways To Texas
14-Barbecue Bob & Laughing Charley - It Won't Be Long Now
15-Weaver & Beasley - Bottleneck Blues
16-Black, Lewis - Rock Island Blues
17-Moore, Bill - Midnight Blues
18-Head, Johnnie - Fare Thee Blues
19-Jackson, Jim - My Monday Woman Blues
20-Stokes, Frank - What's The Matter Blues
21-Moore, Rosie Mae - School Girl Blues
22-Johnson, Tommy - Cool Drink Of Water Blues
23-Bracey, Ishman - Left Alone Blues
24-Richardson, Mooch - T And T Blues
25-T C Johnson & Blue Coat Tom Nelson - T C Johnson Blues
CD 2 - Broke And Hungry Blues 1928-1930
01-Rube Lacy - Ham Hound Crave
02-Texas Alexander - No More Women Blues
03-New Orleans Willie Jackson - How Long, How Long Blues
04-Tarter and Gay - Unknown Blues
05-Chicken Wilson and Skeeter Hinton - Chicken Wilson Blues
06-Mississippi John Hurt - Stack O'Lee Blues
07-Peg Leg Howell - Broke and Hungry Blues
08-Victoria Spivey - Funny Feathers
09-Will Ezell - Pitchin' Boogie
10-Jed Davenport - Mr Devil Blues
11-Kid Bailey - Mississippi Bottom Blues
12-James Wiggins - Weary Heart Blues
13-Henry Townsend - Poor Man Blues
14-Eli Framer - Framer's Blues
15-Aaron T-Bone Walker - Trinity River Blues
16-Charley Taylor - Heavy Suitcase Blues
17-Joe Calicott - Traveling Mama Blues
18-Garfield Akers - Jumpin' And Shoutin' Blues
19-Jim Thompkins - Bedside Blues
20-Son House - Walking Blues
21-Willie Brown - Future Bues
22-Louise Johnson - Long Ways From Home
23-Bayless Rose - Frisco Blues
24-Arthur Pettis - Good Boy Blues
25-Little Brother Montgomery - No Special Rider Blues
CD 3 - Good Whiskey Blues 1930-1939
01-Blind Wille Reynolds - Married Man Blues
02-Willie Walker - Dupree Blues
03-Skip James - 22-20 Blues
04-Sam Collins - Lonesome Road Blues
05-Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell - Midnight Hour Blues
06-Jacob Williams - Fat Mama Blues
07-Georgia Boyd - Never Mind Blues
08-Kokomo Arnold - Twelves, The (Dirty Dozen)
09-Big Joe Williams - Little Leg Woman
10-Bessie Jackson - That's What My Baby Likes
11-Peetie Wheatstraw - Good Whiskey Blues
12-Cripple Clarence Lofton - Strut That Thing
13-Louie Lasky - Teasin' Brown Blues
14-Bumble Bee Slim - Cold Blooded Murder No.2
15-Blind Boy Fuller - Baby, You Gotta Change Your Mind
16-Walter Davis - Ashes In My Whiskey
17-Mississippi Moaner, The (Isaiah Nettles) - It's Cold In China Blues
18-Jazz Gillum - Jockey Blues
19-George Clarke - Prisoner Blues
20-Casey Bill Weldon - Back Door Blues
21-Buddy Woods - Don't Sell It (Don't Give It Away)
22-Washboard Sam - Booker T Blues
23-Litlle Buddy Doyle - Hard Scufflin' Blues
24-Lonnie Johnson - Jersey Belle Blues
25-Tommy McLennan - Baby, Please Don't Tell On Me
CD 4 - Jumpin' at the Club Blue Flame 1940-1946
01-Smith, Faber & Jimmy Yancey - East St Louis Blues
02-White, Bukka - Bukka's Jitterbug Swing
03-Big Maceo - Can't You Read
04-Memphis Slim - Life Is Like That
05-Forest City Joe - Memory Of Sonny Boy
06-Brown, Lee - Horse Shoe Boogie
07-Brown, Lee - Ruby Moore Blues
08-Brown, Lee - Lowland Blues
09-Brown, Lee - Round The World Boogie
10-Gordon, Jimmie - Rock That Boogie
11-Gordon, Jimmie - Fast Life
12-Gordon, Jimmie - Mistreated Blues
13-Jimmie Gordon - I Ain't Like That No More
14-Temple, Johnny - Chain Gang Blues
15-Temple, Johnny - Yum Yum Yum
16-Gordon, Jimmie - My Baby's Acting Funny
17-Gordon, Jimmie - It's Time To Go
18-Jimmie Gordon - That Woman's A Pearl Diver
19-Gordon, Jimmie - Jumpin' At The Club Blue Flame
20-Temple, Johnny - I Believe I'll Go Downtown Again
21-Temple, Johnny - Dixie Flyer
22-Templec, Johnny - I Believe My Sins Have Found Me Out
23-Temple, Johnny - Rhythm Mama
24-Lee Brown - New Little Girl, Little Girl
