Over a six year period Blind Blake recorded eighty-four titles together with numerous as “house” guitarist to artists like Papa Charlie Jackson, Ma Rainey, Leola B. Wilson and Irene Scruggs. This compilation covers his formative years and it has been surmised that initially he made three visits between August and December 1926 to Paramount’s Chicago studio. Blake’s first record West Coast Blues / Early Morning Blues was released on October 2 1926, the former title being basically a dance piece with Blake’s jaunty voice exhorting his listeners to “do that old country rock”, underpinning the spoken lyric with sophisticated, ragtime guitar accompaniment, taking the opportunity to incorporate a popular advertising slogan of the day (“Good to the last drop, just like Maxwell House coffee”). Early Morning Blues, on the other hand, was lyrically far more menacing, his warm, wistful and insinuating voice, at times reminiscent of Lonnie Johnson’s approach, giving lie to the seriousness of the subject (“When you see me sleeping, baby don’t you think I’m drunk, I got one eye on my pistol, the other one on your trunk”).
Blake’s role as accompanist to Leola B. Wilson, an artist who sang on the vaudeville circuit, displays his ability to use double and stop time phrases, as well as managing to copy her vocal range on Down The Country Blues, a number inspired by a Bessie Smith song. The instrumental, Buck Town Dance, with kazoo playing from Dad Nelson, was probably the model for the piece so often recorded by John Hurt and Gary Davis during the 1960s while Dry Bone Shuffle and That Will Never Happen No More have noticeable echoes of minstrel and white influence. As both were recorded as part of a hillbilly session by the Kentucky Thorobreds perhaps Paramount were hoping to sell Blake to both markets. Blind Blake’s true guitar genius is evinced with Sea Board Stomp (perhaps the basis for some of Big Bill Broonzy’s “stomps”) where, not satisfied with emulating instruments like cornet, saxophone and trombone, he also treats his audience to a lesson in the syncopations of Dixieland Jazz.
Vol. 1 - July 1926 to October 1927
1. Dying Blues (2:49)
2. Ashley St. Blues (3:02)
3. Early Morning Blues (2:55)
4. West Coast Blues (3:12)
5. Early Morning Blues (3:04)
6. Too Tight (2:34)
7. Blake's Worried Blues (3:07)
8. Come On Boys Let's Do That Messin' Around [take 2] (2:47)
9. Tampa Bound (2:45)
10. Skeedle Loo Doo Blues [take 1] (3:08)
11. Skeedle Loo Doo Blues [take 2] (3:05)
12. Stonewall Street Blues (2:56)
13. State Street Men Blues (3:12)
14. Down the Country (2:36)
15. Black Biting Bee Blues (2:48)
16. Wilson Dam (2:38)
17. Buck-Town Blues (2:56)
18. Black Dog Blues (2:50)
19. One Time Blues (2:40)
20. Bad Feeling Blues (2:31)
21. Dry Bone Shuffle (2:44)
22. That Will Never Happen No More (3:05)
23. Brownskin Mama Blues (2:40)
24. Hard Road Blues (2:39)
25. Hey Hey Daddy Blues (3:11)
26. Sea Board Stomp (3:04)
Vol. 2 - October 1927 to May 1928
Blind Blake
01 - You gonna quit me blues
02 - Steel mill bluesn
03 - Southern rag
04 - He`s in the jailhouse now
05 - Wabash rag
06 - Doggin` me mama blues
07 - C.C. pill blues
08 - Hot potatoes
09 - Southbound rag
Elzadie Robinson
10 - Pay day daddy blues (20528)
11 - Elzadie`s policy blues (20534)
Blind Blake
12 - Goodbye mama moan
13 - Tootie blues
14 - That lovin` I crave
Bertha Henderson
15 - That lonesome rave
16 - Terrible murder blues
17 - Leavin` gal blues
Blind Blake
18 - No dough blues
Bertha Henderson
19 - Lead hearted blues
20 - Let your love come down
Blind Blake
21 - Rumblin` and ramblin` boa constrictor blues
22 - Bootleg rum dum blues
23 - Detroit bound blues
Daniel Brown
24 - Beulah land
Blind Blake
25 - Panther squall blues
Vol. 3 - May 1928 to April 1929
1. Elzadie's Policy Blues
2. Pay Day Daddy Blues
3. Walkin' Across the Country
4. Search Warrant Blues
5. Ramblin' Mama Blues
6. New Style of Loving
7. Back Door Slam Blues
8. Notoriety Woman Blues
9. Cold Hearted Mama Blues
10. Low Down Loving Gal
11. Sweet Papa Low Down
12. Poker Woman Blues
13. Doing a Stretch
14. Fightin' the Jug
15. Hookworm Blues
16. Slippery Rag
17. Hastings Street
18. Diddie Wa Diddie
19. Too Tight Blues, No. 2
20. Chump Man Blues
21. Ice Man Blues
22. Police Dog Blues
23. I Was Afraid of That, Pt. 2
24. Georgia Bound
25. Keep It Home
Vol. 4 - August 1929 to June 1932
01 - Sweet jivin` mama
02 - Lonesome Christmas blues
03 - Third degree blues
04 - Guitar chimes
05 - Blind Arthur`s breakdown
06 - Baby Lou blues
07 - Cold love blues
08 - Papa Charlie and Blind Blake talk about it - part I
09 - Papa Charlie and Blind Blake talk about it - part II
10 - Stingaree man blues
11 - Itching heel
12 - You`ve got what I want )
13 - Cherry Hill blues
14 - Diddie wa diddie no. 2
15 - Hard pushing papa
16 - What a low down place the jailhouse is
17 - Ain`t gonna do that no more
18 - Playing policy blues
19 - Righteous blues
20 - Fancy tricks
21 - Rope stretchin` blues - part 2
22 - Rope stretchin` blues - part 1 (take 2)
23 - Champagne Charlie is my name
24 - Depression`s gone from me blues
