National Downhome Blues Festival, Vol. 1 (1994)

About this title: The National Downhome Blues Festival was a one- time event held in 1984 in Atlanta, GA. Stretching over five days, the festival featured traditional blues artists in a small venue setting, and the shows were recorded, eventually released on four LPs in 1984. Southland has combined the first two of those LPs on a single disc (the second two have also been made into a single disc), and the result is an impressive primer on modern vernacular blues. The opening act, Mississippi's Lonnie Pitchford, steals the show right out of the gate with a wonderful set of six songs, four of which feature ... read more

Tracks:

1. That Train Coming Around the Bend [Pitchford]
2. My Babe [Pitchford]
3. Mary Had a Little Lamb [Pitchford]
4. One-String Boogie [Pitchford]
5. Walking Blues [Pitchford]
6. Last Fair Deal [Pitchford]
7. Baby, Please Come Home to Me [Bryant]
8. Ain't That Loving You, Baby [Reed]
9. Black Rat Swing [Bryant]
10. You Don't Have to Go [Bryant]
11. Long Distance Call [Bryant]
12. Precious Bryant Staggering Blues [Bryant]
13. Hooks in the Water [Burt]
14. Hate to See the Evening Sun Go Down [Burt]
15. Ain't Got No Loving Baby Now [Burt]
16. Train, Train [Hemphill]
17. All Night Long [Kimbrough]
18. You Put That Thing on Me [Sunnyland Slim]
19. She's Got Things Going On [Sunnyland Slim]
20. Chicken Raid [Edwards]
21. Burning Bridges [Cephas/Wiggins]
22. Stagger Lee [Cephas/Wiggins]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.