Search - Various Artists :: Before The Blues: The Early American Black Music Scene, Vol. 3

Given that use of the term the blues dates back to around 1910, these songs weren't recorded before the birth of the genre. Rather, they reflect the powerful influence of preblues strains of music, including rags, breakdowns, and shuffles. As Richard Nevins's notes declare: "Many of the greatest rural blues performances of the 1920s were in actually old modal songs tweaked just enough to roughly qualify as blues." In other words, made commercial. Blues, of course, have made a major impact on the music of the 20th century, while many of the tent-show extractions have faded like old photos. There are some familiar names included in the three discs, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charlie Patton, Memphis Minnie, and Mississippi John Hurt foremost among them. But the real fun comes from discovering forgotten souls like Luke Jordan (the delightful "Pick Poor Robin Clean") and Emry Arthur ("Reuben Oh Reuben"). --Steven Stolder