Mississippi Delta Blues: "Blow My Blues Away", Vol. 1
Recorded by George Mitchell between 1967 and 1968,Mississippi Delta Blues, Volume 1is an excellent sampling of the more shadowy and esoteric sounds of the Delta. Rarest among them are two contributions from Napoleon Strickland and his Como Drum Band, a couple of the woefully few recorded examples of the Delta's rich fife-and-drum tradition. But plenty of unlikely names turn up on this set, including Memphis Jug Band veteran Dewey Corley, who delivers a rollicking kazoo-and-washboard workout on "Fishing in the Dark"; the recorded debut of harpist Johnny Woods, a long-time friend and accompanist of Fred McDowell; and a jam-session-cum-summit meeting of the Blues and Rhythm Boys, an impromptu assemblage featuring latter-day Delta legends Robert Nighthawk, Houston Stackhouse, and Peck Curtis. Essential--if obscure--stuff.--Matt Hanks