Guitar Wizard
Hudson Whittaker polished up the bottleneck-guitar style of the Delta, bringing it with him to Chicago's burgeoning 1930s blues scene. He coaxed wonderfully smooth and melodic sounds from his National steel guitar, favoring emotive phrases over raw power. These 17 tracks stretch from 1928 to 1934 and include a mix of lively hokum and sober blues. The buoyant melodies, humorous narratives, and sing-along choruses of hokum are illustrated by the tawdry "It's Tight Like That," "Dead Cats on the Line," and "You Can't Get That Stuff No More," all with Georgia Tom Dorsey on piano. Rough-edged blues include "Black Angel Blues," which became B.B. King's "Sweet Black Angel," and "Things 'Bout Comin' My Way," featured here as both a vocal with Georgia Tom and as a stunning solo instrumental.--Marc Greilsamer