Album Description
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Personnel: Big Bill Broonzy (vocals, guitar); Jazz Gillum (vocals, harmonica); Jean Brady (vocals); Carl Martin (guitar); Zeb Wright (violin); Buster Bennett (alto saxophone); Black Bob, Blind John Davis, Memphis Slim, Joshua Altheimer (piano); Bill Settles, Wilbur Ware, Ransom Knowling (bass); Fred Williams (drums); Washboard Sam (washboard).
Here are two giants of the great '30s Chicago piano-and-guitar blues scene. Besides making superb records under his own name, singer/guitarist Tampa Red backed all sorts of vocalists in all sorts of styles. Much of the time he worked with pianist Georgia Tom, later a major gospel composer. You get some of both kinds here, including lots of the non-blues music. This is a simply ravishing set, deep and true and varied. There's only one solo cut. The rest are hardcore early blues band. ~ John Storm Roberts, Original Music
