Alan Lomax Blues Songbook
Various Artists
(2003) Rounder Records
We owe a debt of gratitude to both Alan Lomax and his father John for recording and preserving early American music for the Library of Congress. Alan Lomax was himself a lifelong blues fan and he dedicated himself to recording and promoting the blues. According to Martin Scorsese in his introduction in the booklet that accompanies Alan Lomax Blues Songbook, Alan Lomax introduced the blues to the musicians who would spark the British music scene, and The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Animals, and Jimi Hendrix all found inspiration in the blues.
This 2-CD collection, rereleased by Rounder Records in 2003, features some of the best early blues artists recorded in sometimes the most humble of settings. Lomax recorded Fred McDowell singing “Going Down the River” and “Rolled and Tumbled” in McDowell’s Mississippi home. Son House sings sings “The Pony Blues” and Lead Belly makes a couple of appearances with “How Long Blues” and “Blind Lemon Blues.” Memphis Slim, Jelly Roll Morton, Blind Willie McTell, and Muddy Waters all make appearanced on the CD as well.
The sound quality varies from track to track as Lomax recorded the music under different circumstances, sometimes, like in McDowell’s case, at people’s homes or even at Mississippi State Penitentiary, as in the case of “You’re Gonna Need My Help” with Elinor Boyer singing. Alan Lomax and his father John traveled to where the music was born and lived and breathed to record it and preserve it for future generations, and for that we can thank them. We can even forgive the graininess of some of the tracks because we can hear the authenticity and the history in the music. As a document of American music history, Alan Lomax Blues Songbook is a must-have. And the CD comes with a booklet worth its weight in gold for those interested in the stories behind the songs of how and when Alan Lomax recorded them.