An excellent Japanese-only collection – featuring rare Chess deep soul singles by both artists who recorded for the label in the 60s! Titles include "A Knife & A Fork", "Without A Woman", "I Wanna Be The Only One", "If That Don't Make You Cry", and "I Get Carried Away" by Kip Anderson – and "You're Running Too Fast", "You Name It I've Had It", "A Lucky Loser", "From Warm To Cool To Cold", and "Nothing Can Separate Us" by Willie Walker. (Soul, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

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Great material from this famous German blues festival – with work by Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon, T Bone Walker, Jump Jackson, Sonny Terry, John Lee Hooker, and Shakey Jake! LP, Vinyl record album

The title's an apt one here, as Jimmy Rogers was one of the many bluesmen who started out in the south, but headed to Chicago for greater fame – which was a good thing for Chess Records, who managed to come some of these great sides in the 50s! Rogers both sings and plays guitar – the later of which has a sometimes snakey quality that almost echoes a slight bit of jazz – a mode that recalls some of the inventions T Bone Walker was putting down at the time, but a little bit rootsier overall. Players on these sessions include Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Spann, and Willie Dixon – and tracks include "Money Marbles & Chalk", "Ludella", "You're The One", "Back Door Friend", "I Used To Have A Woman", "Sloppy Drunk", "Blues Leave Me Alone", and "Walking By Myself". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, Lonnie Johnson, Sippie Wallace, Memphis Slim, T-Bone Walker, Junior Wells, Sonny Boy Williamson, Eddie Boyd, Willie Dixon, and more – 16 tracks total. CD

A great little collection, mostly with vintage work from the late 40s through the 60s – including performances by Texas Johnny Brown, Sticks McGhee, John Lee Hooker, Blind Willie McTell, T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim, Al King, Cornell Dupree, and Chuck Norris! CD

A great little collection, mostly with vintage work from the late 40s through the 60s – including performances by Texas Johnny Brown, Sticks McGhee, John Lee Hooker, Blind Willie McTell, T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim, Al King, Cornell Dupree, and Chuck Norris! Lots of nice non-LP tracks too! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing music from the depths of the Great Depression, but it's hardly a downer – this is a deeply felt collection of tunes by black & white singers and combos of the 20s & 30s that's cathartic, emotional, and a complete treasure trove! The songs are full of brutal beauty, tragedy, and some dark humor, especially when it gets to the murder ballads – and more than 30 of the 70 songs haven't been reissued before now! This is simply one of the very best sets of archival Americana since the epic CD releases of the Anthology Of American Folk Music. It's really that good! The discs are separated thematically – Man V Machine, Man V Nature, and Man V Man (And Woman, Too) – and titles include "Titanic Blues" by Hi Henry Brown & Charlie Jordan, "The Crash Of The Akron" by Bob Miller, "Wreck Of Old 97" by Skillet Lickers, "The Fatal Wreck Of The Blus" bu Mainer's Mountaineers, "The Story Of The Mighty Mississippi" by Ernest Stoneman, "When The Levee Breaks" by Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie, "The Death Of Floyd Collins" by Vernon Dalhart, "Peddler And His Wife" by Hayes Shepherd, "Frankie" by Dykes Magic City Trio, "Dupree Blues" by Willie Walker. 70 tracks on 3CDs! (Folk/Country, Blues) CD

Not the popular ragtime material you'll know from Scott Joplin and 70s revival years – and instead a batch of raw early blues sides, all from the 78rpm generation! Titles include "Have More Faith In Jesus" by Reverend Gary Davis, "Money Never Runs Out" by Cannon's Jug Stompers, "Southern Can Is Mine" by Blind Willie McTell, "South Carolina Rag (take 2)" by Willie Walker, "Piccolo Rag" by Blind Boy Fuller, "Drop That Sack" by Papa Charlie Jackson", "Your Biscuits Are Big Enough For Me" by Bo Carter, and "Ragtime Millionaire" by William Moore. CD