Songs of Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon

Folkways Records - FA 2385

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: United States
Released: 1960
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues
[Tracklist]
A1 Joggie Boogie (03:28)
A2 Stewball (03:36)
A3 John Henry (02:28)
A4 Kansas City No.1, 2 and 3 (07:50)
B1 Have You Ever Been to Nashville Pen? (02:32)
B2 Roll and Tumble (02:58)
B3 Beer Drinking Woman (02:32)
B4 Chicago House Rent Party (05:00)
B5 44 Blues (02:36)
B6 Unlucky (02:45)
[Credits]
Memphis Slim (piano/vocals) Willie Dixon (bass)
Photographer: David Gahr, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
This album features big-voiced blues pianist and singer Memphis Slim and legendary bassist Willie Dixon, who is credited with having helped create the Chicago blues sound. Several tracks from this album are also included on Smithsonian Folkways' Memphis Slim: The Folkways Years (SFW40128).

Memphis Slim - Favorite Blues Singers

Folkways Records - FA 2387

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: United States
Released: 1973
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues
[Tracklist]
A1 Introduction (01:34)
A2 Won't Do That No More (03:54)
A3 When I've Been Drinking (03:02)
A4 Mojo Blues (03:42)
A5 Broke and Hungry (03:33)
A6 Muddy Water (02:33)
A7 Prison Bound (03:27)
B1 Queen Bee (02:15)
B2 Backwater Blues (03:47)
B3 It Was a Dream (04:16)
B4 Mean Mistreating Mama (03:50)
B5 Digging My Potatoes (02:20)
B6 Yancy Special (04:48)
[Credits]
Memphis Slim (piano/vocals)
Liner Notes: Frederic Ramsey, Jr., Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
In the spoken introduction that opens this recording, Memphis Slim says, "I'm doing something now that I've always wanted to do. This is my interpretation of some of my favorite blues singers—some of the greatest blues singers of all time." In addition to Memphis Slim's thoughtful performances, this album features transcribed fragments of interviews with the bluesman.

Pete Seeger - Wimoweh and Other Songs of Freedom and Protest

Folkways Records – FTS 3A18

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: United States
Released: 1968
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 I'm On My Way to Canaan's Land: Pete Seeger (04:20)
A2 Wimoweh: Pete Seeger (02:48)
A3 Wasn't That a Time: Pete Seeger (02:59)
A4 Freiheit: Pete Seeger (03:06)
A5 Study War No More (Down By the Riverside): Pete Seeger and Big Bill Broonzy (05:28)
B1 Hold On: Pete Seeger, Memphis Slim, and Willie Dixon (03:27)
B2 If I Had a Hammer (Hammer Song): Pete Seeger (02:21)
B3 We are Soldiers in the Army: Pete Seeger (04:05)
B4 Mrs. McGrath: Pete Seeger (04:19)
B5 What a Friend We Have in Congress: Pete Seeger (01:58)
B6 Hymn to Nations (Beethoven, Ludwig v.: 9th Symphony): Pete Seeger (02:06)
[Credits]
Pete Seeger (banjo/guitar/vocals) Big Bill Broonzy (guitar) Memphis Slim (piano)
Photographerand Designer: Craig Mierop
[Notes]
This 1968 collection, recorded during live performances, features protest songs as well as old spirituals sung by legendary folk singer Pete Seeger (who is joined on two tracks by Big Bill Broonzy and Memphis Slim). With Seeger's modern interpretations the folk process is truly at work, "making past experience meaningful for present-day life." Liner notes include background information on each of the tracks.

Classic Piano Blues from Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW CD 40196

Country: Unites States
Released: 2008
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Piano Blues
[Tracklist]
01 Dedication to Pete Johnson: Memphis Slim (3:12)
02 Early in the Morning: Booker T. Laury (3:06)
03 How Long Blues: Speckled Red (3:20)
04 Yellow Dog Blues: James P. Johnson and Katherine Handy Lewis (2:56)
05 Key to the Highway: Jazz Gillum, Memphis Slim (2:54)
06 Medium Blues: Meade "Lux" Lewis (2:51)
07 Black Wolf Blues: Champion Jack Dupree (2:57)
08 Dices Blues: Big Chief Ellis (4:54)
09 Big Fat Woman: Lead Belly (1:10)
10 Harlem Parlor Blues: Sammy Price (2:51)
11 Little Drops of Water: Henry Brown & Edith Johnson (3:03)
12 Pinetop's Boogie Woogie: Little Brother Montgomery (4:08)
13 Pinetop's Boogie Woogie: Speckled Red (3:26)
14 Wish Me Well: Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon (2:14)
15 All My Money's Gone: Henry Townsend (2:53)
16 You're My Man: Victoria Spivey (4:33)
17 On My Way to See Moe Asch: Champion Jack Dupree (4:21)
18 Sweet Old Chicago: Roosevelt Sykes (2:56)
19 No Special Rider Blues: Little Brother Montgomery (3:29)
20 Hesitation Blues: James P. Johnson (3:05)
[Credits]
Executive producers: Daniel E. Sheehy and Atesh Sonneborn, Compiled: Jeff Place and Richard James Burgess, Layout and design: Communication Visual (http://www.com-vis.com )
[Notes]
Storyville nightclubs, Beale Street juke joints, gambling houses, barrelhouse bars in the lumber and turpentine camps of East Texas—these were the places African American piano bluesmen called home. Born of ragtime and hard times, the piano blues migrated with its players from the deep South to the urban North. Classic Piano Blues revisits raucous boogie-woogie and blues legends Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon, Champion Jack Dupree, Speckled Red, Meade "Lux" Lewis, Lead Belly, Little Brother Montgomery, Roosevelt Sykes, James P. Johnson, and more, in 20 tracks drawn from the well of the Folkways Collections. Extensive notes, 32-page booklet, 64 minutes.

Classic African-American Ballads from Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40191

Series: Smithsonian Folkways Classic Series
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2006
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Mouse on the Hill (Froggie Went a-Courting): Warner Williams with Jay Summerour (3:44)
02 Casey Jones: K.C. Douglas (1:23)
, 03 John Hardy: Lead Belly (2:43)
04 Railroad Bill: John Jackson (3:33)
05 Stewball: Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon (3:33)
06 John Henry: Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (4:04)
07 St. James Infirmary: Snooks Eaglin (2:20)
08 Staggerlee (Stackolee): John Cephas and Phil Wiggins (5:03)
09 Lost John: Convict Group, Ramsey and Retrieve State Farms (4:54)
10 Betty and Dupree: Josh White (3:45)
11 Old Riley / Here, Rattler, Here: Lead Belly (1:58)
12 The Race of the Jim Lee and Katy Adam: Jazz Gillum, Memphis Slim (2:27)
13 The Titanic: Pink Anderson (2:49)
14 Frankie and Johnny: Big Bill Broonzy (2:07)
15 White House Blues: Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys (1:59)
16 Louis Collins: John Jackson (3:18)
17 Bad Lee Brown (Late One Night): Woody Guthrie (2:14)
18 Luke and Mullen: Horace Sprott (2:25)
19 Duncan and Brady: Dave Van Ronk (3:00)
20 Gallis Pole (The Maid Freed from the Gallows): Lead Belly (2:45)
21 Boll Weevil: Pink Anderson (3:04)
22 Delia's Gone: Josh White Jr. (3:45)
[Crtedits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Barry Lee Pearson, Designer: Joe Parisi, Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
Classic African-American Ballads is a sampling of an important, historic, and engaging slice of America's Black music heritage. The heyday of the Black ballad tradition (1890-1920) left a lasting strain of creativity and a monument to African American life of the time. Ranging from songs created from the heritage of the English ballad, to social commentary vilifying abusive white authority figures, to "blues ballads," this album reminds us of the enormity and constant evolution of African American musical tradition. 36-page booklet. 22 tracks. 67 minutes.

Pete Seeger at the Village Gate

With Memphis Slim and Wee Willie Dixon

Folkways Records – FA 2450

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 I'm On My Way to Canaan's Land (3:19)
A2 Hieland Laddie (3:09)
A3 Tina Singu (2:53)
A4 Soon As We All Cook Sweet Potatoes (3:10)
A5 Worried Man Blues (3:54)
A6 Oh, Mary Don't You Weep (4:59)
B1 Don't You Weep After Me (4:08)
B2 Pretty Polly (2:46)
B3 Jacob's Ladder (4:43)
B4 Time's A-Getting Hard (2:23)
B5 Bayeza (2:41)
B6 The Quiz Show (3:14)
B7 New York City (1:58)
B8 The Midnight Special (1:53)
[Creduts]
Pete Seeger (banjo/vocals) Memphis Slim (piano/vocals) Wee Willie Dixon (bass/vocals)
Liner Notes: Pete Seeger, Photographer: David Gahr
[Notes]
A paean to the joys of live performance, this album features rousing singalongs, blues, spirituals, and songs from South Africa and the Bahamas. Willie Dixon and Memphis Slim join Seeger in this performance, which includes "The Quizmasters," Ernie Marrs' song about the deals politicians make with big business—written in 1959 but relevant today.

Classic Blues from Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW CD 40134

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues
[Tracklist]
01 Old Jabo: Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (2:14)
02 Mule-Ridin' Blues: Big Bill Broonzy (3:46)
03 Joggie Boogie: Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon (3:28)
04 Black Woman: Vera Hall (1:27)
05 Mercury Blues: K. C. Douglas (2:21)
06 Ran the Blues Out of My Window: Roosevelt Sykes (2:57)
07 Leaving Blues: Lead Belly (2:23)
08 One Dime Blues: Etta Baker (3:46)
09 County Farm Blues: Son House (2:11)
10 Clog Dance (Stomping Blues): Champion Jack Dupree (2:02)
11 Boll Weevil: Pink Anderson (3:06)
12 Nickel's Worth of Liver: Edith North Johnson and Henry Brown (2:43)
13 Don't Leave Me Here: Big Joe Williams (2:43)
14 Jimmy Bell: Cat Iron (2:20)
15 Candy Man: Rev. Gary Davis (2:35)
16 Beer Drinking Woman: Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon (2:32)
17 Come Go Home with Me: Lightnin' Hopkins (3:55)
18 Careless Love: Josh White (3:23)
19 I Asked Her If She Loved Me: Henry Townsend (2:55)
20 Rising Sun: Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry (2:43)
21 Pony Blues: David "Honeyboy" Edwards (3:28)
22 Vicksburg Blues: Little Brother Montgomery (4:02)
23 Vastapol: Elizabeth Cotten (2:11)
24 Drifting Along Blues: Lonnie Johnson (2:59)
25 Oh Baby, You Don't Have to Go: The Chambers Brothers (2:49)
26 Don't Lie Buddy: Lead Belly and Josh White (2:20)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Barry Lee Pearson, Photographers: Marion Post Wolcott and Russell Lee, Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
A living and dynamic tradition, blues is forged in hard times but powerful enough to bring on the good times. Legends such as Lead Belly, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy, Elizabeth Cotten, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee, among others formed the "blues backbone" of Folkways Records. This compilation from the Smithsonian Folkways collection spans half a century and features Delta, St. Louis, Southwest, and Chicago styles performed by some of the best-known figures in blues history. From boogies to ballads, full of innuendo and irony, this classic collection is a jukebox in a jewel case.

Classic Blues from Smithsonian Folkways, Vol. 2

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40148

Series: Smithsonian Folkways Classic Series
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues
[Tracklist]
01 Dark Road: Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry (2:46)
02 Step It Up and Go: Warner Williams (2:38)
03 It Was Early One Morning: Lead Belly (2:27)
04 Blues - Until My Baby Comes Home: Nora Lee King and Mary Lou Williams (2:55)
05 That's No Way to Do: Pink Anderson (2:25)
06 Farro Street Jive: Little Brother Montgomery (2:18)
07 I Ain't Gonna Cry No More (Depot Blues): Son House (2:59)
08 Graveyard Blues: Roscoe Holcomb (3:02)
09 44 Blues: Roosevelt Sykes (2:45)
10 Big Fat Mama: David "Honeyboy" Edwards (2:59)
11 Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor: Lucinda Williams (3:53)
12 Lieutenant Blues: Thomas McFarland (Barrelhouse Buck) (2:40)
13 The Woman Is Killing Me: Sonny Terry and Friends (2:26)
14 Little Drops of Water: Edith North Johnson and Henry Brown (3:09)
15 When Things Go Wrong (It Hurts Me Too): Big Bill Broonzy (3:01)
16 Poor Boy a Long, Long Way From Home: Cat-Iron (2:47)
17 My Jack Don't Drink Water No More: Shortstuff Macon (3:44)
18 'Way Behind the Sun: Barbara Dane (3:51)
19 Tell Me, Baby: Lightnin' Hopkins (2:36)
20 Just A Dream: Memphis Slim (4:15)
21 Jelly Jelly: Josh White (2:29)
22 Down in the Alley: Chambers Brothers (3:07)
[Credits]
Compiler and Liner Notes: Barry Lee Pearson, Photographer: Pat Terry, Mastering Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
For over a century, the blues have continually forged new musical alliances and pushed against boundaries, reaping rich harvests from infusions of diversity, innovation and vitality. With a spark of rock, or a nod to jazz, the blues stay true in spirit and perpetual in their ability to strike a common chord with listeners. On Classic Blues Vol. 2, Lucinda Williams, Roscoe Holcomb and Nora Lee King stand alongside all-time blues greats such as Lead Belly, Son House, and Lightnin' Hopkins. No matter if you prefer your blues raw, acoustic, electric, solo or from a live band, a jukebox or a jook joint, as the blues poet J. Williamsonce put it, "The blues is good news. Pass it on." Extensive notes. 22 tracks. 64 minutes.

Down Home Saturday Night

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW CD 40182

Format: CD, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2007
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Cajun, Hillbilly, Hill Country Blues, Texas Blues
[Tracklist]
01 Minglewood Blues: John Sebastian and the J Band with Geoff Muldaur (3:41)
02 White House Blues: Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys (1:58)
03 Le Vieux Soulard Et Sa Femme: Balfa Toujours (2:37)
04 El Sinaloense: Mingo Saldívar y y sus Tremendos Cuatro Espadas (4:07)
05 It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day): Erbie Bowser, T.D. Bell, and the Blues Specialists (4:09)
06 Big Ball’s in Cowtown: The Texas Playboys (3:06)
07 Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie: Memphis Slim (4:10)
08 Bill Morgan and His Gal: The New Lost City Ramblers (2:55)
09 You Keep On Doggin’ Me: Sonny Terry, J.C. Burris, Sticks McGhee (2:41)
10 Bosco Stomp: Nonc Allie Young, Bessyl Duhon, Rodney Balfa (3:01)
11 Walking Blues: Arbee Stidham, Memphis Slim, and Jump Jackson (3:10)
12 Hey Bartender, There’s A Bug In My Beer: Warner Williams and Eddie Pennington (2:43)
13 Oh Baby, You Don’t Have to Go: The Chambers Brothers (2:45)
14 Chiquitos Pero Picos: Los Polkeros de Ben Tavera King (2:00)
15 Uncle Bud: Boozoo Chavis and the Magic Sounds (2:56)
[Credits]
Compilers: Mark Gustafson, Brian Scott and Jeff Place, Mastering Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
On any Saturday night, rollicking down-home music can be heard throughout the USA, be it bluegrass, blues, boogie woogie, country, Cajun, zydeco, Texas swing, or Texas Mexican conjunto. Down Home Saturday Night has them all. Smithsonian Folkways archivist Jeff Place compiled these 15 tracks of American regional and ethnic roots music with one idea in mind: to bring people together and have fun with music and musicians from across the land.

Classic Delta and Deep South Blues from Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40222

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2018
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Delta Blues
[Tracklist]
01 C.C. Rider: Big Bill Broonzy (2:34)
02 Woman in Elaine, Arkansas: Roosevelt Sykes (2:23)
03 Death Letter Blues: Son House (2:58)
04 Your Crying Won’t Make Me Stay: K.C. Douglas and Richard Riggins (2:43)
05 Columbus, Mississippi Blues: Bukka White (3:30)
06 I'm Goin' to Walk Your Log: Cat-Iron (1:53)
07 Why Did You Go Last Night: Clifton Chenier (3:17)
08 I Stand and Wonder: Sam Chatmon (3:51)
09 Sleeping with the Devil: Johnny Young and Walter Horton (3:56)
10 Short Stuff’s Corinna: Short Stuff Macon (2:43)
11 Married Woman Blues: Big Joe Williams (1:57)
12 Up the Country Blues: Little Brother Montgomery (2:57)
13 Dream: John Littlejohn (4:44)
14 Good Morning Little Schoolgirl: Doctor Ross (3:36)
15 Catfish Blues: Honeyboy Edwards (3:27)
16 M & O Blues: Memphis Slim (3:37)
17 Forty-Four: Scott Dunbar (4:14)
18 Sun Goin' Down: Son House (4:59)
19 Frisco Line: Fred McDowell (3:58)
20 Diggin' My Potatoes: Big Bill Broonzy (2:58)
[Credits]
Compiler & Liner Notes: Barry Lee Pearson, Designer: Cooley Design Lab, Photographer: Bill Steber, Mastering Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
Mississippi, particularly the Delta, lays claim to being the land where the blues began. Forged in the crucible of poverty and racial oppression, blues flourished there as nowhere else, evolving into what most critics consider the deepest or most intense strain of the blues tradition. During the Great Migration, music changed consistently, adapting to its new surroundings like St. Louis and Chicago, while retaining its connection to its down home Delta roots. This collection celebrates the diversity and dissemination of the blues’ most powerful and influential voices. 67 minutes, 40-page booklet with extensive notes and photos.