VA - Let Me Tell You About the Blues, Memphis [2009] (3 x CDs)

BLUES

VA - Let Me Tell You About the Blues, Memphis [2009] (3 x CDs)

Let Me Tell You About the Blues is a rich 3 CD set that explores the deep and diverse legacy of Memphis blues, tracing its evolution from jug band roots to electric grit. Released by Fantastic Voyage, a UK label known for its archival precision, the compilation spans over 80 tracks, offering a panoramic view of the city’s contribution to American music.

Memphis was a crossroads for Delta migrants, urban stylists, and studio innovators, and this set reflects that blend. 

CD1 focuses on pre-war acoustic blues, including rare sides from Furry Lewis, Frank Stokes, and Memphis Minnie, many originally issued on labels like Victor, Bluebird, and Vocalion. These recordings capture the city’s street-level storytelling and rhythmic invention.

CD2 shifts to post-war electric blues, spotlighting artists like Junior Parker, Rosco Gordon, and Joe Hill Louis, whose raw, amplified sound helped define the Sun Records aesthetic. Several tracks here were cut at Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service, making them foundational documents of rock and R&B’s emergence.

CD3 highlights lesser-known gems and regional rarities, including sides from Willie Nix, Billy “The Kid” Emerson, and Doctor Ross, many of which were issued on small labels like Meteor, Checker, and RPM. These tracks showcase the city’s role as a launchpad for hybrid styles, jump blues, proto-soul, and rockabilly-inflected grooves.

With minimal overlap and a clear chronological arc, Let Me Tell You About the Blues, Memphis stands as a comprehensive survey of the city’s blues heritage available on CD. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Memphis Jug Band - Sun Brimmer's Blues 3:12

02 Banjo Joe (Gus Cannon) - Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home 3:11

03 Lewis Black - Corn Liquor Blues 2:58

04 Pearl Dickson - Little Rock Blues 3:01

05 Cannon's Jug Stompers - Springdale Blues 3:07

06 Frank Stokes - Downtown Blues 3:14

07 Tommy Johnson - Big Road Blues 3:12

08 Ishman Bracey - Saturday Blues 3:29

09 Mississippi John Hurt - Frankie 3:23

10 Lonnie Johnson - Away Down in The Alley Blues 2:51

11 Tom Dickson - Death Bell Blues 3:11

12 Jim Jackson - I'm Wild About My Lovin' 3:13

13 Furry Lewis - Cannon Ball Blues 3:05

14 Charlie McCoy - Last Time Blues 3:04

15 Robert Wilkins - That's No Way to Get Along 2:54

16 Garfield Akers - Cottonfield Blues - Part 1 2:52

17 Sleepy John Estes - The Girl I Love, She Got Long Curly Hair 2:57

18 Kid Bailey - Rowdy Blues 2:59

19 Noah Lewis - Chickasaw Special 3:17

20 Joe Callicott - Fare Thee Well Blues 3:11

21 Jim Thompkins - Bedside Blues 3:06

22 Memphis Minnie - Bumble Bee 3:17

23 Bukka White - The Panama Limited 3:09

24 Blind Willie Reynolds - Married Man Blues 3:17

25 Allen Shaw - Moanin' The Blues 3:01

CD2

01 Memphis Jug Band - Jazzbo Stomp 2:59

02 Robert Wilkins - Old Jim Canaan's 2:53

03 Minnie Wallace - The Cockeyed World 2:58

04 Little Buddy Doyle - Hard Scufflin' Blues 2:40

05 Charlie Burse and his Memphis Mudcats - Beale Street Holiday 2:25

06 James de Barry and his Memphis Playboys - Single Man Blues 2:33

07 Joe Hill Louis - Boogie in The Park 2:46

08 Walter Horton - Little Boy Blue 2:58

09 Ike Turner - I'm Lonsome Baby 3:02

10 Jackie Brenston - Rocket 88 2:51

11 Howlin' Wolf - Moanin' at Midnight 2:56

12 B.B. King - She's Dynamite 2:32

13 Billy Love - Juiced 2:33

14 B.B. King - Three O' Clock Blues 3:02

15 Dr. Ross - Dr. Ross Boogie 2:39

16 Rosco Gordon - Booted 3:10

17 Sleepy John Estes - Rats in My Kitchen 3:04

18 Howlin' Wolf - Saddle My Pony 2:34

19 Rosco Gordon - T-Model Boogie 2:37

20 Woodrow Adams - The Last Time 2:54

21 Walter Horton - We All Gotta Go Sometime 2:58

22 Willie Nix - Seems Like A Million Years 2:49

23 Honeyboy Edwards - Sweet Home Chicago 3:00

24 Jimmy and Walter - Easy 3:00

25 Rufus Thomas - Bear Cat 2:51

CD3

01 Charlie Booker - Walked All Night 2:45

02 D.A. Hunt - Greyhound Blues 2:38

03 Little Junior Parker - Feelin' Good 2:56

04 William Stewart - County Farm Blues 1:56

05 Rufus Thomas - Tiger Man 2:48

06 Boyd Gilmore - Believe I'll Settle Down 3:08

07 Earl Hooker - Blue Guitar 2:47

08 Pinetop Perkins - Pinetop's Boogie Woogie 2:46

09 Little Milton - Beggin' My Baby 2:26

10 Johnny O'Neal - Ugly Woman 2:29

11 Joe Hill Louis - Hydramatic Woman 2:32

12 Little Junior Parker - Mystery Train 2:22

13 James Cotton - Straighten Up Baby 2:20

14 Coy 'Hot Shot' Love - Wolf Call Boogie 2:36

15 Kenneth Banks - But High 2:35

16 Billy Love - Way After Midnight 2:51

17 Little Milton - Lookin' for My Baby 2:36

18 James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues 3:02

19 Elvis Presley - That's All Right 1:58

20 Pat Hare - I'm Gonna Murder My Baby 2:56

21 Elvis Presley - Mystery Train 2:26

22 Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - When it Rains it Pours 3:06

23 Doctor Ross - The Boogie Disease 2:36

24 Sammy Lewis and Willie Johnson - Feel So Worried 2:27

25 Rosco Gordon - Cheese and Crackers 2:49

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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