Songs performed by MemphisSlim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Bill Broonzy and others.
In 1959, when United Artists finally issued Blues in the Mississippi Night after years of deeming it “too controversial”, the artists recorded were given pseudonyms to protect their families. Those were the stakes for speaking such brutal, unvarnished truth. Today, we know that “Natchez, Sib & Leroy” were legendary bluesmen Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Slim, and Sonny Boy Williamson.
In 1947 Alan Lomax recorded the three giants on a Presto-disc recording machine at Decca Studios in New York City after they had performed as part of his Midnight Special concert series at nearby Town Hall. Lomax asked them to play a few songs and discuss “the blues”, encouraging them to speak frankly about the inequities of black life in America. The result was Blues in the Mississippi Night, a landmark recording of their songs and stories, pinpointing the music’s origins in the blood, sweat, and tears of the African-Americans who inhabited the Mississippi Delta world of Jim Crow exploitation. Simply put, the recordings are stunning in their brutal honesty and spellbinding mastery.
Today, Lomax Archive has digitally remastered the original tapes of this historic recording in order to return it to vinyl for the first time since 1959. Included in the package is a 20 page deluxe booklet that contains a full transcription of the entire recording, plus brand new liner notes from Anna Lomax Wood and an introduction by renowned drummer and producer Steve Jordan (Rolling Stones, John Mayer).
“I urge everyone that loves life and truth to listen to this recording”, says Jordan. When you listen to the words and music within, that becomes apparent quickly. This is an essential recording– a cornerstone to any blues fan’s record collection and an indisputable part of American music history.
