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AVID Roots here presents four classic Big Bill Broonzy albums plus, including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD. 'Big Bill's Blues', 'Big Bill Broonzy Sings the Blues', 'Folk Blues' and 'The Blues'. A special note about this collection is that 'Big Bill Blues' and 'Sings the Blues' appear on CD for the first time!! Born in Mississippi in 1893 Big Bill Broonzy was one of the last of the great blues singers still alive and singing in the late 1950's and 1960's. Most of the greats had passed on or disappeared into obscurity after early recording careers has faltered way back in the 1920's and 1930's. In Big Bills own words "Leroy Carr, he's gone, Big Maceo, he's gone, Jim Johnson, Ol' Lead, they're gone. If I don't sing the blues, who will? Maybe the blues will die someday. But I'll have to die first". Across these four classic albums you will hear why Big Bill Broonzy was considered to be one of the greatest blues singers of all time. Singing a cross section of his own songs and that of such legends as Leroy Carr, Bessie Smith, Gus Cannon and Richard Jones, Bill performs each in his own inimitable way with is own style of singing and his own unique brand of guitar playing! All four albums plus, have been digitally re-mastered for probably the finest sound quality ever!
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By Barry McCanna
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD
This is a miscellany of Big Bill Broonzy's fifties recordings. The first CD begins with "Big Bill's Blues", ten recordings made in February 1956 in Philips studios in Holland, which the original sleeve note represents as a private party rather than a recording session, presumably to deflect the charge of commercialism. That is followed by "Big Bill Broonzy Sings The Blues", nine recordings made a week earlier in Paris with Kansas Fields on drums, and issued in full on a French 10" LP, and minus "Diggin' My Potatoes" on two UK EPs.
The second CD starts off with "Folk Blues", eight numbers recorded in Chicago in December 1951 with Big Crawford on bass, and the original sleeve note is at pains to establish Big Bill's credentials as an Arkansas farmer who played and sang as a kind of sideline, rather than in reality a Chicago-based musician and singer. That's followed by "The Blues", twelve numbers recorded in Chicago a month earlier, mainly with bass accompaniment, but for the last four numbers which feature a quartet accompaniment. In addition, a further eight tracks from early 1949 are included, two at the end of the first CD, the remainder at the end of the second CD.
Big Bill is immediately identifiable, first for his finger-picking guitar style, and secondly for his high-pitched delivery. He began recording in 1926, and in the early fifties he became an important figure within the emergent folk music revival. These recordings reprise some of his earlier successes, such as "Key to the Highway" which he had recorded with Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, "Get Back" and "Keep Your Hands Off Her", and I particularly like the instrumental "Big Bill's Guitar Blues". These are late recordings (he died in August 1958) which should be of interest to all blues enthusiasts.
The second CD starts off with "Folk Blues", eight numbers recorded in Chicago in December 1951 with Big Crawford on bass, and the original sleeve note is at pains to establish Big Bill's credentials as an Arkansas farmer who played and sang as a kind of sideline, rather than in reality a Chicago-based musician and singer. That's followed by "The Blues", twelve numbers recorded in Chicago a month earlier, mainly with bass accompaniment, but for the last four numbers which feature a quartet accompaniment. In addition, a further eight tracks from early 1949 are included, two at the end of the first CD, the remainder at the end of the second CD.
Big Bill is immediately identifiable, first for his finger-picking guitar style, and secondly for his high-pitched delivery. He began recording in 1926, and in the early fifties he became an important figure within the emergent folk music revival. These recordings reprise some of his earlier successes, such as "Key to the Highway" which he had recorded with Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, "Get Back" and "Keep Your Hands Off Her", and I particularly like the instrumental "Big Bill's Guitar Blues". These are late recordings (he died in August 1958) which should be of interest to all blues enthusiasts.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Bc V. Price
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
A great collection of recordings superbly remastered by the excellent budget lable AVID, they specialise in re-issuing classic recordings usually from the Jazz and Big band spectrum. However, they seem, to be branching out now in what they term as 'Roots' recordings.
Big Bill Broonzy was a far more sophisticated bluesman than he was portrayed, He spent the 1930's and early forties as part of the exodus of southern born Blues singers that descended on the windy city i.e. Chicago and played electric guitar.He worked the theatres and taverns and toured with Memphis Minnie. It was however the earnest folk archivists and John Hammond with his production of 'Spirituals to Swing' held at Carnegie Hall in place of the late Robert Johnson and the European trad jazzers that re- marketed him as nothing but a simple Arakansas farm boy! Well it worked and he sold out many a crowd and pleased them with 'retro' performances.
He recorded with the Mercury label in 1949 taking on the emerging R&B sound. It was in 1952 and after his final Mercury sessions that Broonzy fianlly reverted to his country blues style and recorded prolifically for a variety of European labels. Which is where we come in with this set.
I would rate this album very highly and recommend it to anyone lacking any Big Bill Broonzy in their Collection. Or maybe you have some worn vinyl copies, then this re-issue should remedy the problem!
The albums covered are 'Big Bills Blues' 'Big Bill Broonzy Sings the Blues', 'Folk Blues' and 'The Blues'.
The first part of the album are live recordings and they are sharp considering the sometimes poor quality of live recordings of that period. Go for it !
Big Bill Broonzy was a far more sophisticated bluesman than he was portrayed, He spent the 1930's and early forties as part of the exodus of southern born Blues singers that descended on the windy city i.e. Chicago and played electric guitar.He worked the theatres and taverns and toured with Memphis Minnie. It was however the earnest folk archivists and John Hammond with his production of 'Spirituals to Swing' held at Carnegie Hall in place of the late Robert Johnson and the European trad jazzers that re- marketed him as nothing but a simple Arakansas farm boy! Well it worked and he sold out many a crowd and pleased them with 'retro' performances.
He recorded with the Mercury label in 1949 taking on the emerging R&B sound. It was in 1952 and after his final Mercury sessions that Broonzy fianlly reverted to his country blues style and recorded prolifically for a variety of European labels. Which is where we come in with this set.
I would rate this album very highly and recommend it to anyone lacking any Big Bill Broonzy in their Collection. Or maybe you have some worn vinyl copies, then this re-issue should remedy the problem!
The albums covered are 'Big Bills Blues' 'Big Bill Broonzy Sings the Blues', 'Folk Blues' and 'The Blues'.
The first part of the album are live recordings and they are sharp considering the sometimes poor quality of live recordings of that period. Go for it !
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Richard
Format:Audio CD
Seen what's on here? Some plonker is advertising a USED copy of this Avid set for more money than the £6 quoted here-which is the same in HMV.
As the original albums would have been about £1.50 (£ 1.10 shillings in pre decimal money) the cost is now around the same.
This is the music which introduced the U K to the Blues and was an influence on Lonnie Donegan.These were actually made as albums.
At the time music like this was called Negro folk and along with Josh White began to appear later on budget labels like MFP,Saga & Society and was a bigger deal in thwe UK where Broonzy toured.Paul Robeson was blacklisted for his Communist beliefs and relocated to Britain where he found a ready audience and eventually a listing in Classical catalogs
In music racial prejudice doesn't exist and even though Broonzy suffered through it in the 40s and 50s he simply shrugged it off when a white restaurant owner refused to serve him-a situation which ended only with the rise of Black Power.
Broonzy,like Paul Robeson,was born the son of slaves his mother living to 102 and his uncle to 104
As the original albums would have been about £1.50 (£ 1.10 shillings in pre decimal money) the cost is now around the same.
This is the music which introduced the U K to the Blues and was an influence on Lonnie Donegan.These were actually made as albums.
At the time music like this was called Negro folk and along with Josh White began to appear later on budget labels like MFP,Saga & Society and was a bigger deal in thwe UK where Broonzy toured.Paul Robeson was blacklisted for his Communist beliefs and relocated to Britain where he found a ready audience and eventually a listing in Classical catalogs
In music racial prejudice doesn't exist and even though Broonzy suffered through it in the 40s and 50s he simply shrugged it off when a white restaurant owner refused to serve him-a situation which ended only with the rise of Black Power.
Broonzy,like Paul Robeson,was born the son of slaves his mother living to 102 and his uncle to 104
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blues CD
As with John Hurt, Big Bill has been a favourite of mine for many years. This CD arrived in very good time and was well wrapped. Read more
Published 3 months ago by piscator
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nostalgia
Big Bill Broonzy was one of my favourite artists when I was sixteen years old. I love to sit and listen to his singing again, as all my old 78 discs were broken ages ago.
Published 4 months ago by Dr. Joan Smith, PhD
5.0 out of 5 stars
FANTASTIC SELECTION OF BIG BILL
AVID DO IT AGAIN WITH THIS. A GREAT VALUE COLLECTION OF LATE 40S/ 5OS BIG BILL
BROONZY THERE ARE SOME NICE SMALL GROUP RECORDINGS HERE, BUT MOST ARE WHAT BIG BILL
DOES,... Read more
BROONZY THERE ARE SOME NICE SMALL GROUP RECORDINGS HERE, BUT MOST ARE WHAT BIG BILL
DOES,... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mr. Aa James
5.0 out of 5 stars
memories
I purchased the original ep's in 59 of the 56 paris sessions with kansas fields . They sound just as great today, this cd is the only one I could find with Big Bills Guitar Blues... Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2011 by sonny
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