Label: Smithsonian Folkways

Reissued 6/12/2026, Originally released 2003

Blues is a living and dynamic tradition that has resounded throughout Black communities for over a century, channeling transcendent grief and strength.  In the mid-20th century, Folkways Records became a major hub for blues legends such as Lightnin' Hopkins,  Lead Belly, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy, Elizabeth Cotten, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee.  Classic Blues from Smithsonian Folkways spans half a century and features these and other foundational figures in blues history performing in the Delta,  St.  Louis, Southwest,  Piedmont,  and Chicago styles.  From boogie to ballads and laced with innuendo and irony, this classic collection is available on vinyl for the first time on two LPs with extensive notes by musician and scholar Dr. Barry Lee Pearson.

Track listing:

1. Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee - Old Jabo
2. Big Bill Broonzy - Mule-Ridin’ Blues
3. Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon - Joggie Boogie
4. Vera Hall - Black Woman
5. K. C. Douglas - Mercury Blues
6. Roosevelt Sykes - Ran the Blues Out of My Window
7. Lead Belly - Leaving Blues
8. Etta Baker - One Dime Blues
9. Son House - County Farm Blues
10. Champion Jack Dupree - Clog Dance (Stomping Blues)
11. Pink Anderson - Boll Weevil
12. Edith North Johnson and Henry Brown - Nickel’s Worth of Liver
13. Big Joe Williams - Don’t Leave Me Here
14. Cat-Iron - Jimmy Bell
15. Rev. Gary Davis - Candy Man
16. Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon - Beer Drinking Woma
17. Lightnin' Hopkins - Come Go Home with Me
18. Josh White - Careless Love
19. Henry Townsend - I Asked Her If She Loved Me
20. Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry - Rising Sun
21. David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Pony Blues
22. Little Brother Montgomery - Vicksburg Blues
23. Elizabeth Cotten - Vastopol
24. Lonnie Johnson - Drifting Along Blues
25. The Chambers Brothers - Oh Baby, You Don’t Have to Go
26. Lead Belly, Josh White - Don’t Lie Buddy