The Immortal
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt

One of the best albums of country blues ever recorded. The fingerpicking is delicate, the vocals mellow and sweet. Many tunes that remain associated with Hurt are included here in versions that rival his legendary recordings from the late '20s. "Richland Woman Blues," "Stagolee," "The Chicken," and "Since I've Laid My Burden Down" sound as fresh... Read More

I Want You to Know
Artist: Paul Rishell

The team of guitarist Paul Rishell and Annie Raines on harmonica (both sing) is so appealing that their acoustic duets make the occasional guests (and electrification of the music) seem unnecessary although Ronnie Earl gets in a few good guitar solos. Five originals by the Rishell/Raines team fit right in with songs by the likes of Blind Boy... Read More

Cool Down
Artist: Cephas & Wiggins

Cool Down is the first album the acoustic blues duo Cephas & Wiggins have recorded for Alligator Records and it ranks among their best. The spirit of the session is laidback and eclectic, as the pair draws on everyone from Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Boy Fuller to Fats Domino and Merle Travis. There are also a half-dozen originals that might... Read More

The Best of Mississippi John Hurt - VANGUARD
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt

Contrary to what its title would make one believe, this record is not a collection of previously available recordings by Mississippi John Hurt -- rather, it is a complete concert from Oberlin College on April 15, 1965. Regardless, the title is justified, as the concert features Hurt in excellent form doing most of his best known classic songs... Read More

Sacred and Secular, Vol. 3
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt
Monday Morning Blues
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt
Today!
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt

Today is Mississippi John Hurt's first and finest studio release since his "rediscovery" on his Avalon farm by folklorist Tom Hoskins in 1963. Eclipsed possibly only by his earlier 1928 Sessions, this album shows a more mature Hurt picking his way through standards and originals after the Depression years and Hurt's fall into obscurity before... Read More

Worried Blues
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt

This second of two sessions devoted to Mississippi John Hurt's first recordings followed the same pattern as its predecessor. Hurt did mostly blues, with an occasional spiritual number like "Oh Mary Don't You Weep." He sang in a fragile, yet powerful manner, backing his vocals on acoustic guitar in an equally simple, gentle manner with lines and... Read More

Avalon Blues
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt

This is the first in a multiple-volume series devoted to the Piedmont recordings Hurt made upon his rediscovery in the early '60s. They capture him with his playing and singing still intact, untouched by the world around him, a world that had changed so much since he initially recorded back in the '20s. Many of his best-known tunes are here --... Read More

Avalon Blues: The Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt

Mississippi John Hurt's latter-day recordings after his rediscovery have somewhat obscured the importance of these debut sides -- the ones that made his rediscovery an idea initially worth pursuing. Archival recordings such as Avalon Blues: The Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings are the collector's items that made his rep in the first place, and... Read More