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Required Listening

Show 1: The Unamplified Blues Tradition

This show strips the blues back to wood, wire, breath, and voice. It makes the plain point that before bands got loud and amps got hot, the whole tradition was already there in solo guitars, field recordings, front-porch picking, and unvarnished singing.

35Tracks
27Artists
5Theme Tags
5Genre Tags

This show strips the blues back to wood, wire, breath, and voice. It makes the plain point that before bands got loud and amps got hot, the whole tradition was already there in solo guitars, field recordings, front-porch picking, and unvarnished singing.

SeriesRequired Listening
Tagsacoustic bluescountry bluesprewarrootssolo performers
Genrestraditional bluesbluesacoustic bluesdelta bluescountry blues
Tracklist
OrderTrackArtistSegmentBridgeStory
1I Be's Troubled - Plantation RecordingMuddy Waters1-
2Whoa BuckAlan Lomax1-
3Hard Time Killin' Floor BluesSkip James1-
4It's Nobody's Fault But MineBlind Willie Johnson1-
6Me and My Chauffeur BluesMemphis Minnie1-
7Automobile BluesLightnin' Hopkins1-
8Last Kind WordsGeeshie Wiley1Yes-
9Kind Hearted Woman Blues - SA.2580-1Robert Johnson2Yes-
10Take a Little Walk With MeRobert Lockwood, Jr.2-
11Sweet Home Chicago - SA.2582-1Robert Johnson2-
12El Paso BluesBig Joe Williams2-
13Terraplane BluesBig Joe Williams2-
1434 BluesCharley Patton2-
15High Water Everywhere (Part 1)Charley Patton2-
16Sitting On Top Of The WorldMississippi Sheiks2-
17You Got to MoveMississippi Fred McDowell2-
18Trouble So HardVera Hall2-
20TupeloJohn Lee Hooker3YesStory
21Willie MaeBig Bill Broonzy3-
22Trouble in MindBig Bill Broonzy3Story
23Death Don't Have No MercyRev. Gary Davis3Story
24Cool Drink of Water BluesTommy Johnson3-
25Midnight SpecialLead Belly3Story
26You Got to DieBlind Willie McTell3-
28Ramblin' On My Mind - Take 1Robert Johnson4Yes-
29Awful DreamsLightnin' Hopkins4-
30Got The Bottle Up And GoneSonny Boy Williamson II4Story
31Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dying BedJosh White4-
32Dust My BroomRobert Lockwood, Jr.4-
33In the EveningRobert Petway4-
34Freight trainElizabeth Cotten4-
35Coffee BluesMississippi John Hurt4Story
Looky, Looky, Yonder / Black Betty / Yellow Women's DoorbellsLead Belly-
Match Box Blues (4446)Blind Lemon Jefferson-
Saint James InfirmarySnooks Eaglin-