Show 84: USA Blues, Pt. 9: Mississippi, The Robert Johnson Era
This chapter narrows the lens and treats Mississippi in the Robert Johnson era as a crowded field, not a one-man myth. It pushes past legend and listens for the wider local world that produced the records, rivalries, sounds, and styles later pinned to Johnson's name.
~f~ We concluded the first half hour on our theme of pre-Robert Johnson Mississippi blues with ~Bob~ ^some ^of Johnson's ^Johnson's mentors Son House and Willie Brown recording for the Library of Congress in 1941 called Government Fleet Blues followed by the man himself cryin' 'bout ~closed government~ Stones in My Passway, with an excellent showcase of his incredible lyric writing as well as his never before been ~g~ ^…
This chapter narrows the lens and treats Mississippi in the Robert Johnson era as a crowded field, not a one-man myth. It pushes past legend and listens for the wider local world that produced the records, rivalries, sounds, and styles later pinned to Johnson's name.
| Order | Track | Artist | Segment | Bridge | Story |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hidin' On Me | Jackson Blue Boys | 1 | - | |
| 2 | Pretty Mama Blues | Cannon's Jug Stompers | 1 | - | |
| 3 | Big Katy Adams | Jazz Gillum | 1 | - | |
| 4 | Mean Old 'Frisco Blues | Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup | 1 | - | |
| 5 | Evil Devil Woman Blues | Memphis Minnie;Kansas Joe | 1 | - | |
| 6 | Lonesome Midnight Blues | Lucille Bogan | 1 | - | |
| 7 | Rolling Blues | Bo Carter | 1 | - | |
| 8 | Government Fleet Blues | Son House;Willie Brown;Fiddlin’ Joe Martin;Leroy Williams | 1 | - | |
| 9 | Stones In My Passway | Robert Johnson | 1 | Yes | - |
| 10 | Terraplane Blues | Johnny Shines | 2 | Yes | - |
| 11 | Drop Down Mama | David "Honeyboy" Edwards | 2 | - | |
| 12 | I Got Rambling On My Mind #2 | Otis Spann | 2 | - | |
| 14 | Why Do Things Happen To Me | B.B. King | 2 | - | |
| 15 | Nine Below Zero | James Cotton | 2 | - | |
| 16 | Forty Four | Howlin' Wolf | 2 | - | |
| 17 | Ask Her for Water | T-Model Ford | 2 | Yes | - |
| 19 | Cry For Me Baby | Charlie Musselwhite | 3 | - | |
| 20 | Too Old To Think | Sonny Boy Williamson II | 3 | - | |
| 21 | Third Degree | Eddie Boyd | 3 | - | |
| 22 | The Seventh Son | Willie Dixon | 3 | - | |
| 23 | Fussin' and Fightin' Blues | Little Junior Parker;The Blue Flames | 3 | - | |
| 24 | I'm A Man | Bo Diddley | 3 | - | |
| 25 | Suffocate | Ike Turner | 3 | - | |
| 26 | Bad Luck Blues | Albert King | 3 | Yes | - |
| 27 | Baby, Please Don't Go | Muddy Waters | 4 | Yes | - |
| 28 | Nobody's Fault But Mine | Pops Staples | 4 | - | |
| 29 | Money, Marbles And Chalk | Jimmy Rogers | 4 | - | |
| 30 | Anna Lee | Elmore James | 4 | - | |
| 31 | Ain't Got Nobody | Hound Dog Taylor | 4 | - | |
| 32 | Standing In My Doorway Crying | Jessie Mae Hemphill | 4 | - | |
| 33 | Think Twice Before You Go | John Lee Hooker | 4 | - | |
| 34 | Meet Me in the City | Junior Kimbrough | 4 | - | |
| 35 | Jumper Hanging Out On the Line | R.L. Burnside | 4 | - | |
| 36 | Slow Down | J.B. Lenoir | 4 | Yes | - |
| 37 | West Winds Are Blowin' | Big Walter Horton | 5 | Yes | - |
| 38 | If You Love Me | Little Milton | 5 | - | |
| 39 | Driftin' Blues | Sam Cooke | 5 | - | |
| 40 | 3-F Blues (Find 'Em, Fool 'Em, Forget 'Em) | George Jackson | 5 | - | |
| Mama, Mama -Talk to Your Daughter | Magic Sam;Mighty Joe Young;Stockholm Slim;Earnest Johnson;Odie Payne, Jr. | - | |||
| She Don’t Want Me No More | Jimmy Reed | - |