Negro Prison Blues & Songs

Alan Lomax | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 19, 1994)
• Original Release Date: September 21, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Legacy
• ASIN: B000002NQQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,048 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #50 in Music > Indie Music > Blues > Delta Blues

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Listen to the clips once, think twice, July 25, 2005

By 

Leigh Ann Hussey "motogrrl" (SF Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Negro Prison Blues & Songs (Audio CD)

I wish anybody had mentioned this about this album before I bought it, so I'm telling you: this edition has been post-processed with a reverb that surely wasn't there when Lomax recorded it. Sometimes it's not especially intrusive, but sometimes it's aggressively metallic and artifical. Serves me right for trying to cheap out, and failing to listen to the clips. If this bugs you as it does me, do yourself what I'm going to do next time, buy the Rounder edition of "Prison Songs (Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48)".

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great music, no liner notes, May 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Negro Prison Blues & Songs (Audio CD)

This is an excellent recording with almost no context. The liner notes (all of two paragraphs) don't say anything about when the songs were recorded of how Lomax got access to the prisoners. The sound is excellent.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Negro prison CD purchase, April 10, 2011

By 

H. shively (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Negro Prison Blues & Songs (Audio CD)

I really enjoyed how authentic this CD recording was. My favorite songs were " Whoa Buck " and " Old Dollar mamie " These songs both describe how prison negro's thought of themselves.

Over all I think this album is really the songs they sang. My grandpa used to be a prison guard and when I played this album for him he stood up, grabbed a broom and started beating our Black lab.. Apparently this CD brought back fond memories of when he dished out lessons to the inmates.


I would recomend this album to any one who wishes to revist the good ole days or learn the music their grandparents sang.. Which ever side of the law you're on you can truly enjoy this album.