Ragtime Guitar's Foremost Fingerpicker

Blind Blake

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 8, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yazoo
• ASIN: B000000G84
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #323,063 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Blind Arthur's Breakdown

2. C.C. Pill Blues

3. Black Biting Bee Blues - Leola B. Wilson

4. Hard Pushing Papa

5. Black Dog Blues

6. Georgia Bound

7. Hastings Street

8. Skeedle Loo Doo Blues

9. Rope Stretching Blues, Pt. 1

10. Chump Man Blues

11. Diddie Wa Diddie

12. Sweet Jivin' Mama

13. Itching Heel - Irene Scruggs

14. Too Tight Blues, No. 2

15. Southern Rag

16. One Time Blues

17. Playing Policy Blues

18. Hey Hey Daddy Blues

19. Sweet Papa Low Down

20. Police Dog Blues

See all 28 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD

The mysterious Blind Blake was a guitar marvel and good singer whose recording career lasted just a few years, 192~ 32. These twenty-three titles on the Paramount label, most of them blessed with clear sound, are as much about his easeful control over picking technique as his emotional outlook. Blake's blues, ragtime, and unclassifiable tunes are interestingly written, with melodies, improvisations, and rhythms taking unexpected routes. The music always has a certain charm to it, even when lachrymose (e.g., "Chump Man Blues," "Rope Stretching Blues"). -- © Frank John Hadley 1993

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guitar picker ambrosia, September 17, 1999

By	Daniel L. Boyd (Missouri) - See all my reviews

As a worshipper of Django, Robert Johnson and other guitar legends, I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know about Blind Blake. If you like guitar, this is ambrosia. It's like being a baseball fan and hearing about Shoeless Joe Jackson for the first time.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A revelation, September 29, 2002

By	danK (San Anselmo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

As a fingerpicker and long-time fan of Rev. Gary Davis, Dave Van Ronk, Jorma Kaukkonen I am astounded to learn from this record that virtually everything they did was done not only first by Blind Blake, but better.
Brilliant, beautiful, indispensible!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rag-Time Guitar at its Best!, September 18, 1998

By A Customer

Blind Blake was a master of the acoustic guitar. His rag-time style is clearly one of the most technically difficult to perform; but his natural ability makes it sound so smooth. A musical genius, Blake perfected a sound that can only rarely be imitated. Anyone who appreciates acoustic guitar will fall in love with this classic recording.