King of the Country Blues

Blind Lemon Jefferson

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 8, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1985
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yazoo
• ASIN: B000000G85
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #246,815 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Although these recordings are from the late 1920s, Jefferson lends them an elegance and sophistication that most people don't associate with blues of that era. His melodic country-blues style incorporated prominent elements of ragtime and featured numerous "break-aways," or solo-guitar riffs. Many of his songs were based around traditional folk songs, and Jefferson often presented them with asymmetrical constructions and odd time signatures. His fluent guitar work was able to step out on its own or provide cohesive support for his vocals. As one of the first commercially successful blues artists, his influence is widespread: from fellow Texans Lightnin' Hopkins and T-Bone Walker to Piedmont bluesmen such as Gary Davis. --Marc Greilsamer

From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD
Some of the monumentally important 1920s Texas blues guitarist's best work, taken from 78s. These twenty-three sides, including Jefferson's often-covered "Matchbox Blues," offer an in-depth examination of his complex guitar playing and powerful vocal style-an overriding influence on the enduring Lone Star blues legacy that developed after Jefferson's death in 1929. (B.D.) -- © Frank John Hadley 1993

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the best of them all, May 19, 2000

By	Jostein Berntsen "jostber" (Porsgrunn, Norway) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Blind Lemon Jefferson was a legendary blues performer, and Yazoo has collected many of his classics on this CD. I have owned this on vinyl for many years and is on my top 10 playlist. Blind Lemon Jefferson was a incredible guitar player delivering many unique blues licks. He was an inventor in both song and lyrics, and was one of the most selling artists of his day. My favourite tracks are 'Shuckin' sugar' and 'Bad Luck Blues' which have very singular and beautiful melodies. If you love the blues or any kind of music you should own a Blind Lemon Jefferson record. This is a good place to start.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compared to Lemon, Angels Have Stupid-Fingers, May 7, 2000

By	Dwight Peters (Santa Rosa, California) - See all my reviews

It is for a good reason that this CD is entitled "King Of The Country Blues." If for no other reason then, in his time, to any bluesman, his name was synonymous with God's--with one exeption, God could'nt play the blues like Lemon did. He was the master. And, in this CD released by Yazoo records, a record company with one of the best and widest selectons of music from the 20's and 30's,(I have a few dozen CD's from this company) Blind Lemon's deftness in both singing and guitar playing are immediately apparent. For example, on this album there is the the classic recording "see That My Grave is Kept Clean" where Blind Lemon plays a very crafty fingerstyle guitar coupled with hauntingly impassioned vocals. Also on the CD, is the fun-jiving "Hot Dogs" (one of my favorites) which undoubtedly will make even Granny swing-- while Lemon taps his foot. I could continue listing the merits of each and every track, but all one really needs to do is LISTEN. A couple of notes: 1. Any devoted blues fan will immediately notice that "Black Snake Moan" is lacking from this CD. That song can be picked up along with many other great tracks on Columbia/Legacy's Roots& Blues release called or almost called "String Dazzelers &... :Great Blues Guitarists" or some such name. 2. If anyone really loves this CD they should go directly to the complete recordings, which can be found on Document records, and is called(suprise-suprise) the complete recordings(on 4 CD's).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of America's Finest, February 11, 2004

By	Douglas H. Watts (Augusta, ME United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Blind Lemon Jefferson is one of the most unique and talented musical artists in our country's history.

This is evidenced by the fact that virtually every blues musician after 1930 cites him as an influence or inspiration, but none of them sound remotely like him.

Thankfully, because many of Jefferson's recordings are still intact and in some degree of listenability, we can judge for ourselves. While the audio quality of many of his recordings are criminally decrepit, his personality and musicianship manage to cut through and reveal a confident and highly skilled artist and performer whose songs still resonate today.

Jefferson's recordings were not made as "field recordings" a la Alan Lomax visiting a poor, unknown musician in a sharecroppers' house. Jefferson's songs were recorded in Chicago by Paramount Records in the mid 1920s by producers who clearly appreciated Jefferson's talent and professionalism and ability to sell lots of records.

Blind Lemon Jefferson is interesting and important because his music contradicts almost every false cliche about blues musicians. He was very literate as a person and a musician. As a guitar player and singer he was technically gifted, rarely if ever hit a wrong note, and achieved performance standards as high as any classically trained musician of his time. Yet he also made his music and singing sound very informal and spontaneous, as if he had just made it up.

In this release, two of his most interesting works are "Hot Dogs" and "Beggin' Back", in which Jefferson appears to provide improvised, bantering spoken vocals over very challenging guitar accompaniments of established rag-time influenced standards of the time.

The measure of Blind Lemon Jefferson's recorded work can be weighed in that few, if any, subsequent blues musicians have even attempted to cover his songs in the way he recorded them. After trying, they simply gave up.

Strangely, the one contemporary musician who most reminds me of Blind Lemon Jefferson is Ali Farka Toure of Mali.

I have always liked and admired this man's music because in a strange way, it does not seem old at all, but very fresh and new.