One of the more obscure blues artists, Charley Jordan (1890-1954), is finally getting a definitive anthology put together on this two disc, 47 song collection. Jordan was a well-known figure in the St. Louis scene, both as a blues singer and a bootlegger (from which he got literally shot in the back), usually associated with pianist Peetie Wheatstraw. The Arkansas-born Jordan had a rich touch on the guitar, not dissimilar to Rev. Gary Davis, but with a voice more high-pitched and enthusiastic. You might not be familiar with his material, but you’re going to like his tunes like “Big Four Blues,” “Dollar Bill Blues” and “Keep It Clean” as well has his notorious “Just A Spoonful.” Raw, earthy and with the enthusiasm of a street corner artist, Jordan takes you to the side streets of Chicago with Bessie Mae Smith on “Sugar Man Blues,” or accompanying bluesman Henry Brown on “Skin Man Blues.” Time travelling through the Midwest Alleys.