On the back of the 92 page booklet that accompanies this five disc set, it says that there are four other boxes from the Wienerworld’s Down Home Blues Series, including a Chicago Volume 1, Detroit Special, New York Tough Enough and Chicago Fine Boogie. This one is the first one I’ve heard, and let me tell you, after taking in these tunes from the South Side of 1945-1962, I WANT THEM ALL!
If you’re a blues fan, you’re obviously going to have some of these tunes by the likes of Billy Boy Arnold, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williams, Muddy Walters, Howlin Wolf and others. But there are tons of alternate takes and some previously unreleased tracks, so these guys at Wienerworld are gonna get you hooked.
The first thing you’re going to love is, like baseball, blues players have the greatest names. Besides the ones listed above, you’ve got Homer Harris, Herby Joe, Dirty Red, Dusty Brown, Po Joe Williams, Hound Dog Taylor, Honey Boy Edwards and Forest City Joe, just for starters. As far as the music, well, Bo Diddley is rocking out on “I’m A Man” and “Little Girl,” a young Chuck Berry is already telling hip stories on “No Money Down,” Elmore James is shuffling the blues with a wild sax by JT Brown on “Country Boogie” and Jimmy Rogers is down and dirty on “Honey Where You Going” and “Little Rain.” Some wild harp playing wails by Sonny Boy Williamson on “Good Evening Everybody” and Alfred Harris on “Blues King Mango”. Memphis Minnie sears some sass on “In Love Again” and Jimmy Reed’s “Honey, Where You Goin?” has dirt under the nails.
It will take a few listens to find your favorites in this cache of diamonds, you’ll have a gas of a time going back to an era when the music was raw, real and ready. This is not the marrow and taproot of today’s music, but the guiding North Star.