Mississippi Fred McDowell – The Best Of Mississippi Fred McDowell / Arhoolie CD-501

Description

Arhoolie CD 501

The emotionally charged blues and church music Fred McDowell sang and played, with his bottleneck slide guitar, were an integral part of the culture of rural African-Americans in the Mississippi Delta during the 1st half of the 20th century, when cotton was still king.
When Chris Strachwitz first recorded Mississippi Fred McDowell, their meeting was in the farmyard where he worked. McDowell had to climb down from his tractor to shake hands! McDowell’s music is pure down home blues, sung with authenticity and feeling. Best known for his version of &#quot;You Gotta Move,&#quot; which became a hit for the Rolling Stones, McDowell was one of the all-time great slide guitar players and singers.

1. Write Me A Few Of Your Lines
2. Do My Baby Ever Think Of Me
3. Levee Camp Blues
4. When The Saints Go Marching In
5. My Bottleneck (Story)
6. Fred’s Worried Life Blues
7. Kokomo Blues
8. Meet Me Down In Froggy Bottom
9. Good Morning Little School Girl
10. Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning
11. Shake AEm On Down
12. Going Away – Won’t Be Gone Long
13. I Wish I Was In Heaven Sittin’ Down
14. Fred’s Rambling Blues
15. I Looked At The Sun
16. You Gotta Move
17. My Baby
18. Shake em On Down – With Intro
19. Louise – With Comments

REVIEW

“Forty years after its inception Arhoolie Records remains one of the premiere roots labels and is still going strong releasing new recordings and a steady stream of classic reissues. The Best Of Lightning Hopkins and Fred McDowell collect about an hour’s worth apiece of classic music from these two country blues giants and serve as good introductions for the uninitiated. …
The Best Of Fred McDowell collects sides McDowell cut for Arhoolie between 1964 and 1969. Unlike Lightning Hopkins who had been recording since the 40’s, McDowell wasn’t recorded until 1959 when folklorist Alan Lomax “discovered” him in Mississippi. McDowell was born in 1904 but never was particularly interested in making commercial recordings and instead honed his craft at juke joints, house parties and playing spirituals at small churches. McDowell states at the opening of one of the live cuts on this set – “I don’t play no rock n’ roll” and he’s right. What you hear on this collection is pure, undiluted Delta blues by a true master. McDowell’s blues pack an unrelenting emotional punch charged with his powerhouse vocals and vicious slide playing bringing to mind comparisons to legends like Son House, Charlie Patton and the like. This set collects a number of his best known sides like “Write Me A Few Lines”, “Shake Em’ On Down” and “You Got To Move” a song covered by the Rolling Stones which brought him in royalties more money than McDowell had ever seen in his life. A special bonus is the previously unreleased “Shake Em’ On Down” and “Louise” from an undisclosed live concert.
Longtime collectors may have a good portion of this material but for those new to either artist these collections should serve as fine introductions to two country bluesman of the highest caliber. Arhoolie also has many more recordings by both artists that you can investigate by checking out the Arhoolie website: www.arhoolie.com. ”

(Jeff Harris — Bad Dog Blues)