Many of the most
significant blues performers originated in the Mississippi Delta, but blues
music was widespread in the South from early on. Classic Appalachian Blues is by no means the final word on the
subject, but it includes recordings made by Folkways producers who searched the
hilly region in the 1950s and ’60s for bluesmen who recorded in the 78-R.P.M.
era and is fleshed out with recordings from the Smithsonian Festival of
American Folklife (1971-1982). Classic
Appalachian Blues is a collection of strong performances spread out over
decades and styles. Among the most memorable are Doc Watson’s relaxed lament,
“Sitting on Top of the World,” the elegant finger-picking of John Jackson’s
“Railroad Bill” and Stick McGhee’s propulsive “My Baby’s Gone.”
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