The Rough Guide to East Coast Blues - Various Artists [VINYL]

The East Coast blues is a style born in the Piedmont region of the US, which lies between the Appalachian Mountains and the coastal plain, running from Richmond, Virginia, southwards through the Carolinas and Georgia to Atlanta. Often referred to as the Piedmont blues, it is very different in style from the harder and intense sounding Mississippi Delta blues and was pioneered by some of the greatest blues guitarists that ever lived. Their unique approach to the instrument was primarily influenced by the ragtime traditions of the early twentieth century, as well as string band, banjo and other forms of minstrel/medicine show music. This musical development was due to the cultural blurring of musical boundaries in this region and a more relaxed racial atmosphere, as blacks and whites borrowed musical ideas, tunes and instruments from each other. This was quite unlike the more supervised and stricter lifestyles of the vast plantations in the Delta where such musical interaction was more limited. Typically, the Piedmont guitarist would create an alternating rhythmic bass accompaniment by moving the thumb of the picking hand between the different bass strings of the guitar, whilst one or more fingers of the same hand would pick out the melody on the higher strings. Essentially this approach gives the impression that the guitar is being played like a piano.

Track Listings

1. Blind Blake - Come On Boys Let's Do That Messin' Around - Blind Blake
2. Curley Weaver - No No Blues - Curley Weaver
3. Luke Jordan - Church Bells Blues - Luke Jordan
4. Willie Walker - South Carolina Rag (Take 1) - Willie Walker
5. Bumble Bee Slim - Greasy Greens - Bumble Bee Slim
6. Reverend Gary Davis - O Lord, Search My Heart - Reverend Gary Davis
7. Blind Willie McTell - Mama, Let Me Scoop For You - Blind Willie McTell
8. Pink Anderson & Simmie Dooley - Gonna Tip Out Tonight - Pink Anderson & Simmie Dooley
9. Barbecue Bob - Honey You Don't Know My Mind - Barbecue Bob
10. Blind Boy Fuller - Truckin’ My Blues Away No. 2 (Take 2) - Blind Boy Fuller
11. Josh White - Lord, I Want To Die Easy - Josh White
12. Peg Leg Howell - Skin Game Blues - Peg Leg Howell