Search - Leadbelly, Blind Willie Mctell :: Masters of Country Blues

Huddie Ledbetter, known to the world as Leadbelly, dug into the mix of blues and folk well before the acoustic folk vogue in the late '50s and '60s, and also indulged a storytelling jag that has fascinated folk and blues fans for decades. Leadbelly also had the stuff of myth about him, with several prison stints and stories of escape packed amongst his warbly, though heartfelt, vocal delivery. The eight selections here are as full of the evocative drama as any of his better known sides. He wails with a 12-string guitar providing rich accompaniment. But the warbled folksy vocals of Blind Willie McTell are the gold on this CD. McTell died just shy of the blues revival and surely would have been a smash. His voice sounds almost frail amidst the booming chorus of other blues folk around. His 12-string guitar accompaniment is grandly understated and also skillfully distributed across ragtime gestures, 12-bar structures, and slide effects that make his 13 contributions to this CD truly magnificent. --Andrew Bartlett