Search - Sonny Terry, Brownie Mcghee :: Shake Down

Vintage Sonny and Brownie

Pitoucat | UK | 09/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The music of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee is undergoing something of a revival of interest at present. Lambasted in recent decades for being too folksy and therefore inferior to the gutsier sounds that emanated from the Mississippi Delta and other more southern locations, the concert stage performances of the duo had undoubtedly been relegated to the minor league of bluesdom. However, with the passage of time - and the fifty-year European copyright rule - recordings are now being made available which predate their folk-blues-for-white-college-boys performances and illustrate their earlier, R&B influenced work, aimed primarily at their own black audiences.



This new CD is such a release, concentrating mainly on Sonny Terry's work, and nicely complementing the recent Brownie McGhee set from 1946-48 on the EPM Blues Collection label, as well as Chris Smith's excellent discography and critical overview of their work. In fact, the discography proved to be essential in determining exactly which recordings were on the disc, as no such information is provided in the notes, a major setback with so many Terry & McGhee recordings out there.



The material presented comes mainly from the decade of the 1940s, apart from a single earlier 1938 harmonica solo from Sonny Terry, 'Train Whistle Blues', which, for some unknown reason, was originally issued in Columbia's classical music series. It's followed, chronologically if not physically, by another pair of Sonny's solos, backed by the guitar of Blind Boy Fuller and the washboard of Oh Red from 1940, and all demonstrating Sonny's virtuoso mastery of his instrument.



On this album, the earliest items to include Brownie McGhee, as supporting guitarist alongside Sonny's voice and harmonica, are 'Sweet Woman' from a 1944 date for Moe Asch, and the instrumental 'Shake Down' from later that year. At the same Savoy session Brownie gets to sing the lively 'Watch Out' ('Stuff You Gotta Watch') with Sonny's harmonica in solid support. Brownie's contribution to this set also includes his excellent 'Guitar Boogie', 'Big Legged Woman' and 'Goin' Down Slow', all from 1946 sessions for Alert, and 'Gin Headed Woman', a 1948 cut for Bob Shad. He was also present the following year on a swinging Ralph Willis number, 'I'm Gonna Rock', which must be a strong contender for one of the earliest rock 'n' roll records. If you are looking for Brownie's 'Pawnshop Blues', as listed, you'll search in vain. The track in question plays his 'Rum Cola Blues', another fine Alert cut from '46.



The remainder, and the bulk of the tracks on this CD, feature Sonny Terry's vocal and harmonica talents, including half of his total 1947 Capitol output, with Brownie's brother Stick McGhee on guitar. These are excellent sides which show Sonny at the very peak of his powers, including the reworking of numbers he learned from Blind Boy Fuller, such as 'Custard Pie Blues' and 'Screamin' And Cryin' Blues'.



Sound quality is very good throughout, and the CD provides a welcome survey of perhaps one of the most exciting periods of the music of this famous blues duo.

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