Brownie McGhee && Sonny Terry - California Blues (1990)

Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry - California Blues

Year 1990

Tracks
1. I Got Fooled
2. No Need of Running
3. I Feel So Good
4. Thinkin' and Worrying
5. I Love You, Baby
6. California Blues
7. Walkin' and Lyin' Down
8. First and Last Love
9. Christine
10. I Have Had My Fun
11. Whoppin' and Squallin'
12. Water Boy Cry
13. Motherless Child
14. Sportin' Life
15. John Henry
16. I'm a Stranger Here
17. Cornbread, Peas and Black Molasses
18. Louise
19. I Done Done
20. Meet You in the Morning
21. Poor Boy from Home
22. Hudy Leadbelly
23. Something's Wrong at Home
24. Take This Hammer
25. Baby's Gone
26. Lose Your Money

The vocal and acoustic interplay of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee is one of the most instantly recognizable sounds in the blues canon. Brownie's intricate finger picking and Sonny's colorful harp playing were forged from years of playing with pioneers like Blind Boy Fuller and Leadbelly. But while they recorded excellent material earlier in their careers, it wasn't until these recordings in 1957 that they were swept up by the folk movement and into the national spotlight. California Blues contains their first two albums for the Fantasy label, and folk blues dominate the proceedings. Personalized versions of traditional s like "John Henry" and "Motherless Child" are affecting, but the true highlights are the playful tunes like "I Got Fooled" and "I Done Done," which showcase the duo's harmonizing. Repeated listening s reveal a lulling sameness to many of these tracks, but the playing is up to their usual high standards and Sonny's trademark whoops and hollers always entertain.