National Downhome Blues Festival, Vol. 1

Liner Note Authors: Dr. David Evans ; George H. Buck, Jr.
The National Downhome Blues Festival was a one- time event held in 1984 in Atlanta, GA. Stretching over five days, the festival featured traditional blues artists in a small venue setting, and the shows were recorded, eventually released on four LPs in 1984. Southland has combined the first two of those LPs on a single disc (the second two have also been made into a single disc), and the result is an impressive primer on modern vernacular blues. The opening act, Mississippi's Lonnie Pitchford, steals the show right out of the gate with a wonderful set of six songs, four of which feature Pitchford on a one-string electric guitar (essentially a diddley bow). Blessed with a plaintive, convincing voice, Pitchford gives a glimpse of what traditional blues sounds like stripped of commercial aspirations. Precious Bryant, who follows Pitchford, sounds almost tame by comparison, but she delivers a crowd-pleasing set highlighted by her version of "Black Rat Swing." Jessie Mae Hemphill's rendition of "Train, Train" is another obvious highlight, as is Junior Kimbrough's signature "All Night Long" and Frank Edwards' surreal "Chicken Raid." This is blues that is still in service of its local communities, and the offhand, loose charm of these artists sets them aside from the bluster that usually passes for contemporary blues these days. ~ Steve Leggett