Picking the Blues: Boogie Woogie Pioneers

Personnel: Cleo Brown, Memphis Slim, Otis Spann, Speckled Red, Walter Roland, Charlie Spand (vocals, piano); Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon, Sonny Scott (vocals); Pete Johnson Blues Trio (guitar, piano); Ulysses Livingston, Tampa Red (guitar); Ernest Cotton (tenor saxophone); Jay McShann (piano, drums, percussion); Cripple Clarence Lofton, Pete Johnson & His Boogie Woogie Boys , Jimmy Yancey, Albert Ammons, Meade "Lux" Lewis, Romeo Nelson, Turner Parrish, Wesley Wallace, Cow Cow Davenport (piano); Ernest "Big" Crawford (drums, percussion); Charles Saunders (drums).
Audio Remasterer: Alan Taylor.
Liner Note Author: John Mayall.
Recording information: Chicago, IL (07/16/1928-08/23/1960); Dallas, TX (07/16/1928-08/23/1960); Grafton, WI (07/16/1928-08/23/1960); New York, NY (07/16/1928-08/23/1960); Richmond, IN (07/16/1928-08/23/1960); St. Louis, MO (07/16/1928-08/23/1960).
British musician, bandleader, and blues historian John Mayall was tapped by the excellent jazz and blues archival label Document to dig through his record collection and present the best of the boogie-woogie pioneers. Not only did Mayall select the 22 songs for the disc, but he also wrote the liner notes in which he recalls his life-altering discovery of this music by hunting down used 78s back in the early '50s. The lineup Mayall chose speaks for itself. Not only does he pay tribute to the professors of boogie-woogie, but also a cross reference of blues pianists recorded between 1928 and 1960, none of which are represented by more than one track, serving the listener with a full scope of variations in style. ~ Al Campbell