When listening to
blues
singers from another era, many are turned off by the music's rustic simplicity. Just a guy or gal with a guitar, singing in a whiny voice. Compared to your average
country-blues
singer, a band like
Cannon's Jug Stompers
is downright accessible. Equipped with a guitar, banjo, harmonica, and, of course, a jug, these folks were bona fide noise makers. If the listener happens to be a Deadhead, he or she will be familiar with songs like
"Minglewood Blues,"
"Viola Lee Blues,"
and
"Big Railroad Blues."
As one can also divine from the song titles, banjoist
Gus Cannon
, harmonica player
Noah Lewis
, and a number of bandmates stick close to the
. There's a relaxed laziness to pieces like
"Wolf River Blues"
"The Rooster's Crowing Blues"
that separate the group from noisier, more boisterous bands like
the Skillet Lickers
. There's a great version of
"Walk Right In,"
a song that became a big hit for
the Rooftop Singers
in 1963. A disclaimer on the back of the CD case mentions that it is impossible to completely clean up these old recordings. Nonetheless, considering the 70-75-year-old records
Yazoo
had to work with, the end product sounds pretty darn good. The liner notes include a nice long essay on the history of the band by
Don Kent
.
The Best of Cannon's Jug Stompers
delivers 70 minutes of traditional
jug band
music, offering a fine introduction to both the band and the musical style. In other words, it's a classic. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.