While he's best known as guitarist
Brownie McGhee
's longtime partner, harmonica ace and vocalist
Sonny Terry
made many excellent recordings as a solo act, and also recorded with
Blind Boy Fuller
and others. The 17 songs on this anthology include
Terry
playing with
McGhee
's brother
Sticks
,
Pete Seeger
, and others, as well as several featuring
's biting harmonica and wry leads relating stories of failure, triumph, and resiliency, backed by
's flickering but always audible guitar. The title is a bit misleading, since the earliest date for any session is 1946 (one number), and most are done between 1955 and 1959. ~ Ron Wynn