Reviews (1)

Great - but the title is inaccurate
Furry Lewis and Robert Wilkins were indeed the cream of Memphis Blues, along with Frank Stokes, Gus Canon and the Memphis Jug Band (to name a few). Their songs here are all fine and will stay with me until I die.
Tommy Johnson and Ismon Bracy are also among the greatest - but they come from Jackson Mississippi, and not from Memphis. Their style is pure Delta, heavier than the Memphis style.
Regardless - if you dont own these recordings yet - these are essential ! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Essential Music
Along w/ their CD's "Friends of Charlie Patton" and "Roots of Robert Johnson, this is another in Yazoo's near perfect anthologies of remastered old time blues. The remastering is pristine and exciting--remembering these are 70 year old recordings from 78's. Although it includes fewer of the "deep blues" than the "Friends of" & "Roots of R.J." discs (and disregarding the annoying implication the artists are of value only in relation to Rock music) these are essential songs and artists from accoustic blues' golden age. The music, itself, is transcendant. Yazoo's wonderfully remastered disc's of Patton and Skip James are really "must haves," too, if you are unfamiliar w/ these 2 artists. For the other artists featured, unless you are a completist, you can probably "get away with" the one or two songs represented here. This is just the best music ever...Really! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful variety
Document Records is an Austrian/British company devoted to making sure that every pre-WWII blues and gospel song is reissued on CD, either by someone else or on their label. Most of their CDs are wonderful for the truly hardcore fans of the blues, becaue they reissue every song and alternate take known to have been recorded by every blues artist, major and unknown.

This is one of a series of Document CDs which reissues a wide variety of artists. The title of the CD is a clue to the reason for the eclectic mix.

After they had compiled all the records they could find by some artist and issuing their CDs, Document's staff (probably founder Johnny Parth) or other blues fans found previously unknown recordings or alternate versions. These have been gathered into the "Too Late, Too Late Blues" series.

Vol. 2 has several recordings from before the time that the blues was a definite African American musical style. These include cuts by Cousins & Demoss, James Jackson (probably NOT the 1920s blues singer) and some unknowns. The earliest of these dates to the 1890s.

The CD also includes alternate versions or previously unknown songs by Charley Patton, Josh White, Lonnie Johnson and Ma Rainey, among others.

This CD, like all the others in this series, is great fun for blues collectors. ... Read more