Walter Brown McGhee (1915-1996) was an articulate spokesman for the blues who, in partnership with Sonny Terry, proselytized the buoyant Piedmont-Blues style to folk audiences a decade before most ever heard of the Mississippi Delta. Though he is largely associated with the 'folk boom' which made Sonny & Brownie familiar names worldwide, Brownie's recording career began in chicago in 1940; the second song in this retrospective, Me and My Dog, was his first issued recording. Other reminders here of Brownie's pre-war blues career are Death of Blind Boy Fuller (written to order on the occasion of Fuller's 1941 demise) and the Fuller influenced Pawn Shop Blues.

Tennessee born, Carolina-influenced, New York based in his folk boom glory, and a Californian at the time of his death, Brownie showed a wide stylistic range from turn-of-the-century ragtime (Come On Keep It Coming) to the lyrical sophistication of such original songs as Conversation With a River. His flair for the dramatic aside and autobiographical insight augment passionate vocals and splendid guitar work in 14 performances, a moving retrospective of an artist too-long taken for granted. Sonny Terry accompanies Brownie on six songs.

Tracklist:

• Kansas City Blues
• Me and My Dog
• I'm Gonna Tell God How You Treat Me
• Pawn Shop Blues
• Born and Living With the Blues
• Life is a Gamble
• Automobile Blues
• My Father's Words
• Conversation With a River
• I Feel So Good
• Drinkin' Wine
• Keys to the Highway
• Come On Keep It Coming
• Death of Blind Boy Fuller

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