Robert Wilkins

In June of 1969, the fourth Memphis Country Blues Festival took place at the city's famed Overton Park Band Shell. Fueled by the rediscovery of blues artists like Furry Lewis and Mississippi Fred McDowell, the fest had been launched in 1966 by a group of Bluff City blues fans and counterculturalists. The '69 edition -- which doubled as a celebration of Memphis' sesquicentennial -- promised the event's biggest and most ambitious lineup, one that included...

Ragtime had a profound influence on many early blues performers who strived to reproduce its complicated piano sounds on the guitar. With its faster rhythm and good-time feel, this danceable style was performed with mesmerizing skill by blues greats such as Blind Blake, Reverend Gary Davis, and Blind Boy Fuller.

The collection showcases the greatest bluesmen ever and provides a perfect education to the genre. The tracklisting on the various formats has been chosen by The Rolling Stones, in collaboration with BMG.

"From Delta blues to fiddle tunes, Cajun, Tex-Mex, Native American, Hawaiian, cowboy and gospel songs ..."--Container.