Big Joe Williams was a Delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist famous for the distinctive sound of his unique nine-string guitar, as well as for recording classic songs like Baby Please Don’t Go and Crawling King Snake. His career was remarkable for the fact that he recorded through every decade from the mid-1930s into the 1970s. Although his periods of active recording were somewhat erratic, he maintained a constant round of ‘live’ performing prior to his passing at the age of 79 in December 1982.

This 115–track 5CD set comprises most of the A & B sides of his releases on the Bluebird, Columbia, Bullet, Trumpet & VeeJay labels from 1935 to 1957, plus EP titles and the titles from his albums Piney Woods Blues, A Man Sings The Blues, Tough Times, Blues On Highway 69, Nine-String Guitar Blues and Mississippi’s Big Joe Williams & his Nine-String Guitar from 1957 through to 1962. It includes recordings where he is accompanied by noted contemporaries like Sonny Boy Williamson, Ransom Knowling, Robert Lee McCoy, Judge Riley and others.

Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1992, Williams was one of the most impressive blues performers of his era. An inspiration to many artists of later years like Bob Dylan, this substantial collection offers an entertaining showcase for a highly original and influential artist.

TRACKS