Arthur ‘Blind’ Blake was a blues and ragtime guitarist, singer and songwriter who was a leading pioneer and member of what became known as the Piedmont school of bluesmen, performing in a style that was associated with the south-eastern states around Georgia. He was one of the most distinctive and accomplished of the guitarists associated with this movement. Big Bill Broonzy, hearing Blake in person the early 1920s, said of his guitar playing “He made it sound like every instrument in the band- saxophone, trombone, clarinets, bass fiddles, pianos- everything. I never had seed then and I haven’t to this day yet seed no one that could take his natural fingers and pick as much guitar as Blind Blake.”

This 74-track 3CD set features most of the recordings released under his own name, all of which came out on the Paramount label,  and were recorded variously in Chicago, Ill., Richmond, Ind., and Grafton, WI. It Includes recordings featuring Gus Cannon (‘Banjo Joe’), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Jimmy Bertrand (slide whistle, percussion) and Charlie Spand, Alex Robinson, Aletha Dickerson (piano). He ceased recording when Paramount went bankrupt in 1932 by 1934 he had died at the age of 37.

His recordings not only influenced other Piedmont artists like Blind Willie McTell, Buddy Moss, Josh White and Rev. Gary Davis, but also future top guitarists like Ry Cooder, Leon Redbone and John Fahey. His track You Gonna Quit Me from Bob Dylan’s 1992 album Good As I Been To You is a cover of Blake’s You Gonna Quit Me Blues. Although not an absolutely complete or definitive anthology, this collection provides a substantial and comprehensive overview of the career.

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