Big Bill Broonzy - Do That Guitar Rag 1928-1935

Big Bill was one of the more prolific blues singer/ songwriter/ guitarists of his time. He had a long a varied career that spanned from the 20's through the late 50's and encompassed a number of styles.

This album showcases much of his earlier work, as a solo artist and with other musicians (guitar and piano) and singers (primarily Jane Lucas, providing some sexy double entendre work, particularly on "Pussy Cat Blues"). The songs range from standard blues ("Worrying You Off My Mind" is a take off on "Sittin' on Top of the World") to ballads to intricate rag-time guitar picking - Broonzy was an excellent player whose guitar lines continue to impress to this day.

Again, I got this Yazoo LP long before the CD-reissue revolution and it was a fine introduction to this type of early acoustic guitar blues work. Obviously, Broonzy has had a large number of reissues released nowadays (and a terrific homage by the Alvin brothers), but again, this is a super collection for vinyl-minded folks.