Snooks Eaglin - The First Decade 1953-62 (CD)

Snooks Eaglin was a blind blues singer and guitarist from New Orleans who played a highly accessible brand of blues, sometimes ranging into folk or rock 'n' roll styles, often re-working other artists' songs, earning himself the nickname of "The Human Jukebox" with his wide and varied repertoire in 'live' performances. He was active for around half a century, but this great-value 52-track 2-CD set focuses on the first decade or so of his extensive recording career. It comprises early recordings as Blind Guitar Ferd for the Wonder label, plus most of the titles from his albums as Snooks Eaglin "Possum Up A Simmon Tree" on Folk-Lyric, "Message From New Orleans" on Heritage, and "That's All Right" on Bluesville, plus his A & B sides from these years on Imperial on which he was known as Ford Eaglin, and on which he strays very much into the pop arena. It features versions of classic songs plus equally classic recordings associated with him, including "Mean Old World", "Bottle Up And Go", "Down By The Riverside", "That's Alright", "Country Boy", "Mama Don't You Tear My Clothes", "Yours Truly", "Travellin' Mood" and many more. He was an artist who played the blues primarily to entertain people, and this very much comes across in these selections of his early recordings.

Track List:

Disc: 1

1. Jesus Will Fix It for You
2. Travelling on
3. This Mean Old World
4. Six Thousand Miles from Nowhere [= One Room Country Shack]
5. Possum Up a Simmon Tree
6. That's Alright
7. Veal Chop and Pork Chop
8. I Ain't Gonna Study War No More (Down By the Riverside)
9. The Model T and the Train
10. Jack O'Diamonds
11. Death Valley Blues
12. This Train
13. Bottle Up and Go
14. Mardi Gras Mambo
15. Rock Me Momma
16. John Henry
17. Locomotive Train
18. I Had a Little Woman
19. Mamma, Don't You Tear My Clothes
20. Walkin' Blues
21. Give Me the Good Old Box-Car
22. Every Day
23. I Had My Fun
24. Blue Shadows Blues

Disc: 2

1. She's a Black Rat
2. Who's Been Foolin' You?
3. I Must See Jesus
4. Fly Right, Baby
5. That's All Right
6. Who Can Your Good Man Be
7. Don't You Lie to Me
8. Yours Truly
9. Nobody Knows
10. That Certain Door
11. By the Water
12. If I Could
13. Guess Who
14. My Head Is Spinnin'
15. Travelin' Mood
16. Goin' to the River
17. I'm Slippin' in
18. Nothing Sweet As You
19. Don't Slam That Door
20. People Are Talking
21. Reality
22. Long Gone
23. Willy Lee
24. Mailman Passed
25. I'm a Country Boy
26. I Got a Woman
27. Alberta
28. One More Drink