Topic: 1968 Memphis Country Blues Festival

[Bunker Hill]

I've just received the latest Blues Horizon double CD (Sony 82876851232) which couples the Festival recordings with those done in the studio with Bukka White the following day. Both these "collector's items" have been out of catalogue for decades and used to be "must haves" for CB fans. Whether or not that remains the case today, I guess only sales will tell.

There is also an informative 10 page booklet which also acknowledges the efforts of  "Stefan Wirz and his many pictorial web sites". That must be encouraging for you and your enterprise Stefan. Well done.

[Doc Brainerd]

BH,
Sounds like a CD I'd like to add to my collection. Where can I check out the artist/track info and place an order?
DB

[Bunker Hill]

Lots of internet retailers advertise it, even Amazon, just google "1968 memphis blues festival". Worth the price for the Joe Callicott and Nathan Beauregard alone! Check out Stefan's pages on these two artists and Bukka. Here's a start and from there you can navigate to others.

http://www.wirz.de/music/calicfrm.htm

[Bunker Hill]

"Stefan Wirz and his many pictorial web sites".

Oops missed a vital word when typing that - "many informative"

[Doc Brainerd]

Thanks BH,
I found it on Amazon. They have it titled as "Bukka White: The 1968 Memphis Country Blues Festival" and, unfortunately, don't credit the additional artists recorded at the festival. The chance to get additional tracks by Rev. Robert Wilkins and others puts this CD near the top ofmy wishlist.
DB

[outfidel]

Here's what Roots & Rhythm says in their latest newsletter:

BUKKA WHITE & OTHERS
Columbia/ Blue Horizon 851 232
1968 Memphis Country Blues Festival
CD $22.98
 
Two CDs, 23 tracks, highly recommended
This set combines two Blue Horizon LPs with a couple of bonus cuts. The first CD is a reissue of live recordings made at the 1968 Memphis Country Blues Fesstival featuring a stellar line up of talent including the amazing 100 plus year old Nathan Beauregard who in spite of his advanced years is powerful and compelling singer and guitarist. There are also two gorgeous sides from the infrequently recorded Rev. Robert Wilkins accompanied by his sons on bass and percussion plus tracks from the splendid Joe Callicutt, the ever dependable Bukka White and the out of tune but otherwise fine Furry Lewis. It's a real shame that no more performances were recorded by some of these rarely recorded performers. The second CD is devoted entirely to the great Mississippi bluesman Bukka White reissuing the album "Memphis Hot Shots" plus two bonus tracks that were originally issued on album of the 1969 and 1970 Memphis Country Blues Festival. This is something a little different from this great Mississippi country bluesman - Bukka with a band! Recorded the day after the blues festival he is accompanied in various groupings by guitarist Bill Barth, washboard player Jim Crosthwait and others. It works pretty well when Bukka just has the extra guitar and washboard but when the whole band is there they slow down his relentless swing. Of course the best cuts are the few where he is completely on his own! An interesting experiment that doesn't quite come off. Still this set is well worthwhile for disc one and some of disc two. (FS)

[Bunker Hill]

I've been trawling through a box of press cuttings labelled 1965-69 in search of something totally unrelated when I chanced upon this which I thought would fit in here. Click image to zoom.

[Tom Rushen]

I'm just sorry that Mike Vernon and company didn't get Rev. Robert Wilkins and his family members who accompanied him onstage at the festival into the studio. The results might have been scintillating. I still get chills when I hear "What Do You Think About Jesus?" with that tambourine, the woman (his daughter?) who does the call-and-response with him ("ohhhh, yeahhhh"), and that funky electric guitar player (Rev. John Wilkins?) behind his father. That just might be the most exciting single blues recording of the entire 60s revival, IMHO.