Barbecue Any Old Time: Blues From the Pit 1927-1942

Blues and barbecue make perfect companions, both brimming with down-home flavor. Barbecue Any Old Time is an anthology of vintage blues that celebrates the joys of eating meat, with plenty of sly nods to other worldly pleasures. In the early twentieth century, millions of Southerners moved from hardluck farms to the big cities of the North and West. As the Great Migration carried Southern barbecue to new locales, it did the same for Southern music. Jazz, blues, and barbecue would eventually sweep the nation. This CD presents the hokum jive of Frankie “Half Pint” Jaxon, the gritty washboard rhythms of Charlie Campbell, 12-string bottleneck blues by Barbecue Bob, the big-city vocals of Georgia White, Piedmont blues by Blind Boy Fuller, the red hot jazz of “Tiny” Parham, the double entendres of Bessie Jackson, and much more - 24 tracks in all, originally recorded between 1927-1942.

The music of Barbecue Any Old Time has been expertly remastered for digital clarity, and the CD comes with a handsome 20-page, full-color booklet that chronicles the spread of blues and barbecue across America. Opening with an essay by noted Southern historian Tom Hanchett, the booklet also features rare photographs, detailed song descriptions, and a complete discography.