Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee-Sonny and Brownie (folk blues 1973) EAC FLAC

I've been a big fan of Brownie and Sonny since I was old enough to begin looking beyond popular music (1960's). There are some performers who just have it all - technical ability, vision and soul. These guys define the term "musician".

When this album came out I jumped on it and it immediately became a favorite - my old heroes going beyond the traditional acoustic duo ... electric guitars and Rhodes pianos? Wow!

Joined by some of the young trend setters who they had influenced, this album is just great - you can feel the mutual admiration. I've said that every rock and roll harp player learned from Sonny whether he knew it or not ... their rendition of Michael Franks' "White Boy Lost in the Blues" with Mayall still makes me laugh.

Arlo Guthrie (whose dad was friends with B&S) joins in as does Sugarcane Harris, John Hammond, John Mayall and Michael Franks.

Politics? From old "politics via analogy" to the best ever cover of Randy Newman's "Sail Away" ...

Music? Brownie's solid, clean guitar work and vocals backed by Sonny is always the best. Here we get great, sweeping gospel treatments with Sonny's whoopin and blowin falling right into the groove.

For me it doesn't get much better than this. Traditional blues merging with the best of the "folk" and rock it spawned. Listen to this recording!