Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee 1938-1948 (JSP Records Box) (2004)

124 tracks from the greatest one-two punch in blues, including early solo sides and the debut duo recordings that made Sonny and Brownie international superstars! Includes Whoopin' the Blues; Forty-Four Whistle Blues; Key to the Highway 70; That's the Stuff (Watch Out); Me and My Dog Blues; Railroad Bill; Worried Life Blues , and more.

Country Blues Troubadours contains 125 tracks, spread out over five CD's, tracing blind harpist Sonny Terry and guitarist Brownie McGhee's earliest recordings between 1938 and 1948. JSP not only does an admirable job remastering the tracks, but providing recording dates, personnel, and a bit of history that is easily accessible in individual jewel cases, as opposed to a bulky booklet. Recorded in New York and Chicago, the Piedmont duo encounter, both separately and collectively, blues, jazz, and R&B veterans including Washboard Slim, Baby Dodds, Curley Russell, Hal "Cornbread" Singer, Gene Ramey, Big Chief Ellis, Blind Boy Fuller, Stick McGhee, and Champion Jack Dupree. The discs are divided into five themes: "Getting started and getting around," "Blind Boy Fuller and what followed," "Library of Congress and living with Leadbelly," "New York residents and established artists," and "Mainly Brownie and an interlude with Champion Jack." As far as budget-blues box sets are concerned, this is one of the best.