Bluesville Records, the blues headquarters of Craft Recordings, is back this fall with heavy vinyl reissues that delve deep into the roots of the genre. Pink Anderson’s 1961 Vol. 1: Carolina Blues Man and Terry Calliers in 1966 Terry Callier’s new folk sound Get the complete collector’s experience – remastered from original analog tapes, pressed on 180 gram vinyl and packaged with new Obi sheet music. For fans of Scrapper Blackwell, Furry Lewis and Lonnie Johnson, this is blues history delivered loud, clear and raw – exactly how it should hit your soul.
The resurgence of vinyl has made jazz and blues reissues a real thrill for collectors, and Craft Recordings, Bluesville and our friend Chad at Acoustic Sounds have been steering the ship. They give a new generation a chance at artists they might otherwise miss, without the hassle of searching for rare originals.
Even for those of us who have lived and breathed the blues for decades, these reissues offer a clear, faithful sound that is often easier to track down – and far less expensive than the originals.
Pink Anderson Vol. 1: Carolina Blues Man – Digging the Roots
Pinkney “Pink” Anderson (1900-1974) was not just an ordinary Piedmont picker. He was a master of fingerpicking and cunning, sometimes wicked, storytelling. He was born in South Carolina and taught himself to play guitar. His first experiences were on the streets of Spartanburg and on the traveling medical show tour. He did a handful of songs with Blind Simmie Dooley in 1928, but a proper solo album? That took decades, because good things apparently tend to make you wait.
By 1950, folk and blues were bubbling up with a younger audience and Anderson returned to the studio with fellow Carolinian Rev. Gary Davis, which was later part of a split LP in 1956. Eleven years later, with the blues revival in full swing, he finally laid down Vol. 1: Carolina Blues Man for Prestige’s Bluesville label. Produced by folk revival king Kenneth S. Goldstein, it’s just him, his guitar and a room that doesn’t stand a chance. His fingerpicking and strumming fills the room like a full band, leaving no doubt that one man can hit the blues harder than most when they have an army behind them.
Anderson tackles traditional material—”Meet Me in the Bottom,” “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” “Mama Where Did You Stay Last Night”—but every cut bears his fingerprint. The pauses, the phrasing, the quiet melancholy between notes; It’s all Anderson and no one else. After that debut, he kept busy: two more Bluesville releases, a spot in Samuel Charters’ 1963 documentary the blues, and national tours that proved the old man could still outdo half the scene. His guitar work left a mark on future legends, including Johnny Cash.
And in one of rock history’s cruel jokes, his nickname helped inspire the name Pink Floyd – a cruel piece of rock irony, considering how far one of that band’s founders drifted from the heart of the blues and turned to something far darker. Anderson played with soul and humanity; The man who borrowed his name seems more interested in screaming at shadows and dealing with the story itself.
Credit is due: Chad Kassem and the folks at Craft and Bluesville clearly care about preserving this piece of American musical history with the reverence it deserves. The pressing quality here is excellent. The vinyl is whisper quiet, with no surface noise, and has a hole in the center that’s so precise you can use it to set your watch. The presentation is clean, rich and unusually spacious for a 1961 recording. You can practically feel the air moving between the notes.
Anderson’s guitar work goes deep. His selections get under your skin in the best possible way that makes you cringe a little before smiling. The man didn’t need a band. His voice and guitar fill the room like they’ve been waiting sixty years to get it right.
This is one of the best sounding reissues from this period that I have heard. There are no studio tricks, no masterful sleight of hand – just Pink, right in the middle, singing and playing as if he were standing right in front of you. If every reissue sounded this lively, half the vinyl revival crowd would finally understand what the fuss is about.
Where to buy: $32.99 on Amazon | Artisanal recordings
