Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live in Dallas is a live blues album, recorded in Dallas, Texas, in October 2004 by Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, Robert Lockwood Jr. and David "Honeyboy" Edwards. At the event, the four blues legends were from 89 to 94 years old and represented the last performers of Delta blues from the 1920s. The concert was arranged by the 501(c)(3) non-profit The Blue Shoes Project, which aims to preserve and spread awareness of roots music amongst students.
Two years after the concert, both Lockwood and Townsend were dead, and by early 2011, only Edwards was still alive. He died later that year.
Critical reception In 2007, the album was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album and won the following February at the 50th Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for a Blues Music Award for Traditional Blues Album of the Year. By January 2009, the album had sold less than 1,000 copies.
Track listing Robert Lockwood Jr. – "King Biscuit Time" (McKinley Morganfield) – 2:55 Pinetop Perkins – "Chicken Shack" (Ike Turner) – 4:42 Henry Townsend – "It's Got to End Somewhere" (Tonwsend) – 3:56 David "Honeyboy" Edwards – "Catfish Blues" (Robert Petway) – 2:58 Pinetop Perkins – "Down in Mississippi" (J. B. Lenoir) – 3:36 Robert Lockwood Jr. – "Hangin' On" (Robert Lockwood, Jr.) – 5:17 Henry Townsend – "All My Money's Gone" (Roosevelt Sykes) – 4:57 David "Honeyboy" Edwards – "Sweet Home Chicago" (Robert Johnson) – 3:09 Pinetop Perkins – "Kansas City" (Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) – 4:53 Henry Townsend – "If I Asked You" (Townsend) – 6:08 Robert Lockwood Jr. – "Got to Find Me a Woman" (Lockwood) – 4:56 David "Honeyboy" Edwards – "Country Boy" (Muddy Waters) – 3:13 Pinetop Perkins – "Got My Mojo Working" (Preston Foster) – 5:11 Henry Townsend – "If You Don't Want Me" (Townsend) – 5:59 Robert Lockwood Jr. – "For You My Love" (Lockwood) – 4:37 David "Honeyboy" Edwards – "Apron Strings" (Edwards) – 1:49 Henry Townsend – "Blind Girl Blues" (Townsend) – 4:21 Robert Lockwood Jr. – "See See Rider" (Lena Arnet and Ma Rainey) – 3:55
Personnel David Honeyboy Edwards David "Honeyboy" Edwards – guitar and vocals
Robert Lockwood Jr. Robert Lockwood Jr. – guitar and vocals Charles "D. C." Carnes – guitar Gus Hawkins – alto and tenor saxophone Jimmy "Gator" Hoare – drums and backing vocals Benny Mostella – trumpet Maurice Reedus – tenor saxophone and backing vocals Gene Schwartz – bass guitar Robert "Red Top" Young – keyboards and backing vocals
Pinetop Perkins Pinetop Perkins – piano and vocals Diunna Greenleaf – backing vocals Jonn Richardson – guitar James Rose – drums Stephen Schneider – harmonica
Henry Townsend Henry Townsend – guitar, piano, and vocals Larry Johnson – bass guitar John May – bass guitar
Technical personnel Anne E. Dyson – photography Jeffry Dyson – executive production, production Michael Dyson – executive production, production Wade Griffith of Holt Design, Inc. – design Paul Grupp – engineering, mastering, mixing Scott Shuman – engineering, mastering, mixing, production
References
External links The Blue Shoe Project Facebook page Last Great Legends MySpace profile The Blue Shoe Project YouTube channel, including footage from the concert