In the 1950s and 60s, blues was the dominant form of Black vernacular music throughout Texas and the surrounding areas. Robert "Mack" McCormick, an academically untrained but fanatical devotee of the blues, stepped into this world and became one of it's most devout advocates and documentarians.By photographing Black and Latino Texans and their neighborhoods, as well as recording and interviewing musicians-many of whom never stepped foot into a proper recording studio-McCormick created a thorough snapshot of the music of that time. This LP sized box set is the first compilation of music drawn from McCormick's collection, and features never-before-heard performances not only from musicians who became icons in their own right (Lightnin' Hopkins and Mance Lipscomb) but also performers whose names may be unfamiliar to even the most devoted blues fans and scholars.The collection spans gospel, ragtime, country blues plus the unclassifiable music of George "Bongo Joe" Coleman, Hop Wilson and more.
Accompanying the music is a 128-page book, which contains photographs by McCormick add the rich context in which the music was set.......
