Deep South Piano - Box Set

Deep South Piano      Agram Blues AB3CD 2026

In 1968 and 1972 Karl Gert zur Heide traveled the United States in search of living exponents of one of the most neglected African-American art forms: piano blues. Forty-five years later all the artists are deceased and if it were not for Karl's devotion, this unique music would have been lost forever. The featured artists are Sunnyland Slim, Little Brother Montgomery, Shakey Horton, Lafayette Leake, Sweet Williams, Dewey Corley, Tuts Washington, Buddy Burns, Willie Bell Dailey, Joe Montgomery, Gus Perryman, Roosevelt Sykes, Simon Frazier, Adam Cato and Leon René.

The box contains 3 CDs with 77 tracks and a 20-page illustrated booklet with extensive liner notes by Karl Gert zur Heide.

The Deep South Piano box is a companion to zur Heide's book Deep South Piano: The Story of Little Brother Montgomery (Studio Vista: London, 1970).

Disc 1

SUNNYLAND SLIM (piano/vocal), LITTLE BROTHER MONTGOMERY (piano/vocal) and SHAKEY HORTON (harmonica), 25 August 1968

• The Devil Is A Busy Man
• Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie
• Milas Davis Blues
• Grinder Man Blues
• Shave ’Em Dry
• Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
• Boogie
• You’re Gonna Need My Help Someday

LAFAYETTE LEAKE (piano), 29 August 1968

• Lowdown Blues
• More Blues
• Boogie No. 1
• Boogie No. 2
• Gone With The Wind
• Boogie No. 3
• Boogie No. 4

LITTLE BROTHER MONTGOMERY (piano), 29 August 1968

• Dangerous Blues
• Dudlow Joe
• Papa Lord God Blues
• Rip Top Blues
• Joe Martin Blues
• Bob Morton Blues
• Joe Lewis Blues
• Vanado Anderson [Andrews] Blues
• Loomis Gibson Blues
• Trembling Blues
• Will Ezell’s Blues
• Don’t You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
• Basin Street Blues

Disc 2

LITTLE BROTHER MONTGOMERY (piano), 30 August 1968

• Forty-Four Blues
• Little Brother Special
• Jan Blues
• Suitcase Blues

SWEET WILLIAMS (piano) and LITTLE BROTHER MONTGOMERY (piano), 2 September 1968

• Poor Buddy Richards Blues (takes 1 and 2)
• Leon Brumfield Blues
• Poor Buddy Richards Blues (take 3)
• Poor Buddy Richards Blues (take 4)
• Sweet Williams Boogie
• Four O’Clock Blues
• Whispering

DEWEY CORLEY (piano/vocal/kazoo), 5 September 1968

• Just A Dream
• West Helena Blues
• Yancey Special
• Saturday Night Fish Fry (plus Buster Brown, tub bass)

TUTS WASHINGTON (piano), 16 September 1968

• Freddie Blues
• Forty-Four Blues
• Boogie Woogie On The St. Louis Blues
• Fish Fry Blues
• Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie
• Yancey Special
• 12th Street Rag

BUDDY BURNS (piano), 23 September 1968

• Dirty Blues
• Waltz

Disc 3

LITTLE BROTHER MONTGOMERY (piano) and his sister WILLIE BELL DAILEY (piano/vocal), 29 August 1972

• Glory, Glory, Hallelujah
• Montgomery Family Blues and Vicksburg Blues

JOE MONTGOMERY (piano), 3 September 1972

• Old Blues
• More Old Blues
• Stride Piece
• There Is No Telling What God Will Do
• Do What I Say (piano part)
• What Have I Done

GUS PERRYMAN (piano), 8 September 1972

• Maple Leaf Rag
• Louis Blues
• Old Blues
• Big Butter And Egg Man

ROOSEVELT SYKES (piano/vocal), 12 September 1972

• Rock Me In The Morning
• The Way I Feel Blues

SIMON FRAZIER (piano), 13 September 1972

• I Cried Over You
• Some Of These Days
• How Long
• Salty Dog
• Careless Love

ADAM CATO (piano), 16 September 1972

• Solitude
• Old Barrelhouse Blues
• Rhythmic Blues

LEON RENÉ (piano), 18 September 1972

• Brown Skin
• When It’s Sleepy Time Down South