Various Artists - Headrag Hop-Piano Blues 1925-1960

A search for the roots of blues piano will end up in a swirling mist in which blues guitar germinated. One belief is that blues piano developed from the rhythms with which guitarists accompanied themselves. The piano's wider musical spectrum then encouraged players to create rhythms and melodies with each hand. When it came to mobility, pianists had to rely on residencies. They could never foresee the condition of the pianos they encountered on their travels. Also, unlike their guitarist confreres, they had to be equally adept singers and players, needing at least one instrumental showpiece to satisfy their audiences. St. Louis, Memphis, Birmingham and New Orleans unsurprisingly had coteries of musicians but so did Houston and Dallas in Texas - each with something approaching a regional flavour. The last years of the 1920s saw a proliferation of blues pianists, including Cow Cow Davenport, Pine Top Smith, Will Ezell, Henry Brown and Montana Taylor). Their records - too often overlooked - reveal them as innovators and gifted musicians.