Fred McDowell – Levee Camp Blues

There are a LOT of great Fred McDowell recordings out there. This is one tied for being my favorite. Both my favorites are #DesertIslandDiscs.

With this album, it’s largely to do with the songs themselves. The poetry of them—lyrically, musically, vocally—is extraordinary.

The production quality is worth noting as well. This was recorded by Pete Welding in 1968 for the Testament label—the label Welding founded—and it’s really exceedingly well done. There is a clarity here, and an intimacy, that is so natural, so present, and so real.

I can’t recommend just one track, you simply must listen to the whole thing.

There are a handful of records out there that indisputably stand as evidence of the true high art that is country blues music. This is one of them.