But James' story had a relatively happy ending: he miraculously reappeared in the early-'60s in full possession of his powers, captivated a new audience, made enough money from Cream's cover of his "I'm So Glad" to pay for an operation that prolonged his life, and died an honored, satisfied man.

Going North

The blues accompanied the migration of blacks from the south to bustling northern industrial cities like Detroit and Chicago in the '40s and '50s, and went electric in the process. Muddy Waters ("Hoochie Coochie Man"), Howlin' Wolf ("Evil"), and John Lee Hooker ("Boom Boom") made astonishing, powerful music and exemplified this movement. Though he became synonymous with Chicago blues, Waters, who earned his "nom de blues" playing in a muddy creek as a child, was born McKinley Morganfield into a family of Mississippi sharecroppers and learned his craft in the heart of the Delta, emulating masters like Robert Johnson and Son House (whose harrowing "Death Letter Blues" is one of the great finds of the series).

Muddy's first recordings were made for Alan Lomax and the Library of Congress in the early-'40s on acoustic guitar while he still lived in Mississippi (represented on his own fine series collection by "Country Blues, Number One"). Waters first went to Chicago in the mid-'40s and he changed to electric guitar in '44 - one of the most important instrument switches in popular music history. Waters began recording for the Chess label in the late-'40s and his music evolved into the rockin' Chicago band sound with the addition of a second guitar, drums, bass, and the great Little Walter on harmonica. Through the '50s Waters also developed a slashing, shivering electric slide guitar style and recorded the greatest body of electric blues, ("Rollin' Stone," "Mannish Boy," "Got My Mojo Working") making Chicago his own in the process.

Over a 50-year career that began in Memphis, B.B. King has achieved superstar status and for many IS the blues. His beautiful, aching, string-augmented "The Thrill is Gone" was a massive hit in 1969 and introduced many pop music fans to the real deal and the sweet sting of Lucille, his beloved guitar. His personal series collection includes a tasty selection of uptown King gems from the '50s through the '90s ("Three O'Clock Blues," "Everyday I Have the Blues," "Ain't Nobody Home," and "Playin' With My Friends").

The '60s also saw the blending of rock 'n' roll with the blues and the ascension of the Guitar Gods, who attacked internal demons with ferocious sonic assaults, but who were also capable of great delicacy and subtlety. Jimi Hendrix ("Red House"), Eric Clapton (with John Mayall, "All Your Love"), and Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band ("One Way Out") achieved this highest status, all three are represented in the CD series with collections their own as well as appearing on The Best of the Blues.