Supporting Muldaur and the other vocalists are a stellar cast of musicians such as Del Rey, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Roy Rogers, Steve James, and Steve Freund. While much has been made of Memphis Minnie's pioneering work with the electric guitar, ...First Came Memphis Minnie is essentially an acoustic set with much rhythmic strumming, occasional percussion, and considerable unplugged jamming. It's such an old fashioned performance that, again, you can almost hear the clicks and pops of music heard on spinning black discs with a needle in the grooves.
Without question, ...First Came Memphis Minnie is a history lesson taught by passionate disciples who've made their own way down the roads Memphis Minnie opened. Their reverence for these songs should lead most listeners to one conclusion—to seek out the original music an hear Memphis Minnie in her own voice. If there's anything Muldaur, Raitt, Snow, Taylor and company have proven, it's that classic music can breathe and live anew, long after Mom has handed down her axe.
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