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more laid back. There is a feel among these tracks of a genuflection to JJ Cale, which I for one
welcome.

The two outstanding tracks are for me, ‘Electra Glide (Highway 61)’ and the title track ‘Homebound

Blues’. Both come with excellent sax parts, from Kim, Nick’s regular sax player. The first, which
reflects Nick’s love of highspeed transport and motorcycling—an Electra Glide is a Harley Davidson
motor bike—has already been earmarked by the motor cycle manufacturer as the music for a future
commercial. ‘Homebound Blues’ is one of the best of a plethora of lockdown blues around at the
moment.

All in all this is a super record which you should acquire at once if not sooner.

Ian K McKenzie

Various Artists I'm Gonna Live Anyhow Until I Die: Alan

Lomax's "Southern Journey," 1959–1960 Global Jukebox
Records 2010 (Catalog ID: GJ1005 / UPC: 847108024497)

Alan Lomax (1915–2002) was a documentarian, ethnologist,
cultural activist, and arguably the foremost folklorist of the 20th
century. In 1959 and 1960, Lomax and his assistant, English

folksinger Shirley Collins, travelled the southern states of the USA
with one of the earliest stereo tape recorders. The tracks on this
album represent a few of the hundreds of recordings they made.
Without a doubt the ‘star’ of the show is Fred McDowell,
beautifully recorded with a very early edition of ‘Highway 61’. Wonderful. Lomax typed one word
after this performance’s entry in his field log: “Perfect”.

Bluebird ‘hillbilly’ recording artists J.E. Mainer and his Mountaineers; menhaden—a type of fish—
fishermen chanties (sic) of the Bright Light Quartet; Blue Ridge country gospel composer and bus
driver E.C. Ball; and Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers also feature, and the music is
magnificent.
One of the most fascinating features is the inclusion of two different versions of the same tune, The
Devil’s Dream by Hobart Smith (fiddle). Recorded in Williamsburg, Virginia. April 28, 1960, in the

Blue Ridge Mountains and also by Sid Hemphill (four-note quills and vocal effects) with Lucius
Smith (drum). Recorded at Senatobia, Mississippi. September 22, 1959. The Mississippi Hill Country
fife and drum arrangement of the latter is a wonderful stylistic comparison/ contrast with the
country fiddle work of Hobart Smith. Both versions are a delight.
This is a fabulous record, issued a number of times previously. If you don’t already have it, get it
now.

Ian K McKenzie