November 23, 2001 14:58

THE STORY OF THE BLUES

The triple album 'A Century Of Blues' offers a host of classics from the genre's canon...

JOHN LEE HOOKER, MUDDY WATERS, MEMPHIS SLIM and LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS are amongst the blues legends who feature on 'A CENTURY OF BLUES', a new triple album compilation to be released on December 3 through EMI.

The label has raided the vaults of big sister label Capitol to assemble the 60-track album, that pulls from early boogie woogie, the big players of the 40s and 50s and into the British invasion of 60s. Acts such as The Animals, Canned Heat, Manfred Mann and Dr Feelgood also pop up.

Classics from the blues canon, such as 'Hoochie Coochie Man', 'Smokestack Lightnin'', 'Baby, Please Don't Go' and 'Got My Mojo Working' sit beside lost gems like Mississippi Fred McDowell's 'Jesus On The Mainline'.

The increasing success of Detroit's White Stripes has helped kick-start a new interest in the blues.