Skip to main content

Hell Bound and Heaven Sent

Big Joe Williams and Short Stuff Macon
Hell Bound and Heaven Sent

Recorded on the night of May 18, 1964 after a small concert at Bard College, Hell Bound and Heaven Sent Blues documents two blues singers and guitar players, Big Joe Williams and John Wesley "Short Stuff" Macon, amidst a struggling tour with an uncertain future. After a number of intimate shows at clubs, cafes, and schools, the pair had run out of options with no money and little hope other than Big Joe’s notion to "head west." With ragged and road-weary songs like "Don’t Leave Me Here" and "Hell Bound Blues," it’s blatantly apparent just how dire their prospects were.

Growing up in rural Crawford, Mississippi, the two had come face to face with adversity since a young age—poverty, racism, and illiteracy were just a few obstacles they faced. Macon spent the first twenty-one years of his life playing his music almost entirely to himself, while Williams struggled on one unsuccessful tour after another. In spite of, or because of this, their strain of Delta blues is unique and idiosyncratic. Williams’ 9-string guitar and Macon’s crackling southern drawl seem as urgent and powerful today as they did in 1964.

Liner notes include track listings, original artwork, and writing by Paul Nelson.

Track Listing

icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
101
Night Cap Blues Big Joe Williams 02:58
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
102
My Jack Don't Drink Water No More Short Stuff Macon 04:01
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
103
Flour Dough Blues Big Joe Williams 02:49
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
104
Hell Bound Blues Short Stuff Macon 02:28
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
105
Big Legged Women, Keep Your Dresses Down Big Joe Williams 03:10
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
106
Short Stuff's Corrina Short Stuff Macon 02:44
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
201
Don't Leave Me Here Big Joe Williams 03:57
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
202
You Rascal You Big Joe Williams 01:06
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
203
Messing with That Thing Short Stuff Macon 02:18
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
204
Bumble Bee Big Joe Williams 04:14
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
205
If You Can't Fly Big Joe Williams 02:47
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
206
Rock Road Bad Treatin' Short Stuff Macon 02:28