Hear Me Howling: Blues, Ballads, and Beyond

Founder of Arhoolie Records Chris Strachwitz recorded music wherever he found it: in coffee houses, music clubs, living rooms, festival stages, and recording studios. To celebrate Arhoolie’s 50th anniversary, Strachwitz released a box set of recordings he made during his early years in the record business. Of the 72 tracks of music in the set, spread over 4 CDs, over half (38) had previously been unreleased by Arhoolie.

The music is a true representation of Strachwitz’s eclectic musical interests and span the spectrum from raw country blues and folk to gospel and free-form jazz. This anniversary collection includes versions of “Ball and Chain” and “Hound Dog” by Big Mama Thornton, “Tom Moore’s Farm” by Lightnin’ Hopkins, “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag” by Country Joe McDonald and the Fish, “Shake ʼEm On Down” by Mississippi Fred McDowell, “Deportee” by Barbara Dane, “Highway 49” by Big Joe Williams, and “Changed the Lock on My Door” by Mance Lipscomb, Lonnie Johnson, Brownie McGhee, and Sonny Terry.

The box set captures a time and provides a template that Arhoolie would follow for 50 years in presenting and preserving Americana roots music.

Track Listing

101	Hump in My Back	Jesse Fuller
102	Brother Low Down	Jesse Fuller
103	Berkeley’s Junco Partner	Skid Band
104	Tight like That	Skid Band
105	Moose March	Bob Mielke's Bearcats
106	Highway 49	Big Joe Williams
107	Oakland Blues	Big Joe Williams & Mary Williams
108	Greystone (Alameda County Jail) Blues	Big Joe Williams
109	I Know You Didn’t Want Me	K.C. Douglas
110	Night Shirt Blues	K.C. Douglas
111	Stop Time	K.C. Douglas
112	Hear Me Howling	K.C. Douglas
113	Stand Alone Blues	Lonnie Johnson
114	Brenda	Lonnie Johnson
115	Changed the Lock on My Door	Sonny Terry
116	Bald Eagle Train (Take 1)	Bukka White
117	Tom Moore’s Farm	Lightnin' Hopkins
118	Up on Telegraph (Avenue)	Lightnin' Hopkins
119	Lady Luck	Mercy Dee
201	I Feel like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag	Country Joe and the Fish
202	You Turned Your Back	Toni Brown
203	How Could I Stand It	Toni Brown
204	Don’t Forget Me, Love	Toni Brown
205	Charles Giteau	Crabgrass
206	Midnight Blues	The Joy of Cooking
207	Depression Gone from Me	T.A. Talbott
208	Mr. Brakeman	T.A. Talbott
209	Who’s Going to Be My Man?	Debbie Green
210	Come See	Bob Neuwirth
211	Lady Gay	Janet Smith
212	Talking Protest Blues	Merritt Herring
213	Black Jack David	Alice Stuart
214	Eventually	Perry Lederman
215	Impressions of John Henry	Perry Lederman
216	Deportees	Barbara Dane
217	Big Texas (Grand Texas)	Hackberry Ramblers
218	Jolie Blonde	Hackberry Ramblers
219	Turtle Tail	Hackberry Ramblers
220	The Beatles Are in Town	The Fondettes
301	Willie Poor Boy	Mance Lipscomb
302	The Titanic	Mance Lipscomb
303	Mean Boss Man	Mance Lipscomb
304	Sugar Babe	Mance Lipscomb
305	Working on a Building	Rev. Louis Overstreet
306	The Old Ship of Zion	Rev. Louis Overstreet
307	I’m a Soldier	Rev. Gary Davis
308	Floor Sweepin’ Rag	Rev. Gary Davis
309	Courtin’ Boy	Rev. Gary Davis
310	Shake 'Em on Down	Fred McDowell
311	Louise	Fred McDowell
312	Write Me a Few of Your Lines	Fred McDowell
313	Low Down Dirty Things	Skip James
314	22-20 Blues (Mr. Kress)	Skip James
315	Sea Walking Jesus	Skip James
316	No Special Lover	Skip James
317	Peace in the Valley	Skip James
401	Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong	Vern & Ray
402	The Touch of God’s Hand	Vern & Ray
403	’Fore Day in the Mornin’	Big Mama Thornton
404	Ball and Chain	Big Mama Thornton
405	Hound Dog	Big Mama Thornton
406	Monsieur Leonard	John Simien & The Opelousas Playboys
407	Chi Ca Nai (Slow Drag)	John Simien & The Opelousas Playboys
408	Bye Bye Rosa	John Simien & The Opelousas Playboys
409	Mr. Charlie	Clifton Chenier
410	Louisiana Rock	Clifton Chenier
411	What Am I Doing Here?	Notes From The Underground
412	To Be a Thief	Stanley Willis
413	Pretty Good	Now Creative Arts Jazz Ensemble
414	In the Breeze	Jerry Hahn
415	To 'Trane (Two Trains)	Smiley Winters
416	The Beauty of Isis	Sonny Simmons