Way Back in the Country Blues: The Lost Dr. Oster Recordings

Robert Brown was an acoustic country blues guitarist and singer. Born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, in 1927, Brown performed under the name Smoky Babe. His only known recordings were made in the early 1960s by Dr. Harry Oster, an ethnomusicologist at Louisiana State University. Little is known of Brown—one of his fellow blues musicians, harmonicaist Lazy Lester, described him as "… just a little street guitar player." This collection of 17 songs was recorded by Oster in 1960–1961 but remained unissued until 2014.

Track Listing

101	Boss Man Blues	Smoky Babe	02:58
102	Backyard Boogie	Smoky Babe	04:03
103	Bad Luck and Trouble	Smoky Babe	02:35
104	Diggin' My Potatoes	Smoky Babe	02:32
105	What's Wrong With You	Smoky Babe	02:31
106	Chicago Bound	Smoky Babe	03:09
107	If I Had Listened to What My Mama Say	Smoky Babe	03:30
108	On Mr. Walter's Farm	Smoky Babe	02:48
109	I'm Goin' Home on the Morning Train	Smoky Babe	02:51
110	I'm Goin' Away Baby	Smoky Babe	03:12
111	Way Back in the Country Blues	Smoky Babe	04:03
112	Shake, Shake Mattie	Smoky Babe	02:53
113	I’m Wild about You, Black Gal	Smoky Babe	02:29
114	Arkansas Blues	Smoky Babe	02:15
115	Terraplane Blues	Smoky Babe	03:28
116	Goin' Home Blues	Smoky Babe	03:54
117	Boogie Gal	Smoky Babe	03:33