Smithsonian Folkways' Classic Piedmont Blues, the 27th title in the label's award-winning Classic Series, captures the essence of a fascinating blues tradition with a selection of indelible recordings made over 70 years. Now available, Classic Piedmont Blues offers an illuminating overview of the Piedmont style featuring influential artists such as John Jackson, Cephas & Wiggins, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Doc Watson, and many others. The album includes a 40-page booklet with track notes written by curator and music historian Barry Lee Pearson and a brief history of a style that fostered the cross-pollination between traditions: rural and urban, black and white, country and coastal.

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As with every compilation in the Smithsonian Folkways Classic Series, Classic Piedmont Blues explores the breadth and depth of a genre with incredible and unforgettable music, and liner notes that offer insight into the cultural and historical contexts of each selection. During the last 10 years, Smithsonian Folkways has released Classic compilations of ballads, blues, children's music, old-time fiddle, and protest songs, among others.