Atlanta Twelve String

• Artist: Blind Willie McTell
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1949
• Total Time: 44:50
• Genre: Blues

Review

In 1949, a brief flurry of interest in old-timey country blues resulted in this 15-song session by Blind Willie McTell for the newly formed Atlantic Records. Only two songs, "Kill It Kid" and "Broke Down Engine Blues," were ever issued on a failed single, and the session was forgotten until almost 20 years later. McTell is mostly solo here, vividly captured on acoustic 12-string (his sometime partner Curley Weaver may have been present on some tracks), and in excellent form. The playing and the repertory are representative of McTell as he was at this point in his career, a blues veteran rolling through his paces without skipping a beat and quietly electrifying the listener. Songs include "Dying Crapshooter's Blues," "The Razor Ball," and "Ain't I Grand to Live a Christian." ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Kill It Kid	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(2:33)
The Razor Ball	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(2:53)
Little Delia	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(3:02)
Broke Down Engine (Lyrics)	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(2:46)
Dying Crapshooter's Blues	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(3:06)
Pinetop's Boogie Woogie	Pinetop Smith, Norman Gimbel	Blind Willie McTell	(2:49)
Blues Around Midnight	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(2:46)
Last Dime Blues	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(2:49)
On the Cooling Board	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(3:08)
Motherless Children Have a Hard Time	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(2:56)
I Got to Cross the River Jordan	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(4:00)
You Got to Die	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(3:12)
Ain't It Grand to Live a Christian	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(2:38)
Pearly Gates	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(3:22)
Soon This Morning	Blind Willie McTell	Blind Willie McTell	(2:40)

Credits

Blind Willie McTell (Guitar), Blind Willie McTell (Vocals), Blind Willie McTell (Main Performer), Herb Abramson (Producer), Ahmet Ertegun (Producer), Deni King (Engineer), Simon A. Napier (Liner Notes), Stanislaw Zagorski (Design)