Walking Blues

The essence of Walking Blues, as we know it today, is encapsulated in a handful of recordings made in 1936 and 1937. From these sessions, which yielded sixteen tracks, nine had previously been released on 78 rpm records by the label Vocalion. Although these singles were well-received in the southern and southwestern United States, with Terraplane Blues standing out as a local hit, the total sales of each did not exceed 5,000 copies. Time, however, would give these performances a far greater reach.

It was in 1961 when Columbia Records released King of the Delta Blues Singers, a compilation album that brought together these recordings. This record, which includes Walking Blues at a duration of 2:30, became a cornerstone. In 2020, Rolling Stone magazine recognized it by including it at position 374 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Producer John Hammond, who played a key role in spreading this music, even gave a copy of this album to Bob Dylan, who at the time was one of the new faces of Columbia Records.