Stokes, Frank: Memphis Blues 1927-31

Vinyl.  Though the Blues explosion of the 1960s brought many of the Delta Bluesmen newfound audiences and appreciation, many were still left to languish in obscurity.  Frank Stokes is one such individual.  Though a forgotten figure nowadays, Stokes was a fixture of the Mississippi Blues scene, frequently performing with other locals such as Garfield Akers, Dan Sane and others.  Having performed blues well before it began to flourish in the South, Stokes was a consummate professional, and deeply influential to future Blues figures, and even the country performer Jimmie Rodgers, who took stylistic cues from Stokes.  His performances were noteworthy for his adept guitar-playing, his booming, stentorian voice, and for the numerous duets he recorded, which features subtle vocal and rhythmic interplay.  Frank Stokes was largely forgotten among the bigger names that resurfaced after the Blues explosion, but was eventually unearthed by historians and dedicated blues crate diggers.