01. Midnight Hour Blues 03:10
02. Mean Mistreater Mama 03:05
03. Hurry Down Sunshine 03:43
04. Corn Likker Blues 03:51
05. Shady Lane Blues 03:44
06. Blues Before Sunrise 03:32
07. Take A Walk Around The Corner 03:06
08. My Woman's Gone Wrong 02:31
09. Southbound Blues 03:02
10. Barrelhouse Women 02:55
11. I Believe I'll Make A Change 02:58
12. Bobo Stomp 02:54
13. Big Four Blues 03:05
14. Hustler's Blues 02:37
15. Shining Pistol 02:58
16. It's Too Short 02:56

Leroy Carr, piano and vocals, accompanied by Scrapper Blackwell, guitar, 
and Josh White, guitar on tracks 13, 15, & 16.

This disc is a collection of 1932-34 recordings by the singer-pianist. Leroy Carr was an early American blues singer-songwriter/pianist. The 16 tracks here include "Midnight Hour Blues", "Mean Mistreater Mama", and "Hurry Down Sunshine". Despite minimal sound quality, this reissue contains some prime Leroy Carr/Scrapper Blackwell material. They were arguably the greatest piano and guitar duo to emerge in the late '20s and early '30s. You can find these tracks on other import collections, but this was among the first reissues available on a domestic label. ---Ron Wynn, allmusic.com

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Disc 1:
1 I Believe I'll Make A Change 2:57 
2 Don't Start No Stuff 2:55 
3 Straight Alky Blues Pt. 1 5:20 
4 Straight Alky Blues Pt. 2 5:20 
5 Gambler's Blues 3:06 
6 Sloppy Drunk Blues 4:15 
7 Papa's On The House Top 2:55 
8 Midnight Hour Blues 3:04 
9 Hustler's Blues 2:35 
10 Hurry Down Sunshine 5:32 
11 Corn Licker Blues 3:39 
12 Shady Lane Blues 5:34 
13 Tight Time Blues 2:54 
14 Black Wagon Blues 2:46 
15 I Ain't Got No Money Now 3:05 
16 Motherless Child 3:59 
17 My Woman's Gone Wrong 2:28 
18 Southbound Blues 2:48 
19 Church House Blues 2:52 
20 Muddy Water 2:34

Disc 2:
1 I Believe I'll Make A Change 4:17 
2 Don't Start No Stuff 4:15 
3 Bobo Stomp 4:11 
4 Big Four Blues 5:05 
5 Hard Hearted Papa 4:18 
6 You Left Me Crying 4:17 
7 Evil Hearted Woman 5:01 
8 Good Woman Blues 4:17 
9 Hustler's Blues 3:55 
10 Eleven Twenty-Nine Blues 4:16 
11 You Got Me Greiving 4:18 
12 Bread Baker 5:00 
13 Tight Time Blues 4:14 
14 Black Wagon Blues 4:06 
15 Shinin' Pistol 4:15 
16 It's Too Short 4:14 
17 My Good For Nothin' Gal 3:57 
18 Suicide Blues 4:18 
19 Church House Blues 4:12 
20 Six Cold Feet Of Ground

Musicians:
Leroy Carr - piano, vocals
Scrapper Blackwell - guitar
Josh White - guitar

The 40 tracks compiled on this two-disc set represent the entire span of pianist and singer Leroy Carr's recording career that spanned a brief seven years, from 1928-1935. The material represented here -- all but one of these tracks were recorded for the Vocalion label -- features accompaniment by guitarist Scrapper Blackwell on all but one selection, and Josh White on a handful as well. Carr's material here ranges from the classic piano blues of the era that spawned Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith to vaudeville and hokum tunes made popular by artists like Tampa Red and Georgia Tom. Carr's voice is the haunting thing here; it's higher and very clear, sweet almost, as evidenced by most of these sides. But there was an edge, too; one that belied a kind of pathos underneath even the most cheery material -- check "Mean Mistreater Blues" or "Bread Baker." But the darker material such as "Suicide Blues" (one of six previously unissued performances), "Straight Alky Blues," or "Shinin' Pistol," is strange and eerie given Carr's smooth approach. Carr may not be the most well-known bluesman of the era, but his contribution is profound and lasting. This collection puts to shame almost all others with the exception of the multi-volume complete recordings on Document. But given the fact that these sides are wonderfully remastered, and 40 tracks are enough for virtually anybody but the hardest core blues punter, this is the set to have. ---Thom Jurek, allmusic.com

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01. Leroy Carr - I'm Going Away And Leave My Baby (3:08) 
02. Leroy Carr - Tennessee Blues (3:03) 
03. Leroy Carr - Truthful Blues (2:57) 
04. Leroy Carr - You Don't Mean Me No Good (3:15) 
05. Leroy Carr - Mean Old Train Blues (3:04) 
06. Leroy Carr - Prison Bound Blues (3:03) 
07. Leroy Carr - Naptown Blues (2:45) 
08. Leroy Carr - Gettin' All Wet (3:15) 
09. Leroy Carr - Carried Water For The Elephant (2:57) 
10. Leroy Carr - Papa Wants A Cookie (2:39) 
11. Leroy Carr - Four Day Rider (2:58) 
12. Leroy Carr - Low Down Dog Blues (2:42) 
13. Leroy Carr - What More Can I Do? (3:01) 
14. Leroy Carr - I Keep The Blues (2:55) 
15. Leroy Carr - Longing For My Sugar (2:49) 
16. Leroy Carr - Bread Baker (2:58)

Guitar – Josh White (tracks: 15, 16), Scrapper Blackwell (tracks: 1 to 16)
Vocals, Piano – Leroy Carr

The term "urban blues" is usually applied to post-World War II blues band music, but one of the forefathers of the genre in its pre-electric format was pianist Leroy Carr. Teamed with the exemplary guitarist Scrapper Blackwell in Indianapolis, Carr became one of the top blues stars of his day, composing and recording almost 200 sides during his short lifetime, including such classics as "How Long, How Long," "Prison Bound Blues," "When the Sun Goes Down," and "Blues Before Sunrise." His blues were expressive and evocative, recorded only with piano and guitar, yet as author Sam Charters has noted, Carr was "a city man" whose singing was never as rough or intense as that of the country bluesmen, and as reissue producer Francis Smith put it, "He, perhaps more than any other single artist, was responsible for transforming the rural blues patterns of the '20s into the more city-oriented blues of the '30s."

Born in Nashville, Leroy Carr moved to Indianapolis as a child. While he was still in his teens, he taught himself how to play piano. Carr quit school in his mid-teens, heading out for a life on the road. For the next few years, he would play piano at various parties and dances in the Midwest and South. During this time, he held a number of odd jobs -- he joined a circus, he was in the Army for a while, and he was briefly a bootlegger. In addition to his string of jobs, he was married for a short time.

Carr wandered back toward Indianapolis, where he met guitarist Scrapper Blackwell in 1928. The duo began performing and shortly afterward they were recording for Vocalion, releasing "How Long How Long Blues" before the year was finished. The song was an instant, surprise hit. For the next seven years, Carr and Blackwell would record a number of classic songs for Vocalion, including "Midnight Hour Blues," "Blues Before Sunrise," "Hurry Down Sunshine," "Shady Lane Blues," and many others.

Throughout the early '30s, Carr was one of the most popular bluesmen in America. While his professional career was successful, his personal life was spinning out of control, as he sunk deeper and deeper into alcoholism. His addiction eventually cut his life short -- he died in April 1935. Carr left behind a enormous catalog of blues and his influence could be heard throughout successive generation of blues musicians, as evidenced by artists like T-Bone Walker, Otis Spann, and Champion Jack Dupree.

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