Jimmie Davis --who among other things was a governor of Louisiana, a renowned gospel singer, and also lived to be 100 years old --was not your typical country recording artist. I mean, who else had a repertoire that ranged from TOM CAT & PUSSY BLUES and HIGH BEHIND BLUES to SUPPERTIME and TAKE MY HAND PRECIOUS LORD ? This new 2-CD collection with 53 songs covers most of his early recordings from 1929 to 1934 --all recorded for the Victor label, and many of them of the risquŽ variety. In the 1930s he became known more for his hit recordings of NOBODY'S DARLING BUT MINE and YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE (the latter two were on the Decca label.) If you have a liking for Davis (who early on was heavily influenced by Jimmie Rodgers and Gene Autry), there are plenty of interesting cuts here, among them MARKET HOUSE BLUES, GET ON BOARD AUNT SUSAN, DAVIS LIMITED, THE LAST LETTER, EASY RIDER BLUES, DOWN AT THE END OF MEMORY LANE and THE PRISONER'S SONG. An interesting set.
