Cephas and Wiggins
(Smithsonian Folkways)
Having performed together for more than 30 years, singer-guitarist John Cephas and harmonica player Phil Wiggins have done more than any other contemporary act to not only keep alive the Piedmont blues tradition but propel it into the future.
Most often associated with the classic duo of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Piedmont blues – or country blues – is one of our nation’s richest musical creations, combining elements of Appalachian folk, ragtime, country, mountain ballads and other acoustic forms. Masters of the genre, Cephas and Wiggins are no dusty museum act ardently recycling the Piedmont template for scholarly audiences. Matching even the most-electrified Chicago blues band in terms of energy and thrills, Cephas and Wiggins prove tireless enthusiasts on Richmond Blues, the duo’s skillfully packaged release for Smithsonian Folkways’ African American Legacy Recordings series.
If you’ve never thought it possible for two men to swing on acoustic guitar and harp alone, cue up C&W’s update on Big Bill Broonzy’s “Keep Your Hands Off My Baby,” “Crow Jane” or any of the other spellbinding tracks in which Cephas’ deft finger-picking and Wiggins’ breathless blowing will have you finger-popping right along. “[This is] real powerful music,” Wiggins is quoted in the disc’s 30-page liner notes, “because of where it came from and what its use was. … And it’s still here.” Thanks to Cephas and Wiggins, it’s going to be here for quite a while more.
Standout Tracks: “Keep Your Hands Off My Baby,” “Dog Days of August” JAKE CLINE
