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William McKinley “Jazz” Gillum, born in Indianola, Mississippi, in 1902, was a blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player, who moved to Chicago in the 1920s and teamed up with Big Bill Broonzy and others. He started recording in the mid-1930s and over the next 15 years recorded regularly, creating a number of classics of the genre. Around 1938, he made some of the first blues records to feature an electric guitar. This 97-track 4-CD collection comprises most of his career releases under his own name on the Bluebird, Melotone and RCA-Victor labels. It features classic compositions like “Key To The Highway”, “Don't You Scandalize My Name” and “Look On Yonder Wall”, and early and recordings of songs like “I'm Gonna Leave You On The Outskirts Of Town”, and includes recordings with notable musicians of the day – Big Big Broonzy, Black Bob, Blind John Davis, George Barnes, Washboard Sam, Joshua Altheimer, Alfred Elkins, Roosevelt Sykes, Big Maceo Merriweather, Ransom Knowling, Eddie Boyd, Willie Lacey, Judge Riley and others. He was a stylish and influential performer, making music which was accessible and entertaining, and this substantial and comprehensive overview of his core career offers a fine showcase for his distinctive approach to the blues.
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