First Recordings

Recorded in 1966 and unreleased until 2009, Junior Kimbrough’s First Recordings is a revelation. The project captures the North Mississippi bluesman when he was still a young man, only 36, long before he opened his own juke joint and was rediscovered by Fat Possum in old age. Amazingly, even in this early stage Kimbrough’s inimitable musical philosophy is fully in place. Though he would record these songs repeatedly later in his career, these versions are special. They are bouncy and virile, even playful — a completely different feel than Kimbrough’s subsequent work for Fat Possum, which captures him in a slower, sloppier (although many would argue even more elegant) state. All six tracks are essential, but of special note are “Feels So Good” and “Meet Me In the City.” The first song has a fathomless swing that would make even John Lee Hooker envious, while the latter is the earliest known recording of Kimbrough’s prettiest love song. Sure it’s a brief glimpse, but these six songs speak volumes. This abbreviated release in an immense and immensely enjoyable archival discovery.