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Big Maceo Merriweather was a blues pianist, singer and songwriter, born in Georgia in 1905, who moved to Detroit in the 1920s, to start playing professionally, and then to Chicago in 1941, where he met the influential singer and guitarist Tampa Red, who introduced him to Lester Melrose at RCA-Victor – he became a regular collaborator of Tampa Red. Over the next decade or so he recorded around ten sessions at which he recorded under his own name rather than as an accompanist. This 44-track 2-CD collection comprises recordings which were released under his own name on the Bluebird, RCA-Victor, Columbia, Specialty and Fortune labels from this era, plus some unreleased material. It includes his 1945 No. 4 R&B hit “Things Have Changed”. It also includes one recording with Tampa Red on which he shares the vocals with him. He plays with a number of noted blues musicians from the era on these sessions, including guitarists Tampa Red and John Brim, bassists Ransom Knowling, Alfred Elkins and Ernest Crawford, and drummers Clifford Jones, Tyrell Dixon, Melvin Draper, Charles Sanders and Alonzo Tucker. His style influenced many post-war blues pianists, and songs like “Worried Life Blues” have become staples of the blues repertoire. It’s a substantial overview of his career recordings and a thorough showcase for his distinctive style of blues.
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