| In 1972 Swedish music archivist Begnt Olsson tracked down Tillis down at his church in Samson, Alabama, and recorded these tracks over three sessions. He was frail and old when Olsson found him, but he played the guitar, both electric and acoustic, with a mosquito-like fragility that is truly transcendent. In an age when major pre-war blues players were being rediscovered, unknown geniuses like Tillis were still playing a style of blues (gospel) that touched upon greatness and kept alive the traditions that were inspiring the likes of The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. This CD has a hallucinatory, Velvet Underground-like groove that meanders through each hymn. The slide guitar playing is beautiful and Tillis’ voice speaks of a knowledge all but lost in the 21st Century. A wonderful debut release from an unknown blues virtuoso who will be missed. |
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