Our selection here from the legendary Vocalion label spans the period from 1926 to 1940, the year before the United States went to war. Though this includes the period of the Great Depression, significant numbers of blues records were sold and Vocalion showcased a piano-based style the music business dubbed ‘urban blues’, distinguishing it from the Mississippi Delta country blues . With gems from the likes of Leroy Carr, Robert Johnson and Memphis Minnie, there’s no doubt the classic Vocalion repertoire on this compilation was, and still is, the cream of the blues crop.