Intro by Gail Nobles
Story by Gail Nobles
Photo: Eatonland - Own work
Usage: CC BY-SA 4. Wikipedia 

Rare 1965 Blues Recordings Released on Takoma Records

Chicago, IL — Reverend Robert Wilkins, the Mississippi-born country blues guitarist and vocalist (1896–1987), was a master of deep, expressive acoustic blues and gospel-infused songs. Originally active in the late 1920s and 1930s, he was rediscovered during the 1960s folk-blues revival. One of his most haunting performances, the traditional gospel-blues piece “I Wish I Was in Heaven Sittin’ Down,” appears on the new release Rare Blues on Takoma Records (TAK 7081), produced by Norman Dayron.

The album gathers previously unreleased acoustic blues performances recorded in January 1965 during the University of Chicago Folk Festival, as part of Dayron’s documentation of Chicago’s blues scene between 1963 and 1965. Featuring older artists delivering raw, traditional styles on acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonica, it captures a quieter, folk-blues side of the city at a time when electric blues dominated the clubs.

Dayron, then a University of Chicago student who also ran the intimate Fickle Pickle blues club, preserved these powerful sessions in clubs, concerts, and informal settings. The release shines a light on the 1960s revival of interest in acoustic blues and brings to new audiences performances that might otherwise have remained unheard.

Rare Blues is now available on Takoma Records, offering fans and historians a valuable glimpse into mid-1960s Chicago’s vibrant traditional blues scene.

Thank you for listening to Gospel Blues. I'm Gail Nobles.

Gospel Blues