The rough guide to Memphis Minnie : queen of the country blues

"A highly influential blues doyenne whose 1929 recording "When The Levee Breaks" (co-written with her then musical partner and second husband Joe "Kansas Joe" McCoy) inspired the Led Zeppelin tune of the same name ... Her early 78rpm shellac sides with McCoy (whom she split from in 1934) are the basis of this ace 25-track retrospective, which includes a clutch of tracks they recorded for the Columbia, Vocalion and Brunswick labels as well as some of her solo sides for Decca. The material ranges from wailing jeremiads and playful guitar faceoffs to comic duets with witty, conversational lyrics. An evocative portrait of a blues pioneer".