Speaking of living legends, David “Honeyboy” Edwards would certainly qualify. There are two fairly recent releases of Honeyboy’s work.

The first is another 32 Blues reissue of Trix’s I’ve Been Around. This session was done in the 1974-77 years and includes backing on four tracks from Big Walter Horton on harp and on three tracks from Eddie El on second guitar. They provide very capable backing, given Edwards’ unique timing.

Of course, the star of the show is Edwards, as he does several of his own compositions and several Charley Patton and Tommy Johnson covers. Though he, like Lockwood, will forever be linked to Robert Johnson (he was with Johnson the night he was poisoned), he also has his own unique approach to the Delta blues as well, and is by no means an imitator. He is very much his own man.

At the time of these recordings, Honeyboy Edwards was one of the most underrecorded guitarists of the older Chicago-based bluesmen. It’s good to see this one reissued for those of us who missed it the first time around.

The only difference between this CD and Honeyboy’s most recent CD, Shake ‘Em On Down (Analogue Productions Originals), is that 20 or so years have passed between recordings. He also has two different sidemen, Madison Slim on harp and James D. Lane on second guitar, providing sympathetic backing on selected tracks.

However, it’s all Honeyboy’s show. He’s lost a very slight bit in his vocals, but those fingers are still nimble. At 85 years old, he’s still a head above most of the practicing acoustic bluesmen recording today. The music is great, but the highlight is a 13 minute interview near the close of the CD, in which Edwards recounts some of his adventures (including the poisoning of Robert Johnson) in a manner similar to his Earwig CDs and his autobiography, The World Don’t Owe Me Nothin’. In addition, this CD is also available as a DVD, so you can see him perform as well as hear him. Honeyboy Edwards, like Robert Lockwood, Jr., is a national treasure and it’s great to see him get the recognition he has long deserved.