Bert Williams and George Walker

The first volume of The Complete Bert Williams, featuringthe legendary comedian's rarest records. 31 tracks from 1901-1909, including several with George Walker: 15 tracks from their 1901 sessions and a further 16 tracks from sessions in 1906 and following. Five selections are featured in both their 7- and 10-inch disc versions, and the collection includes all four of Williams' 2-minute cylinders, one 3-minute cylinder, and one rejected take from 1906. The 32-page full-color deluxe booklet features illustrations as rare as the records, with notes co-authored by renowned scholar Allen G. Debus and also reprints in its entirety George Walker's 1906 reminiscences about the beginnings of Williams and Walker in "The Real 'Coon' on the American Stage." Read more
List price: $17.49

Fifty-four tracks by 43 artists, and 60 pages of in-depth commentary and analysis: Lost Sounds is a monumental achievement that stretches back to the faint beginnings of commercial recordings and travels to the brink of the Jazz Age to trace the contributions of black artists on American records. Sometimes noisy and raucous, sometimes quiet and austere, these recordings demonstrate the deep involvement and lasting influence of African Americans in the nascent recording industry. Read more
List price: $29.99