Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup was an important transition figure between 1930s Chicago blues, early R&B, and rock & roll, being an early influence on Elvis Presley. On this first of four Document CDs that reissue all of his recordings from the 1940s and '50s, Crudup mostly performs duets with either Joe McCoy or Ransom Knowling on bass or Melvin Draper, Charles Saunders, or Jump Jackson on drums. The first session is unusual in that Crudup is heard on acoustic guitar, but he was playing electric by 1942 and was largely distinctive from the start. Among the more memorable of the 24 numbers (which conclude with a pair of trio selections with Ransom Knowling and drummer Judge Riley) are "Black Pony Blues," "Standing at My Window," "Gonna Follow My Baby," "Give Me a 32-20," "Mean Old Frisco," "Raised to My Hand," "Cool Disposition," and "That's Your Red Wagon." All four of these Crudup discs are easily recommended to blues collectors. ~ Scott Yanow