R. Crumb’s Heroes of the Blues Card Set.

Cartoonist/Musician R. Crumb is widely known for his brilliant, ribald comix and salicious humor. But groove junkies know Crumb’s true love is early American music as evidenced by the output of the Cheap Suit Serenaders. Their three recordings, featuring Crumb and no-slouch-himself-underground-cartoonist-musical sawist Robert Armstrong, prove their love is not just academic. The records are lively and faithful treatments of classic early jazz, folk, ragtime and other early American styles -- even Hawaiian music -- that are clearly labors of love. 

More evidence of Crumb’s affinity for early American music are his three previously out-of-print card sets, Heroes of the Blues, Jazz Greats and Pioneers of Country Music. Originally published in 1980 by Arhoolie Records, these sets, reissued by Kitchen Sink Press in 2004 (blues) and 2005 (jazz & country) are even more vivid than the originals, which command auction prices of $100 or more. All of the 108 cards in the three sets share one commonality, awesome portraits. They are fabulous!

 The cards are unique and informative tributes to the cream of each genre’s seminal practicioners, each musician deftly and lovingly rendered with nobility and grace in full color by legendary cartoonist R. Crumb, himself an early American Music devotee.

The illustrations and bios are heartfelt and informative, but not sentimental. Crumb's sense of style is abundant in these sets. In fact, you could probably start a line of clothes based on the cool threads worn by the players on these cards. And there are cool guitars, too.

This set, Heroes of the Blues, is the most popular. It features 36 of the genre’s most influential and imitated practicioners, from Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Son House and Big Bill Broonzy , to lesser-known but no less accomplished progenitors like Blind Blake and Memphis Minnie. Biographer Stephen Calt documents the origins of the performers as well as the number of sides they recorded and their respective places in blues history. This is a great place for budding rock players to get a feel for where it all began.

Complete List of Artists:

William Moore (c. 1894 ‑ 1955)

Peg Leg Howell (1888 - 1966) 

Clifford Gibson (1901 ‑ 1963)

Blind Blake (recorded 1926 ‑ 1932)

Frank Stokes(1888 ‑ 1955)

Jaybird Coleman (1896 ‑ 1950)

Blind Willie Johnson (c. 1900 ‑ c. 1947)

Leroy Carr(1905 ‑ 1935), Scrapper Blackwell(1903 ‑ 1962)

Blind Lemon Jefferson (1897 - 1929)

Curley Weaver Fred McMullen (1906 - 1962) (recorded 1933)

Whistler and His Jug Band

The Mississippi Sheiks (Walter  Vinson, Lonnie  Chatmon, Bo Carter)

Rube Lacey (1901 - 1972)

Skip James (1902 - 1969)

Bo-Weavil Jackson (recorded  c.  1926)

Furry Lewis (c. 1900 - 1981)

Sam Collins (1887 - 1949)

Ramblin' Thomas (1902 - c. 1935)

Sleepy John Estes (c. 1899 - 1977)

Cannon's Jug Stompers (Gus Cannon, Ashley Thompson, Noah Lewis)

The Memphis Jug Bond (Will Shade, Ben Ramey, Charles Polk, Will Weldon)

Big Bill Broonzy (1898 - 1958)

Roosevelt Sykes (1906 - 1983)

Blind Copy Davis (c. 1896 - 1972)

Papa Charlie Jackson (died c. 1938)

Charley Patton (c. 1890 - 1934)

Ed Bell a.k.a. Sluefoot Joe and Barefoot Bill (c. 1905 - c. 1960) 1

Blind Willie McTell(1901 - 1959)

Buddy Boy Hawkins (recorded 1927 1929)

Son House (c. 1900 - 1968)

Barbeque Bob (1902 - 1931)

Memphis Minnie (1897 - 1973)

Mississippi John Hurt (1894 - 1967)

Tommy Johnson (l896-1956)

Peetie Wheatstraw (1902 - 1941)

Bo Carter (1893 - 1964)