Most of Chess Records’ Real Folk Blues albums were compilations of singles recorded over a span of years (in Wolf’s case, from 1956 to 1965). This album did not fit the usual definitions of “folk blues,” featuring instead Chicago urban blues by an incomparable singer and a host of great sidemen (including Hubert Sumlin and Buddy Guy), but Chess was making a move to remarket the blues to a new audience that had developed with the boom in folk music. This was Chess’ second LP of Wolf singles, and a comment posted on the Blues Hall of Fame web site about the first LP applies to this one too: “Considering how many of the songs here have become standards in the repertoires of countless blues and rock bands, it’s hard to fathom that none of these Wolf 45s sold well enough to make the Billboard R&B charts.” The Real Folk Blues classics include “Killing Floor,” “Tail Dragger,” “Built for Comfort,” and “Three Hundred Pounds of Joy.”
