Some very very good stuff in here. I've gotten pretty into 20s thru 50s music over the past couple of years. I usually buy compilations on LP, though, so it's a

Some very very good stuff in here. I've gotten pretty into 20s thru 50s music over the past couple of years. I usually buy compilations on LP, though, so it's a treat to find these straight off the 78s. A big portion of the stuff never even makes it to digital. Just at a glance, I'm seeing The Light Crust Doughboys[1], basically a string band supergroup. Multiple members would go on to found famous western swing bands (Bob Wills, Milton Brown). Very proto-rock-and-roll -- listen to that electric guitar -- Elvis would cover some Western Swing numbers[2] in his early days[3]. Also seeing some older stuff, including a few recordings by the (arguable) best banjo player of all time, Vess L. Ossman[4] (from 1907). Pretty cool to listen to these march numbers and then hear them evolve into jazz/ragtime only a couple years later[5] (this is a recording by Fred Van Eps, the second best banjo player of all time, from 1914). EDITS: seeing some other personal favorites: Hank Penny, a favorite western swing singer of mine[6]. He usually does it hot/upbeat/fun. Blind Blake, a guitarist who could play the fretboard like a ragtime piano[7]! Oh, and here's the WWII-era Bob Wills I was waiting for[8]. Got that classic Leon McAuliffe pedal steel playing. No Tommy Duncan vocals, unfortunately. Neat! An old solo Art Tatum[9]! Widely considered the best pianist of all time... And another, a whole album[10]! Really classic early electric guitar playing on a jump blues number by T-Bone Walker[11]. I actually believe he's one of the first to use the electric guitar in blues. Great steel guitar playing on this Gene Autry cowboy number[12]. Looks like there's a lot of Django for all you gypsy jazz fans[13]. Never heard this take on Avalon before, I dig it. Lot more to dig through and lot of obscure stuff I'd like to give a shot, but I'm out of time for now... 1: https://archive.org/details/78_pretty-little-dear_light-crust-doughboys-ramon-de-arman-crumit_gbia0008766a https://archive.org/details/78_pretty-little-dear_light-crus... 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wGCTFWhoqQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wGCTFWhoqQ 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bSVEA0ZAVw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bSVEA0ZAVw 4: https://archive.org/details/78_policy-king-march_vess-l.-ossman-d.-brown_gbia0009599a https://archive.org/details/78_policy-king-march_vess-l.-oss... 5: https://archive.org/details/78_notoriety-rag_van-eps-trio-kathryn-l.-widner_gbia0005729b https://archive.org/details/78_notoriety-rag_van-eps-trio-ka... 6: https://archive.org/details/78_get-yourself-a-red-head_hank-penny-penny-duncan_gbia0007440b https://archive.org/details/78_get-yourself-a-red-head_hank-... 7: https://archive.org/details/78_tampa-bound_blind-blake_gbia0001322b https://archive.org/details/78_tampa-bound_blind-blake_gbia0... 8: https://archive.org/details/78_texas-playboy-rag_wills-bob-wills-and-his-texas-playboys_gbia0000257a https://archive.org/details/78_texas-playboy-rag_wills-bob-w... 9: https://archive.org/details/78_deep-purple_art-tatum-mitchell-parish-peter-de-rose_gbia0000999a https://archive.org/details/78_deep-purple_art-tatum-mitchel... 10: https://archive.org/details/78_art-tatum_art-tatum-james-swift-tatum_gbia0005678 https://archive.org/details/78_art-tatum_art-tatum-james-swi... 11: https://archive.org/details/78_t-bone-blues_les-hite-and-his-orchestra-hite-walker-t-bone-walker-frank-pasley_gbia0001424a https://archive.org/details/78_t-bone-blues_les-hite-and-his... 12: https://archive.org/details/78_silver-haired-daddy-of-mine_gene-autry-jimmy-long_gbia0000335a https://archive.org/details/78_silver-haired-daddy-of-mine_g... 13: https://archive.org/details/78_the-quintet-of-the-hot-club-of-france_the-quintet-of-the-hot-club-of-france-django_gbia0003366 https://archive.org/details/78_the-quintet-of-the-hot-club-o...