The first thing that needs to be admitted when approaching a compilation like this one is the fact that no one will ever be satisfied with it. Everyone will immediately wonder why ______'s version of ______ wasn't included. How could it have been overlooked? Are we stupid? Are we crazy? We agree.

Obviously, no collection of 21 recordings could fully convey the depth and breadth of blues music in 20th century America. What we've done here is gather together 21 representative artists and songs per our own knowledge and preferences - after soliciting and considering suggestions from knowledgeable friends, professionals and other interested parties. Everybody - probably you, too - will have their own list of 21 ... and then some. Everybody that tries it will see the difficulty of the endeavor. 21 songs? Please. We've attempted to include a broad range of eras and styles spanning roughly from 1914 to 1967 - the period that most of the great and founding fathers (and mothers) lived and worked in. (With exceptions, of course, i.e. the great B.B.King who is still living and working and being the great B.B. King.)

Some of the tracks included are obvious. Even those of us who favor Delta and Chicago Blues stylistically have to acknowledge that "St. Louis Blues", written by W.C. Handy and sung by Bessie Smith (with coronet by Louis Armstrong) is too seminal to be left out. Conversely, the version of "Long Distance Call" included here is a fairly obscure one from Super Blues, an album Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, and Little Walter did together in 1967. While some will no doubt object to us not having used the Authorized Version, written and recorded by Muddy in 1951, we included the song because of this version. The three of them (and Otis Spann and Buddy Guy) sound like they're having the best time anyone ever had in a recording studio. It sounds as if they're taking a victory lap: They've made it. They lived and they know their legacy is secure. Amen.