Charley Patton – Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues + Charley Patton by John Fahey Book | Butterboy

Charley Patton – Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues 

[2001] (7 x CDs) 

+ Charley Patton by John Fahey Book (PDF)

CHARLEY PATTON

Before Charley Patton was recognised as the bedrock of Delta blues, 

Paramount tried turning him into a mystery. In 1929 they issued one of his 

78s under the name “The Masked Marvel,” inviting buyers to guess the 

performer for a chance to win free records. Anyone familiar with the 

Delta scene would have known that voice instantly, but the stunt became 

part of Patton’s early mythology. Revenant Records leaned into that history 

when they created Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues, weaving the 

“Masked Marvel” imagery into the artwork as a nod to the era’s eccentric 

marketing and the folklore surrounding Patton’s recordings. It’s a small detail, 

but it captures exactly what this set does so well, restoring the music, 

the context, and the stories that shaped one of America’s most important artists.

Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues isn’t just a box set; it’s one of the most ambitious 

archival projects ever devoted to an American musician. Released in 2001 by Revenant 

Records, the label co‑founded by John Fahey, it gathers Patton’s complete recorded 

legacy and presents it with a level of care that feels almost devotional. His 78s were 

scattered, fragile, and often worn beyond comfort, yet this set pulls them together 

with a clarity and depth earlier transfers rarely achieved.

The music remains astonishing. Patton’s voice — raw, percussive, and full of lived 

experience, cuts through the surface noise with a force that still feels modern. 

His guitar work, all snap and drive, anchors everything from spirituals to breakdowns

 to the narrative blues that shaped the Delta tradition. What emerges is the full range 

of his world: dance tunes, laments, sermons, sly humour, and the sheer physicality of 

his playing. Patton wasn’t just a bluesman; he was a complete entertainer and a 

community figure.

Revenant’s presentation is legendary. Oversized packaging, deep essays, label scans,

 photographs, and meticulous discographical notes turn the set into a museum piece 

you can hold. 

The remastering, sourced from the best surviving 78s, brings out detail that earlier 

editions buried. You hear the room, the breath, the scrape of strings, the urgency 

of a man performing for real people in real time.

Taken together, Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues restores Patton’s work to its rightful 

scale. I

t treats these recordings not as relics, but as living documents, vital, rhythmic, 

and foundational. 

This is the Delta blues at its source, presented with the respect and depth

 it has always deserved. (Butterboy)

Butterboy looks at Charley Patton from Revenant Records Box Set

and shares John Fahey’s ebook on Patton (PDF)

Mississippi Delta Blues (Charley Patton & Blind Lemon Jefferson)