This collection of country blues, ragtime, ballads, and just plain country songs with the word "blues" in the title highlights Merle Haggard's considerable knowledge of country and popular music history. Haggard puts in assured and often compelling vocal performances on Jimmie Rodgers' early-1930s "T.B. Blues," the Delmore Brothers' mid-'40s "Blues Stay Away From Me," and Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys' "Brain Cloudy Blues," while "Blues For Dixie" is an appealing blend of Dixieland jazz and country.