AllMovie

In 1962, Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau were a pair of music buffs and concert promoters who stuck upon the idea of bringing a cross section of American blues musicians to Europe for a package tour. Dubbed "The American Folk Blues Festival," the shows were a major success and played a vital role in exposing American roots music to a new and appreciative audience abroad, especially in the United Kingdom, where the concerts proved to be a significant eye-opener for the founding members of the British blues-rock boom. Lippman and Rau turned the tour into an annual event and, fortunately, arranged for their artists to appear on a series of television specials recorded for German television. The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1965, Vol. 2 is compiled from broadcasts from the festival's first four years and includes rare performances never before seen in the U.S. from Howlin' Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Sunnyland Slim, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Willie Dixon, Big Mama Thornton, and more.