Raised in Lousiana and Texas, and established in Los Angeles, Percy Mayfield embodied the tension between rural grit and urbane articulation that defined rhythm ’n’ blues in the ‘50s. Recorded during his peak between 1950 and 1954, Poet of the Blues captures the bulk of Mayfield’s recordings for Art Rupe’s Specialty label (also home to R&B superstars like Roy Milton, Lloyd Price, Sam Cooke, and later, Little Richard). Mayfield’s songwriting skills were impeccable; his best songs are as immovable as hymns and as devastating as epitaphs. He was famous for dealing directly with depression, as evidenced in songs like “You Don’t Exist No More,” “Memory Pain,” and “Hopeless.” (One can only begin to imagine the effect when Mayfield sang “Life Is Suicide” and “The River’s Invitation” in the early ‘50s.) The band tailored its sound to the frank, throaty cry of Mayfield’s voice, and every song represents a seamless union between band and leader. Both Ray Charles and Bob Dylan have sung his praises, and it’s easy to hear Mayfield in their music.