The genius country bluesman/songster Mance Lipscomb was the most accomplished of the Texas "dead thumb" guitarists. His solid driving monotonic bass propelled his dancing, spontaneous melodies through song after song. He came from a musical family and grew up playing in the Texas country blues traditions.

In this DVD, Ernie Hawkins carefully takes you through the complete range of Mance’s playing, revealing all the tricks of the trade. Most importantly, you will learn how to play in Mance’s style so that you can effortlessly adapt it to any kind of song.

Titles include: Captain Captain, Night Time Is The Right Time, Goin’ Down Slow, You Got To See Your Momma Every Night, You Got To Reap What You Sow, Sugarbabe and Cherry Ball

Review: These two new video lessons provide a wonderful overall view of the legendary blues artist Mance Lipscomb's guitar style and technique. Volume One (94 minutes in length) has a 48-page tab/music booklet that transcribes the seven songs taught by Hawkins and devotes time to Lipscomb's trademark: the "dead thumb: a walking driving bass string technique. Lipscomb, a native of Texas and a master of the country blues, is in good hands as Hawkins demonstrates such songs as "Captain Captain", "You Got to Reap What You Sow", and "Night Time is the Right Time" carefully and articulately. Volume Two is a good next step for guitarists who have mastered the fundamentals in Volume One. The centerpiece in Volume Two (66 minutes in length with a 40-page tab/music booklet) is "Spoonful," one of the most popular blues songs around. Other guitar numbers worth following Hawkins' patient explanation are two ragtime instrumentals in the key of G and in A. An extended blues jam in the key of G is the closer. Great sound quality and the fretboard close-ups and finger positions of Hawkins make these videos a particularly good buy for learning Lipscomb's trade secrets. - Dirty Linen