Sometime in the late nineteenth century, as blues music was in the final stages of its prerecorded history, guitarists in the Mississippi Delta began using bottlenecks, knives, and other implements to coax vocal-like moans from their instruments. Originally inspired by the sweet tone of Hawaiian guitarists, these prototypical bluesmen forged a rough, exciting style that formed the basis of the electric Chicago blues sound, which in turn inspired rock guitarists to use slides. Takoma Slide brings together performances by great Delta bluesmen like Son House and Bukka White, electric guitarists like Michael Bloomfield and Ron Thompson, country dobro great Mike Auldridge, and contemporary fingerstyle masters John Fahey and Leo Kottke, for a spectacular celebration of this exciting facet of American guitar music.