Profoundly influenced by the likes of Robert Johnson, Johnny Shines, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Boy Fuller and Blind Blake, Harlem Slim is deeply dedicated to the preservation of 1920s and ‘30s-style acoustic blues. His debut CD, Delta Blues & Piedmont Ragtime, features note-perfect renditions of classics by Johnson, Shines, McTell, Bukka White and W.C. Handy, as well as some impressive compositions of his own.

"Delta Thug Shakedown," the opening track from Delta Blues & Piedmont Ragtime, is a Harlem Slim original. A thumping boogie that showcases Slim’s bottleneck skills, the instrumental ably delivers all the attitude implicit in its title. Like the rest of the record, it’s completely unaccompanied and unfettered by any other instruments; the focus is squarely placed on Slim’s nimble fingers, which say more in three minutes than some folks say in a month of Sundays.