I was glad to see Stringsinger brought up "Mexican Blues"—a tune Pete always credited to Woody Guthrie, though I thought there was at least an equal amount of Pete in it.

What's particularly notable about "Mexican Blues," like some of his work on Nonesuch with Frank Hamilton, is he's playing *6-string* guitar, not 12. He's very good on it, so good that I for one wish he'd done more 6-string work.

But of course the 12-string, like the banjo, gets more immediate attention from a noisy audience. Pre-rock, that was about the most resounding you could get. Lydia Mendoza sang all her life with one. It's best for strategizing and commanding from the stage.

But truly, Pete's 6-string should be heard more. You can check out "Mexican Blues" on Pete's Smithsonian Folkways CD SFW40018, Darling Corey/Goofing-Off Suite. One of those best-kept secrets ...

Bob