Acoustic Blues

[Old San Antone]

Lemon Henry "Blind Lemon" Jefferson (September 24, 1893 – December 19, 1929) was born near Galveston Texas, and although he made his home and his reputation in Dallas, he roamed far and wide around the South and the Mid-West as a 'wandering songster'. His companion for some years was Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter, who told many tales of their traveling times.  Jefferson's performances were distinctive because of his high-pitched voice and the originality of his guitar playing.

Jefferson began playing the guitar in his early teens and soon after he began performing at picnics and parties. He became a street musician, playing in East Texas towns in front of barbershops and on street corners. According to his cousin Alec Jefferson, quoted in the notes for Blind Lemon Jefferson, Classic Sides:

They were rough. Men were hustling women and selling bootleg and Lemon was singing for them all night... he'd start singing about eight and go on until four in the morning... mostly it would be just him sitting there and playing and singing all night.

Jefferson was one of the earliest and most prominent figures in the blues movement developing in the Deep Ellum section of Dallas. It is likely that he moved to Deep Ellum on a more permanent basis by 1917, where he met Aaron Thibeaux Walker, a/k/a T-Bone Walker. Jefferson taught Walker the basics of playing blues guitar in exchange for Walker's occasional services as a guide.

Sam Price was a record salesman in a Dallas store, and in 1925 he arranged for Lemon to record "Old Rounders Blues" and "Begging Back". These tracks and some others made in February 1926 got Lemon the chance to record for Paramount in Chicago, where producer Ink Williams was looking for new talent as the market for race music opened up. Just before his blues records came out, Paramount released a record by Deacon LJ Bates which was Lemon disguised as a guitar evangelist. The suggestive Black Snake Moan'and Matchbox Blues were early Lemon hits, and his performances of Penitentiary Blues, Hangman's Blues and Prison Cell Blues followed.

https://www.youtube.com/v/h3yd-c91ww8

He recorded more than ninety tracks over the three years, all of which he made during visits to Chicago, but he still preferred to live in Dallas. Unlike most of the early Blues players, Lemon largely recorded his own material.

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These 28 tracks include his famous songs like "Match Box Blues" and "See My Grave is Kept Clean" as well as novelties and religious tunes and showcases Lemon's slide guitar and boogie styles.

[Old San Antone]

Alonzo "Lonnie" Johnson (February 8, 1899 – June 16, 1970)

Lonnie appeared on over 130 tracks and was one of the most recorded artists of his time. His bright, clear tenor voice and clever playing gave him several hits, but his best work came in guitar duets with Eddie Lang that showed off Lonnie's effortless extemporizing. He recorded with Duke Ellington's Orchestra, contributing a stunning solo to "The Mooche", and in 1927 with Louis Armstrong's Hot Five, he traded licks with Armstrong's cornet on "Savoy Blues" and "Hotter Than That" where the guitar was a featured solo instrument rather than part of the rhythm section. Entire generations of blues and jazz guitarists took inspiration from these recordings and their influence is still with us today. Okeh records used Lonnie's talents in the studio as their 'go-to' guitarist and divas like Victoria Spivey and bluesmen like Texas Alexander were among the many whose work was embellished by his backing.

Johnson's early recordings are the first guitar recordings that display a single-note soloing style with string bending and vibrato. Johnson pioneered this style of guitar playing on records, and his influence is obvious in the playing of Django Reinhardt, T-Bone Walker and virtually all electric blues guitarists.

https://www.youtube.com/v/FS36Mt0OCCM

In the liner notes for the album Biograph, Bob Dylan described his encounters with Johnson in New York City. "I was lucky to meet Lonnie Johnson at the same club I was working and I must say he greatly influenced me. You can hear it in that first record. I mean "Corrina, Corrina" ... that's pretty much Lonnie Johnson.

A Life In Music Selected Sides 1925-1953

[Old San Antone]

Hurt was thirty-five years old when he journeyed, guitar and business card in hand, from the Mississippi hill country to Memphis for his first recording session, on Valentine's Day, 1928. The experience was not entirely pleasant. Hurt remembered going into "a great big hall with only the three of us in it—me, the man [OKeh recording director T. J. Rockwell], and the engineer. It was really something. I sat on a chair and they pushed the microphone right up close to my mouth and told me that I couldn't move after they had found the right position. I had to keep my head absolutely still. Oh, I was nervous, and my neck was sore for days after."  Eight songs were cut that day, but only a single OKeh 78 was issued from the session, "Nobody's Dirty Business" paired with "Frankie," one of his songs in open tuning. Hurt was paid about twenty dollars per song, a good fee for unproven talent.

Hurt headed home and worked another season. Under his sharecropping arrangement, half the corn and cotton he grew on thirteen acres was turned over to the landowner. In November T. J. Rockwell wrote to him, inviting him to record again. Hurt's December 21, 1928, session in New York City produced brilliant takes of "Ain't No Tellin'" (essentially new words set to the "Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor" melody), the murder ballad "Louis Collins," and "Avalon Blues," set to a galloping rhythm. A week later, Hurt had his final prewar session, cutting three spirituals and five blues. Of all Hurt's prewar sides, the one he composed his first day in New York City, "Avalon Blues," proved to be the most important.  More than three decades after its release, it led to his rediscovery:

Avalon my hometown, always on my mind,
Avalon my hometown, always on my mind,
Pretty mama's in Avalon, want me there all the time."

— Early Blues: The First Stars of Blues Guitar by Jas Obrecht

https://www.youtube.com/v/klcDgu2f_pQ

John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist.

Hurt was born in Teoc, Carroll County, Mississippi, and raised in Avalon, Mississippi. He taught himself to play guitar at the age of nine, stealthily playing the guitar of a friend of his mother's, who often stayed at the Hurt home while courting a woman who lived nearby. As a youth he played old-time music for friends and at dances. He worked as a farmhand and sharecropper into the 1920s.

Hurt's renditions of "Frankie" and "Spike Driver Blues" were included in The Anthology of American Folk Music in 1952 which generated considerable interest in locating him. When a copy of "Avalon Blues" was discovered in 1963, it led musicologist Dick Spottswood to locate Avalon in an atlas, and ask Tom Hoskins, who was traveling that way, to enquire after Hurt.

Hoskins persuaded an apprehensive Hurt to perform several songs for him, to ensure that he was genuine. Hoskins was convinced and, seeing that Hurt's guitar playing skills were still intact, encouraged him to move to Washington, D.C., and perform for a broader audience. His performance at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival caused his star to rise in the folk revival occurring at that time. He performed extensively at colleges, concert halls, and coffeehouses and appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He also recorded three albums for Vanguard Records. Much of his repertoire was also recorded for the Library of Congress.

Avalon Blues: The Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings

[Mirror Image]

I've been listening to a lot of Blind Willie McTell lately. A legend, from my city. It's inspired me to break out the 12-string which I hadn't touched in years.

May the spirit of Leadbelly be with you.

[Old San Antone]

Robert Hicks, better known as Barbecue Bob (September 11, 1902 – October 21, 1931), was an early American Piedmont blues musician. His nickname was derived from his working as a cook in a barbecue restaurant. One of the two extant photographs of him show him playing a guitar and wearing a full-length white apron and cook's hat.

During his short career Hicks recorded 68 78-rpm sides. His first, "Barbecue Blues", was recorded in March 1927. The record quickly sold 15,000 copies and made him a best-selling artist for Columbia's race series. Following this initial success, his next release firmly established him in the race market. At his second recording session, in New York City in June 1927, he recorded "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues", a song inspired by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.  This song and his other blues releases were popular, and his records sold better than those of other Atlanta blues musicians.

With his brother Charley Lincoln (also known as Charlie Lincoln or Laughing Charley) he recorded "It Won't Be Long Now", a duet with crosstalk, in Atlanta on November 5, 1927. In April 1928, Hicks recorded two sides with the singer Nellie Florence, whom he had known since childhood, and also produced "Mississippi Low Levee Blues", a sequel to "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues". In April 1930, he recorded "We Sure Got Hard Times Now", which contains bleak references to the Great Depression. Barbecue Bob was primarily a blues musician, but he also recorded a few traditional songs and spirituals, including "When the Saints Go Marching In", "Poor Boy, Long Ways from Home" and "Jesus' Blood Can Make Me Whole".

Barbecue Bob also recorded as a member of the Georgia Cotton Pickers in December 1930, a group consisting of Bob and the guitarist Curley Weaver and harmonica player Buddy Moss. As a group they recorded a handful of sides, including their adaptation of Blind Blake's "Diddie Wa Diddie" (recorded as "Diddle-Da-Diddle") and the Mississippi Sheiks' "Sitting on Top of the World" (recorded as "I'm on My Way Down Home"). They were his last recordings.

Hicks died in Lithonia, Georgia, of a combination of tuberculosis and pneumonia brought on by influenza, at the age of 29, on October 21, 1931. His recording of "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues" was apparently played at his graveside before the burial.

https://www.youtube.com/v/ypiJ1KzrI84

[Old San Antone]

Hudson Whittaker (January 8, 1903 – March 19, 1981), known as Tampa Red, was an American Chicago blues musician.

https://www.youtube.com/v/_X1CwBveMaY

Tampa Red & Willie B. James - Seminole Blues (1937)

Tampa Red is best known as a blues guitarist who had a distinctive single-string slide style. His songwriting and his bottleneck technique influenced other leading Chicago blues guitarists, such as Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Nighthawk and Muddy Waters, and many others, including Elmore James and Mose Allison. In a career spanning over 30 years he also recorded pop, R&B and hokum songs. His best-known recordings include "Anna Lou Blues", "Black Angel Blues", "Crying Won't Help You", "It Hurts Me Too", and "Love Her with a Feeling".

Bottleneck Guitar 1928-1937

[Old San Antone]

Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James (June 9, 1902 – October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter.

His guitar playing is noted for its dark, minor-key sound, played in an open D-minor tuning with an intricate finger picking technique. James first recorded for Paramount Records in 1931, but these recordings sold poorly, having been released during the Great Depression, and he drifted into obscurity.

After a long absence from the public eye, James was rediscovered in 1964 by blues enthusiasts, helping further the blues and folk music revival of the 1950s and early 1960s. During this period, James appeared at folk and blues festivals, gave concerts around the country and recorded several albums for various record labels. His songs have influenced generations of musicians and have been adapted by numerous artists. He has been hailed as "one of the seminal figures of the blues."

https://www.youtube.com/v/UNftrsCMiQs

When I first heard Skip James I couldn't believe it.  His singing and songs were so compelling with a haunting mysterious quality rare among Blues singers.  I read a biography of him and he was described as highly intelligent and quick to dismiss anyone who did not take his measure accurately.  He was apt to refuse to perform if he felt his music would not be appreciated and it is not surprising that he chose to make money in other ways beside his music.   

When he was "re-discovered" and although he had not played for 20 years or more, when he perform he had lost little of his power.

[Old San Antone]

I am about two-thirds of the way through this book (I am reading the Kindle edition and cannot comment on the CD that comes with the hard copy book):

Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues
by Elijah Wald

The life of blues legend Robert Johnson becomes the centerpiece for this innovative look at what many consider to be America's deepest and most influential music genre. Pivotal are the questions surrounding why Johnson was ignored by the core black audience of his time yet now celebrated as the greatest figure in blues history.

Trying to separate myth from reality, biographer Elijah Wald studies the blues from the inside -- not only examining recordings but also the recollections of the musicians themselves, the African-American press, as well as examining original research. What emerges is a new appreciation for the blues and the movement of its artists from the shadows of the 1930s Mississippi Delta to the mainstream venues frequented by today's loyal blues fans.

It is one of the best books on Robert Johnson and the historical context that produced him.  One huge benefit is that Wald not only goes over the scanty biographical documentation but offers a song by song discussion of each of his recordings.  Using the Centennial Collection (which presents the songs chronologically) I have been reading those chapters along with listening to each song in order. 

It has been a very enjoyable process.

This 2CD set is, IMO, the best way to listen to Robert Johnson.  Not only have the songs been re-mastered, very successfully I might add, but as I said it is valuable to hear his progression song-by-song, as he recorded them, as opposed as to how they were released (or not) by the labels.  Often an alternate take is the best version.  Robert Johnson would often change the tempo, or guitar accompaniment or even the lyrics on multiple takes of the same song, and since he only left us 29 songs, having the alternate takes is extremely valuable.

[j winter]

I am about two-thirds of the way through this book (I am reading the Kindle edition and cannot comment on the CD that comes with the hard copy book):

Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues
by Elijah Wald

And another one for the to-read pile...  you're killin' me, bro... 


Speaking of which, do you have any album recommendations for Skip James?  I've of course heard of him, but I don't currently have any recordings....

[Old San Antone]

And another one for the to-read pile...  you're killin' me, bro... 


Speaking of which, do you have any album recommendations for Skip James?  I've of course heard of him, but I don't currently have any recordings....

Skip James's recordings fall into two groups, the originals which are found on a pretty good compilation and then his later recordings, of which there are a number both studio and live, 1960s and later.  In some cases his later versions are better performances and certainly better sound, but I would still recommend the complete original recordings despite its audio quality which is just OK despite the claim of being re-mastered.

The Vanguard Visionary release is an excellent later release, but only has 10 tracks.




That said, there is a great 5CD set, Legends of Country Blues: Pre-war Recordings of Skip James, Son House, Bukka White, Tommy Johnson & Ishmon Bracey.  The Skip James disc is the same one pictured above.



Here is why even re-mastering does not improve the audio very much:

By the time Skip James was going to be recorded by Paramount, the company was near collapse.  Even in good times it was not Paramount's policy to record so many sides with an untried artist.  Either James came cheap, or that he was seen as a musical prodigy who would save the company.  In any event, the James sides sold badly - a few were not even released, and on their dissolution, Paramount destroyed all but a few masters, so that unissued material was lost. This, incidentally, also explains the poor quality of Paramount reissues - all the material is transcribed from poorly made 78rpm discs. 

[j winter]

Many thanks!  Food for thought...

[Old San Antone]

I am going to post this here, but it could also go in the Bluegrass & Old Time Music thread (and I will cross-post it there) since this generous compilation from Columbia contains many old time selections as well as erly blues.  These vernacular styles both developed during the period the box set covers, but I think without doing a numerical count, that there are more old time songs than blues.

Roots 'n' Blues: Retrospective 1925-1950



This might be seen as an expansion of the Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music that came out in 1952 and influenced an entire generation that went on to create the folk/blues revival during the '50s and '60s.

[BWV 1080]

RL Burnside

https://youtu.be/BLF-f4kUtAw

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Good albums. He even played piano.
Glad to see these bluesmen on the thread. Looking forward to seeing your favorite Bukka White and Blind W Mctell albums.

Skip James's recordings fall into two groups, the originals which are found on a pretty good compilation and then his later recordings, of which there are a number both studio and live, 1960s and later.  In some cases his later versions are better performances and certainly better sound, but I would still recommend the complete original recordings despite its audio quality which is just OK despite the claim of being re-mastered.

The Vanguard Visionary release is an excellent later release, but only has 10 tracks.




That said, there is a great 5CD set, Legends of Country Blues: Pre-war Recordings of Skip James, Son House, Bukka White, Tommy Johnson & Ishmon Bracey.  The Skip James disc is the same one pictured above.



Here is why even re-mastering does not improve the audio very much:

[Irons]

As a young man I thought Lightning Hopkins the coolest man on the planet, I was probably right. Don't think he crossed the Atlantic but Sleepy John Estes did and I did attend a Blues concert at the Albert Hall featuring amongst others, Estes. His singing voice was unique, fractured and vulnerable but bluesy. His lyrics in the Blues tradition were very risque ..... two titles that are unforgettable Let your linen hang low and Smells like fish but ain't no pie.

[Old San Antone]

As a young man I thought Lightning Hopkins the coolest man on the planet, I was probably right. Don't think he crossed the Atlantic but Sleepy John Estes did and I did attend a Blues concert at the Albert Hall featuring amongst others, Estes. His singing voice was unique, fractured and vulnerable but bluesy. His lyrics in the Blues tradition were very risque ..... two titles that are unforgettable Let your linen hang low and Smells like fish but ain't no pie.

Agree on all points.  Lightnin' Hopkins was one of the first blues musicians I got into as well.  Growing up in Shreveport, I was next door to where he performed a lot and heard of him before some of the Delta singers from the '30s. One of his lyrics has remained in my memory for over 50 years: "She's gone, like a turkey through the corn."

[Irons]

Agree on all points.  Lightnin' Hopkins was one of the first blues musicians I got into as well.  Growing up in Shreveport, I was next door to where he performed a lot and heard of him before some of the Delta singers from the '30s. One of his lyrics has remained in my memory for over 50 years: "She's gone, like a turkey through the corn."

Wow, I am envious of you being so up close. Read all the Paul Oliver books that gave a flavour but not the same of course. I recall a Lightening Hopkins song about a Cadillac with white wall tyres and I was sitting up there all black with white eyes and white teeth. As you say memory is a strange thing. I can remember those words from over half a century ago but struggle to recall what I had for breakfast yesterday.

[Old San Antone]

Wow, I am envious of you being so up close. Read all the Paul Oliver books that gave a flavour but not the same of course. I recall a Lightening Hopkins song about a Cadillac with white wall tyres and I was sitting up there all black with white eyes and white teeth. As you say memory is a strange thing. I can remember those words from over half a century ago but struggle to recall what I had for breakfast yesterday.

Apparently my memory wasn't as good as I thought.  The actual lyric is:

Long gone, like a turkey through the corn
Long gone, like turkey through the corn
Long gone, with my long pyjamas on

[Irons]

Apparently my memory wasn't as good as I thought.  The actual lyric is:

Long gone, like a turkey through the corn
Long gone, like turkey through the corn
Long gone, with my long pyjamas on

Which conjures up a surreal image. These guys were not only great musicians but poets too - who would have thought pyjamas in that context?

A sign of a good poet is his words leave an imprint. Not from your neck of the woods but Snooks Eaglin sung -

Alberta, Alberta
Where did you go last night?
When you come home this morning your clothes ain't fitting right.
https://youtu.be/_LJV08DF4B8

[Irons]

Big Joe Williams with his 9 string guitar and supported by Ransom Knowling on bass: Highway 49.

Released on CD in 1992 and worth seeking out for the superb musicianship alone of Williams' playing on guitar.

https://youtu.be/ZBUKSGOZNzs