Thanks to the couple of people who sent me some of the 1960s Black Ace recordings. These were recorded by Arhoolie in 1960 during the start of the blues/folk revival and this song in particular shows that Black Ace was still incredible slide guitar player some 40 years after he first recorded. It’s a shame he wasn’t able to support himself recording during those in-between years – or even record more during his first and last sessions he was certainly capable of recording wonderful music.

Black Ace – Bad Times Stomp (1960)

This song by Black Ace is by request – the reasons of which I won’t speculate. Black Ace was a fantastic slide guitar player from Texas, though unlike most Texas blues musicians He did not set to emulate Blind Lemon, but whose inspirations lie in delta-blues great Robert Johnson and Oscar Woods. He recorded a handful of tracks in 1930s and then recorded a few more tracks in the 1960s, though I haven’t heard those. If anyone has heard his last recordings let me know if they are worth picking up.

Black Ace – Trifling Woman (1937)

I haven’t really posted any real down blues songs recently, blame the weather I guess. But this side from Slim Burton and Eddie Mapp, culled from the wonderful Georgia Blues 1928-33 disc from Document is as blue as it gets. A gut wrenching harmonica and vocal duet by these two country blues masters is slow and painful – and might be the song that Lonnie Johnson would sing while walking through Death Valley.

Slim Burton and Eddie Mapp – Wicked Treatin’ Blues (1929)