A lot of really wonderful pre-war discs came out towards the end of the 2009 and I missed them all. Of course I get emails promoting pretty much everything BUT pre-war music so I’m playing catch up now. The first of these discs is Gastonia Gallop, a collection of pre-war country/folk songs from Gaston County, North Carolina a place that holds special place in my heart as my Grandparents lived there for most of their lives. As a kid I can remember my Grandfather driving me through the mill houses, for the mill that had long been closed, showing where his friends/cousins lived and how what the  impact the mill closing had on the city and the riot of 29 that changed the racial landscape of the city.

This is and Old Hat release, a North Carolina based reissue label who, all state pride aside, are doing the best work around. Their releases are singular in thought and vision. They don’t make sprawling multi disc releases covering everyone who passed through Gaston County, but a selection of important records covering the scope of material – and presented with a strong point of view and narrative that is supplemented by wonderful liner notes. Both tracks presented here are great examples of how “urban” Gaston County musicians sounded  – compare this to the string bands to the east and blues musicians to the north during the same time period and it’s a night and day difference from instrumental complexity to just the sound of the recordings, both things not normally associated with pre-war country. It’s great fun to compare the second side here with a lot of the Piedmont blues songs from this period, men had the same thoughts about Carolina girls every where.

Buy Gaston Gallop here!

Wilmer Watts & The Lonely Eagles – She’s A Hard Boiled Rose (1929)

David McCarn – Take Them For A Ride (1930)

These are my favorite types of murder ballads – ones that start of as a typical blues sing, in this case “You Hear Me Knocking” or  a “Lost My Woman” style of blues song, but around the halfway mark it turns darker – Leroy Carr kills his woman for running around with another man. This song is simliar to the great Bessie Smith track “Send me to the ‘lectric chair,” though Carr doesn’t plead to be killed but pleads that his woman had it coming for running around with another man. Carr’s piano is a relentless fever, Scrapper Blackwell backs Carr as usual, but is mixed far to low in the mix which is unfortunate.

Leroy Carr – Court Room Blues (1934)

We are alive. Still listening to blues.

I’m pretty bad at self-promotion, among other things as readers of this oft lapsed blog might have noticed. I wrote a piece for a book called Hang The DJ about female murder blues ballads. You can pick it up at Amazon now! I did a reading of it at the Nashville Book Festival as well, which saw me at my nervous best.

Famous last words, but I’ll have the tracks from that piece up later this week.

A very long time ago someone asked for the newly found Ben Curry tracks. Again these are from the weird 2009 blues calendar that the Blind Blake tracks came from. Ben Curry is another mostly unknown blues player, I posted a track by him back in 2006 under his name Bogus Ben Convington “Adam and Eve in the Garden” which is just as fun as these newly found tracks under his real name. These tracks are somewhat rougher sounding and weaker lyrically than that one, they still are pretty funny – and have that great medicine show guitar sound that I love.

Bogus Ben Covington – Adam and Eve In The Garden (1928)

Ben Curry – Laffing Rag (1932)
Ben Curry – Hot Dog (1932)

There is a great new blog from France called “Old Weird America” that uses The Anthology as a jumping off point for different variations on the songs presented there. About mid-way down the front page there is a fantastic post compiling 100!!! different versions of John Henry. Pretty essential stuff. We are planning on joining forces on a couple of songs, so keep your eyes peeled.

I got a couple of emails this month about the thirst for more Memphis Minnie tracks, as I think only one of the two times I’ve posted about her is still up. This first side, “You Ain’t Doing Nothing To Me,” is one of my favorites by her even though her guitar isn’t really the focus – instead we have Black Bob (Honey Session Player Hall of Famer) on piano backing Minnie who is giving one of her very best vocal performances. The last 15 or seconds of the side are some of my favorite of all time.  The second track is Minnie solo doing “Ain’t No Use Trying To Tell On Me,” a song that sounds like it was ripped right out of Blind Willie McTell’s songbook (Southern Can) that I think is a great sound for her.

Memphis Minnie – You Ain’t Doing Nothing To Me (1935) *fixed*

Memphis Minnie – Ain’t No Use Trying To Tell On Me (1933) *fixed*

With the new Wordpress 2.7 is it not possible to use the new Links feature if your blog isn’t “widget” enabled? I guess it is time for an update for the 2.7 world, but it seems weird that Links doesn’t publish a page anymore.

The next line in the song, She’s Got Jordan River In Her Hips is just as a good as the title, but I won’t spoil it for you. This track was recorded by R.T Hanen who may be Jaydee Short, though I’m not hearing it – especially when Jaydee Short has such a unique voice. Most “dirty” blues songs get pretty old quickly, this one had me laughing all week. I’m also posting a great Jaydee Short song (and one I posted way back in 04) for comparison sake. Listening closer to the Jaydee Short makes me wonder if it was pressed at the wrong speed – the balance of guitar speed and voice pitch seem to be off somewhat.

R.T Hanen – She’s Got Jordan River In Her Hips (1931)

Jaydee Short – Barefoot Blues (1932)

Does Anyone else think that “Add New” is a strange way to phrase the create new post feature in Wordpress 2.7? It took me awhile to figure it what it was referring to, but maybe I’m not into the swing of posting again yet.

Speaking of oddly titled things – Warm Wipe Stomp is a great dance number by Peg Leg Howell and His Gang – one of the best early blues bands, and one I haven’t really talked about on this site much. This track has a great energy to it and features both violin and mandolin two instrustments mostly found in country recordings – but both feel right at home on this side.

Peg Leg Howell and His Gang – Warm Wipe Stomp (1930)

Life Update

I haven’t posted in awhile because I moved to Chapel Hill in November and I don’t have a place to put up my CDs yet, so they are all in boxes and it’s a pretty big pain to get to them at the moment, Ms. Honey assures me that her patent pending shelving system will be put up the week – and posting should pick up around then. I got a new job in the non-profit sector in Orange County, which is a welcomed change from the banking world. The other bit of news is that I got engaged towards the end of last year which is pretty thrilling. The hunt is now on for “appropriate” pre-war blues songs about lasting romance. (please suggest some)

Blind Blake

Over holiday I picked up the 2009 Classic Blues Artwork From The 1920s Calendar, which seems like an awfully specific title, especially since its not accurate as most of the images are from the 1930s. The main draw for the calendar is that it has the newly found Blind Blake tracks (as well as some new Ben Curry sides) which are loan from Old Hat records (though it looks like Yazoo might have put the disc together) which came as as shock to me as I figured that they would want first crack at releasing those sides.

Night and Day is the first of the lost Blind Blake tracks, recorded in 1932 it by the numbers “woke-up-without-my-woman” blues song that’s strangely punctuated by some wonderful upbeat ragtime guitar work between stanzas – the guitar trying to be the force Blake wish for “to move these blues away” but I’m not sure if it works.

Sun To Sun fairs better I feel – I know most people don’t listen to Blake for his lyrics – but this song is pretty solid I love “I’ve lived on water/I’ve lived on land/I ain’t find no woman whose been fine with one man” line that ends the song.

Blind Blake – Night and Day (1932)
Blind Blake – Sun To Sun (1932)

Document’s recordings of Monkey Joe have always been the one disc I’ve always put back on the shelf/remove from my Amazon cart, maybe it’s the nick name that always rubbed me wrong – but it is a shame that I didn’t around to listening to him until last month.

Jesse Coleman recorded his first track in 1935 – but continued to play in blues clubs until at least the 1970s. Working as both a session player – he is most known for his aggressive piano playing style and his almost welping singing style. Both of these features are present on the first track a wonderfully original blues number, “Gonna Beat It Back To Memphis” an angry blues letter to world and the blues – he’s not taking the blues lying down on this one. The wonderful Walter Vincson plays guitar on this track – but he’s all but obscured by Coleman’s piano being way too high in the mix. Th e track is credited to Monkey Joe and his Music Grinders – a group consisting of Honey’s favorite Blind Joe Davis on piano and Willie Bee James on guitar -Coleman “only” sings on this side, I Was Laying ‘Em Down, but Davis’ style compliments the track a lot better and allows for the band to really carry the track which is always a pleasure to hear in pre-war era that was dominated by solo performances.

Jesse “Monkey Joe” Coleman – Gonna Beat It Back To Memphis (1935)
Monkey Joe and his Music Grinders – I Was Laying ‘Em Down (1939)

I’ve updated the Stagolee page again, reducing the number of MIA tracks, thanks to Bert and others who have sent in files recently. The Final (!!) update to St. James should be up on the donors page tonight (or at least by 9/2) – apparently I like downloading, deleting and re-downloading those files over and over again. I know I’ve lost a few on the way because of that. If you donated tracks for these collections and haven’t heard from me by tomorrow night (9/2) send me an email (pkpatnaik@prewarblues.org) for your password.

This song was requested awhile ago, but I’m just now getting around to putting it up. I wasn’t familiar with George Hannah before this request, I just had a few of his tracks scattered across a few discs. Hannnah isn’t the best singer, but he is a very unique songwriter – focusing on the other side of city life in the pre-war era. Boy in Boat is a great observation of city life, and sound somewhat like Tom Waits in parts. Freakish Man Blues goes more into details about his own personal leanings and is quite fun. Hannah is backed on both tracks by Meade Lux Lewis who is always a pleasure to hear.

George Hannah – The Boy In The Boat (1930)
George Hannah – Freakish Man Blues (1930)

Virgil Childers recorded a handful of sides in Charlotte, NC a recording site more known for pre-war country than blues. Childers is a really light/pop piedmont blues artist (though his style isn’t pure piedmont like Fuller) he has an enjoyable voice and is a pretty solid guitar player. He also recorded Dago Blues, which combined with the version below by Luella Miller are the only two versions I know about. I also enjoy his take on Red River Blues, one of my favorite songs.

Virgil Childers – Dago Blues (1938)
Virgil Childers – Red River Blues(1938)