That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it. The delay of St. James has everything to do with the keeper of the bees, so blame her. Everything regarding St. James has been compiled and is ready to go, bees or not.

We celebrated in secret our 4 year anniversary here at Honey H.Q. last month – Casey Bill Weldon was played very loudly – much dancing followed. I think Casey’s guitar sound is my favorite outside of Son House – I also think Casey is served well with a piano backing it pops his guitar sound a lot more than when he’s backed by another guitarist.

Casey Bill Weldon – Someone Changed The Lock On My Door (1935)

I hadn’t heard of Mosaic Select until the other I heard a story on Fresh Air about a new Boogie-Woogie Box set released released by them. Mosaic appears to be somewhat like an American grown Bear Family records specializing in box sets of jazz artists – especially of well known jazz artists little known recording periods. I’m not really an expert in jazz by any means – but these sets look fantastic – The Complete Charlie Parker on Benedetti? Yes Please.

Mosaic’s three disc set of boogie-woogie might be the first serious look at boogie woogie and blues piano in the pre-war era. The set is limited to 5,000 copies and priced at $49 which is high considering the set it self looks like a JSP Box, but without the shadiness and with excellent and extremely well documented notes.

I’m going to pick three tracks, one from each disc just to sample the set, the first track is a showy piece (even for a boogie woogie number) by Meade Lux Lewis – that is a perfect example of the style and just a great composition. The next is an star-studded number with Pete Johnson on piano and Hot Lips Page on trumpet and the great Joe Turner on vocals who complains about the tempo being too fast at the end of this unissued take. I think the tempo is is just right – and the last third of the side has some of the best call and response from a vocalist and his band that I’ve heard. The last track is from the great Cripple Clarence Lofton with a track that sounds like proto-southern soul, wonderful play between the drummer and Lofton, though it features more Lofton’s warbly voice than his fantastic piano skills (though he gets his lines in), I’m just in love with this track.

Buy It Here!!

Meade Lux Lewis – Bear Cat Crawl (1938)
Pete Johnson And His Boogie Woogie Boys – Jump For Joy (1939)
Cripple Clarence Lofton – Strut That Thing (1935)

Truth be told I’m currently obsessed with Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak and the Ohio Player’s Fire – but I’ll refrain from posting selections from those albums today. There’s been a couple of requests for the Lonnie Johnson songs I’ve mentioned recently – so here is a trio of sides from easily the most versatile bluesman around. Death Valley Is Only Half Way To My Home is one my favorite blues songs of all time – and one of the most moving pieces of music I’ve ever heard.

Lonnie Johnson – Death Valley Is Only Half Way To My Home (1930)
Lonnie Johnson – Headed For Southland (1930)
Lonnie Johnson – Southland Is Alright With Me (1931)

My computer is in tip top shape. Time Machine managed to scramble my password upon restore which didn’t make my life easier, I’ll say that.
If anyone has any information on the Folklore programs at Western Kentucky, Georgia State or UNC(Chapel Hill) let me know. Thanks!

Doom and Gloom is the latest pre-war related release on the Trikont label and like always it’s a fantastically researched and document release two things that almost never ever go together. The theme behind Doom and Gloom and pretty self explainartory – though War and Wrecks might be more clear – as most of the songs deal with wars and accidents and ships sinking (this is also the theme behind People Take Warning) more so than gloom per se. The set is also smartly bookended with two wonderful Blind Willie Johnson songs and features some real deep cuts from family faces like Charlie Poole, Big Bill Broonzy and Casey Bill Wheldon which is always refreshing. The two tracks I’m highlighting are a solid pre-war side from Big Bill Broonzy about the great flood of 1927, and I’ve sadly neglected Big Bill even though he is one of the finest blues guitar players of all time. The second side is the Sinking of the Titanic by Richard Rabbitt Brown who I hadn’t heard before – but according to the linear notes played mostly in brothels which makes me want to seek out the rest of his recordings.

update: apparently I have heard Richard Rabbitt Brown before, he’s on The Anthology as well as Goodbye, Babylon I’ve never really noticed him until now though. There is also a movement that says he might have recorded under Blind Willie Harris

Buy It Here!!!

Big Billy Broonzy – Southern Flood Blues (1937)
Richard Rabbitt Brown – Sinking of the Titanic (1927)

John Bondurant left a couple of comments on the Buel Kazee and Wise County posts from a few months ago – and linked to Berea College’s wonderful collection digitalized field recordings from Kentucky and the greater Appalachia area. It’s a revelatory website and really well laid out – you can even search by county! Check it out here.

I received the new Dust To Digital Release, Victrola Favorites from Ms. Honey for Christmas, and I haven’t been able to stop listening to it since then. I think that Dust To Digital is a pretty hit and miss reissue group – but all their releases have a striking amount of detail and love poured into the song choices (though the art direction and build quality of another one of their new releases, Art of Recording, leaves a lot to be desired and has prevented me from reviewing it fairly thus far.) and this one might be their best work yet.

The set is loosely themed around a collection of 78s from around the world compiled by collectors Jeffery Taylor and Robert Mills and design to simulate a Victrola parlor or I guess more accurately – their Victrola parlor where they play long forgotten 78s they have found from all corners of the world and through many different means. The collection of sides is wonderfully sequenced and each song moves smoothly into the next despite being all different corners for the world. The names and records are mostly unfamiliar to me – which is a pleasant surprise – as this is not just a good collection of sides in the way Goodbye, Babylon or Tikont’s Flashback series are, but it’s a masterful and well documented collection of songs, unheard a much more challenging feat – and one that puts this collection on a short list for one of the best collections of songs that I’ve ever heard. The collection is two discs and held in the covers of a 144 page booklet with amazing detail shots of the 78 labels, sleeves and advertising that accompanied these sides. I can’t really say this strongly enough, but I highly recommend this release.

Buy It Here !

Kelly Harrell – O! Molly Go Ask Your Mother (1927)
Carlos Ramos – Torre De Belem (1931)

“Lord, I’m Troubled About My Soul” is my favorite traditional gospel song, though it does not have a deep recorded tradition as many southern gospel songs. This version is by Lillie Knox who was recorded by John Lomax on one of his Library of Congress field recording trips through South Carolina. Lillie Knox has a incredible voice – and this track recorded acapella is one of the most moving recordings I’ve ever heard.

Lille Knox – I’m Troubled About My Soul (1937)

Ruth Willis might be my favorite female country blues singer. Of course Memphis Minnie gets all the mainstream press and the cool kids and their overpriced reissues love Geeshie Wiley (though its hard to fault them for that) but Ruth Willis gets my heart. Best known for her fantastic work with Blind Willie McTell she also recorded a handful tracks with Fred McMullen (himself a lost Georgia blues treasure) that I think are even better than her work with McTell. Willis is backed on this track by McMullen and Curley Weaver (or perhaps Buddy Moss) but it’s Willis’ vocal ability that really sells this track – driving each word into your heart with incredible precision.

Ruth Willis – I’m Still Sloppy Drunk (1933)

By request here are the other four sides by Billy Bird. Mill Man Blues is a solid blues number, almost the equal Down in the Cemetery. The other two sides are Alabama Blues part 1 and 2. Theses numbers are based off Jim Jackson’s Kansas City Blues, thought they aren’t near as great as that number. Part 1 plays off T for Texas and Part 2 is a little more vulgar, and I think the better take of the song.

Billy Bird – Mill Man Blues (1936)
Billy Bird – Alabama Blues Pt. 1 (1936)
Billy Bird – Alabama Blues Pt. 2 (1936)

I promise. It’s been a rough few months, thanks for sticking around.

I posted a track by Speckled Red way back in June of 05and it’s still up to download, which is remarkable I think. I don’t revisit too many of my old posts, there are far too many blues people to unearth to repeat the same dozen artists that CD compilations seems to be happy to produce. Speckled Red is also so fun and lively; this track will surely get you out of your seat – and it also provides a great counterpoint to the question I always get “Why are the blues so depressing?”

Speckled Red – You Got To Fix It (1938)

Ruby Walker recorded under the name Ruby Smith, and it’s pretty easy to hear why. On this cover of Bessie Smith’s ‘Lectric Chair Blues she attempts (and mostly succeeds) at sounding just like Bessie Smith. While this doesn’t make her the most interesting of the female blues singers it does make her a pretty solid one. Besides most female blues singers couldn’t even hold a candle to Bessie’s singing talent – Ruby Walker has a few lit.

Ruby Walker (Smith) – ‘Lectric Chair Blues (1938)