This track from Jesse Thomas is a little bit outside of the range of years normally covered hear, but its so fantastic I couldn’t keep it to myself. Thomas was a session player (most famously with Bessie Tucker) and played mostly around Texas during the pre-war years. This track is from 1948 and he has plugged in, but still retains the purity of the pre-war blues guitar. I love love love the guitar song on this recording.
The next song on this Kent release is another pre-war star’s initial post war recording - Whistling Alex Moore, under his birth name Alexander Moore - does a rowdy Texas Blues number called Neglected Woman - and it’s a rave. The full band here is fantastic and Moore does a great job on piano keeping setting the blazing pace of this number. I wish the drums were a little more in the mix - but it still has the great sound that is also present on Jesse Thomas’ song. I’ve also added an mostly instrumental version of Lillie Mae Blues from that same Alexander Moore session.
Jesse Thomas - Gonna Write You A Letter(1948)
Alexander Moore - Neglected Woman (1951)
Alexander Moore - Lillie Mae Blues (1951)
I’m sorry for the confusion about passwords, but I don’t know of any way to edit the password page to explain how the password system works. The way it works is you click here and it takes you to my donate page - where you can donate some money me out with increasing server costs and I send you a password that allows you to access the videos and the stagolee files among other things. This week I should have reviews of the new Dust To Digital releases, Art of Field Recording and Victrola Favorites.
I’ve been in wonderful Nashville for the past week, and I picked a collection of Ike Turner’s Chicago Sessions - recorded for Cobra and while I think that his best work without Tina was compiled on the wonderful Ike’s Instrumentals on Ace, this compilation features Ike with some great vocalists like Betty Everett and the underrated and seldom heard Tommy Hodge. This track was recorded by Ike and a stellar band in 1958 and features the aforementioned Tommy Hodge on vocals singing his heart out in one of the best electric blues performances I’ve heard. Ike passed away late last year and I was saddened that many of the bloggers who chose to pay homage to Ike’s legacy (and not just for his abusive relationship with Tina) no one I read post anything about Ike’s early rock and roll years.
Ike Turner - Down and Out (1958)
Sorry for avoiding the blog for a few weeks but i’ve slowly but I’ve started the slow crawl to unemployment as my work contract has unexpectedly terminated, or rather will be terminated sometime in January or February whenever I finish what I’ve been working on recently. I think I’ve come to the acceptance phase of termination and I’m pretty excited to move on to other and hopefully better employment or possibly grad school.
I am looking for recommendations on graduate schools - I’m interested in getting into a southern studies/history or a musicology program like the one at University of Memphis where I could focus on southern musical culture or history. In my brief search I’ve discover programs at both Ole Miss and University of Memphis that excite me , but I’m open and interested in other programs around the country. I’m sort of nervous about going into a music department because I’ve never taken any music courses (I was a history major in undergrad) and a lot of music programs have very daunting requirements for someone who can’t read music. But please send me your recommendation and advice to pkpatnaik at prewarblues.org
I was sent this album a few weeks ago by a reader it was released by a small british label, Mississippi, called Life is a Problem - and I can’t get it out of my head. This track in particular has really changed my mind about Utah Smith - a post-war gospel guitar player who until I heard both of his tracks on this album I thought he was so boring and all coffee shop hype. This track in particular “I Am Free” with his noisy electric blues guitar and his backing chorus with handclaps and shouts that really bring this song alive.
The two releases that I’ve heard of by this label are available for purchase here (UK) and are vinyl only.
For domestic readers of this site - Other Music stocks the album online - here.
Utah Smith - I’m Free
I meant to post this on Sunday as it doesn’t really have anything to do with blues - but it’s a great great song and should be number 1 ! on everyone’s playlist by weeks end. Charles Walker only recorded this one single for Nashville label Champion before moving to NYC and forming the somewhat famous (Little) Charles and the Sidewinders under the wing of Lloyd Price. But this one singe, I think, is much better than his later material and really one of the best Rhythm And Blues songs of all time. At two minutes in length, Charles Walker rips through the song at a almost proto-punk speed - leaving his patched together backing vocalists little time to catch up. What it would be like to have seen him preform live during these years…
Charles Walker and the Daffodils - No Fool No More (1959)
A long time ago, This album was requested when I was posting a bunch of out of print things - and I’m finally making good on that promise. Trix Records was one of the best of the blues labels in post-war era though it never had the break through artists that would help propel Chess and others to major label status. This album Detroit After Hours is a collection of their musicians playing on the same piano and recored live at a house in Detroit’s “The Valley” a former black neighborhood that was the center of black entertainment after the war and was demolished over time in the 70s and 80s to make way for a freeway. The music is lively and really capture the spirit of a blues after hour party and all these songs are wonderful.
Pick a song or pick the full album.
Chuck Smith - The Train Is Coming (1973)
Detroit After Hours Vol. 1 (zip file)
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)
There were a few requests in my inbox this morning for more Josie Miles, so I picked A To Z Blues, which she introduces but the song is taken over by Billy Higgins who doesn’t do her any favors by singing lead on this song. A to Z Blues is an interesting song because it might be the most violent of all the murder blues songs. It’s so gory in fact it’s almost comical and later versions of the song seem to follow that idea as they become more sing-songy rather than mean and forceful way Higgins sings the song. These are all the versions of the song that I have, are there any more?
Josie Miles - A To Z Blues (1924)
Blind Willie McTell - A To Z Blues (1949)
Blind Willie McTell - A To Z Blues (1956)
Butterbeans and Susie - A To Z Blues (1924)
Charley Jordan - Cutting My ABCs (1937)
As requested, Jack Owens was one of the last links to pre-war blues music this country had left when he passed in 1997. A bother-in-law for a time to Skip James, his music came from the same place, it was darkly meditative, though Owens wasn’t as skilled as James. This track features Bud Spires on harmonica and was recorded by Alan Lomax in the mid 60s.
Rob Hutton of Long Sought Home(which unfortunately has closed down, though he is preparing his next venture) has a great piece about Owens here.
Jack Owens - Cherry Ball BluesÂ
It’s taking me forever to ready this mix, but it’s finally done. I’ve picked my twenty five favorite blues songs of all time, most of them are pre-war though a few slip into the post war era. The most notable post-war recording is Son House’s Death Letter Blues recorded in 1965 which made the list over his 1941/1942 recordings with Lomax (a record I often call my favorite blues recording of all time) because it was this recording that got me into the blues more so than anything else. It’s so hard to limit your favorite records of all time to twenty five, so a few artists dear to my heart were left off: Rev. Gary Davis, Ida Cox, Elizabeth Cotten, The Gee’s Bend Singers, Blind Willie McTell, Tommy Johnson, Walter Davis, Blind John Davis all missed the cut and I’m sorry, but there’s gotta be room for another twenty five.
The mix is available for download here for donors. To donate click here.
My Favorite Twenty Five Tracklist (not in order or rank):
- Rev. Isaiah Shelton - The Liar
- Son House - Death Letter
- Blind Boy Fuler - Why Don’t My Baby Write To Me?
- Blind Blake - Dry Bone Shuffle
- im Clark - Fat Fanny Stomp
- Ruth Ladson - What Do You Bet?
- Bertha “Chippie” Hill - Pratt City Blues
- Doctor Clayton - False Love Blues
- Louise Johnson - All Night Long
- Lucille Bogan - They Ain’t Walking No More
- Sara Martin - Death Sting Me Blues
- J.T. “Funny Paper” Smith - Heart Bleeding Blues
- Blind Jessie Harris - Been In The Jailhouse 1
- harley Patton - You’re Gonna Need Somebody When You Die
- Blind Willie Johnson - It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine 1
- Geechie Wiley & Elvie Thomas - Motherless Child Blues
- Jessie Derrick - If You’ll Come Back To Hollywood
- Bessie Smith - Them “Has Been” Blues
- Sippie Wallace - Murder Is Going To Be My Crime
- John Henry Barbee - Six Weeks Old Blues
- Rev. F.W. McGee and His Congregation - Fifty Miles of Elbow Room
- Victoria Spivey - Down Hill Pull
- Charley Jordan - Keep It Clean
- William Harris - Bullfrog Blues
- Lonnie Johnson - Southland Is Alright With Me
Son House - Death Letter Blues
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