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78Quor.ter$
WhatdoeshesayabbutTom-MYJotrn-son?
How manv coniesof this?-See iheRare Recordssection. ..and theauctions !
The truth aboutCharley Patton'sMURDER!
s!.65
Front cover photo by Fred Ramsey, fr.:(Alabama-66 mlles out of Blrmlngham, on Route 5 t to llontgomery)
(SifaerAnnirtersffiU
Issue)
We invite you to partitipatein this 2)!vear celibraticin ofnon-rtop'd"lu*e publ ishinqwith our meaW reprint o["
lssues no. 1 5nd'no.2
Copyright @\967,1992,78 Quarterly, Inc.
GRTTTINGSfltNDS &
c0t-t-tcrOR$:
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LETTERStotheeditor
ADVERTISINGRATES (black& whi0e onlv):Orrc-sixth pagi(2% bv 5% inches)-$6,N; Onc-third'wee (2Y, bv 10%irCh.e.slgl1.00;Une-lall paze(8t/z bvStAinelrcs)-$20.00: Tuo-thirds wee (5 by10% iicEes)-$30:Full paee (8% bv10Yz indhes )-$ 0.Mechanical Infm-mal,ion:lf possible,Dlease subm,t adsin tle form of cam.era+edd,y paite-ups.AII olntbi or coitirutotts-tone artmust be pre-screetzd.for offsei priains.Otle'naise| lnUt6renesatiue stri>insntile bv tle brirxeruill be'cln$ed atcost.
EDITORIALSTAFF: Editor-Rrblisher-PeleWhelnnMutqnineEdi0or-Nanc-v
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VlelanAsscr;'rateEditors ard con--hibutnrs-Fran/rDriges: La,orenceCoffi: BiIl Ciuens:I ohn'Godrich: Dotietydstruo: Beirnrd "Klatzkai IolnMacKen'zie: NickPerls: tacquesRocle: DuhcanSchiedt: Jacob S,Sclp..zeid,er: RobertTmuis; Hew,r Ves-tinc: Gayle Wardla r.
OverseasRemesentativead Marager:Sinon Naoier.BLUES UNLIT4.ITED. 3Ba Sack-ville Road.Bexhill-oiAea.Susser, England.
78 QIJARTERLYis oublislrcd bv 78Publishinl Coimpany,39 Remsei Strebt.
''
Brooklyn. N.Y.11201,'u.S.A.
Cosponsaed by ORIGIN{.AZ-LIBBA-R!, Box 863,Berkeley, Califdnia.
QLt A RT E R Ly d i s c ontinuz s publ ic ati on-[.. Cunn, Lod_i, N.].blatk phtti, gennefi.,superror and paramormtAs the wife of anauid iazz record collector. I unuld like"toexpriss my sympa.thies t6 other uiues ofauid record colLictors. Ladies and niueS:much of your bu.deet allotmnce is beins usedto buy'stratclry-s"oundine rusic on suc\,bizane labeLs'as Black?atti, Gennett. Suo-erior, and Paramount. I haue been manied'onb six months and, for the eood of my mar-riarte, I made a significant dEcisioi: durinsmy"hus barul' s re c"ent' sale s trip t o Chicaeo" forhis manufacturing firm" I renn:ued the soltrc'eof di{ficiltv..,l iwde seueral triDs to ourclnr'cbal c6okow behind the hnise..,meltinethem dann into a uiscuous liouid. After ondhnur's-time. I fomd tlnt the-nateridl
'uns
{irm yet sticky', By euenins, it Ltad reuerted'to alnrd, bri{tle SubsnncT t}nt uns dark in
color and of ponderous mass-slnoed in theform of an iniperfect elobe. The s.lobe's'atn
oiter dia'rneiers ircasure siiand eiehtfeet, respectiuelv: the total ueieht is ahbsti'mated 950 o6inds. Mv husba"nd is due toretttrn from Ais'soles' c6nference in htndays, itnd I unuld Riue a fortme to see theexbression on his face. Houeuer. I ltauescheduled passaed on the Bremeihauen tooisit relatiues iiEurope-Mrs. T. Croz. WiId-flou.ter, Kansas a wealth of naterial /iecently camz into an inheritance of uellouer $3,00O,M0 ilzroueh the death 6f anaurt. Naatrally, I amlookine for inierestinsu,ays to inuesi a portion of ihis stun, Aspait of rw ,inuestinent profrarn, I am e,xplor,-. ,ms nrctnod,s ol Durclasrng rare record,s. wluchI fuerstand, hirue .shani-a high net/ gioss.ratLo rrse-htsher tlan etther stnntDs or colns.Of course, I ieed reassurance tlni theoberall nwdian uill continue its Dresentuv,urd spiml, an^d tlnl the cuneht pricesaie not the resuh o{ nanioulation by ato orth.ree indiuidwlsind tfuit rnlues /eflectsowtd, erowth, ratler than acquisitiubness.For co:nnlex reasons. uhichl atn tnt at lib-eny b ditnlse, I haie been urnble ndeiosit tlp drisiwl smt directly into tlebcink for conueision to negotiables, Houteuer,I am lpldins the anount ilr its orisitnl form(i .e. ,50's," IN's ard up). I u i l l 'prouidecertain serial numbers of snnller'dercmin-atiotts upon request. IncTudes unter-mark,red-threh.d. rae-oulp stnck: 3 colors: 2 sreens& black. dndlthe-Iinc steel ensrauinsfrom28 oer c ent culne ra re duc tion -T1 F oliiri sunrthIII.' N orth slpre. L.1.. N. Y.the biebrbak 1'd like io know ulnt kindaf bhres-iazz maeazine is it. that doesn't eben'eiue
a tihisper to Charlie MingtLs or OmetteC olennn ? The aLl-too-curren['white folks'blues fetish is apparewly once again'blindto tte'subtleties'6f tle expression of out-raee l>y cooled-offAnrcricdns. Inste6.d. vouIo-ok through a nidcroscope ard, see yoir'outnpersonal dessage in rural Southem'blues, Itis rwt your cdtitre or era. You uere blind nthe coitntry blues for 100 years. Notu.30 vearsqfter it all ended,'you are'na lonser blind:a.fter it all ended.'you are'rn loneer Slind!WilI it be arntlei 30 years beforE you siveWnS"t gnd Coleman ilnt ' Bifu Br6ak'in 78
tlle cfeatest Euer since the demise ofTheRecord Chaneer, circa /958, all y:ou
s.uys lnue been bringine out one naxiitusia2z publication aftEr u:rnther. They Lasta fei issues thzn'fold. I mean. uh6.t'stlie puroose of allihis eeotistic nonsense?Wln't hhppens'if I take o"ut a year's sub-scription? Inciilently, this mitkes the fifthso-ialled trwsazine'[ subscribe to, iu.3i tomake stse I don't miss any auctiois. Whenis i-t^going -to endl When.aie you going toend?1 do"n't mind spendine money on rarerecords. I do mind ipendinls it on- mnsazinestlutt are uhreol.able-F. fuin. Neu Ydrk,N.y.hcrt rank Mrxic mliki children,
'should
be heard and rnt seen, Krist, you hothottseflouers brins oa another FRONT LINEissue..,Con,1 vou iust listen to the music?You ruin it by'uriiins about it. tohrmy Doddsuns itnrticulate. Dois this mean anyihinsto you? If it doesn't, then I can't erplnii it,Music is'meant to bi played or heard, notread, or read about.S:year subscriptionLate in'57, I took out a tlvee-year sub-scription to Th.e Record Clnnier. Howeuer,I fuiue heord rwthinp since thdn. I urote atthe time. askine ifiw subscription lndexoired and reieiited rc ansubr. It lp,sbelen about ten years, and I iust thoueld Iunuld uoice nrt'opinoin aboin it and aboutthe sad, sarc 6f iazz in eencral-L.V.Sozires. Paxtoh.'Maine. -"vordMul / canoilv soeak for rivself ofLourse. Houeuer,it ieeitts ob"uioui to inc'there is sornethinsteniblv urone with the cunent folk-blu.es-sceneT My o[mrel is rnt so mich utith thecunent R'&' B or country blues reissues(sod knDws. l'nr rnt on6 to krnck Clnrlie'Patton).
Mi comolnint is with the listenersand, imiat6rs...iith the lnirswe, wunshedbodies of today's YOUTH (uho, I suspect,are in s6me uAy reacting aeainst todny'sTV deodorent |ommercidlsl My disttitefor the s e s e I f-s atis fi ed, fetis Eqnrs hippine'slobs
utho sb obuiiuslv kntnn uhere tTrev -
are gbing (nowhere), ii unlimited. By ii-folk:bluZs rybbis.h in your magazine, youpll yo.ursell Ln lhetr. comPany-you tnue.done Iazz a great dtsertlce. lranslonrungthe n;snlsii saea of the 1920's ihto a
-
oonderous"bore inll take some doinA, and7'm confident 78 OUARTERLY uil(brins itoff-T. C,oz. Wildilower, Kcnsas literarfQnlitv Wouldn't it be better to confine-vour eirleauors to a literarv folio-clearlvdbsiewted os such? Whv iutddy up the
-
bluei-iazz fiel.d uith thb sort of excrementone fiitds oh tle intellectw.I pdsture? I atnan a?mirer of the Hemineuny'direct actionapproach to'Iiterary tsiiine. And, as such,I'iiLI ree direct mlethods fo see tlnt 78
Cotiwni. All risilts reserued.prini e d'nnt e r in l"( rn t s oe c i f i c c'c omri slued els anhere' in this
-comrielued elsanhere'in this nke
aziiw I is covrrishted by 78 toprotect eact iub\tor, anl, i, cannotbe reproduced eitlrcr in ulnle orput iritlww the author's consent.
ROBERT TRAVIShooes of boostins. salei,Tfrat pdlicv uns"carried toridicilous'lerwhs bv Rioer-side, and. noull Colnbia; t iln;:;;' ;;;
-F6 i- i i t on ",
it would be nice to haoe all
Tun exrellent reissuesset the MILESTONE label"o{f
to an enuiable start.Mb Rainey is featured onMILESTONE 2001 andIohnny Dodds on 2002, Alltitles'are d:raan frorn IohnSteiner's historic PAM-LIOUNT taslog. Th9 Rai4cytitles are all ndt to Ip andthe Dodds ue urabtairnbtein tfu U.S.
l.fia md Jalautyare serueduell in uotleiuw too.For tle first tirne 4xcellentduhbirlz' ad. fih erins lnuecut thc-ineuit&Le FAM-MOUNT suface rnise uellbelaa the sietnl. Conerat'ulatbtts to lllessers StEiner,Keepruuts, atd, Haggertytor a Paratowtt lvst-conF'parat
ioe f i d.e litv'! R e c lnnrc I'ing for siereo, 7 olm ?
MaRainev's 192427records arE unll known andneed ra critiouc from me.Clnnces are if ybu don'lhmr about tliein vou willlike tlen>and this Ip is abig breah if you d'o..'Hernwutlt$, gwty moanlng atnu.\at bltchtng come ttvougnuith dictioi tlat is coipar-at iu elv wtl.e r s tand'able.'Titlei arc: "Jealous Hear'ted, Blues. Cell BowdBlues. Aimv Camp HarmonYBlues'. Exolain' The Bluei,Nieht'Tinie Blues, MemphisBolsd Bfucs. Slave To'TheBlues. Bessbmer Bound Blues,Slotu Driuins, Moan, GoneDod.hr Blue-s".
The'firye Dodds sides al,tcleaned uD and ressued nereuere all inde ruith uqriouss In>das h. swinging SouthSif,e aroups circa [925-'27.T he ie s ult i na f r e e<p he.e.l in gblues style Efited,Dodds ,nluch better than,tne rnYlnmtcconfines of the Hot F iie arulSeJen, Soine of,his most ,exoressiue uoik is includedI te're.
Irrcluded too is finebitins trumpet bv 1'ommYLa.dnier arid, oddlv, twosides with Ioe Sriith aLIthe uny from Neu' York.
four Di^xie land Tlunwersiosether. Titles : "RamwnStTeet Bluzs. Don't SlwlceIt No more Too &teet ForWords. Ja|kass BIrEs, Frog,Toneie SnmD (Lwie Auston),C.C PiII Blies (Etird Blake);Orientol Man (Dixielard Thwt'oers)- Steal Auav (ParatrotntPtc6brs). Oh Dddv (Dodds &Pailad. Lonesonb Blues,Lorw Distance Bhns (IfuCox7. Messin' Arourd No. 2( I iihy B lythe' s Ragatnulfins )."
Robert Slwt, a primitioeTexas blues piaip ilayer,Ieads off Maih McConiick'snatL b6bl, ALMANAC (nnber10 ).
Slura is nwinstrq.m tunel-house. He is tliir- Iost'plavins.sttruiuor of a clutch ol sich"blues olniers tlut uirhedmainli thiowh south centralTexai in the" 20s and 30s,
Robert CooPer and AIex.Moore corne io rnind as rel'ated olavers u.tho are knounto rebords,.but Shou does,rwtresemble them uery cLoselY.
To me,Slwp sounds noreChicaeo. but not copiedChicaftd. I hcar strbne ele-me ru s- of C ripple C Lar:e nc e/"The frla Gitnd.er" ). MortarutTavlor ("Whores is Funlq " ),WitI E)eIl and. Al Annois("Here I corie lith My DirtyDirtv Duckins On) and. more.
Lil?e the others, Slnw' sstvle is highlv rhvtlunic,uiore dictable' and. euen enatic.F6rtunatelv for us, h'e does notseem to fuiu'e played muchdu.rine the lnti 3As and 4Osond, t"o haue picked up the newerstyles. Neubrthelesi, his. uig-urbtts plavins. indicates thathe is hot'far"out of his Prime-AII in aII. a mouiie. and sotis-{vine arti'st that Pr:oiects thc'deli"ghts
of the l'ow'life. Rec'ordiing is blwlly sati3t'actory.
As g4pegted, Mack McCor'mick liachs ub the record uithan illumirntins. treatise onon Slnut. the xSanta Fe"eroup, and, Texas piarn inVeniial One iileiestins"ooint
nnde is tlnt the "fast't*estern"
stvle tlut lns- beenutritten aboit repeatedlY inEast is wknani to the-players on the sPot.
E::nnx'so*ii:frztrir-AC uill srow or ilie. I, lorone, lwpZ tor fuwe.issuesas satlstYlng as trtus ottc.
+F"WftC"NYF:89',13383, Housnn 19, T'exas.
Now REN,LY"eccentric" piano canbe heard on VANGUARD9219/ 792 19, "Skip I ames /Todav." Tuo oiarn tracksadd io euitrr d.ccornpaniedblues tlo nake this bne of thebest--and. for me. the beitblues rec6rd.
Reallv exceptionalrecordins and someuhamore IiuZ ly performan c e ss,iue the VANGUARD theIead ouer MELODIAN 7321"Slcip Ianes, Greotest ofthe Deba Blles Sinaers",an outstandinl reeoid in itsoum right.
It is trveic ilwt the driuehos sote-out of tle countrybluel boom iuit uhen an
'
artist uith ilrc. sensitiuity andtalew of tames lws showntlnt le'still nasters his oldnaerial ard' nore important,is soins on tpith nanihing,s,TlEre ieems to be w olaVefor him nout and the [o'ss isbnrs as uell as his.
The ntnes on both recordsdte nostly familiar to larnesfans, "H(ti Lone" and'AllNisht Lonz" oitlp VAN-GtiARD arZ excitine oiarnperformanc es ( Hout-abow aSklo tanes oiano lp? ) Theloutelv bluei mclody, ,,Black
Gal" used succesifullv bvLerov Can and Claienie Wil-liomi ard then forsottenreappears here bs'' trIY Gal,"and bn the Robert Sfuhprecord as "Black GaL"
Nole."'Mississ ippi J ohnI i utt / T odav ". V ANGU A RD9220 / 70210 ins is sued utiththe J atnes and.is a fittittgtnorutrnent to tllot great stngeruln died in lore n66,
Jabbo uns selected byBrunsuick Records in' 1929to froil a band tlwt the com-rniry hornd unuld compete uith'Loiis
Armstrone and his OkehRe cords. Siderien inc ludedLaurence Buford, Cassirc Sim-pson, Ikey Robinson ond 6merSimeon (fresh from a stint uithlellv Ro'II). A7I 19 sidesissi.ed. in 1929 are includedhere.
At the tine the records soldhardly u all and consequcntlyare sb. ro.re that the iaz2 fanslnpe lnd little oopeirtniiv tohear thern h is biasv to ipec-ulate tlnt tllev uere- nore's ophi s tic ate I dnn the nwrke tcoluld bear in the 20s.
Certainlv. Jq,bb went bevondLouis aftler tlprouehlv assiinil-atins ilb style. His i,irtuosoperfonnncds cw Red. Allenbrd, often forsMout mony othertrw4ie ter i, prtic ulaily RoyEldidse-'
'
Jabbo's mmd.s on therecord,s ran*e widely fromthc hot. sta"bbine s6lo on" I az z Battle ". ihe complexu,ork on' Bost6n S cuf fli
"
to tle lvricol "TatuiiavBlues" ard t'$lasfy TirncBlues."
DickSrcttswd unsnrobabtv di s c oncerted uhen'l abbo tbld him (t abbo liues
in Milunrhee) tlnt lE didnot play on the Lloyd Smithand'Ali:x Hill sidei plarmedfor inclusion in the lps.Dick utiselv went ahiad andout them ii anntnv becauseihey gre pertincnt't-o ja4z ofthe'placi, tinrc otd s-tyle.
$ point of discographicdeUcacv rs rarced DY Lnei"tiiiiy .i'" rais e[ by theIp tlnt'should ,be rui,ntioned,ind dismissed, Dodds' pre'sence is questionnble oitthe {irst t1vee Louie Austinsence Ls questhe first threeihe first three Louie Austinsidds. When asked, Mr.K cennat* said " Euertbodyki"one-" said
" EuervbodYin the unrld'thinhs thbv areD odt]s ex c e ot,ll artin Vi lI iar
thby arbn Villiams.
sides. Ll hKeepneus
Dodds exUodd,s exceqt iltartln l4LlltamHe savs thiv arc timmYO'Briaw."'lvie too, bw dec'ide {t'r vourself. One unYo, the rithcr thbv are ouiie
He says t,QlBr-lant.ide {t'r vourself. One unYor the 6thcr thby are quiie
The most importantretssue set to appear Lnseueral vearc ii ihe nn-record sbt. " l abbo Smith"on MELODIAN 7326/7327.Most of tluse sid.es lnoeneoer been reissued in anyfom onl, d,ocwnent a uery'he gle c ted. trump et giant.-
All tracks are excellentlvdubbed {rom uirttnLly rciiefree _78i, a decided plus tlwtwe do not get uery oJten.
I thirh that euerv tradit-iornl iazz fan, ufrether histaste'end, N 1929 or start al1930 trrill be glod lw lro.sthese.
exciting recordS.
l-unuld-sqgest ltry4 fo1 ,tlose of us wfin rtgld mltutsit unuld be nice uhen ws-sible to keep orig.inal rbcor'dlng dates iogether, ratlryrtlnn scatterlng them Ln rne
$$ffioNFgf Lf,- s bv GAYL' *ooo'o*.
C opyight, 1967, GaYIe Deqn W udlow
All Rights Reserued.
IN 78 QUARTERLY'sLEAD ARTICLE,GAYLE WARDLOWINTERVTEWS KINGSOLOMON HILL'sWIF'E...REVEALSHILL'S STARTLINGTRUE IDENTITY...WHERE HE's FROM...IVHO HE PLAYED WITH!
l{orttrern Louisianais a Mrren country withfew inhabitants, an ahtn-dance of red clay soil,and miles and miles ofcommercial timhrhrlging out from thevalleys wttich lie betweensparsely populatedsawmill towns that subsiston the pulPwoodindustries.
Joe Holmesr al ias King SolomonHi l l ( the name was probabJy g lv€n toh im bv Paramount 's record lng d l r -ec to r . Ar thur l ,a ib ley) ' was a na t lvesouth V l i ss iss ipp i . l {e was born nearMcComb in 1897 '
Following Charlie Holme-s, anolder brothei by ten years' Joe cameto northem Louisianh in 19 15' where,three years later, he married RobertaAl lumi . Thei r onlv chi ld , Essie(who now l ives in Chicago), was bornin t he w in te r o f 1918 .
Joe soon f lGl I rest less in Louis ianaand in 1920 Gturned to McComb with[ is * i fe and chi ld . In Burgar land,- thecolored section o[ north MCComb' hemet i ts most famous b lues s inger ,Sam Coll ins. On one of the few oc-casions Roberta Holmes went outwith her husband, an unflagging party-soer, she saw him accomP-anY SamCol l ins at a iuke io int . She canst i l I recosni ie th,5 l ikeness ofColl ins *l ich appeared with an adfor one of h is Black Pat t i record ings '
Sib le! , Louis iana,-some 30 mi iesf rom Shr lvePort , and f ive mi les6eLo* Minadn, iq .a town oI some500 resideats. Two railroads crossiust outs ide the c i tY l imi ts- - thel -oui" ;unu and Arkansas and theI l l ino is Centra l .
An o ld 1r |0 l l in h is la te scvent iessat on the porch of an o ld, unPaintedbrown shacl< which was.reel tng l romthe erosions o l t lme and l rom lacKof upkeep.
With an ? i f o f expectancY I . .asked. ' . .ever hear of a young -btues;i;n; named King Solomirn Hil l?i t " 'u . t "d to l ive a iound th is areqandir;.;;* a sons about the Gone DeadTirin.
"and abo"ut Tell Me BabY'
l l i ; i i ; i iVou F ind In Uc? '
The old ff i l l searched his mcmoryu i t h a scn i l e exp rcss ion ; bu t w i t h af r i e n d I v s m i l e , r e P l i c d ,
' D o n ' trememb'er no Solomon Hi l l , but I hada cousin named loe l {o lmes who usedto s ing a l l themtongs you ment ioned. '
Thirty minules latcr I bcgan nryconversat ion wi th Holmes's"wi fe , - asent le woman who for 3 l years hadl ived wi th one of the mosi incredib lemvsteries in the historv of the countrvbfues. A three-day-sei rch in f ivedi f fercnt towns belan to pay of f .
iI
EF.rrt-
Holnres' (Hill's) wife. Roberta.recomizdd this'drawins ofCollis (ftom a Black Fatti ad)
cotntesy of tohn Steiner
The family remained tosetfier inMcComb for [2 months. Then Robertaand Essie went back to their home inSiblev. Ioe staved an extra six months,just f lay'ing m.usic and doing as l itt leworK as possrDle.
ln latef yeals, Holmes was knownfor a song that besan, ' Going toShrevepoit, tell thE chief police.'This niav have been his vbrsion ofColl ins' ' Iailhouse Blues onGennett 6167.
llhile travelins bv rrain toTexas in 1928, th--e fegendary BlindLemon lefferson made a bririf stopat Mind6n. Shortly thereafter, ]o6and a efose friend who lived ndarMinden, George YounE, Feft on a-Illinois Cent[l passdnsen train forWichita Falls, a'favorit! hangout ofLemon's in Texas.
Lemon Jefferson, fat, and a slovenlydresser, always cariied a pearl-handleil '.45 pistol, iu6t as he latef did in theMisCissippf Delta where he used IshmanBracey as a guide and travell ingcompanron.
Two mnlhs latel, Holmes andl.efferson parted gompgny. After makingtne rounds oI varrous lexas townsand road stops. Ioe and his friendGeorse returned"to Siblev to plav inthe blrrelhouses and iuk'es oI N6rthemLouisiana.
An affemath of Lemon's tripthroush Minden may have been-the1928 Paramount session whichmarked the debut of Willard (Ramblin')Thomasi a blues singer who prob-ablv hailed from West Texas orAri2ona. It seems possible thatParamount contactdd Thomas onJ effersonrs recoqrfi endation.
Joe Holnes (Kinq Solomon Hii l)often travelled io Sh"reveport to olivwith Thomas, who later riroved iirst'north of that town, and who waj totravel through many parts of Texas andLouisiana. Toberta iemembers that'
foe had ratler play with Thomas thanwith any other sins6r.' Next to GeorseYoung, Thomas wals Holmes' bestfriend.
t[e[ Thomas came to Siblev.he and Ioe went down in the cfav hillvallev irea that was mentioned 6nWHOOPEE BLUES: ' I got to so rothat valley, there ain't i hous6 for 25miles arorind.' They olayed in thesmall sawmill settlbmeni of Roytown.performing at a iukehouse that iryas ciosedby the lafr in thL late 1930's after twopiople were killed there in a singlenlght.
ffi$ffi$ffi
In eerly l9il i lr a scout lor ParamountRecords found loe s inging in uptownMinden and ask"ed him if he wanted tor"cord. Ioe went home and asked Roberta*hat she" thought about the opportun ity.
She fo ld h im, ' Co where you wannaso. ' Holmes d id exact ly that , a l thoughRoberta remembers that he was not too;;"it"a about the then forthcoming tripto Wisconsin.
Thg scout in cuest ion, ProbablYArt Laib lev (soor i to be the subject-ofa seDarate article by this auth-or, wh.o** ' "U1" io locate l i im several months"go) , u""ornpanied Joe to.Bi rmingh3m'wlrere the two were lotned -by tten L urry'Curry, an o ld f r iend'o. f Jge 's , *as ,;ti;i";iiy liot nt"uaiul Loui'siana,,X!31:i': fi?t'til-lii#.' lio; ;"f i; ii' ;' r'i jd ; ;.
These two singcrs. g]"ng t i t l \thc A labama b lue- i -man \ la rsha l l Uwens
l ' "a tn""f ̂ *ous Blues Jay.SingersoI Bi rminghanl , then t ravel led toi ';;;; i ;tft ' " Gralton stud ios'
The ouartel opencd the recordingscssion wi th two s ides, fo l lowed by.Currv 's [ ive, one of which [eatured both.l ; ; ;3 ; * ; harmonica p laYing- and Owcns'i u i t a r . On a l l o f h i s own s rdes ' Lu r r yi ised h is mandol in , the inst rument hepi"y"a with the greatest proficiency'
Owens, then a man in his late fift iesor ear lv s ix t ies, recorded four-s ides, .i*" .f
'*tti"tt hau" neu"t been located
Ln-u- t " "ota col lector . His TEXA-S -- . . -Rl.uES. bi; fnY Ne oNE MoRE TIME[i"t" i ."a on Paramount 13117),. is ac lass ic example o f an ear ly s ty le o l
b lues tha t evb lved in to the southernnf uU" t t " S t res s ty le - . . A l though Owens ' . ,mus ic has many qua l r t res tn common w. l tn
T;; ; . 6i ; . ; ; h i is 's i4ging stYle is highlYr"* lnl" i ""nt of Ed Bel l 's.
llas Done GotPanmount l3tbeen found.
HOlmeS was the last to record: s ixsonss . a l l o f wh i ch Robe r ta sa id hc hadbcei l per formins before h is t r iP toGra f ton . One , i he GONE DEAD TRAI \ 'was one of the best t ra in b lues o[ the1930 ' s . Us ing thc Pseudonyq r , - f o r some . . .unJe te rm ined
" r cason , ' K ing So lomon l l i l l , 'he t o l d o [ h i s expc r i ences hobo ing andhust l inc on t l rc Southe rn ra i l road [uhichruns f rdm Ncw Or leans to New Yorkv ia B i rm insham) , and on the I l l i no i s( ' en t ra l ( "6 i ch runs th rough S ib l cy ) .1 )n ( iONL- DL ,AD l 'RA lN , I l i l l a l so a l l udedto thc to$n of F ryburg, which consist .so f hu t a s to rc and a pos t o l l t ce t cn m t l e ssou th o [ S ib leY .
The l l ip s i r lc oI that record, re leasedon I 'aramount 13129, was a versron o lt hc o ld \ 4cmnh is \ l r r r n i c and l oe McCoyd u e t , W l l A ' [ ' l " A t l . T Y O t F N D l N \ l E .
His lyr ics for h is othcr two recordcdn, . ,mbcrs l DowN oN \ {Y I IENDED K\ t ' - l ' -*a WHOOpEE BLUES (Paramount 13116) 'exDress the at t i tudc of the macho, -ast ince not unl ike that taken by Robert
Johnson and Isa iah Net t les.
The ftUO songs which completedthat session have never been locatedby a collector. One of them MYBUDDY BLIND PAPA LEMON. waswritten as a tribute to Lemon. withwhom Holmes played on at least threeoccasions. du.ring J efferson's stop-overs ln Mrnden.
The othel missins sons. TIMESHAS DONE C,OT OIj'T OF*HAND. WASa.typical 'hard times' depressionprece.
0n all of his extant pieces. Hil lused a cow bone for chrirdine.'in themode of Sam Coll ins' blues."
JOg brought cbpies of all threerecords bac[ to Sfblev with him. but allhave leen_destroyed.' Holmes retumedwrth Een Llurry, and both men. alonswith the unrecbrded Georse Younc.
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made a trip to Texas to p"ublicize"iheirrecent recordings. Few copies of anvsingle Holmes 6ffort were sold, how-'
ever; few people around Sibley evenknew that'Joe made records, becausethey were ieleased under an assumedname.
Joe conlinued to travel in the 1930'sto nearby Shreveport and Monroe. aswell as bn to ea6tem Texas. He alsoqpent time in small towns like Choudrant.Ringold, and Ionesboro. Robertaremembers thdt ' He we_nt up in Arkansasto play.and people -would cdme from Eiisand Ualhoun and other towns to oef himto play.and people -would cdme from Eriand Ualhoun and other towns to ge! .hiqto play after they heard tell abou"t him.'
A satmill U0tket at Heflin. a smalltown south of Siblev. saw Holmes setoff a train from Lonsview one nishfafter he had been playing out in Texas.
I Funniest sight I ever see'd: thatguy didn't stay in town 30 minutes beforehe got in an argument with this otherguy in this ioin1. That other suy iustpulled out his pistol and sho[ at him threetimes. He didn't stop running unti l he wasclear out of town. ftist left h'is bassaseand guitar layin' down there on thElll5or.'His belongings were eventuallvretrieved by Inother friend.
- By the lalg 1940's, Holmes wasdrinking more and more. but wassti l l playing mlrsic. He never attendedchurch; hrs wife recounts that ' Ioe iustkept right on, just l ike he was g6ing"stfaight to the"devil. '
.[n l!49, Holmes took sick. Robertasplg, :tl.e never went to no doctor. Takesick; laid around about threl davs-.
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then he died. Been drinkins before hedied and he starte d bleedin"g insidl- Hada hemmorage.t
( "" 1d1'" %TJ,f".,| F"tlsfi : hltr,: uls;l:and Skip.J"t-n""), Hglmes was very short.He stood only lrve feet and three inches.He weighed about 130 pounds, and wasbrown-skinned in complexion. He smokedconstandv.
HObeila remembers two other facts,o.ne pgrtaining to his musical development.the other to.the tragedy that led to hisdeath.
She said, ' He learned himself how toplay, before he ever came to Sibley.' Theother: ' He drank all the time. He'wasdrinking when we married.'
Gayle Wardloryts tireless and resourcefulresearch in the blues field ias-ilre'aiJ''uncouered the V ic tor-P aramaunt artisiIshman Qlacgy, the Paramount talent scoutan_d_ troubleshooter H.C. Spiers, as well asElder.Cuny and Reu. O.C. Eii:a *;";i;i"ol,rese&rch on sanctified music--and otheiorues arttsts-ol rural renown. He also didney _oehmd-the-scenes research which ledto the re-discoueries of Skip jaroi,-Sii-
fr'tif 'rU!"*rt!"okgf f ,i":["[iWlisiQ4l2r5,9,.qid the {wo sanctifiea inli",OJLI2 & 13. ln the course oT nis-ir"ritias a sportswritgr fo-y a Jacks6n newsDaDer.ana as a record collector, he has anisied,::,:!y!!f _.?!*ytign gyr ltry 4isl?ri ;i.-
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?f T'ilr!,!trtiag!"flrHoif !,':"f*Fny:,r,rcunently writing.
PATTON'SIlf,unrrEll-whitewash?or-fiOGIttASII?
right mitral valve
h/ GAYLE DEAN $|ARDL0$J
and JACQUES R0CHE
(Sfure its irreeptim, snatina doubts lnaeplaercd 78's editoial"s taf f rd sard ins tlv s uppre s s ionbf d conplete Patton deatli repdrt. Td combai'a risinsiolumc 6f wly uhispers concbrning Pa.!.ton's untimelyerd, atd'to-rdstore ihaken public donfidence in the
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blucs citic,78 decided to'appoint ai I l-nnn fact-t'indingcotronissioi to search out, ant destrov the souices bf tlasaid uhispers. Houteuer, we u)ere wiabLe n find 11'distineuiihed fact-finders in the blues field! Then, by asererdipinus'stroEe of luck,79's oun lacques Rochc'offered'to ' d.efoliate''the Deha in pursuit'of the still-hiild.en tah. 'l' ll nnke ' em talk !' Roche is' reported tolnue said,
Naturally,TS uxzs hesitant to tnleash its big punchbe{ore lblilins, an irtensiue reuiew of the deteltoratinssihtatian at lknd.. Editor Whelan. ankious to see the
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woiect teminated bu crinsine from an easr solwion toilrc' oroblem- de s cr ibed his"ool ition as the' lonlie s tone'in the inrld.'
Meanuhile, an easer Roche added fuel to the flamzsas he clncteristicatly besan (to raue'): 'lt could iust betlwt Pattan's KLLERnnd I use tlnt u.,ord ad.uiiedlv !Yes, LET u.s think about the ,nthinkable !-is hauind aglass of lrqwenbrau.in some Argentiniari diue at thi{ ueryirnnwni, Il so, I'd like to join-irim.'
the'ubiquitous presence o[ death' within aputative''rednecl iungle', or is a form of livinedeath itself. Giveir tliese altematives. thesinger's art is basically his resisnation to anirnposed spiritual death. Thus, tft essence ofthe blues is to be found in lines like 'There's ahehhowd on my trail', which is seen as Negrodialect for: 'l give the blues to Mister Charlev.but; I 'm more dulturallydeprived than Mister'
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linrnv (Baldwin). so I havd to be nrore ooeticin so'doing.' Ori6 who trades on the ahivementionedpremises, such as lames Baldwin himself orPaul Oliver. may eien arrive at the conclusionthat, since the 6lues singer lived an ugly life,poetic conclu sion requirds hi s beautifu-l death.Thus, tie 'lynching' of Jarnes (Boodleit) Wiggens,for example, is rep-ortedly Oliver not as asensatioiralist episode created bv arumour-rnonger (Big Bill Broonzy), but as stark
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*F
oaa
CI{ARLEY PATTONhow? where? when didhe die? After 33 years-the truth.. .in alf itsshockineDETAIL-
conflicting and eveil preposterous death storiesconceming a well-knowri blues sincer. Forreasons to be explained later, such-an aura ofmystery tends to'surround the deaths ordisappi:arances of certain singers that thefeatrirbs of their actual lives become eclipsedin the minds of both the public_at large andsingers' own contemDoraries. In some cases.pardcularly that of Elessie Smith (who died.according to her last manager, not dranaticallyon the ddbrstep of a segreg:ated hospital,but durine a car collisi6n). the mytfi is boundup in cullural iconology; in more irbscure ones,lfte that of Charley P"atton. the intrisuernrshrooms onlv ai one approaches drectsources of biographical iirlonrntion.
Tlw gesence of the Bessie Szzth style ofrumur. and its easv public acceDtance. isno myslery. The 'eifulcation' of fhe blui:s publicl1as Cg"ndl qtly to create the false impres3ionthat blues singing represents a stance against
CLINICAL
of the most peculiar aspects of bluesrch is the fri4uent encounters_ with
One of the lastSmitFtaften shrdeath in lfil?...
Besse her
ie
Regarding the mysterious death of Charlevhtton, less hysterical blues research can 6rehysterical rumburs in terms of their broadcultural function. The Patton researcher insteadconfronts a credibility saD from the outset whichworks two ways: rumouisbf both violent and naturaldeath are equally suspecr. This is due to thefact that legends of Parton's violent death did notspread far fyond the confines of rural Nesrosbciety. Whaiever function such stories did servemust be limited to that culture which was developedby and once daily suDported the cotton economvo[ t]re flat Mississipfi Delta.
As of this writing, no one has cone forth fromthe Delta with a BroonzyJike claim of 'tellins itthe way it was' in resards to Patton. This f#thas only mitigated De-lta circulation of thedeathby-violen@ nnnours. As S[<ip lanres. whoin Mississippi 30 years agofrequeitfy encounteredCopyriefu 1967 bv Gayle Waillout
and.'IaZques Roche. All rigfusreserued.
1 I
ruTxturs conceming the vrolent deaths of bothhtton and himselll put it: ' A lot of reoDle naysay a lot of thines'dbut Ch.ulev's'death. mdalol of 'emunrenat withhimwhenle died, either:that narch you con fut on."
In May of 1963. Iim Eilwards. when interviewedin his nltive Clevdland (a snnli town sorne 3) milessouth of Clarksdale, Miss.), stated that Patton diedfrom heart trouble i; 1934 iir the town of Longswitch,near Leland.
Tfun months later, clrte of Patton's manvwives, Minnie Franidin Washington, teraikedthat although she had heard thal Patton died in1934 of natural causes followins a prolonsediln""q, she strangly suspected-that he hid drankhimself to death.
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Both &lwards and Mrs. Washington were coffectiq one statement, tlrat being that htton died in1934.
ln July,196& Bemard Klatzko and GayleWardlow were told in tiny Holly Ridee that Rttondied there and not in Loirgswitch, which, thousha rnere mile away, no lonier even existed on airyMississippi map.'lt was ihen 'established' thadhtton dirii in i house across from Tom Robinson'sstore (the qrly one in Hollv Ridse) immediatelvafter retuming from a recoiding iri6 to New Yorl-probably inlate February orllarch of 1934.A'srave iite. which thev were not allowed toinJpect, added credenc6 to these statements.'An elderly Nesro woman. who zuarded Charley's'bones' as tholsh tJrey were Sh*akespeare's, wasless interested in theintennent of hbr misleadingtestimony.'
Later, Mr. Wardlow was told independently thatPatton died from a slit throat, haviig bled tir deathin the aftermath of the butcher-knife-attackinflicted by a wornan with whom he was then living.
The storv of a cuttine. which did actuallv takeolace (in Cleveland arorind 1930. shortly afterhttonts arrival there from Will Dockery's plantationnearby), was widely repeated throughoit thb Delta,and ultimatelv reaihed Chicago. TEere, in a snlallclub. Howlin' Wolf. recounte<fthe story to Mr. Klatzkoin tfe presence of other former acquailitences ofthe late slnger.
This story was. in effect. repeated bv BookerWashineton'Whi te' on an album iecorded' for Takomawherein" White. in his twical breezy manner, impliedthat htton had been luiifed and killed bv a'sandfoot' (or'no-good', barrelhousing woman).
Sirce Patton unre an ugly, wicked scaracross the side of his throat. it is easy toguess where this rurmur originated. Yet,ictual members of Patton's familv. by verifyinea knifins episode. have implicitefy discredited'the ideithit it proved to G fatal. AnotherDelta runnur. hriwever, held that Patton wasknifed twice. Thus the Dresence of Patton'swound was explained in-a way that didnot besmirch its allegedly fatal effects.
The process of zeroing in on Patton's fewintimaies has otherwisdserved only to brine oldlesends to lisht. One friend, a steidy conr-pdi'rion of Pat"ton and Willie Brown foi tlree years,heard that Patton was struck and instantlykilled by a lightening bolt. This mmour may
have been a proiection of the wishes or prophecies ofzealous churbh-koers who literally believedthat Cod would Strike down those'who followedthe devil in singing'his' blues.
TlnWh rnt an atheisl, Patton, who wassometirnes castigated by his father for hisblues-singing, t;nded to dramatize his failure tofind meanindin relisious sestures. On Screunin'And Holleriil' The Blues,\e borrowed aBiblical description of piaying for this purpose:
| | If I uoke w in the momin'.| | Iinx all arbwtd your bed| | Tumed nw face'to the unll ond I.| | Didn't fuiub a u.,ord to say,
From all appearences, Patton used Elder Greenas a vehicle for attributins to the clersy-with someiustice-all of the vices wlich made th'6 bluesSinser unaeceotable to the latter. Yes. throus{-lhis"own pench'ant for preaching withoui crede"ntials,htton crilled flagrant-attention to himself as atnsew of the Eld'er Geen ilk and thus made the''lishtnins
bolt' rumour possible. Such fanciedret"ributioir was scrupul6dslv avoideil bi Pattrin'scohort, Brown, uho in fear bf divinely-i"uided boltswould hot even perform a spiritual.
The explanatory telegan Son House (whooften perfonned with htton durins his last fiveyears of life) received from htton's averredri,idow stated that Patton died from the mumps:the living author of the death message assertedthat he succombed to a heart attack.-
Finallv, as this accompanyins death certif-icate derironstrates. the tiue facls can bereconstructed-assuming that the state of Missis-slppr was ever rn possession of thern as impartedby bn-thescene aid presumably reliable doirors.
Accuding to his attendirry plrysician, vvhosehandwriting is difficult to transcribe, htton died amitral valvi case. Both Mr. Klatzko and Mr. Wardlowwere told as much, alme with the (now substantiated)fact that Patton had visited a doctor as late asthe week before his death.
THE CHARLET PATTON DEATII CERIIFICATE-found by @yle lVardlow in 1966...
on h decoded and recapitulated in full.died in Suqflower County on the 28th of April,
and not in February as had been supposed.tinre of his death,'he was living at'350 Heathmanin the Neero sector of Indianola-, a town sornele-s from.tfolly Ridge;rnd some 30 fryt t{rp .of the Mississippi. This structute, in whichundoubtedly dii:il, no longer stands.
The new date probablv came from Pattonnself. Since t6e name of the infonnant. Willierne new oate DroDaDlv c€Ime ltom ratton
himself. Since t6e name of the infornrant. WilGlvin, was entered in the handwriting oi theCalvin, was entered in the handwritinrecistrar (one Dollie Trotter) on tle clegstrpr (_one
ln tne nanownung ol tneTrotter) on the day after.
htton's death, the witness in questiori would seemto have collaborated on early-aiquired information.Lltho-ggh an-informant for a ileatli certificate is.usuallfa relative, spouse, or close friendof the deceased. the'name''Willie Glvin'of the deceased, the-name 'Willie Glvin'hadnever beeo encountered in the course of extensiveresearch on Patton. Since the informant no longerlives in the vicinitv of Indianola. and left no rdativesor forwardins addreiss behind. th6 oossibilitv stitlrenrains that"the birthdate foi htton is erroieous,for it cannot be proved tlrat he himselfsupplied the datl.
On the other hutd, for Patton to inpart a genosisof any sort to Willie Calvin would nnil< a de-parturefrom his seneral mle: while reportedly makins apractice 5f publicizins the intimate c6nfidencies ofbthers. he ri,as frnickf about disclosins the mostordinarv of his own pixsonal particulari. Son Housecould never get httbn to rev6al his birthdate, whichby Houses'Jown guess would lag sorne ten yearsbehind Mississippi's figure.
Other facts, such as the listine of his birthplace(Hinds County) and that of his pirents' names(Bill and Amv). souare with the alreadv-collecteddata. The centralfvJocated countv of Hinds. withits seaiat lacksorl. was Patton'ihonre untii around1900. Thus", an original master of the Delta soundprobably did not reach that area until at least abemblarice of a Delta blues style had alreadybeen created.
The certificate indicates that the registrarcornpleted the listing of Patton's addr6ss (whichwas-probably fumishled bv Willie Calvin) ahdresp6lled hi3 name as 'Charlie'. This r6vision isfqvbqed today by his blgin Jozz Libuy reissuers,who have dropGd the 'Charley' used on his Paramountrecordings, w}lile mainuining- both the ARGVocalionand C'eniett ledger versions."Patton himself. who couldneither rea{ nor"write, spelled his first nameorallv as 'Charlie'.
T e undertaker's nanp is listed as the CentralBurial Association, which was a local colored funeralhorne. The rnere fact that Patton received aformal burial virtually squelches the possibilitythat he met a violent'dedth. unless orie can sorirehowdevelop a'total conspiracy' theory which wouldinvolve his undertakeirs as either iarticipants oridiotic pawns in a larger scheme.
Itlore defutable aspcts conceming Patton's deatharise from the certificate's most important entries.The first lies in the relationship beiween thecause of deatlr and the duration'of Patton's illness.Although the doctor wrote that he attended Pattonfrom Afril l7-nth, he gave an oddly precise fisure-92 day-s-to represent the duration of ihe fatal
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illnesi.s. This'figure seems to have been writtenover an earlier nlotation of 13 days.
Any explanation of the discrepancy between thetwo dates-. as well as the raisori d'etre ftor thefinal date itself, must be puely coniectural.One possibility is that th6 entry of rl3' days.which soes babk to the day bef6re htton oiisinallvvisitedthe doctor. was siveri bv Charlev him-self andrefened to his self-dete6tion of acute synptoms.A'92' fizure. rryhich would closelv coni:siond tothe date 6n which Patton's final iecordini sessionwas completed, misfit have been written in aftersorneone-(Willie Calvin? ) susgested that Pattonhad been feelins sick 'sincetr! came backfrqn New York.r
A similu misleading impression of exactnessis created by the alleged cause of death, formitral valve-trouble iionlv a secondary cause ofgeneral heart failure and uoula normallv beIisted as such on a death certilicate. hi itselfa sequela, a mitral valve disorder does not lenditself to a 'duration of illness' entry at all.
Althoueh a mitral disorder would have beendiscemab-le to a doctor of Patton's generationby neans of a stethoscooe examination. itsabtual role in the death bould not be stated, withfinalitv, without an autopsy reDort. By thepreserice of other factors iir Htton's hppearencehnd medical history, however, his doctbi mishthave accuratelv nrled on the seriousness of"hiscondition and its abilitv to cause htton's death.(The severity of a mitril case cannot be determinedvia stethos6pe.)
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IIow is Pattm'siirst rame sPelled?
Narp of father andrmther ad tlPirbirthplaces...
iinger would have been already impqded by tlletim6 of his first Paramount sesslon m.lune ol
Confronted W strch on' unfauorable prognosis,the doctor in question mieht have seen hosprtal-ization as useless. (At the same time, he wouldhave seen enougtr evidence of a rampant heart*rati.t t" tt""'" accurately certifie:d P.atton's death')Th;-f""tiit;a htt; paid af least two visits to thej;6;;"Jd indicat6 that he was instead being;;ta;th ta.g (aisitdis) to nnke his enlalgedheart work faster.
Fatton's earlier heart symptoms would have.been*u"lJ-lv *" tot that he was bo$ a heavy drinker-J " "ttJi":"*tt "t whose physical conditirin-couldil;" Gen wrongly attributed,.by both himself andhis contemporaries, to tus hvrng-hablts. Lontrary ,to the belief of Minnie Franklin Washington' tatton 's
drinkine could not in itself have aIl'ected hrs heartconditi6n. Despite a report that hbtton rgnored adoctor's advic6 to curtiil his {runkeness (Just asWillie Brown, who collapsed alter a mght-Iong..drinking bout, was later to have done)' alconollsmwas riqlltly omitted as a contnbutrng lactor tohis deith in its official ceftilicatron.
On the other hutd, the fact that htton sleptor rested little during the last week ol hts trle;;iJh;;F;tiniaf i" death,.as wellas his . .increasing propensity for brawling whrch made hrmnotorious*ainong his latter-day acquatntences'
If htton's mitral condition had been ofa stenosis character, his career as a blues
IJnIess it were congenitol, htton's mitral valved"f";a;;"td have bee."n caused by either an outbreakof rheumatic fever before pube-rty' or by contractron;i ;;;,hiiif."t" n-y"uti befoie the ippearence ofheart'symptoms. In the cqse ol a-Southem l\egro'the chancbs are 99.9-. l', accordtng to oneii""*i"an""ri" to"tot, that rheumati6 fever woul dp.au""'" tt"urt condiiion of htton's type'
htton's mitral defect could have fallen.into"n" oi t*o ""t"go.i". which would in tum havea"6iti""a the Severity-of hissymptoms' As amitral stenosis case (who would suller lrom a"ontiu"t"a valve), htton's ensYing symPtomswould have been manilest over the Iast Irve.y€arsof his life. As a mitral insufliency. case (wrth ai;; A;; i;G". .utptot" uould have alpeared,in an acute [orm, during the last three rnontns oIi;"ltrn;. tit". Although the severity.of the symptomswould vary according to the drspo.sltlon ol ,tne case';il;;;Ja;;;;i[;iB"a have hdndicapped him both as
a niusician and as a laborer, and would have Decome
it *""-"i-"Llv *oi""".d in the absence o[ medrcalh-"-o9t""nt. Gi ven the then-prevel ant aversion,to doctors among rural Negroes., rt rs extremely runlikely that htton, up to th.e lasj. t\+'o weeKs .oIhil-tifi "".i ""* "'a.i"tor. (Son House's studiedooinion was that Patton would h-ave seen' ln.tneiiliiilit'iiti,"i", * Gaun' ov.heJb Coctor, i{*v')bili;" Lm; hidun *u" trEated in Indianola, the"'ir.il,".
-.iii"l;;;t ;rditi;"-such as -shortness of
b;;;-ii'. ;;;J ;.*ia, stomach disorders, and.,the pres?nce of blmd in hts phlegm' coud,eElslr)i
have indicated that Patton's case had reacneo tne
terminal stage.
the possibility therefore exists thatlqy io{ec9o1s'are presently evaluating a,rs afe presentty evauuaung a
Patton as an 'iinmortal' blues(Simificantlv or not, Patton sasps for
ai oie point 6nHiShWater Eudryiahere-I at one Dornt on nlgn warcr E uerywhere-l.) The bbservation-of Son Housd. that htron'sis sreatly surDassed his live performances.cdceiviblv be eplained bvlris medical
'csuld conceivably be eplained bv lris medicalcondition. (I )* Over th'e course bf such performances,nfrich according to House misht extend foi threehonrs or more, htton was kndwn to favor a'lazy'vocal style (such as can be heard on Green RiierBfuesl irvd tb rely on clownins techniques as muchas actual blues-playine to assirage his audience.Hrtton as a stenbsiS clse could have done so toAain a respite from the exertions he would havefacked thd stamina to maintain. htton's inordinateeveryday slothfulness (on which a stenosiscqxfition could have considerable bearing) woulonot only have precluded a suspicious disilavof recuirent faiisue, but would in all evedts havecqrspired to ma[e a lanzuished htton Derformancelmk-perfectlv natural. ai indeed such a onemav irctuallv'have been.
courtesy of Nick Perls
Parannmt spelled Pattsr's firstnal|p as 'Clnrley'
The existe.ye of Nlississippi's death certificate
former ard, as well as the persistant suspicionthat a woman murdered him.' For examole-'some
at o_nce clarifies ahd obfuscides ili;iy hd;;;gedical- history, but his personal tisiow "" *"it.None ot fhtton's known udves bear initials whichr,natch arg or even similiar to the desirrrition oi .iy.X.'(rr, pos_sibly, 'D..K.') as his widow. tle ibsente ofuertha Lee -Pate's name as wife or even as informanton the certilicate tends to bear out OJpeiii"i"nrreport that htton, during the course of hii-,*aoi"g""'was zmy-thrng but monogarnous. In all probability, herpglllstyleq status as fbtton's widow and witness to!1q death ts. ungrounded, particularlv since httondjd not ge_fu llo_lty Ridge where sh6 had ;;;i;Jvlived_with hiryr. On this"subiect, Mi"" t""'could.lTbroactedr_only- widen the crbdibilitv eap hei int-erviewwith L!|r.. Kl-atiko originally createdl H;', ;;;r "i-t-}la$ey's lamous last words-'Honey. from now onyou'rg going to have it tough'-endows him with an9npflhy. as lover or bread-frnner uilrich was conspic*rously absent from not only theirs but from all oflbtton's marital relationships.
^ Anypurrent spe.cul.alion.regarding the identity ofiatton s notanzed wldow rs necessarily open-ended:a reasonable hypothesis is that 'K' was a'fernalerglaq!-oq of Wilfib Calvin, if not Willie 'herself '. SinceQ.'!V.-K.' entry was recirrded by the nurssof Patton;sphysician, and that of 'Willie Cllvin'entered bv thelggtstrar the next day, !l original phonetic tranScriptron o[ the narne by the forme-r could exolain thediscrepancy which exists between thern'.
Tlnt Patton's last ad*ess was aDparentlv nvento the_regi-sqrar by a Willie Calvin whb lived'ofi thesame block lurther suggests that htton had beenboarding with the latteirryhen he expired. By vinueof the fact that Patton had few lonslstandini malecompanions (most qf..whoqw_er.e ln"own to Sdh House,to u,lrom tle narne 'Willie Calvin' meant nothing),$e sex of the infurnant would also aDpear to hivebeen fernale. If such were not the case. one wouldbe at a loss to explain r,rrhv the informairt did not
'
in deferenci to i$rtta I-"6, ni;ti;;'il;-il;;;'"widow or even give a Holly Ridge address for thesrnger.
Tlut Patton may hnte fuen a lone-stmdinenitral is sussested by the fact thatl althousfi'agluttonous diter, his weistrt (in contrast tdhislather's and brother's) w.as always somewhatsubstandard. (Son Hou'se estimat6d it at 130 pounds,urhich vrould ill-cover his 5'8 " frame.) He wbs.though not known as sicklv. somewhat'of a 90-poundweak-ling: in recounted fiefits with an admittedfyheftier frfe, he lacked the punch, though not th'ewill, to put her away for ke-eps. Furthermore. htron.of draftalle age during World Waql, was apparentlyreiected as un"fit for aimy duty. Son Hous6bncereirorted that htton himself dxplained thisre,jection on the grounds of his'bad heart.
On the other hand, House saw no tellineevidence of heart disease durine his acqu"aintenancewith htton. Sorne symptoms, wf,ich mus't havedeveloped unbeknoumsi to House. were commun-ieatedio others who knew Patton. These.imparted to Bemard Klatz,ko bv Bertha Lee (whoacconpanied him on his last ri:cordins trip).'cqrsisted of the exhaustion htton wdirld'f6el aftera night's performance and the Dresence of oainwhenlever he tried to sleep on his back. Thblatter phenomenon is the iesult of pmr bloodcirculation and is a classic svmDtdm of heartdisease. (From his less intiniate view. House wasable to discern that htton never slept'on hisback, but would pemetuallv writhe aird bellowin his sleep.) Neith'er Hoube nor Bertha Leeknew httoir before 1929, and the latter's test-imony was elicited only in connection with htton'sfinal-stage of life. It i3 thus unlikely that anyconclusive inlormation in regards tohis specifictype of mitral disorder will dver be uncov6:red.
It might be noted that a sudden dis-appearence from Holly Ridse (where he hadliv-ed in 1933) followid bv?edth shortlv afterwardsin Indianola might accoulit for the earbfed reDortsconceming htton's fate which redilred the
'
(!l* No.rre of th9 fgrygq!1g is to.suggest ilntPotton's re'cord,eil SOUNIJ uns tn any u)ayd,iminished by a prestanably clvonic heai con-d.ition. In fait,. the opposife ntay lnue been thecase. Pation's unprbilictable o'ocal timine. socrucial to his appial as an'inspired' bluZs sineer.could actually bb seen in terms'of his irubilitv"to regulate his breathins and thi to produce 6fixe[ syncopation in thd manner of other DeltasLngers.
Ridgers might have heard of an Indianola miunagecon[racted just before htton's death-and thus
-
found a tellins cornection between the twocoincidental ivents. Others might have wonderedwhy no local resident, besidesi Bertha L,ee whosequanels with httsr had alreadv become publicknowledse. would or could claiin to have seen himshortly Ebfore his unwitnessed but presurnablylocal ileath.
Yet the inticacies of Patton's ronmticaegwtdizenents cannot fullv explain the still-linserins Delta rumours that'he ilas somehowmuiderd. Had htton collapsed in the arms of anhvsterieal wife urho was he'ard to shout: 'Things are6ins to be tour*r from now on for me! ' in full
-view
6f teirv onlook6rs. such stories would be everybit as brevelant todav. For the underlving basis ofthe rumours is to be lound in the natuie oT hisseneral romantic involvernents and in theirielationshio to his employment status, which is notedon the Misiissippi do6unient at hand.
The fact that htton is listed as a 'farmer' whowent unemployed in 1934 (a situation used as themotif of 34 Blues) and not as a musician indicatesboth the lack of sbcial status accorded to a bluesmusician of htton's era and the personal reluctanceof slch artists to publicize their brofession. (I )*Such reluctance. hbwever, would irot indicate aninner conviction of the singer's that his music wasa'personal Dastime'; the latter-day guitarist uilroseifts to crdate that impression onlyaoes so afterorisinallv creatins the impression that he is amu5iciari. (With rEspect tb his musical pnowess'Patton was' descrikid' the most sel f-conceitedperson I ever rnet' by Son House.)
x(l ) Skip ! ame-s, wh,en queried. on the occuption .stance he misht lnue assmcd Ln fqfton's -sltuatzo.n,snted tlnt inedical inquirer would hnue 'Fo.goq
reoson' to lowttt him as -a
blues ;inger, andjlnt he tnturnunuld Lnue 'rw good reason' Jor describing htm'self as one.
Rnther, Patton's mdesty, if it could betermed as such. was Drobablv due to thefact that manv leadin! count"ry blues sinAersderived theif source 6f inconie not so much fromsincine as from hustlins: a point which madethole [rofessions. synoiom6us in the minds oftherr cqltemporanes.
Pattqr. who was said to have 'hated wo* likeGod hates sin', shared a tendency with his fellowtravellers to marry, whenever posbible, a cookwhose eamins poiential, desirbbility to other men,and 'food supifv' was alwavs Ereatbr than that ofother fernale'riageeamers.
'Such singers as htton
would then becoire social tarsets noithrough theirenviable 'catch' but throue+t their habit of ientingtheir cache to the nearest'convenient'rnonkey man'.The monkey man, so dubbed for his apish stripidity,would, in tle belief that he was a singular-'loveobiect'. bestow his nnney on any woman who soflajttered him. (Skip lameis:
'He's always grateful totouch the hem df a vibman's garment.')'ln ium, thesehonest wases woirld dribble b-aek to the blues singer'ni" -ct8t exposed the singer to double j".pgtdy-once either the' euchured monkey-man (therealtercalled a'fatmouth') or the womirn discovered the truenatuii of her relatirinship to the blues- sirtger. Atiuch; point. the betravid.woman could inloke theirate bui ever-zullible irpnley man, who would see;hi"- *ot"n n6t as a hustlel herself (as would theblues singer), but as the victim of the blues singer.
That the blues singer u)as seen as a srcinl-,rrenace to other Negr;es is demonstrated by Big BillEhoonzy who, in his published autobiography' stg-nificanilv rails against the 'sweet paPa'-.(shoft- lorG*i"t E'ot -a*r"papa' or'sweet-bbcker'). Today'sblues sinser, whife irivately winking at his ownfancied oi actual hu-stl-ing, -instead sees hrs..counter-parts as oxes to slaughter for their suspecttbrlrty to'a
Broonzvish bdcklabh.
Even thoueh no blues sinser is actuallyknown to haVe died at the h"ands of a mafe orfernale avenser, none of thern doubted that suchvictims could and did exist armng their colleagues.(Certain sinsers. in fact. actualli quit hustlinf oriurtailed thefr oberations in the belief that theywere marli.ed meri.) This belief, which would see thedansers of death it the hands of a 'hustling u,oman'as f ereater threat than a more abstract fea=r of socialoppre"ssion. is reflected in a great number of blueslviics. htton's own tendenci was always topublicize hjs m.ode of existence and to drarnatize itsaocompanyrng oafiSers:
!ust like a rattlesna'ke Baby I stny, euery minu'te .in a cu'rl-l ain't eonna laue rn iob nkma, rb\in' ilzrough this uorld-
Wlen I \eaue lere mafia I'm eoins, fwther dolt,n the roadSo i.f i rneet himuo tlere I'm"soi;:s.back to the GuIf of Mexico.I'm'soruw shake tgla.d lnnds'nuia I say lord-of yow louin'Fixi"n' to eat my ;upper in, Shelby and Glendor'.-
'
The lirst verse of the above-quoted Rattlesnake Bluestios off a secret source of incorire with its @nttarypr'emises that htton can be botl a hoarder of monby (a"rattlesnake in a curl') and a rounder who eschews work.The second and third verses show htton altematelydodsins and expressing his gratitude towards his woman'sothe"r '6bv'. Cl6ar impficatio-n thus exists that Htton ismakins rionev from tliis fisure's involvernent with his ownwife. That Fbtton would elat in two diflerent towns maybe an indication that he is simultaneously 'married' t6two different cooks.
Paffm Ust€d hi:s ocqnatim a^s 'fampr'tatlpr tlrur bhrcs sfuger.
An' I heep on tellin' ny rider.'Keep ow shinanies doun!Lord ilut'ielly you're fixin' to strui uill ntake a,nor*ey nin ledue this'toun.
In view of htton's imnrortalized blabbermouthins.any number of his eontanproraries, whethqr pelso.nalachraintances or not, cou)d have guessed oi insistedthat httm died at the hands of a iealous woman.(Some of thern may have wished this had been thecase.) Grtain ruinours conceming tlre fate of othersingers like Hind Lenron leffersoln (actuallv a heartattrtk victim), who also f,requently describeil himselfas a sweet mgnr might owe their elfluence to widespreadaccepterce of the blues singer's projected image.
Other singers adopted even rmre stringerit securityreasons: Blind l,ernon Jefferson, on peri6iving theentry of any unidentified person into-his living quarters,would habitually draw a pjstol and wam the visi'torto identifv himdelf. In fa'ct. the very premise that a'sweet paba' or socially undesirablb ?notoreity Negro'had a lfrs{rer fatality raie than those who acteil or friedto act against himprobablv reflects only wishful thinking.
The foct tlwt tlp adept'rowtder' was probably nxrre'precautious'-alert to danger and able tci assuaie asrevience against him-was entirely overlookedbv thefrrllible public. htton. accordins [o Son House. [<newilhen anil how to mn frilm an antigonist. (If the'occasiondemanded, he could also 'roar lik6 a lion'to try todisguise.the -fact- tlrat he was threatleqs.) H. C.' Spiers,on ihe other hand. noticed that htton had a hithertolllsusg:cted tp"hilqqp of ingratiating himself with people.Wlrilehtton did not live wiih foresiiht. he was not areckless Robert lohnson, who virtuallv pleaded for hisown death by refrrsins to heed repeatea wamines thatmashing taciics would prove to li fatal.
1 7
HEMINPABTONEbvrotrN
ItlacKENZIE
(Early prototypeo f o G e r n e t t - , , , ,Dressed, and'urDeleaHenlin.)
rdant. To thoseare unfamiliar
rver the past tenbrief intioduction
research. it mav servemt the scope of theg piece on'the il lusive
; been mv intent. andto chronicle the's of the masneticlabel and it-s stable ofed labels durins theirI recordins Deri-odfrom 1925-to 1939).
me Fortune is kind, thiswill be on the marketr tw.o.years'.time. lts
will 'contain, amongrings: the complete
i|-il-mb;ic;is'bTtn-eimately 70 labelsrxlmatelv /u laDels
at one time or another,have borne the product ofGennett's recorili ng studiosin New York, Richilond,Chicaso, Bifmingham, etc.;ehil'io; Biimiiiiiiiin,'iic. ;the hi5torv of alf firmsdoinq business with Gennettdurini the lS-vear electricalsoan:-ohotosrdphs of al I'ldbel's'and l-abel variants
I involved; reproductions ofimoortant documents.spbplemgnts, adverttsements,etc.: a 0lscusslon 0Trecording methods, mer-chandising techniques, A&RDolrfles, ano busrnessbttitudes oracticed bv theparent firft; and a cross-indexof all artists and thepseudonymns used to covertheir iddntities.
I've been asked whyI've limited myself to Gennettdurins i ts electr ical period.I musl plead a certaih overwhel-mins fa'scination with theEledtrobeam label as the maiorfactor. However, aesthetics
-are not all that caused meto so limit my study.
It has alwavs seemedto me that the Gennett 'mi l l 'managed to grind the graincloseit to thl sround.That is. it souEht out obscureartists i,vhose slvles wereperhaps closestlo the
tenor of the popular musicof the hinterlands ofAmerica. during the pre-an0 posroepress.r0n years.lnere was a certarnpioneerins instinct thatbrevai ledlWitness the factthat Gennett was the firstto record the trulv ueal iazzbeins produced bl Such
'men ZS_ King 0liv-er, Bix,the N.0.R.K. , e t a l .It is important to note thatthey were also first torecbrd countrv music andthe nesro couhtrv bluessinser5. Thoueh'thevcerfainlv neveT reao-ed thewindfal[s that silvir-plated the pocket books ofVictor and'Columbia,. theynevertheless can claim asood share of the credit forintroducing, via the mediumof the phonbgraph record,the trub folk art of ruralAmerica.
Here then. becauseI feel it should be told, isthe storv of one of thelabels that carried Gennett'sheritage.
Anv corrections. delet-ions. or additions wouldcertainly be most welcome.Please'address anv correspon-dence to: John K. ll lacKeniie.dence to: John K. MacKen2ie,t024 S.E.l(qapp St., Portland,Oreson 97202.''
Otn
The stoty ol the Herwinrecord and its Darent firm TheArtophone Corloratioh of St..Louis, lvlissouri, begins withthe vear 1918.
Krsmer. who. alone withGeorge'H. Hbidemdnn, aSt Louis auditor. and Louis$a.yer, q local attorney,formeil The ArtophoneCorporation.
Ed Schiele had beenowner and president of hisown Schielb Distillind Co.in St. Louis for a nuiber ofyears, and Jesse Krsmerhad worhed for him in onecapacity or another for over 10ten years prior to the formationof Artophone. Young.er brother,Herberi, had begun-by workin!for his brother qt the distillerywhile sti l l a lad. lt 's interestingto note that Edwin Schielemaintained his interest in theliquor business euen after theThe Artophone Corporation wasin full swing. ln 1929, he was,treasurer of the famous FalstaffBrewing Company of St. Louis.
The main oflices forArtoohone were established at1109 Oliue Street, with a" record departrnbnttt locatedthree blochi away at 12L3Pine Street.
Under the aeeis of EdSchiele, Presiddnt aitd majoritystochholder, the firm prospered,adding lines of musical iistrumentsand acquiring the area distrib-utorship for Okeh and OdeonRecords.' Bv the early oqrt of1925 they hid become distrib-utors for Paramauntandhad addedstill more lines to their alreadveVpanding music busines s ;Vocalstyle piano rolls, portablephonographs, radio sets andradio supplies were annng theadditionql lines. A branc| officewas opened in Kansas City
'
(203 Ransas Citv Life Buildind.Business was sit Eobd that in-1925 the init ial capitalizationwas increased by nearly 507o.At this point, ndw men werebrought into the business througha melger, and the Herwin label"u)as born. But to fully under-stand these new d,euelopments.it is necessary to go bd.ck,for a moment, to the year 1923.
0n-August fr,L923,twoother St. Louis brothers. Rav-mond C. Layer, registrar of St.Lor4is' City College of Lawand Finanie, andAhience W.Layer, an auditor for a localaccounting, firm, ioined withNIr. A.NI. Conroy io form tlrc St.Louis llusic Comoany. Theyset uD their officbs 6n the
-
third'floor of 't'le
old tvlid-CitvBuildine qt 322 N. Grand in-St. Louls. A year later thev hadmaued to neui qunrters at208 N.17th .
In that year, an unincorpor-ated entitv known as TheArtoohond Comnany was beeun byby tito brotheri, Hbrbert 5."Schiele and Edwin Schiele.They ioined nany little companieswho, after World War I had endedand the nation had entered ona long period of prosperity,began to manufacture phono-graphs. Their line, called,quite naturally, Artophone,consisted of seuen models.Though it was difficult seekingenough agents and dealersto cany their line, theymanag^d to buildip a-sizeablebusiness and by 1920 utereready to incorpbrate.
0n June l;0lh'of thatyear, the Schiele brotherswere joined by Jesse G.
Their principle linesof merchandise were musicalinstruments and musical a,cces'sories. These were handledtlaous.h mail'order. BY the endof 1924, however, the emPhasisind strtitea b records and theSt. Loulis lilusic Company hadbuilt ouite a sizeable businessin moil-order records, cateringto the hillbilly und race marhets.
Al lte lime of ilrcir incor-poration, in 1923, their nwiorbssels included an extensiuemailinp list, ualued at $10,000,and alew thousand dollars worthof muiical instruments and ac'ce s sorie s. T heir total osserswere ualued at onlv $20,000,comnared to Artophone's initjaliai[tali"atton of
' $100,a00. BY
1925. the ualue of the St, Louislvlusic Companv's sssets hadrisen to oubr a40,000 and thoseof The Artophone CorPorationto around $150,000. It was atthis noint, sho tlv before thesutntner oi lgZS, tltflt the twocomnanie's decided thut itwoulQ be to their mutual a'dua'n-tage to Jotn lorces.
Artophonets primary intere.stin the rnerler was the extenstuemail-order-re c ord bus ine s s thatthe St. Louis ilflusic ComPanYhad built up. The LaYer brothers,on the othdr hand, wanted thesecurity that a large corqor-- -ation l ike the Schiele's couldoff-er. A,l so, the Schielb' s wantedi6'captrre'the rural white andneerd and the urban negromu:rfuts for the sale- of their .phonographs, .reProducer heads,'and
adce'ssoried, in addition tothe reCord,s.
On June 29, 1925, thernerg,er was effected, and theSt. Louis lvlusic Company, stillretaining its identity, became ssubsidiarv of Artophone. TheLaver brrithirs weie paid a littleou6r $12,A00 each in'Artophoneouer $IZ.UUU eACn ln Arropnonestock foi th.eir interests. RaymondLav er' was made V ice-Pre sidentof-Artophone and his brotherClarenie was made Treasurer.
Thus. Sl. Louis MusicComoanv was launched on a fullscate. iolid attack for theacoui'sition of tlrc musicallyinclined Public's extra dollars. 'Their nerger with Artophone leftthe parent firm to concentrateon the mnnifacture and whole-sale distribirtion of phonographs,radios, and a line of accessoryradio and phonograph supplies.
Not only were the Layersqnd Schieles in nerchandising,thev also tried their hand atnuiic publishing. Acttnlly, thefirst attenpt was bY Artoqhonein 1925 when they publishedCharlie Creath's tune, " lt4arketStreet Blues". The big bwst ofsoeed. howeuer. came in 1927.h tndi vear sotne 50 blues andiazz tui.es written by St. Louis'ne gro comqosers, lYric ists,rnusicians, and/or uocalists wereoubtisted'bv tlre St. Louis l,llusicPublishine C ompany, a couernane for lhe Schie[e'g and LaYers'publiihine endeauors. Suchoutstandiip comDosers and artistsas Victorid SpivbY, Lizzie Wash-ineton and Kittherine Baker wereaions, those who turned thiiriii"{ore, to ArtoPhone' lvlanY ofthese ssme tunes, iniidentlY, w-ereones recorded bY'Gennett in 1927.
In lhe coulsc of the nextfew vears. the St.-Louis MlusicCo.
"also booked tqlent and hqndled
artists, mainly in tlrc negro musicuein. The choice of race andhil lbil lv music was a logical one-Electiie to sell through mail-order preclude.l th,at the uas,t rnai'
against.a. bachground of srchcompetttrcn. I ne prtnaily_realfor ihe Layers' aid the Schidecision tb introdtrce the Helabel was that they wanted tomahe their own selection ofartists and tunes that tlwy
three letters of Edwin Schiele'sfirst name.
hand.le. This was denied thenOheh. Vocalion and Columbia.Herbi:rt Schiele and, Ray LayeHerbi: rt Schiele and Ray Layerwere in charge of making srchselections. Also, tlnir contactwith many St. Louis negro artiwas of udlue to Gennetl and -Pmount in arranging for recordingsessions and tunes to record.
The new rccotd was, ofcourse, Hgrwin, a composite-ofii"' iii i' i i i,7 i'
" I " uiii
" 5i ii i'ia",t
Schiele's first name anQ the las
o,rity it! potential buYers willcome lrom rural areas.
These sarne rural areascontained large numbers ofboth colored and white familieswhose Dredominant mus icaltastes'would tend to folh music.Artoohone concenlrated on thelvlidiest and the Southern CentralIJnited States. By 1930, theY . .,were claiming to-be the " world'slars,.est distrlbutor of race recordsbv-nwil". No srch claims wereriade for their hillbillv records,thoueh, as the mnssiue Sears,Roe\ubk & Comparty could. %lsilYhaue won in tha't cdtegorY! Theorice ol the maior label race an'dhiUbilly record.s ordered throughthe subsidiarv St. Louis lvlusicCompany wai a straight 7|Q/eachwith'no discounts for uolume.
reqistered with the U.S. PatentOffice, not for records, but foruheleles, banjo ukes, mandolins,and guitars. Artophone claimed
The Herwin trade mark was
thatThey had used this mwk us
and Reliance (for main springs
This plice may haue beensutisfactorv for the earlY'20'sbut by 1926,-tlrc influx of cheaPerrecords and the mass merchandisingtechniques for records cut deePlYinto thb profits of those whoattempted tb sell nothing but 75Qrecor;ls. Certainly, the mail-orderbusiness was not one thnt couldexpect to maintain high profits
early as January 5, 1926. Aralso registered other tro.demrfor theTame date: Ptritan (fortenor baniod; Queen Brand, Artoruand Royal (for mstrument stringd;
reproducers, tone arms, and
i ft is [ot known exactlydlhen the first Herwin recordsWryarg4. Various dates haue.bbbn offered by researchers. EuenW. Herbert Schiele himself isr'r.t sure as to the exact date.Howeuer, it toould be fairlyreasonable to assume that Herwinrecords were introduced in lste1925, iust prior to the dateclaimed by Artophone for theHerwin trademarh.
Three record companiespressed, Iqbelled, qnd shippedHerwind to St. L6uis for Art-oDhone: the Starr Piono Company(Gennett Records D iu i s ion),' the-New York Recording Laboratories(Paramounil, and another. asyel undetermined, f irm.
Close examinalion of theHerwin labels clearly showstlnt there were actually threedifferent labels, each differingfrom the other in small detqils,Also, the method of pressingdiffers between the three Herwinrecords, thus proving lhatArtophone had separate dealingswith all three companies.Apnarently. this had a lot to dow'iih the riix-ups that occurwithin the Herwin numericalseries. Thus, we find q doublingof release numbers. Gennettwould press a record and affixthe Herwin label with its assignedseriul number, while, at thesame time, Paramount would bepressing and labetrl ing anolherHerwin coupling with the sameserial nurnber!
The materials, (ratio ofshellac to filleil used for Herwinwere quite poor, in order to sauecosts in pressing. The quolityof material was roughly similarto that of Challenge, thus it isextremely difficult to find aHerwin that plays as good as itloohs. Also, this accounts forthe fact that few Herwins are tobe found today. They were wornout so quichly that most werediscarded before they were tired of.
Henrins vela probablyneuer promoted in major rnarhetareas. lt is more lihelv thatthey were offered solely to therural mnrhets. The method ofaduertising used by Artophonefor its-major labels (Oheh,Columbia, and Pararnount, and,Iater, Vocaliod was to run adsin th.e city newspapers. An adwhich appeared in the April 9.1927, edition of the fambd nekroweehly, THE CHICAGO DEF:ENDER, is probably typical.The race items frofi thb cqtaloesof Oheh, Columbiq, and Para-
-
mounl were offered for salethrough the St. Louis trLusicCornpqny usinp, a box number inSt. Louis. A free, 56-pasecatalog was it lso'offered l istinethose records then in stock-To the best of my hnowledge,no such catalogs haue euer cometo l ight, so it is impossible to
say whether or not Herwinrecords were also listed therein.
. App.ar.ently, the method ofaduertising Herwins was quitefrugal. Persons who had Souphtr.ecords, phono graphs, mus icdltnstrume nts, mus ical supplie s.etc. from Artophone or tlb St.'Louis Music Company were sentmonthly flyers, piint\d bv theMISSOURI RURALIST, l istingthe new Herwin releases. lt ntayhaue been that this was lheONLY way Artophone obtainedc_ustomers for their Herwins, thoushRobert Schiele claims thil Adswere run in regional farm iournalsgf the pelod urelre peoplit to0ecome Herwin deuotees. Howeuer.re-searchers like John Randolphof Fulton, lUlissouri, haue spentmnny nours pourmg ouer lhe Dagesof d.ozens of different farm jourials-wtthout success-
ilH"ffi"giJ orderin the Chicalroy u|e owneNl
cou.rtesy of Nick perls 2l
Both of the Laver brotherslnue pasied away. Ed Schieledied in tlrc 1940's, and rnost ofthe other early officiuls of theSt. Louis I'tlusic Company andThe Artonhone CorPoration haveeither dritpped out bf sight orhave pasded away. Only JesseKramer, retired former secretarYof Artophone, and Herbert Schiele,iis cunent pregident, remain to
recqll with mixed pleasure andfrustration the days that were.
Silo 5018. & BP {i014; (B) si.de alsoon GE 6034 CH 1519, Sib 5021, &BP 8016. MOTE: Some'issues tayread: REV. I.M. GATES AND HISCONGREGATION.
92W5(A) r(GEX 363)-HIS CONGT,HIS CONGREGATION: (B) WaitineAt The Beawi{ul Garc (GEX 366)=SAME. Label Type A: (A) sid,e als,
BP 8016 (B) side also rcH ls2ss- &silu 5019.
lu 5020, &cE 6042.
Though Arlophonets grossannual sales during ils peakperiods in the '20s were between'six
and seuen hundred thousanddollars, only a small portionwas from the sale of records,and an extremely small pro-portion of the record sales werederiued from Herwins.
By the end of 1928 themnil-order record business wasbeginning to grind to a halt.Only a few companies were tosuruiue the depression, thenatable ones 6eing Sedrs andl,llontqomery Ward. By the late1920ts. eubn the snall ruralmqrhet's hod their own recordshoDes and dime-store recordcounters. One would assume tha'tcustorners would naturally preferto s.o lo these firms where theYcoild listen before buYing-
Raymond Layer's healthhad declined by 1929 and EdwinSchiele assumed presidency ofthe St. Louis lvludic Cornpany. OnJune 22, 1929, however, MIr. Schieledecided'to dissolue their subsid'iary, and back out_of the mai_l'order
HERTIIN ]IUilIERICAL9flIlll series: nce reofids92OOl (A) Lucltv Ntunber BluesrcEX 3:23.1-ALSERTA ]ONES ACC.BY THE ELLINGTON TW/NS; (B)I'm Gonrn Put You Rieht In IaiI(GEX 324A1-SAME. Ldbel Tvpe A;'Eo-th'{idis'"lso
on Ge 34o4,'Ch 15180,& Silu 5025.
TnliIst. &\ni nfu. rtorE-S'i*issues miy read: MV. l.M. GATESAND HIS CONGREGATION.
92n6 U) I'm Gorun Die With A SnffIn Mv Hand. rcEX 367 )-REV. t.M. GATESA HIS CONGREGATION; (B) You beloneTo Tlat Funeral Train (GEX 368)-SAME.Label Type A:(A) side also onGE ffi19,CH 1s295. SiIu 5020, & BP ffi14 (B) si.dealso on CE 6042. &'SiIu 5018.
92W7( ) Lord, I'm Troubled (2260-I)-HERWIN FAMAUS IUBILEE S/NGERS.( ) This Train is Bound For Glory (2269-2)-:SAME. Label Type B: Both si[es alsoon Para 12315 aibvVOODS FAMOUSBLIND I UBILEE STiVCERS, and on Bury5024 as by TACOB'S BLIND SINGERS.'
92008/ ) Oh Lord.Vhnt A Mornins.2099.2)_DOV/N HOME ] UB I LEE S/NGERS;( ) Hand Me Doun The Siluer Trwwete100-2)-SAME. Label Type B: Bothiides oTso on Para 12285'as bv SUNSET]UBILEE QUARTETTE.
92OW( ) Lord I Can't Stay Aunv 6057)-SOUTHLAND I UBI LEE SINGERS : ( )Get On Board, Little Children, Get OnB OArd 205 1.2 )-SOUT H LAND T UB I LEEOUARTETTE. Label Type B; (A) sideilso on Para 12076 anf,brobablv also on
;;{ i";' ;; ;;; "i ;it; : i; ; i s\d, th" yhad left t6e field entirelv. Thehad left t6e field dntirbly. TheIatest mnster used on a Herwirlatest'mnster used on a tn
92n3U) Anazins,Grace (GEX 362FREV. ].M. GATES"&HIS CONGRE-GATION: (B) Pll Be SatisfiedWhenMv Soul Ii Restine In The'PresenceOf ThC LOrd (GEX 369NAME, LAbCITipe A: BotE sides also on Ge 6013,Para D7n. Buy 5090, & 8P8015; (A)side also on CE 15199 & Sib 5021;(B) side also on Ch 15210 &SiIu 5019.'NOTE: (B) side is uariously titledos' ' PII Be Satisfiet'/' (Il BeSatisfied (When Mi Soul Is Restins, InThe Presbnce OfThe Lordf'. NOTE:Some issues rnai read: REV' I'M.GATES AND HR CONGREGATIONorREV. I.M. GATES AND CONGRE-GATION. NOTE: Onthe Paronountand Broadanv issues, confiol ruunbersunre odded 6y Paradoutt as follouts:(A) 12s1, (8J12s2.
Rainban as bv WISEMAN SEXTETTEwith Orchcstfa: (B) si.d,e also on Para12268 as by NORFOLK IUBILEE QUAR'TETTE.
92010/ ) The Neut Birth(505- :5701-REV R.C. W@DSVORTH; ( )Well ofSaluation /510- : 571 )--SAlvlE. Label'TvpeB: Both sides also on Para 12476 as 6iC.H. GATEWOOD: Both sides probablialso on Merritt 2204 as bv REV. H.C.'GAT EWOOD (D.D. l.M.R. A. ) as s is ted bvthc FaithfulWorshiopers' On the Meniitissue the'(A) side ii titled' " Reaener-ation" and tlhe (B) side is titled-' TheWelI Ol Saluatibn", NOTE: Moster nuwbers oh thc Menitt are507 and 509,resoectiuelv. AwaI euidence is the onlymeitns of piouing tlnt aII issues are thisarrc.
gz0llA) There's Room Enoush lnHeauei for Us All GE-12617{)-PACEIUBILEE S/NGERS: (B) Steol Aunv ondPrav (GE-12618A)-SAME. Label T'vpe A;Boih sides also 6nGe 6072. ORS 7017, &BP B0Il: Both sides also oiCh 15249 asw DrxlE I UBILEE S/NGERS.
mOlZ(A) Goofer Dust Blues (9099'1,2)-TRI LBY HARCENS : (B ) Stompin' A rowtd(10000-1|-SAME. Label Twe B: Both sides'also
on Para 12250 as bv THELMA LAVIZZOacc. bv Neut Orleans Crboles, anl, on Silu3547 tis bv MABEL NANCE. NOTE: On Para'mnmt and Siluertone issues the tuhe titlesare " The Stprnps" and ",Na;u Orleans GooferD us t B lues", fe s pe ctiue ly,
92013 ( A ) East Coast B lues (GE-I 27 I 34 )-UZnE WASHINGTON: (B) Workine ManBlues (CE-12715|-SAME. Label T-vpe A;(A) side also on Ge 6134, & Ch 15303; (B)side also on Ge 6181,
was cut in April, 1929, bY theBiddlevil le Quintette /or N. Y. R. L.and issued as bv the MississiPPiQuintette on Heiwin 92034. Qhisindicates thqt Herwins mny hauecontinued to be released unti l thesummer of 1929, but certainlYno later.
ln 1930. the remainderstock of Herwin records alongwith thb mailing l ist of Herwincustomers was sold to the NewY orh Re c ord in g L aborat or ie s.Just how manY records u)e-re - .included in that stock and tuhal 'i
Aeco*e of them after theY wer-e .thauled oit of St. Louis is sti l l ia mystery. >
c e llane ous e IeV tr ic al appl iance sto their line of merchqndise. In1965. thev were still goingstroie. as- whole sale dis tr ibutor sfor AlmstronE Floor Couerings,Y oung,s town k itchens, T aP Panpas ranles, G.E. wqter coolers,"and
yes, Artophone PhonograPhs! 92Cf4 U) f mSo GIad Trouble Don'tLast Alunys (GEX 364)-REV. I.M.GATES &HIS CONGREGATION; (B)P m Goine To Heauen If It Takes MyLife (GEA 365I-SAME. Lobel TypEAi(A) side also onCe 6019. Ch-15135.
A
( str0
i {
0
3
T:'r? i il f,tr,! ^if tr F'ti E f i f : -t i 0", l! [:t "?'t : ;J'r1' l;:]!;, !; :also on I 'ara ]2275 as by IONFS,P/1 RA\IU('NT CHARLESTON I,bUN."il tT o r"i i"r f{ i " ; : lr" i/" !,rl TX "I'aromount. ,\OTE: Un Para 12279,hfil:,J.t,"d " Homeunrd Bound
'#?r!i?'rt{ir#trtwiii:l i 1;ii,1' : ",,'' if , it,' fr ,i f ."u'' o
7!t? ll /,',i,t-Lr' )i'm I; nr v -I r'![; r IF I ]] ;Je'f fi1 [" y!u!;:' -s -
ifti$[ni ! I ! s!:!:!^{:{ :,,,'fr'fi:i^l",tiii,l',i,t+;,#{ti;E i,ff ut!, [!{t' i'fi"'j? | ;'t'"1,'o2n "lr;,i:: t,f iidZ: i 2; ;i /t'# : rt',
rtr{il'rli:;riY{5pratr!fiftr,ffi^;e{}rr3 :' ii't i t i f 6 tr t"'" i h', { I fi 3', ^ona on Juperror ( / ) 3Sl as by ???
92026-UNKNOWN
92027-fNKNOWN
92028-tNKNOWN
9?@9_UNKNOWN
W,fA$,.(A) lesus Lay Your Heod lnl,'," {,i E #,';' EZ' it' h't',X' hX, W o,ruor.( (23,06-2)-SAM\.. Label lril n,"N? i fr ; 8 i R i it A,nt" ffJ'i'r|' fl F.
92015 tA) ( .nne l l rak, l ) lur 's r t t ) . t t - t )_.U,4. l l l l . Bl , i ( lABi l i \ ; (Bt Bir , l - \ " , r6tues ( ,?03U- l ,cs l - \ l l l l ; . l .ube!I yp.e I t : . l r rst . . rJr r r1.s, ' ot t l ' , tnt l ) .3e1,a . | ' b y . l k l t l l I l lR l t ;C ; . i " " , , , , , 1 . s i , l cq.ls^q.p.,l !' !,!f, I ! I I r t, ts 1,v .4 Rtt I' l. l, [."SHf ' I . l . r " ; i t t
t ( ; ( ; . \ ' ( lTt . - . i t , l iaru-nount, l ) .3, lH tune t .s t i t l , . t l " ( .unchrenl ,D t , c . s
92Q77 r / ) l ls l lun l .p l t . t l t ' l t lues'6'; -1 f, ;?' o'- n !.' !i! [',1!,,",1,H o'?ri f, f ,1" ii i i, ! f f (,'!' 7,", t', li! i"',a- ls^u ,on ( )e t , l . t l , ' u ru l on Ch tJ3O2
fut' !', o2' ],,', J'"',', / ).',';','i' r! n' o'
TTfiiftf#:,:r##ri{li.,^'fr"E"vf i: i f b I frt? i?of i.o' b v B t D'
ywrlpsf'*e;'r,,r.ypg It: l, Lrst side also on Para';',f i ft"w 8 x 1 ?,u, 8ri['4 I ", o,"p"; ffii,A fr"n F' n'fr [{'; d ifr} 5 as bv
? 3 62," ft f " fi : "" f* iF Z :::',6#I d'l itr .yv.- ! , I n /-stue uLSo on Uonq /UgJ. JLIt548^, lnd Fan I8Bl , and atso onDom
\ffif{Igi{ft wxxx{EA"'',3 ft t ;/ou !'i i:l f 'Zi:t "n X n fj j E : *'JUJU and ( )r 7lQ n. h PFV < ttn u I I
Wtr#Wffi,q?0!g 4 /.J..t ?. lt I u t, r t t 27 -2 :r,t!2 )_B L.4 \ ( : l l l - J ( U | \St tN : I I l ) ( ,u r rcstonti I ues ( Il 2 8-l :n23 t-.5 A ltlF. - l.ahe ! T1 pcu: I ruc ar t is t i r lent i t l .s t i l l open tospeculation. I'ut it ct;uld tu"ll h,'le .anet te James ae e . h1 . l l , t r1 Lnuw LLUAmLS.
'^y'-9, utul rLLu rJ.[/, atut atso on Uom
i'o'fl #','d 1 i : i ;o?, X Eu;,t ! # {,,! t tnerun tssue ts " Bapt ize Me' , .
w.:i,Fwffi;###ffi:WW#ffi:#n*;^6"yr#t{l{:wa#ryrXrrf f Lt/.)^r''(
T#!{ii*fi,#:!if^ttjr,"r,i iu[h ifrrry ^'it: rtriffii;t,'rfl;ti*ti*x:ff;,,,W#r;#lrtrEffiiii:'iti-"Wi{ffiGATION.
W'r T-"*i"W,*fr*t*
W{,il*etiWUZZIES; (ErcEX 8324)-'Bort
sides alatso on Ch 15BAMA FAZZ,also onORLEA1174 asAND H,
92045 and upnards UNKNOTII
W!"ffi#t!#{1:##,#,W##Wffir#is;Yffij.{,H#i"i'E:;ri''i:T;):f ,i}!.rt$',::,U1"p{fi{;,ir{,#,F'iS#rt'Y!}!wf i,izl:rff ffiif#"ilfr 7P"'ry i ai $,6itiii"ftf; f " ?fi #"*
9til10 sEies: nce rccails
ct00l ulll(NolvN
yffi {l t&'i"il{, trE tff"L'i!o',^
Ew.
cor.rtesy of Nick Perk
ffl0l9 ( A) Dvine Gantbler (41 7:6764-2)-REV. Itul. GATES; (B)Prayins For The Pasnr 4l6i 67,2)-SAME. Label Tyoe B: See H<2)-SAME, Label Tyoe B: See .92035 for detnils df'co-issucs.
sf(pO UNKI\IOwN
9t021 UNINOWNT
930?2 UNIAYOW\Iq3m3 @ I Haue Crossed The'H"f ftffi i'tft &f/iffi,t':l/,!ou'oe Got To Meet Yow'God',Zt;f:r /; :'; : i !f/ !i!"'3 ; "on Para 12838 and ORS Z02Z asby TUBILEE GOSPEL TEAiIl.
93024 ( )Wasn't Tlmt AMiehtv Dav? ( 1494: 422A )-MISSISSIPH OUINTET: ( ) IHeard, tlrc Voice of Jesl:'i. Say(1495: @A).-SAME. Label'Type B: Boih sides also on Pua128'tS and ORS 7070 us by BID-DLEVILLE QUINTETTE
My
: Boih sid.ei olso on Paru 12694 andb,sp28 eA ly !.{pIE o^L 4 I u B I L E E
QU4RTETTE: l,lOT{: Take no.4 ot2td sid,e issrred on Pamnount.
c|029glu|0
utilotomtT]NKI\IoM{
ere's A Hatrdunitins(209441-8LIND TtML lue Crossed The Seo-28,13-5)-SAME. Labilw (20943-5 )-SA M E. Labdl'oth sides also on Para 12717
ND tOE TACGART. and onas bv BLIM IOE DONNELL,
Time Baptism" Part.3)_REV, M.M. MILLER:
lii li i i .' P' ;;" i i' i h"2:Bs:lE.'Label Tvoe B: Both12618 as by'REV. M.M.
The Snitches BluesA: 1269)-IERRY LEE;rcks Yas Yas (CE-151644:|,TER HOGAN. Label Typedes also on Para 12786'dsE HANNAH and IACK Ui, respectiuely.
H)St. Louis Blues (GE-1'71)_THE HARLEM TNO;zzv Vuzzv (CE-15160A: 1272zzy (GE-L51604: 1272)
zl Type B: Both sides12787 os bl/ MOORE-TON.
6l )Snilinz Blues GE-15166': 1294){-LIERRY LEE. Label Tvpe B: Bothtsdes olso on Para 12797'os bv BOB|COLEMAN ond |ACK O' DIAfrIONDS.', respectioely.
Steal Aunv Blu,es (21184-1)I HOT SHOTS: ( ) Sahv DoL-2)-SAME, Label Tvie Bis also on Para 12719'as bvUNLPJC{_tF',^a-4_pt_E"ty
fi69 as by BROADWAY PICKERS.NOTE: Oi both the Patanount andNU'I'E: Ui both the Paranount andBroduav isstns the first tune titleis slmtni a"s " Steal Au.ny,"
on Para 12806'tisSMITH.
CA0IT ( ) Plnine The Dozen(2116-I)-CHARLIE EATON: ( )Bucket Of BLad eI14-2)-SAhlE.Label Twe B: Both sidei also onPara 12773 as bvWILL EZELL.
930fE f ) Gfust Woman Blues(21158-2_)-BOB CMNE; ( )WeepingWillaut Woman (21155-l NAtyIE.Label Type B: Both sides also onPara 12769 as bv GEORGE CARTER.
SoorraoI S/NGERS;
7;:*Y^' 0os fu'ETTEandSACRED
'ffi##f ff,!jt{'hilY#f:#''ALLEN. La6el Twe A: (A) sile qlso on
Ei nm andcs rdM as bvwlLLIEenEACtn* HIs oRCH.,'on Ch 15172i' a" I-uE CEoncu 0qLLEGLANS, atdoiCUi us "" W CnttttNGE^DANC!
W 8 F WH' g';Yz# a,t rE" f iXT,ttw#ff "fllifiaf#,o,strH*550(F ud uP UNKI\OIVN
2. I essi G. Krcmer 3. Ioltn \gndolph,Bob Graf, Bob Koester, Dan MahoneY,arw otluirs too tunerous to nertiton'
f #XEE9#!'nhitr;'fj,Ti:0"1,[,r,;;;; ;;,;i tofoiation' on H erutin d'is';;s';iii i;d label photosraphs.
...to be continued in the next-issue
53: iffi #H*ffi"'i Biffi series r
#iiffiffi^"iiilgi',rilu';a'irl,:**:'"lfi,!iv!if-&fr-f ,f tffiWg1#Jj,h{'W,?:#iiE|n: a* /, &f:ftzh iit;ffaar,ME*##.Y:i''ai;a1iiiSr;'
CRITICAL ACCLAIM:"...' J inx,t attd' Porry t...are
his fhest uwk from thissessionl'-A. Wilsgt'sSon House illonogaph-Blues Unlimited."N' Boy andSic'EmDogs ore the most excitingblrrcs theLibw of Con-gress euer recorded"-Bill Givens{rigin JazzLibrary.
JUST RELEIISED !...THESESIX GREAT SIDES:
(the legendary hstonsession)Fow O'ClrckBlues Uolatvly Bhns Aun$-piarc acc.Hat LoW Bhnsninrc acc.Heruin92402-($2.m)
SKIP JAMES_ -(the legendary Bostonsession )DnnhenSgee-gtr. rcc.Illirais Blues-gtr. rcc.Herwin9240342.m)
and the only recording bYTHE Willie Brown sinceParamarnt)ttlaheMe APallet OnThe Flw-Willie BroumShetlodPorry Blues_funHotne-Herwin 9240 4-( $2.ffi )
rrulilUztlltRwllll[Bt1!
SEND MONEY TO:
HERWIN RECORDSP.0. Box 306Glen Cove, New York 11542
T$lO original isses on78 R.P.M....By ExclusiueControctwal Agreenentwith tlp Arfisfs...
ffi,.H'50,,Sic'FrnDoes OnN' Bay--1lerwin924W($2.N)
ffihlffie,Miss.-1e42)The Pury BluesTlrc Jhtx Bhrcs-llerwin 92401($2.M)
These are unisstld Lihary ofCongess recordings Pressedon pure vinyl 78's Iot ggrrenFIDELITY!
This is a Limited Editionissred specially for aluosN:{D JAZZCOLLFfrIVRS!
ORDER N(N !--EITTIEB
TtMUM,D'S I.ARGBSTC0IIffTIo\ G.'?ffs....l1[001v1\s THEM? lllrffiEARE THEY? TOIVMUCIIANE THEYWffiIII? MIoBUTSTHEM? ITIIOTRSTO SIEIIL THEM? IIOIVNMETHEYAGNRH)?WHIIT HAFFENS TO THEM?WHICH ARE TtM RAREST?I1IIEN IXD IT ALL BEEIN?
EACC}Bs.SCTTIUEII'ER
Drectly across the strcet is a disappearinsl iquor s to rc : i t I igh ts in rensc ncons a i n ish t .thcn vanishcs by iayl ieht. There uscd tot* alot more bror.rnsiones down thc block towardsAmsterdam Avenue, but they were clubbed downbv the huge metal rrrecking"bal ls. Thc seementswerc broken into smaller sigmcnr" and haillcdby truck up to this dump in [he Bronx.
Tday, the mi&lle of the 82nd Street blcrhbetleen C,olumbus and Amsterdam Avenues isari open rock f ield encloscd bl a chickcn wirclencc, I t is destincd for a new municipal proiectby city planners who I ive in thc count'rv ' . olavgblf o.;r lgnday, and bring their briefcaies to'work in \ lanhittan.
Latc Saturdal moming thc l iehts co on behindthe cased windows of 100 W. A'2. ( ' lhe l ishtsarc on cuery
'l'uesday rright and all dav Siturdav
and Sunday.) The cniranJe has a whitc Victonaneolunrn on-each side. You cl imb a step, r ing thcbell , l isten for thc sound of thc hcl l aird treirnothing, I lorrcre'r, bv opening the heavy metaloutcr door ( ir opcns bv i tsclf) you rvi l l enrer asnra l l ha l lwav . 'S ix feb t ahcar l hnd to t l rc r i shris a sccond door-locked-and covered with"fish-colored sheet metal, You knock and there is asl iqht inward give l ike rapping of l t l rc fentler ofa l t rv Chevv.
-
By PETE I,IJHELAN
At 100 W'est 82nd Street a 19th Gnturvbrownstone ajoins the Hotel Endicott at thesouthwest comer of Columbus Avenue. Here,on the first floor behind double doors and casedwindows is the world's larsest collection of"78 records (more than +$,m0 of them). There'sa Chinese laundry nert door, and it may havebeen abandoned for the last five years. You can'tbe sure. \ luch of New York Ciry' 's [ 'pDer WesrSide spends t imc uai t ing for i ts luck ' io chanse-like ttic young-old Puert-o Ricans in continenlalsuits waiting"near the Chinese laundry. Justwaltrng.
Straight ahead and beyond a locked door. anotherroom, called the 'r 'aultt, contains wall to ceil insshelves of t-he rarest labels in th" record "ott."?;nnfratemity: Aut6graph (red or lieht blue with nauti&lchecked border), Back Patti (plurple with soldenpeacock that has a monstrous ibil ). DectroleamCennett (black with Old Enelish letterins). Merrit(purple or black with aeoniz-ed Greek dealth masks).Paramount (black, purple, blue; eold easle holds th;world in.its TALONS); Champiori (gold lettering-
), trrro out-of-town collectors (lookinfdware store clerft.s) stand over a lod'ghere is a shortase of chairs)-bent ddwn.down at what ap'pear to be long typesheets with numbers and obscu"re'symbols.
ordige, small black, small ereen labels). thrj -
' I igh-tning I abel' Brun s wi ck"7OCI series' ( li ehtninsrods symbolize that marvel of the 1920's: e'lectriEal
' I igh-tning lp!"I'. Brun s wi ck"7OCI series' ( li ghtningrods symbolize that marvel of the 1920's: e"lectncrqcording ), the war-like Sears-Roebuck labels( Conqueior, Supertone, Challenge-heroic combatar( Lbnqueror, \rpertone, Orallenge-heroic combatantspose with swoids and shields)fVocalion 1000'series
(non-glossy black and white). and ihe-unissued tesls. Ii this room is whai'the record
Are "pop'X)s" collectors (Bine, Rus.A, Rirdi). They wear eabardindbrownI tlraq nf:rge int6 a thic[ening background
collecting intrigue is all about-the music has tobe sood; bevond that. it is the label and how itcouectrng rntrrgue ls all about-the musrc has tobe sood; beyond that, it is the label and how itLooKS: the naive 192JJ's Cheltenham. Elroadwav.be good; beyond that, lt rs the label and how ltLooKS: the naive 192JJ's Cheltenham. Elroadwav.or Gaudy typefaces and 30-year old coiors that ridUa
eord shelves, and they barely-slancduo.Saturdav it was the 'loresteist: these'arert-of-town iazz collectors who with casualin for The Spectacular. New. York Lifeuearing chbcked wool lumberman shirts
9r Gaudy typefaces and 30-year oldbe too expensive to color-niatch and print todav.No record in the room is worth less tJran g15;
'
many begin at 940.
for 40 years, sitsln the main rnm, Jacob S. Sch.neider, a lawyerrr 40 years, sits behind a large desk next to'thrlarge desk next to'the
caged window. He wears a white shirt with shonsleieves.. tl-ig tiq, suitcoatand h-at-Fre.on an emptyrecord shelf behind him. With a ballpoint oen hewrites new titles, label numbers, anil recoid condit-ions on legal-size stationery. On the desk, threepiles of reiords are in precirious balance.
HihJi"H,L:tffin#ff 33,&"uotr*Kent frqn Chialrso. ard Jacob S.Schneider (nnmnts befae negotiatians).
To rrpviesoers, l\{r. Schneider misfit look likethe late Siilnev Geenstreet who wEnt on a6Gday diet kifore steppins from the screen ofThe Maltese Falcon intb r6al life. hrt theresernblance is superficial. As you aoproachhis desk you meet a pair of blue eves'itrat firstRussia iri 1904 and p-erhaps reveal the humor infive decades of New Yorli Life since then.
To the left, slelues, eisht feet hieh, faceeach other and extend 25-feet. Thei are stackedwith 78s in gree-q and tan sleeves. llidwaythrougi one shelf, a narrow passageway opensinto a large roorn with one lightbulb-at'th<j ceiling.In here, tfie shelves and dark-"ness close inaround you like the walls of the F,cvptian catacombreconst'n-rction at the Metropolitan'llluseum of Artand dead end somewhere n6ar the bathroomin the back.
"I'ue been setting phone calls for you alldayi' Mr. Schneidei says.."Please tell,yotg,,creditors rnt to call nte ot my place ol ousuwss.
He was bom in Czarist Russia in 1904 atnUin. an ancient Wendish city west of thePripet Marshes, located midway bet-ween.theVi;fii";A Bui Riuers and sdne 2il) miles southotlorm.t C'ermir Fast Prussia. Lublin wasioaili*atv Polish-speaking and the victim ofcountless Russian invasions and occupattons -since the 17th Centurv. It was linally rqgarllgd-t"-p"tiita iGr World'War I and agqiri aft-er.Worldt{* ti.-O"" .i llr. Schneider's ea"rliest childhqSmemories was of the Cossacks brought lnto.Lublrnto enforce the Czar's "Progrum" agarnst the.lewish population t "l uns standing tn fro-nt olbw houie'when they were coniryg daun the street"-ni"-rre,
o" narsbmrn with bloch milstachesondsiani-bredswords-sloshing, hnching doum at .lwninp people. Suddenly' tley unre all.ctowrl'I lndd tp'and this Cossach uns^bringmg-htsswud dsin on w head whell n-a Grantu4otlersriatud re frq Vl?irdt pulled rne insicle tlefrouse. and bolted the doir-"
Often. vou will enter 100 W. 82 in the midstof a re6Jning conversation about phonograph.r""ord". Ih&e are the same kindbf pro'fessional'truisms vou might hear around tle racetracks('alwavjbet on"the iockey, not the horse'), aircxins arena (kill tJre boilv and watch the headdie'),"or tle ldunge of a bill park ('he.fieldslike a fat man tryinA to catch a bus'). womenseem out of place. The occasional female straggleror collectorrs wife is treated with the samemonol ith ic de f e-ren ce and overpolitenes s. th atMarine Master Sergeants reserve lbr ctvrltanreview boards. Eicept for Nlr. Schneider. Heii"e-"" a philosophical side of himself for theopposite sdx; he h'as the ability-to view womenvbisus ohonograph records and the entrre mrddleclass dilernmi iri *hat might be described as'all from the outside'.
"ly'lonnv collectors eiue t$ tleir collectionsafter tiey-ee t murQdil he says. "Wives do rntinnt to ihme their lusbards titith old rgguds.Wnen twtf of yotr legal cases inuolu-e diuorce"iits, iriu iwm theie things.". Nlr. Schneiderhimself admits to several nlarnages.
Benrud KlaEko, tlrc cou*rY bluPg.collecta. helF pinpoint s(Irp oI urcblues rarities.
I,eft to rieht: rocksinser'The IncredibleTlni
-Tfi'. Jacob S. Sdlnetuler, ard Dutch
discoeraplfur }tax Vreede.
His clientelle are not all 'numbers men' whoflip throush the lists and spot the rarities byla6el num'bers (Victor 232$ thru 234{X)'s,Paramount 12900 thru 13156, Champion 16200thru 16800's). Many, in fact, are not eveninterested in'earlv inusic or record labels-like*" tiav from Stoitz, Iowa, who writes lor ShirleyTernolej records " iust to hear little Shirley'svoicb once again befue I die."
The maiority are like the man who wroteagkilg fgr a ie^cord madein 1924 of Nora Bayesingi;'g Sorp Stamry Day. 'T]re ygq ruy wife
ouer cfrid ouer,
srnflng fime Jnw uw. - rne yeuf nry ut,tvantl fucang ewaeed,-ute played thnt recordorpr orul ouer."lte sud. Mr. Schneider wroteback. "l lwu6 seuen copies of it on Cohunbiain uqious conditions raqing fromN to V'.You can lnue tt in mint shnpe fu $2 or scratclryfor 50Q."
Sometimes. bright young couples from Queens -buzz over to bui
'ItlE HISTORIC arr4lgemen! oI
"-n"ra*uu hitbn the orisinal 19Y LP. "I don'thandle LPs," Mr. Schneider says. 'Tly
Woolworth's."
Amons Nlr. Schneider's regular customers werethe latiPaul llhiteman and-N Jolson (both seek-ins obscure recordings made by them beforg theybdame famous ). MrI Schneider was one oI thelast to see lolson before his death in 1950i*hen lotsoh bousht four of his own recordingsfn tn.lgtZ LittlJWonder label). Grstomers andvisitors have included the Enelish iazz discog-raoher and oublisher, Brian Rust and the Fienchialz critic,'Hughes Panaissie. Each spgnt e^ ̂ .'*.&
t"."it"tti"ns through iVtr' Schneidei's 450,(X)0records. Oversels visiiors in 1967 have beenthe Drtch discographer, Max Vreede, and theEnslish cartoonist'and country blues collector,Frincis $nith.
16000 series and Superior, choice groups onuectrobeam Gennert and He_rwin 25000 series,and single rarities such as Gene Autrev on
--'
L-blumbia 15000's or QRS. One source'of infor-matron states that the highest values are on the
lrqUer than ten inch,es, at4 the ti"g, h"s o-natnn rcone-you hnax you'ue got sonethinp.")But when asked how blues or iaZz collectors"can, dispose.of , an occasionql iare operatic that
few realllrare ogeraticsl such aiihe t"-:"Ftir"-century Uaruso Zononhones- wfiinh o^r h.i.o oo:ceqtury Caruso Zonophones, which can bringiimuch ab $$0. ( Hoi da you reco7nize ai-deop,ratic? !!'.g 9imple,"-says onevwtwL9v: rL 5 tLil4)Le, says one oDerauccollggtor. " If tle record is'ore-sidid, its diamercr
ql] these'6prdtic collectqs' w". Lt-ie oiei15,ffi0.pre-Wqld!!ar I oryatics gatherine &tst,attracting nnths."
^W.lnt.is i! Jihe lq atn 450,Affi recuds? Mr.Schneider himself has appeared on TV and radioto,answer this question,
'and he has been the
glbjecJ of articles in the Herald Tribune SundavMagazine, (bronet, HiFi Review, Hi-Fi Cruide.'and Music Views. Often, TV. or radig produceisdrop over to borrow histonc tazz, olera. ot'personality' records when thev need th'em forshows. Boih Columbia Records and RCA Victonryhen they embarked on reissue prosrarns. have-borrowed from Mr. Schneider's cbllEction.
might b'e pj"lgd up c-u""sing, Utr.'S"tri"ia"iu[BilL ue prsKeq up canvassrng, tur. Jcnnerderconrnented, "l
fu'one tnuld frhe to knan where
Mr. Schneider's most productive yearsrn alomunlf,"TffiE:iT*"&i*sP#',"oi,lt*mrnt record stocks-if voir searched-fyoir searched.
pprls-su,clr as 'Hamld ll.ank', 'FrancisEiSlford'), the choice iazi dna bluJslBickfo;at, th.- "t oiJ" IJ"" "i,a 6G!"
"r-iti""larled to make their minimum bids and had
Sp*d by the final d.i*d;;;fDh.xieland'.rnany pzz oollectors were sellinc out(claiming that 78 bootleg reissud hadprorght the values dorvn-ard that tlev nolonger needed the originals to hear t6emusrcr.
Tle Juz Reuiwl Gensatiut settled
$ffi +ryj, Sli{ t"%"AH tffi P' *Francis Wolfe's fimous auctioni in th"'l?131?Y Re c,,ud Q Wer. ( un{er pseudorr
larled to make tlerr minimum bids and hadto be reauctioned under pseuduryms,-
--
The 19$'s divided 78 record.collectors--Jtii. i*r-n uin l C.n..ation. By 19V.'the Re&rd Changer itself had gone out olbusiness. For the [ew, it was a buyer'smad<et.
One of the hazards of owning 450 thousand,recordsis theft. " Tlere ttns sonetht'ng- dtl abou mts.fellan," Mr. Schneider said. " It uns the mrne'of
iuiner ond lE wue this leuty.oaercmt' .He'd cone in ud ask euerybdy, ll tney uxmtea .contairers of coffee and lE up-uld go out ort ormg-aii
ttte curtainers. lfe would nnke as ttmy asiir;";ilt-;ii W "ottbb. It neuer.-dnured %*-'wttil
ii uns tfu lnte, of cottse. -wha| l'e d,td unsthis-he'd eo fuck fuhind the slwlues a-ttd-graoXi"* 7O1tW i"a to be mint) when rnbodv uqs'gi'ffi ,I':'W#::i#li,fi ,f J|o{#"flY'i^ii"hiton w his ouercmt utd go 9u! lo-r collee' \t ,
ffiY;taw,nlz,Y;:f ,;J',,;Ltr,';;f':,!lirecnds."
In 1954, during the shocking altermath of thismaior theft and Jor several months alter. that'Mr." Schneider could be seen ap-s-otqmndedyHtiieffi;i;t;;-tdt*k while thev werb makingheir farewells. "Ultimately, I recarcred rnst olthe recuds...but the nental cng.ttsh""'
- .ln a.staternent speciallv orepared tot Z8 Qudflly'M;:'S*r;;ru; iav's: "wARNING-I've. hod croo' ii,i ii- ird tane. recras f ;,gg rT" Wfii,fri$r,lishnents, but I lryrebYi;';;i; d trenendaus- eipiv" tot,.tahen bv,tle citv'
,$"'[kf wi',]t'ifl NW'#'fi",!"w:7'itf'"r!"UJ::":"#rtiT {'*;fri; fr';;;;;'r;," i ioii'^'' orfricessity, iefornr-f'
Irst{nhd€ tpgotirtios in tlp hck roct'
Another problem 1n.9wning 4S,Q(X) records .has been sttrage. Lrke many prolesslonar-anq6*ir""-i tenB-tlle* York's Upper West Side,he has been a leadine opponent and vrctrm o.l'city planners' and Srcfiitects-of-theluture"Esoeciallv noteworthy have been the t-ity'sbuilding ihspectors.
'
"In 1922 wlen l becwe a lqtryer, l -"que! .to iiiiffice-at 128 West 66tt' Sieei. It hod-six,n i-6" tte sieet flou- The first -tltee roomsin front u6re nry office aN euenttnlly.the rcfr,tfuee rooms utere iamned W to tle cetlmg wunrecuds. A mawe canldtt't ge! tlro4h. U.Mirrsoectu eversut) it, he would haue condennedtlu; buil.dine.
" Euervtine an inspector cane' I sqid, '-Shg's
rnt in tdny.' I hnd iold him' 'the la'dy wtn- trus-
ini'irin ttirbe roons-wuhs'.' Unf uttttrotely, lleftoors of the bqck tfuee rnm lqd ryC.un to butrgeid cave ilatmunrds. If u cottpl'e ol utsryctusuere to cone in those rooms at one tme-'-every'tiirr{;*ld l-ue gone daun into the cellu'
" Bv 1954, I lewd rumors abut tlte whale,re t ehbrtt& be ing condewted t9 gkg ^t4w' 6'i;i;;tt; h,-; Center. I t -o4 ?n'ry.recads'ii
ttn'lioe. irescted fast ar-td lrckilyl fowtdo'uitdire "i LN wesi Ssra $reet. -I hired aiiii*tiiEn ".id "ix u ter"n bums-from.tle neigh-bdhd. Tlw nnrled uMer t;he-dtec.trcn ol nYysuvin-lma (iicidently, quite a bwn hmse.q t,and ute cuted euerything ouer Qrttl put tI nthe cell.u.
srDUALENTTNE
By DUNCAN SCHIEDT
the fascinatin-gdetails of Indiana'sggeatest trumpetplayer.. "
JONAH JONES leaned bachin thp soft chsir of his hbtel roPmand. said.) ' ..,while -we're on thesubiect of trumqet PlaYelst You,,hnow. one of the best ol them attcanTe out of this uerY^tQwn -
hlww wlw I neqn'/' .Seetng,mYneeutipe shahe of the. heqd, rye' Jo"fiiilb a, .',,N qi".,o f v al e nt ine- Ravmand v alenttne'
OF COURSE, the name wasrnt new to me. For some tirne Ihad been aware of the tqll, slimtrumDet plaver: I met him twoor tlvee'veirs before at ScraPPerBlochweil's place, and he wasthen olavine-in a small combo atthc Staeb Droor Bor on *tuthll l inois Street, lndianaPodis, onthe site of the old lvlutual Bur'lesque Theatre. SYd (I hnewhin' bv his local nichnume) wasa.man- whose Prowess wasalwsys mentioned bY otherueteian I ndianqqol i s music i ans,but when the lihes, of JonahJones uolunteered hts Pralre,I was im\ressed- UP to thts- .i ifri- t
- i,ia"' t ttw ught - about hi s
possible imPtct-on !4e lgzzTideriity. oittsi-de qf Indianao''iii'J."i-irinn* that he had made"d
ii""it r e cor ds-in .the I atei 6 zii;i' oiio in R ichmond,. a-ndiii ii tqct the Shillet Dich onZtL* i'ii, i cor d s r el e a s e di;;;' Th;;" ;;;i io"- svd him s et f'iii
*t-ein" awue of th.isZtiL{it6a bv ilte-recording rioowq"Y until- col,Iector s I re dA;:;;;A lim LindsaY hod himi;i;;t;i;"nP of the otdsides.
Nlidwe stern territ ory b and sthe 19il's atd 19il's. And
fo{s more than willingeralion, the following is
S I HIT the researchil again to explore a bywarytlw largely unexflored world
AFTER THEATBE closing,the young usher's musicalappetite was futther stimul.atedby g.oinp qrross the street to the'doldenWest Cafe, where thepick of the local musicians andsi4gers held forth. Franh Clayhimself d.oubled at this spot,playing the leod in the srnallhouse band. Regulor fixturesat lhis second-floor sDot werepianist Je sse Crump,' blue ssinger Nina Reeves and, for a ti7ne,Nlontana Taylor, th,e bqrellnusepianist wha wqs later to bebased in Detroit.
SYD DEVELOPEDfast on his instrument andwas soon sitting in at sessionswith some of the ueteranmusicians in town - men lihepianist James Helms. hrnwnas 'Slick', and banioist PaulGgo-rg; Both later' appearedwith Syd on record in'tlrcShillei Dick session forGennett. The entire recordedoutput of this group, includingac c o m.p animent s to H at ti e$now, q.blues singer from lnd-tanopolts, was mcne tn oneday. And for the unrh each manreceiued $N. On GennettElectrobeam labels the bandwas hrnwn as Syd Valentineand His Patent Leather Kids.The Shillet Dick snd His FrvineP ans appellation was a f iemEnt-of the Gennett minds in Richmandfor the cheaper Champion issues.
ANOTITER PIANIST with whamSyd came into cantact was FredWisdom, wlw had his own sma.llbqnd, the l\\errymshers. WhenWis-dom,-Syd and others were offereda chance to ioin a show in Calif-ornia. they decided to try oultheir' Iimiied re out at ion-
" T he^t
headed west, lwpin! to mqhe"the West Coqst imd=bock. Thevmanoged a few gigs and got as-for as Kansqs City, wherethey met a young. alto sazptayer named Eddie Barefield.His talent was such, that theyuere on tlw uerge oi tahinghim ulone. when his matherinteruendd. Barefield was soimpressed by Syd's playing atthis tine that, he recqlled theirrcidbnt in a 1961 interuiew withFranh Driggs, in one of thelast issues of JAZZ REVIEWmasazine. He described V al-en{ine..qs 'tenific .t
THE MUSICIAI\IS neuergot any further west. Theystraqpled bock to lndianmolisSydr{ next uenture was ii TeneHaute uith the territory bandof Paul Stewut. The historyof this band at the time was
quite interesting. Just before5yd's gniual tfte band feat-ured the three Reeues brothers.Uerald on t_rombone, Bob onboss and the sensqtionalReuben on lrurnpet. ReubenQeeues had jusi deported forChicago and the bcinds ledby Ershine Tate, Daue Peytonat the Regal, and finally
-
the Nlissouri'ans ( later tobecome Cqb Colloway's bqnd).Reeues nade a series of.records with Tate nus,ctcns .in these ewly yeors. ruecollectors' i iehs rcb. butat the time, stutlinglineu) to his fellow muiicians.
A FIIMOUS member ofPaul Stewort's Wee Hoir Ser-enader s remained., lnueuer,and was probably the first'btg-tine musician that Svdhad come w aeainst. Tltiswas .the .well-Ernum Q hic ogoc I ar ineti st J immy O' Bry anl,ueleran of nany
-P w wwunt'
recordings anf a]readyfftginning..to go .into dclip se.to Reep tne uhtcctgoanhqpy Stewut, qsleoder.waB obligated to prouide'O'_Bryant with a liottle ofwhi,shey each evening. YoungJyd uas rather twn-olussedby.this gesture. Bit hissprrrrs were giuen a shy-hiphI if t .when, afibr lte wing- V aI-entine play. O'Bryunt-exclaihed,'' Slim-. you soundjust lihe ol' Tonini Ladnier!,
THE ENGAGETIENTwith Stewart lasted quite uwhile. und Svd enrolledand fini shed hi s educationat aTerre Huute hish schaolwhile with the band. After
of his career.
7: BAIMOND VALENTINE:ylf,bolf in .Nouember; 1 908,"in the Hoosier copilol. Duringn s euty teens he tooh a job as
:usher at lhe colored mouiiz anduaudville lheatre, the Washinptonon lndiona, long since demal-"islted- He wss-interested inbrass instruments and found anideal mentor in the forinidableIeder of the theatrb's housebmd, Frank Clay. Clay, whohad been associated with thetlpatre since before World Wul, was krnwn locally as the'Block Souso'. He-was souehtSter by many nationally hrnunleader s, but ste odf astlyrgfused to leaue lndianapolis.Ciay preferred the secur'ityof his theatre job, and goodboohines as lead cornet withwith Rbeinald DuValle,lndianapol i s' f ir s t- s tr i ngNeero bandleader and futlderof profilqble hotel and clubjitbs. lt was C-lay's reputationas an outstanding teacher,howeuer, that drew Syd to theman. Lessons took placeat one O'cloch each-Sundayat the N[asonic HaIl, iustbefore the Washington pitband rehearsal. One couldhwdlv imaeine a better teacherconsiderinE the directionSvd's careler was Io toke inlater yeus. Command of hisinstriment, imDecc able tone,and. inlportan[IY, fast reodinguefe demanded of the Youngpupil.
THE WASHINGTON THEATREwus a smqll but regulu linh in told T.O.B.A. uaudville circuit:it played lwst to sorne of the gre-atest colored qcts in the nation.Singers, dancers, comedy tearns,blackf ace minstrel s, le gitinateactor s, tr i ck in s trument al i s t sand otlrcrs paruded across thestage occoinpanied by a smallbut lusty pit band, and this wasutgmented in rnany cases_ byhev musicians who traueled withed:hputiculu shaw.
re t ur ninl to I ndi anaPol i s,he went-from the Wash'i,neton T'heatre out on .hisiifsi show. He uas.hired'to-acconvonY
the slnw' Jig'f ield Foli iei ' , stwring'coiic gtllie it4itchel -a.ndf eoturine clarinetist Wilton'Crawlei.
This exPeriencetooh him as for edst as NewYorh.
NOT LONG afterwardP,.Sva- diCiied that'he could ri shsbning up a band of his own'w1\i' i7," bs si st wcg o f Ind'ionaoolis' Logan 6rown, asaxophoni st, wlw becameaifrrir* i i""osg,, h-9. f or mednii-P"ie"t Leather Kids, a';;;-;i;;i;
outfit, ttw stYte,of the daY. The Personnetw&s as follows:
Trunpets: SYd Valent'ine'Lemv HardY; Tlombone:Wheeler Molatt; Alto Saxes:Logan Brown, Cleve Bott'omsieior sex: HenrY troods;ii-"r,o: Fred sisdom;- Barrio:Clarence (Guq H'rdY;Tub* Bert sunmers'
OF INTEBEST iS IhEtr onrbo ni s t, W he e I er Vo' qn'i-nji i iiiild t *, who SY d .br oushtout of llluncie, lndtana' tareruZb-oii n**;, as Do^c Wheeler'ie ias ta led the -sunsetfr;;"i; ii N"* York, one ol the,;'"iio;;;:; uands iif ttP swine'!n"t'l;:'fiW'rl1Ttlf *"as V,lheeler Ugr*' . .Zia ii-rnutd oPerate in theMidwest.
oNE NIGHT in 1928,while Syd's band wqs playingin the old Rainbow PahnGardens on Indiana Auenue,t he N4i I wauhe e-b ase d I e o.der,Bernie Young, then mahing anaDDearnnce at the lndianqRoof. chanced to heu himplaying. Young ashed Sy/.'to
ioie ouer ond sit in withhis band. Syd eladly comPliedand was ashed if he unuldtihe to ioin the Young.bandqnd return with it to wrs'consin. Syd agreed, but onlYif his buddy Wheeler Mlorancould be tahen along too.
THIS WAS agreeableto ioung. Giuine the-helmof the band ouer to V.leueEiotbms and HenrY W.oods,Svd and the trombontst en'iiitnea for N4ilwwhee,. whereYoung was enlugtng,msband for unrk at Ihe w.tscon'sin Roof. ln the next lewveors B'ernie Young wqs tobecome as nuch of on oltroc'iiii "i tn" Indiana'Roof.inIndianwolis as he had' been tnthe LaEe lilichigon ueufiil i* 6n"aJse he unrkeduiii'Roofs' on an exchongeaBreement between the tWtr;;i;: ; ;;"iiert s -whn oPer atedthe tw dance Ploces:E;";;; li{iili",*"n ond ronin IndianaPolts-
MORB {lAR talent wasto be found in this band.Ailieailv on trombone ttns theN e i-Oi t e a";an P re ston J ach son'Oi--sixes
were Ed lltge, BertBaitev qnd SYd's ad'mirer'Eddi6 Buefield, fresh out ol.Tte Soitinbst rini unrking theWisconsin ues with bands ltkeiiung'" and Elie Rice's'b"'di"*" was the .son ol.leoderRice, SYluester Ktce' 't heotlpi tiumPet man in additionii"std ii,rdvounswas z. (fqrz;, *, !J: W,\ ! : Tt'uil'';'iA:;;i;A
uranger; in tIrcidfr;;:-i;, i_onposbd ,Otd tdanttiiin;.'fo, the Louis Arms.trong'#iWr:'#*
MUCH VALUABLEexperience rcw followed forSid. Young's jobs were-ofrre
theTeit oround, and aiett iounded rePertoire kePt
tlw musici&ns humping to learnthe new music as it camealong. ,But where were periodsof layoff when the lwgerband-was not needed, and Sydbegan to mqhe his headquutersinChicago. flere, State Streetwas stil[ thB jszz capitol ofthe ttnrld, tlwueh shortlY topiue wuv'to Horlem. TheSauov Eallroom haused tutoband,s, sitnult gneouslY: itfeatwed Louis Armstrong withthe CqroII Dicherson band atone end: the Clarence Blachband, siorring the mightYJ iilU:o S*nn,- al t er nat e dl"trtt the dance floor. -It :was inta the Dicherso-n banclinat Svd wss able to fit oniimn'oi"o"tons qn'd st otheri{iit nn ei e^eed. with. J abboSmith. Bob Shollner ttnJ:i;r;i,
-ebir " band) and the
,l n l l "t' R oll l,4or t on -tr umP e t
;;;: d;;; ;;- wit " n"n,' wtn m he'iiidn-rllitit as' Little Mitch"
The'ereat iazz boom.tnb' ii":"e;, ; ryai.ns a u iu id^;;;rv to SYd tadaY' Neuerbiforn'o, since-hqd' he seen
so' rnuch worh for so nany
nusicians''IN
LATE 1928Svd went back ta Indian-cholis brieflv. Then, withciltoist Cleuit Bottons, whohod reorpsnized the old PatentLeatherkids as the BrownBuildies, he taoh off lorColumbus in resPnse tQ anof f er from Horoc e. Hender son,wlw was reorgannrng a newband. Henderion' s band, tfteW ilber:f orc e Colle gian-s, al-though originallY ma.de uPoi sildents from Ohio'sW iueif orc"'Coll ege, hnd rnw's;;nzffi E:#tr\hr;.b once againSYd was toreplrce an illuslrtous'i{.rsician
( Rex Stewsil.'Ctii-" Sotto*s, ProPerlY
i;;r; "; [,- i i ltb E i rt" .c:s t e'saxnolnne clnir. Otlwri"sili*i in this band unreCteo (Dail Good-on tenor'iii Stiiriil on al-toultlatt(Red) Hulan otd 6ernrce
- iSorort lvlorton on tntnPet$ti ;i'ui Stewut guitqist'Eiluester TwPin, bas.s arwIior oc e Hender son, Ptotto'
. RHIEAR.SING fhisband was lihe Inuing aregular day job' regdl.l-s-.SYd-In-fact, thby were bu-ildinga new band and' with MrnY .--of tlte men from the Louisutlleorea,. it was trulY a ttlid'iiiiern band. The denunds
ffi--sffiiffistr,h#?3'
:S.i.#
demands on musicianship wereeuen ntore stringent lhan duringSvd's Bernie Younl period:Liorace hod alreqdi ihown histalent for section urqnging,and it was to bring himrecolnit ion almost equal to hisoldei brother F letcher.
FINALLY, TTHEband was ready ond leftColumbus for ihe road. Earlyin the schedule, there was aboohing in Pittsburgh, andHorace Henderson found a youngtrurnpeter who gloddened hisheut - to the point where hedropped 'Sprat' ltlorton tomnke room for the newcotner:Roy Eldridee. Up to then,Rov's experiencd ha.d beenIw-eetv with cwniuals, followedby"a short try as leoder of hisown combo in his home town.
F'ff-effi.ffiY ffiR#$.s{#t&Ttsftf, t :s*trE stf#{s!**,
,i;tiii#,*ru*".. vprs *.* lk
€q
.co
v)Egcs
bc
'.lq)
3F
il I ik {,:. i,.t j,,, iE ,, .'u", i/ j* +J :t=
&g*}hf g}.sk'k' u?*frj;.-fH m,ffikiffiri=l%
CAREER REACTIES NEWPEAI ' . BY 1929. . .
RY NOW Syd urls reachina tlrc peakof his potpers'and buildins a"firrc iep-itatioi tlvouslbw iazzdoit He recdllstlnt in thc H'enderion band, the trurnpetnen utould alternate parts: Syd playid.first or second. hont.'uhile Rov'reinincdihe " ride" or " g,ei-off" nnn'in third pos-ition, The first titunpiit wrt uc.s themelody leail: the seionl nnn ustnlly ,ookspeciir.lty sdlos, often uith rute andsiowl tones. In tliis band. they couldueardrn a first tnnDet nan, Th.us'. oarts ueresu)itc'lwd for rdlief,
THE BANIYS R0UTll\lE lzs rorehearse a slwut, accompany it out onthc road for a tour, afte; u6ich it wouldreswnc iis regular ptt iob, In the case oftle Hardys, il uswillv'uns thc Hounrd
'
Theatre.' Durins Syd.'s tenure. such utell-knawn musician's cs Sid Culitt (briefly )and Trununy Yowz. fresh from the Wdshinetonband of piinist BditEer Co'lenan. oassed
"
tfuowhihis band,. Also in tle 6ail uns atri c k irombo ni s t. S vht e s ter B ri s c oe. ut lo oby e d.in croucltcd posititns on the stase'and slnrilda " Datent"
'tuith J ack Teaeardeh on tlrc stutt,
of dismarxlins his instfine-nt as le plaved.The msical " brains" of tle bond'unl thepianist-anarqer Coleridzb Daois, u:ho euewiuallv eot ar6wtd a u.Eitine the illr:z.ps tltat thebantrolayed in. Syd recalls ,le " old, man"of tlui oitfit. basiist Leuen H. Hill. uln unsd steadyihs'infl.Etue on the yotns'bloods oftlrc band, dndClester Broun" a eifted euiniistfromVos,hington uln died befoe iomiig todeserued lcunc.
It uns with the interestine ard inadeqwtelydocutncnted. bond. led bv thE Hardv Bro3. tlniSvd uns to utork for th| next fan'yets. Heniade intermitteni dewturesio i6in bis bandsof thc day, such as Lucky Milliider, EarlHines ond'Tinv Bmd,sln6. but it Ls a tribweto Valentine'i ability ilai le could alu'wsfind a berth utith the'Hardys uhencuer Eunnted.,Duriru onc of Syd's lavoffs (self-itnposecl)'Horac"e Henlerion tooE tlie Hadvs and frontedth.em into the Washinlton Tleatfe in Indian-aoolis. olnyine tlze s'hout "Swar Cane." Theslmt ihs iuriiten bv the band's pianist,Coleridae Douis. aid staned siriser GeneuaWoshinEton and comics " Pigmed." Marklnmard " focks" J enhins. Syd's replacencn,at this time uns yo.ura J6nh Ioircs, barelyApo years out ofTome'in Louisuille, Ky.
-
li#
i:il::i r *
HARDY BRffi. lnrdbil feahringnayrnqtd (Syd) Valentine.
ROY BR0Uc*lT a ratherbattered instrument withhim into the Henderson band.which Horace loohed on withobuious distasLe. .For appear-ance's sake, Eldridge wasshartly presented with q newinstrument,, and the L9-year-oldtruftpeter fidgeted with th.ehorn as he sat up on the stqnd.The first time out, Royobediently sat beside the othertwo, playing in section withthe bright trumpet. .But, as thetime drew neu for a solo break,he reoched down lihe agolfer for his fauorite putterto the old instrument. Whenhe stood upto play a hotbu or tw, there, for all tosee, inclu.ding the leader,wqs OId FqilhfuU Horsceg&ue w gracefully.
2 a
cast in thc ArmsEons. nold, were tlp uspirationand extsoention of Sectioi nates lilce Rewuld.lones. uilpse abilities lay in more ru.nlane greasii*i leoeAAnlin and wi:cise timine, bu uito,u.,ithinihc brd. constraincd n da bo'ttle rarsicallyuith the bmsh vowtz lpm nun from Pittsbwgh.This auas rct the Sp-eed Webb bad of Hollt'utoodfane: neuertheJess', il seems to lnui been thekreaiest one uder'that lead'er. T9 a-mon' jts1lwrni comwred in intwct uith tle loter LowttBasie bord.
Also abw 1930. Svd plaved secord trunpetuith Luckv M illindei' s' orisituI band, lars,b lvnnde uo oT ex&oher BarnEs men. Ldter in ihe1930's'a 3ubseqrcil Barnes band uns tlvoictim of a lplo'caust in a southern dance lwlland. as is uellJnann in iazz lore, u.ns literallybwited. w. Tle orieiwl Barnes band, uttderMillindei's ledersnip, lnd included the famousChicaeoanGuv Kelli.'KeIIv uns fired' and thismade 1le ooeiirw uJhich Valentirui uns to fill.This brdblso includ.ed, as Syd recalls,
'"Scooos " Carev on sax, the'nnnulw wasIater tb plav a iort in thi bop ntouement byrecorrn;ndins. Charlie Parkei to EarI Hinisin 1943.
BACK ltND FORTtI/ron tlrc Ha1dy. Bros.to other iobs traueled tfu itineront Valentine'seemingly wa4iliing to settle douml4ith oneorpaniioiion for loie. One time, uhile he umsilf in D..C., *g. Hardy. pro9..batp uent,olf ,ontour wttlDut hrm, and' ne lotllcd' a oana Leabu Cob CaUouni's vounier brother, Elmer.fhis band plav4d thb Clib Prudhom, knatnlater as thi Cotton CIub, One sidemanumstroibonist Fred Norman, soon to joln theC-Iaude Hopleins band .as ?faf9e\' Syd recaLLstlnt most of the ten Ln tnts oarn uerestudents ai Howard' Uniuersity, ploying atnight to earn their tuition,
FINAIIY.;n tle nid-1930's, Syd narrieda eirl from tlie Neu York area wM M. beena\anier in one of tlp shouts. ard thc Valer*inessettled. for sone iime in Brodklvru From thisbase Sid uns able to olnv sips- with nnnv ofthe N&t York greus.'This"p"eriod, at -th6 dipthof tle depression, uxts so ttncertain tlnt ar|couruiiu of the nrious iobs and conrectiotuheld by tEc in*iciorrs utoiild be alnost impossible,
Iroin,He serued his next lora-term hitch in 1937, tuithvine Millar's Brautshin Models, a slwut whichlrvtns Mrlkt- s ttrarnshan ModeLs, a sllow wnlcn
tookhim fot afield. and ino tle Texas area, Inthis furd un; the'letere4 dyyu4tner Cubailustin,this hnil ullo,i the-oeteren drwruncr Cuba Austir/ytfgnainsny of the old. McKirney's Cotton
IXJRING THE LATE l!18(Is,Svd's careertook a decided d,io. He lnd left tlv- bie bandsbehird. ard uns
'ott uorkins, in srnalleT combos
and leiser lowutn ou{its iisuch places as Mus'keson and Grard, Rapiils, Michiean' At tle onsetofVorklWar II atd bfter'twny lears' absence,lh decided to retwnio ltdiainbolis to @nitoossible ind,wtion, unntine to'go in from his'oun
lwmc area.- While -lrcre-,.lelenained topthreod anong tle local musicians.
Svd uas still a nwn of repure among fiwnpetersinbie bands uisitins. tfre Sunset Teiace-Ball'rooi'and the stas3|hous at th'e Lyric Theatre, -utlrcre mgst of tfr suing,era bands-rwn gpe.apd,rte recalls oie memorable all-niefu battli'wilhFats Waller's sizzlins Inm acel I ohrny" BLtps" Hamihon. Hdrnilton lnd conte buer tothi'Foiltutood. u.,hich rws tle later name for theold Golden We'st Cale. Syd doesn.'t say u'tho.cameout on top, ba. it,.is sale to soy ttlnt.a,lot of good.rong out ouer Ind.rana AueHrc tluil nlqnt,
in such ereat demnnl today' " The iemr-nen lantaiei ofer." he savs with'resienation. Btttwhenhe does ujrk. he c:an mate thelnrn dntn to coc'tail lounse smaothness, and some of theold sun{ger comes thr6ugh in spite'of thc^. .surround.Lnss, ITLS cunent pLan Lo lonn a urxteoutfit would seem to be a little oul of char'act'er for this swine erd tnnnpter, but' miehtbe a imart suitch,"neuertlrctess. His big'best problemunuld seqm to be t'indin6 therieht'pianist and front line men to 40 q goodirih oh this traditioruI form. Like Buck"Clontor. Pee Wee Ras.iel, Rex Steunrt an'dVic'Dickenson, to name a few tlnt conte -,"iali to mind, Svd beloni:s to no onq style,i"f titoret rc bI( styles.
"A mus ical -Iit'e[im.e
bf uaried-fare has eiben Nm an ineplaceabtedacks.rouid and' fe4l lor all forms ol iazzt...f rom-the s om.eut ftat primitioe twe exettp uJ Led'bv the Skillet Dick'sides to tha last'nouinAsit,iw form of the Horace Hend'eison and SpeedWeb|6ands,'and' ooer all, tle leatseni-nginfluznce ol tlw kind of shou.t msiq dennrded,of iln [i"d't*rnpercr ;f tle 11ardy Bros, band.Il -S.y!.' s care.er'gets 89iry9 ogain in a -be.rthdl lii" qp" clwo"s.ing,"lndiatfrolis will bemrercal|n( o nit4n f Lcner tqxn.
(.The aboue s.to.ry g! the legeny'g'rypyd,,,,Valentrne oilgula,Lly appeared rn voL. vIItNo. 5ns of l,{ZZ NOTES )
:>,o
a
ts
ln
>,a
For a tine, too, SYd twrked at theCri,td Tenoc" f6r Earl Hines,- t'illingin for Clwrlie Allen, the.re.gulnr fiuntPetmin. then out with a ba.d ltp. I7e al'so recarr.sa rather briel engagerrcnt al the LLub astortaln'Ei[ti^or"', urfre| thc futon o[ Tiny Bradshan'
38
ThI;GI|il$PINAEY"AgoinstCHANTEYJONI'AN ?By BERNARD KLATZKO
CHAALEY JORDAN INTHE EARLY 193Os...
photo corrtesy of Luurence Cohn & Franh Driggs
L-iharlie lordan made toomany go<id recor-ds g{td hadtoo inuih eoins for him thathe shouldae the victim ofa fadeawav. In fune. 1930,Iordan ent6red t6e BrunswickBlake Gllendar Companyrecordins studios in Chicasoand cut 6ght sides. At led'ptIive stanp-him as- 'ilteresting'lrve stafiD hrm as -rnteresung
and' pmv'ocative'. Reportedf;fiom iltanphis, Jordan 6hows -from fternphis. lordan Showssqro.ng .Qffinitiei to this.' north-of-th&Delta' stvle in hisvgige and threefinger guitarplcKrng.
His tens wice is light-alnpst conversatio.nal. Lackingthe shockine vocal hvpnosrs(the inate rdllinenes's'of aiinser to proiect"entirely outsideof h-imselD oI a Delta performerlike Son House or ChailiePatton. his effectiveness @mesfrom inexact timins (that isexact), a oneness"of guitar.and vorce, and an an-trclPatlngrhvthm ( abcented off'beatsadd delaved grace notes areonlv oard of the storv ). All ofthi6 'order out of di'sorder',' harmonv frorn disharnrony'occur on three sides: KeeP ItCleun on Vocalion 1511 (reissued on Oriein, OILS)'Just ASwonlul on Vocalion1543. and Hunkie Tmkie Blues,Vocalion 1528.
Of the three, I prefer Jwt ASpoonful. Jordan prodtces the .s'ane swinlas a s-imitar but earlierParamount"recording bY Charli ePatton ( lthey Al!"played.ragtime').Keep It'Cle& is, franklY, just asgood. It's probably Jordan'sfavorite and most Posltrvemeloaic therne. Ai an origlnalcreation (and desPite the Iactthat it maY somehow haveiti"iiiJi sinsins connnerci all"r'" ooo tune;f ihe 1940'sdtla Personalitvl, KeeP ItCleon is probHy his most rnr'portant c6ntribution to theTraditim.
iv_e'. Reportedfy
Hunkie TVnkie Blues takes itsplace right along with.the otheriwo: voiee and diritar burst froma suoressed intEnsiw and double'timel hold back, theri burst out-again and again.
Honorable mention goes toStack O' Doll.us Blues. Melo&ically, it resernbles Ke.ep ItCleck, but is less positive,les s humorous, npfe- lntrpv-grtedand underkeved. Dolls BillBtues is siniilar to a l,eadbellyoiece-Little Children' s Bhn s-oiece-Littb Chil&en' s Blwbut nothine else that's been'but nomlng else tnat s Deenrecorded. lordan' s pelformanceis touctrini, but doe'sn't reachthe effecfveness of the topthree because of unresolvddrhythmic problems.
BisFotr Blrcs, T\tn StreetBluei otd Raidin' &uad roundout lordan's first session.Theie three follow the familiarAAB blues form (except for an
unusual breakout halfway th..udtRnidin' fuuod\. By conpansonwith Spooi/ul,'Kedp It C'lean,andHitnkie Twkie, they arelukewarm servinss. AlthoushIordan's sinsini is rernoteJ hishardtoolav Iuilar in SandardTunins boritiiues to be interes-tins (;nd superior to much ofhis"worft in fater sessions).I know that quite a few blueslisteners resard as' great'much lesser-recordinis bysingers such as Tamia Redor rianv of the loraA6y, dis-ernbodied performancds byBlind Lerrbn Jefferson.
Raidin' fuud is anothersons that was possibly adoDtedb,v teadbellv falmost hote lornire) in T.B. Bhns, Bluebird8559, Iune 15, 19CI. (IIad Leod'belly ionelnnt mmryed to snugglehis butstandine collection ofmint JudotVocalions wst thestolid epfids at Angoln hison?l
q
G
\
oI
x
Xx.NF,
Jqdan's rare secord versict of hisumt fanns release. "Keep It CleanNo. 2 " ras rccmded in ClricagP,Il,lilch, l$ll.
The discographical breakdownin Bhres & Goswl Records-1902to1942 by Dixoh and Godrich showsthat Jordan recorded copiously.Keep k Clean-No.2 ori Vocalion16ll (March, 1931) is a worthyneanreplica of the orieinal. ahdYwkin AdTellYofrDaddt(the other side) has stunningpiano accornpaniment by PeelieItheatstraw (usually a less-than-sturming performer)-.
plooto cowtesy of Lauence Cohn
unknovm Hidrivinggnvrng gear-teem-mesn, tw(>guitqg acconpqriqEnt by Jord
J udst' s. ntr,s t promi s ing'unheard'. perforniances miy beon those 'all-time Depressronloser' Victor 8300 sides (four).
lronically, al-houeh lordanrecorded sonp 53 sided underhis ov*,n narne, the records thatmay draw the most listeners andthei most raves €ue six obscure1932 recordinss by the virtuallvunknown Hi tl-enrv Brown. The'Jrivins sear-teet6-mesh. tuo-
ryttg-{?p.qqg"t by J ordan
Keep lt CleotI wetu to thc riuerI, couldn't get acnoss'I lwnDecl on yow mut'Carise I tlu6uglfi'lte u.ns a lntse
Nou. roll him oaerGivi him Co{ohrLennn SodyQnrt of icb cryanttake soaD uA unterFor to kdep it clcan
Up she impedDoun she fellHer nu&h'flant ooenLihe a maisel s6ell
Nout roll him ooerGiue him Co-CoIyLemon sodvQrnrt of icb creantTahe sfup and unterFor to kebp i, clea{,
Yow sister uns a teddyYour dady uns a bear
'
Put a mu2zle on yonr nunntt' C a u s e s h e M M l u i r
Nout roll him werGiue him Co4olnrLemon sodyQwrt of icb creantTahe sinp and unterFor to hebp it clean
If you urut to hearTfot eleola nt lawhTo*,e hik d,anm to"tlrc riuerArd, unsh his yas, yas, yas
Nou roII him ooerGioe him Co,ColvLenon sodvOtmrt of ic'e creanzTa,ke sino ard unterFor to hdep it clean
GPlerye senLTB to
ind &own b€hi{rd horvir tsbroken, pleading rroice-andsuddenly you' rd listening.toperforminbes at the summrt(i.e.. Pattqr' s Dry WeIl Blues.lames' I'mb GInd, Haris'BuIIfr og B/ues -and'now, HiHenrv Bown' s Skin lulan orPrecbhs Bluesl. Our manJordan is $e.re too-y4th his big8utar, antrcrpahng,'lorcefggd-gr' and. generally movingtnmgs lrqn srde to srde.
' lrym"b:f-to to heauen
ln'i":;'ti:ton Y our co ttar
Notp roll him ouerGioe hiin Co-ColvLenon'sodvQuart of icb creamTake s6ap atd unterFor to kebp it clean
lmWr:A7tthe rabbitsYg!t'* Eo! p_W on the stwnpLike aD0-E
Nout roll him werQiue hirn Co-ColvLenan sodyQnrt of icb crganLcuae soop and unterFor a kebp it clearl
Rwt here d,octorRw lwre fastSee ulnt's tIE natterVith his ya.s, yas, yasNou roll him overGiue him Co-CoIvLemon sod.rOust of icle creamTahe sino ard uaterFor to kebo it clean
Street-,CrSrStte
g
.saO
F
6
sh'=
Robert Shan: " AII them other boys I ranuith are dead nout. Blach Bov Shihe. Connie Burks.Roadlwuse. Lazv Daddv. Boozeand. stayiis ow in th6m ioirus kitled themoff, And. t6e iuke box took their iobs. Idjn't heard rbthing of Ady Boy'or RobCooper or any of theft. othdrs in years now'Las't one slill riound, Hou,ston uns BusterPickens and, he sot slnt to death onWestDallas Street-iVht in one of the old lnneouts uthcre we aII used to bb around-iusltuo years as.o. Me, I'm still playine biano,but int for d liuine. l'm sellins.-s.rolcbriesi n A us ti n, ma)t ing"bar b e c ue t' or" t fr e s e t'o I k s.,'"
Yet one more label toclutter up thediscograPhies...
Almanachas come forth withmusic you've hmrd of,hrt possibly neveractually heard...
lFEI=A-giEf -(!|.-tn-E! I- GfOttEtEPI-r4|.I\f
played, sung byRobert Shaw in a significant LP document,complete with an8'Page hoklet bYMack Mcbrmickdetailing thisE x t r a o r d i n a r Y
hdy oi music wtlichlies between ragtime,early jazz, andstarvation bx blues:
$4.90 Postpaid Anywhere/ l l
AI rnanacP . O . B o r 7 5 3 2
H o u c t o n , T c r z s 7 7 O O 7
no tto ment ionbeing a lot of gmd,bawdy fun to hearsuch romping stuff('Put Me In TheAlley' and 'Whoresls Funky' and 'Thefila Grinder' and7 more) rapped outby one of the professorswho used to slrout"Squat low,lTralTla. . . "
78 PNESENTSTlnef,,or:es:t 78s
M o r e T i r4b - C_ _o. \unbi a I 456 1. ( p o; s i bly an c o p i e s- one is V1)Wilev Bamer fti Gal Treats MdMean/ I f Y riu Wani A Good W 6man-Gennett 6261( thr.ee, lnqwn goplesl Wil. lie Bq{nes(.Wil-ey^ s|r-irer) Mv Gal Tr'io* tr(e M(onb khoun coov. VJ)-Si'knoutn
copies,'V and E)Auav Blies/Rollin' Loe7!41 (hpo known copiesi
T5121 (aNl&tmn CoineTnalsruick
7141 (tuo knoun copiesi El ard. N) Bill andSlim Paoa's Gettii' Hot-Clwnpion 16015(one knoiltn coov. V-)Se,taDppr BlackwellSorinetiiltc Blidi--Gbnnetf 7158 (no krmpnioojisl Scramer Blackwell Sprinetinrc Blues-Clwnioion 15973 ftD knoun coiiesf$ctaVper blickwell Hard Time Blues/Bock DoorBlues-Cltarnoion 16361 (an E copv is krmtn1o e xi s t ) $2rhppq. Blaclwg! *rntbl ipg B lue s /
(another E copv-all come from bne source)Scranper Bld6kwell Blui Dov Blues/Sneak-ine Bfues-Swerior 2765 (rc kimpn copies)Siramer Blti,ckwell Doum South Blu4s/BacQDoor Blues-Suoerior 2782 (ro hnou.tncopies.l Sc lDer Bl'ackwell Rdmbline Blues/Hdrd Tirne Bhtcs-Superior 2827 (rc krwwncooies) Almzo Bodrc (William Haris)kinsals Citv Blues/Eleitric Cluir Blues-irniio"e y'428 (one krwnm cow, E/ IsluwtIirabev W ontan W oman Blu'es /S fitcas e FuIIOf Blubs-Paramowt 12970 (one knqun copv
to exlst)>cSneakins, BlsomewhZre)
oDef f'fflcKwell namD&ns--Clnmnion 16370 hn E(an L cow
BIue Ddiion 16,152
somewhZre)lBlues/Down(another E c
)aramount 1470 (one lpnqm copyBracev & The New Orleans'-i Bust-Up Blues/Pav Me No Mindli-ehi.Boys Bust-Up.
(one ltnown copy, L)You Scolded Md and.I'lI Ouercome Somcdaonies- E- and N-)N
dni Bracey'Frorn Yow Door/
8904 fuin kwun
Me
"iiiii.- E- ",ra lV-.t wtiisissippi Bra,cev chenlBdll/Siered. Gal-Okeh 8867 (rp kraun copies)Tonnnie Radley Adam and Eue/Pock UpI U t r tuE urue . t
Her Trunk Blues=Clnnpion 16149 lone &noult'i6i". V to Vjl Tunmie Bradley When You're
Doin arul Out-Champion 16308 (one known
HERE IS78 QUARTOFFICIAL
ER(but unauthorized)FOLL OF THERAREST COTJNTRYBLUES ANDINSTRUMENTALJAZ1Z RECORDSThe first issuestAfts_ alpErbeticallYwith A to B,..gives-known ( or estimted)number of copiesowned bY coflectors.
Garfield Nters Cottonfield Blues-Part 1/-Part 2-Vocalion 14212(5 knoun copies ftomV- to N and one Decca test of Part2)Qdrfield Aken Dowh Roller Blues/!uinpin'and Slwwin' BluEs-Vocalion l,tBI E knouncopies. both E or betteilKd Bailey Miss-i s s ippi B ottom B lucs/ Hou.dy BluesLB run-suibk 7114 (5 ktwun copiei, all E or better)Willie Baker Weoh-Minlled Blue s /SueetPetmia Blues-Gennett 6751 (one lsoum cor
sutck /lI4 (5 hnoun coples, all, E or Oeuer)ttillie Baker W eoh-Minlle d Blue s / SueetPettnia Blues-Gennett 6751 (one hnoum cowN-lWillie Elaker Mana- Don't Rush Me Blies/No No Blues-Gervrett 6766 (one krnttm cowG]lVillie Baker Bad Luck Moan/Ain't It A'Good Thins?--Gernett 6812 (no hnoum copies)l{illie Ba^Ker Crooked Vonnn Blues/Rai Bah-Cernett 68,1b hn hnown cooies)MtefdotBlill Barefoot' B iU' s H ardlick Blues /One
copy. V-'to Iul Tonmie Bradley PleoseD,ii''t Act Tfut Wav/ Four Day Bhtes -Clwrypion16339 (one hmnn 6opv' El)Townie Eadlbyqd-James Qole !!bbody'.s B us ine s s- I l- I,Do/Windota Pane Blues-lClwnpion 16696 (noIerunm cooies) Tqnmie Bralley and Jarps
?tlt*,"u,{f {,#,}""":,f ."rt-f ffd;#E&iht,When You're Doun dnd Out/ Fow Day Bhrys- -Sipirioi2zia fi t rmt copies) E ttry hooks
Her Trunk Blurcopy, V to V1)
,t3
(John D, Fox) Tlr Wonied Man Blues-Clumoion 15416 (no known cooies on Champion)Bis BiU Broonblev How l'6u Want It Doie/Snlion Blues-Paraitount I30BzI (no knou.tn copies)Flossie Brovm (ltilae Glover) Slnke ltDaddy/I Ain't Ciuin' Nobody None-Champion 15814'(one knapn copy, V lb lzll Flossie and lXrkeBrorvn (Bvtd & Glover) Pis lrleat Mann/GasMan Bluei-Clnmpion 15858"(one lmown copy,E-?)Hl Henry [hovm Nut Factory Blues/56inMan-Vocalion 1692 (one known c6pv, E- withimud. Iair crk. ) Hi Henry Brown' HospitalBlues/Broum Skin Aneel (rn knann copies)-Vocalion 1715Hi Heirv Brovm Tiniic Blues/Preacher Blues-Vocalilon 1728 Lottie Brown&A ce Jmes (Kinbrousfi & Holrnes) LosrLoue r B I u e s / W dvunrd Giil B I ue s -S une rto nz9286 (one knowi cow, I/-,t Lottie ttown(Kimbroupfi) Rolliii Loe Blues/Coins Au,ayBlues--Stloertone 9367 (three knann c1pies,'V1, C and cracked) Richard'Babbit' Bmwnllly'stery of the Dmbar's ChiLd/Sinkins of TheTitani6-Victor 35BzlO (tun knotm copies', bothE or better) Willie hown lrl and O'BIuesiFuture Blues-Paramount, 13090 (one knouncooy. cracked): Clnrution 50023 (four knouncdp'iis. all F) 6r bette:r) Willie Brbwn KickinsI n' Mv S I e e o B I ue s /W indcnt B lue s - P aramount-130y'9 (noknown copies)hmble Bee SlimHonev Bee Blues/Roueh Rueeed Road Blues-P araito unt I 3 I 32 ( no Enoun"iicp i e s ) Clrfi;rliehnse 1 Got Good Tatersi Littte Gieen SIip-oers-Clnrwion 16481 ftn known copies)'
Br.rse and Slnde Fishina In The Dark-Chan-pion 16599 (no knann copiesl Buse andS0enhen Tappin' That Thins,-Champion 16654(6nZ knoun tbw, E-) Joltn Bvd Billy GoatB lue s / OId. T ii\rook B luc s- P aramount- I 2997(three krwwn copies in the Vtto E range).(Additions to blu.es section: Hi Henry Broun-Vocalion 1728, one lotoun copy inE cond-ition: Alonzo Boone-Supertoni 9428, a second.cooy in less tltan V condition exists,)THE RAREST INSTRT]IIENTAL JAZTZ-A TO B: Alabara fiizzry Wrlg;zies (FrankBrnch ) Fuzzy Wuzzy-Chimoion 15366 lrcknoun copies'on Chimoion) ]{Iabann FuzvWuzzies' F owt h A uenirc S iomo-C lnnoi on 1-5398(one knoun copy. C,/ / Nabania Fuzzv Wuzzies'Conso
StomD--El;antD'ion 15415 (no kn6un cooieson ClwwioilNaMma HaflIuiy Boys (Thian-ele Hampni Bpvs) Chicken Sipper-Strut/SueetPanotie--Si[uertone 5]39 (one kitirun copy, E/ )AJabarn Jw, Pirales (Tlianele HanfonvBovsl Carned Heat Blues-Bell []82 (no hrnuncoiie's on Bell-)Dannv Altier & llls OrcheshaI'k Sorw. SaI[y/Mv CaI Sal-Vocalion 1574O(tlwee ki6un cb,oiis)l-avie Austin & Her Blues
(tluee knoun copies ) Lavie Austin &HerBlues Serenarl0fs
'Don't Sluke It No More/
Ratnprt S tree t B lues-P aramount I 2300 ( es ti-natid at moretlun fiue copies)l-ovie Austin& Her Blues Serefaders' To6 &aeet For Words-Parantount 12313 (three knoun conies)LWtieAfsdin & Her Blues Serenaden{ Calion Stom/Chicaeo Mess Around-Parantaunt 12380 (four'krutum-copies) Lovie Austin & Her BlddsSerenadirs Merry lvlakers' Tutine/ln The AllevBlues (fiue knain copies) Parannunt 12391Barrellbuse Five 1l's flobody's Business/Scu{flin' BIues4RS 7057 (tu'o knoun copies):Paiannunt 129212'(no knoum copies) SliniBartlett & His Orchestra (Sid Valentine)Asplnlt WaIk,'Rock and Graief-Superior 2692(ni kruutn copies./Berlyn Baylor OrcheshaC lnrinc t Marmalad e / Riuerboai S huf fl e-Gemett6^4f7 (one krwwn copy); Clnwion'15477 (mknowt):Clnnpinn 16422 (,pe knoun iopy, E uith lnircrackjSuperior 28!7 (no knatn- copies)BiX EzHis l0tytftm Jugglers Todd,Iin' B lue s i Di ieioo rt6 I u e s -C e.nn e tt 5654 ( f i u e knou n c opi e s ) J itlff,tfvBertrand's Washboiid Wizards I /; G6ins-H"""-tin' /l f You Want To Be My Susar Paoa-VoZalion1099 (more tlnn t'iue copii:s eitinatddlJimrryBertrard's Washbsard Wizards Easy CorcEasy Co Blucs/The blues Stamoede-tocalion1100 (more tlnn {iue copies esiinuted)JfunnvEertrand's Washbord Wizards I sabella/ I Won' tGiue You None-Vocalion 1280 (nore tlnn fiuecopies estinmtedl Birminghan Bluetette ?ackHome Blues/Old Man Blues-Hentin 92019 (tlveeknotun cwies raneins from E- to G)Blackbirdsof Parafise B uiaho"nk B lue s / T i s' hornineo B lue s-Cenrwtt 6210 (four knoun cooies)Blaclbirdsof Paradlse Mu&dv W'ater/ Suiar-Cennett 62 1 I(tun knoutn copieslBlackbirds of ParadiseRazor Edee/Siorniin' Fool-Black Patti 8053 (rcknou'r coiie s ) Jirirny Blvthe's Washboard BandB ohunku i B lue s / B utrdy B u.rton' s I az z-P aramn unt12368 (nnre than fiue'copies estimated)JinmvBlythe and His Raeamfuffins Messin' ArouidiAdams Apple-Paraniunt 12396 (fiue lnann copiesof 2nd mbiter of Messin' Around.'tuto krnrn ciniesoT first rnster 6f Messin' Around)Blythe's Wabh-
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bmrd Raeilruffits Ape Man/Your F'olks (tlveekrqun copies only) Pdramount 12428 Jitnmit Blythe'solvls wehry way Elu.es/ powin'Paoa-loc-alioi iljs(mn lnoun'copies onlv)Jirtw Blvthe's OrvlsHot Stuff/Haub Mercy!-Vocalion 1136 (tlwee knouncopies,IJinnv Blythe's Washboard Wizards MvBdby/Orientnl Mar*Vocalion II80 (three knoutn
'c_opie^s, ranglngJrom A-@ mlzf Bobby's RevelersToo Suteet Fo/Words-Siluertoie 3537- ( otrc krnuncopy./Bobby's Revelers Don't Slnke lt No More-Sitiertone 9551 (no krmtn copies)bdter (ich- :' .esha Camp Nelion Blues/Salty Doe4ennett 6375(no krmtn'copiesl Fert_.y Bradford's JazzFhools Lucj, Loiry/l Ain't Gonrn PIay No Second
CONSPICUOUS OMIS$Oi\S: Such borderline nzzrgritiep a;- Maynard Baird on Vocalion, un BariellnuseFiue QRS's aitd Parannwts. the Phil'Baxt", Viitoi--zA,0N's, and the Bucktoum'Fiue on Gennett. THESCORE: In thc initial A to B listine. the Cenn-enfuni fu labe Is (G ewrctt, C lnmpion, {iperior, .p lackr a,u,L ata t hc lf e nne tt-Dre s s ed. 5 uD e rtone s. 5 i lo e rtone sand Bells) led uith a iesourzd,ins'tonl of zl.6 rarities-30 for couttry blues and. 16 for instrwaital iazz.Thb bigeestbompany of the'era (Victor) ur.r.i also tlprywst s-pbctaculai loier'uithno copies iloun. Houeue,vicniilains iTni-iiu-iiiii i ii{iii",' "6ii;;-i""
"-' 'fwwe listings, ujlen releases on its-dewessioi4rooow23250 tlvu 234O0 seies cotne to lis.ht. Expected to'remain a consistent,'also-ran' a No. 2 o6sition isParanount uith its door-to4oor cantnisbd. 'rarein oty condition' 12900 thru 131A0's seri6s and theicy rEception orisitnlly siuen its ltot iazz from12300 ' s' up. Firinine the" middle in bcith blitcs and.iazz sectiotu are tfu Vocalion 1000 series andBrunsutick 7000 series. Pred.ictions lmve Colunbia.No. 2 in sales bw lou.' in the uahrc diuision. fieht-'ins it out in tle cellar uith Okeh for last plaiel,OEeh, uith Victor, failed to impre'ss in thb ooenir\eround. In addition, Decca failed to deliuer theg,randsand slwing,it proinised by rot q@IifylngLn lle open ng rowd. and an early season esttr@teha"s thein lwsitantly boutine otu f6r the renahderof tlrc contest.BLllES WIIIINER: Too nnn in theblues -s ection-u.qg Ind.iarnpolis blues'singer S crap-per Blnchpell. His only iomrrcrx ums a ierse" It's too early for predictions."JAZ TUNNER:Ouer in the iaLi sebtion, Chicaso-pi.anist linvnvBlythe, uhd fronted uarious sroiroi wder his rtme.M. the hishbst tallv, He is"reo6rted n lnue said.'" It's rw dccident 6[ course. I picked tlu comoatiesI uns to record utitE uery carefilly..,before bui nsow their renainirq recoid stobhs'ard, inrelpGinimy recotds in their orieh@l sleeues as part of a
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40near inuestment proVram.,.l shauld aTso p6iu owthat at leost tlvee 6f rfu piarn solos4uets'unuldlnue nnde the iazz'seitton, bw for some obscurereason, u)ere relegated to a t'wuie piarn listing."o
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(tlvee latoun cooies'): HetiuinEza Rrzzingtin's RlSticBroun lug Bhtcs--Gennett 65
45
nlharlie patton uns o Eteot btuesutist, one of the ueryltest. Ftrthermore.he is cerlainly one of my fauorites,so thnl it runt be tnderstod at theoutset that I beu rn rnrsonal mnlice or{gdnin insofg as thi'legendrny'Mississippi Delta blues qrtist iiconcemed. But it has become distressinglyapryent that things haue gorn dis-ttnQiytgly wtry, in both record collecling?tll listening, in respect to the blues
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and seuerql directly relaled fields.U nfortunately, Clui lie Pat ton, the'dm l in p'of those to whom this utritinB is pointedlidirecled, (it is rct ained atlisteners. aidcollectors, who harc folloued S0ll]0 sortof coherent musical deuelopmenil, hasbecone a symbol, a rallying poini, perhapseuen an icon, winse reiord"iies thdV futieueherald the initiation, high-unler morh andeuentunl termination of
-meaningful achieue-
ment in the blues field.
ln reCent V00tS smal/. but appcrentlyu.ell-cx ganiied, de uoted lilt le' funds oi"affecionndos," haue euolued in seueralsections of the cowtry, probably consistinpof yowger listerrcrs. Thpir priimv bentcmil deuotion. in rutst instaices. i3 solelvlhnt uea which they designnte t'country'bhtes," euohing psiudrt-romnntic uisiois ofold brounshins with euitdrs"brohe and huneryond oin't gol a dime." But fuyh! Mississifipio,,;!#r;;'"rff dn*inl,td'ff E:hilff fdt'"6f€F-oALLS, rzften he posed for t:,hp RCAVictorComrnny's cotaiop. DistressinB in relationto the desired imnlge, isn't it?
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It must also be bowne in mind thnttheir "definition" of cotntry bluesgenerolly differs from both the ocad.emicone (whateuer that may bd and whnteueryou and I mighl consiikr it to fu. (BtindLeman Jefferson! You neon that Cltyblue,s singer!.".) They apry6 to eqtktecnntty, prtmtttueness ond alrutst totalarchaicness with qualitv. truth and beoaty.Of cotrse, Lonnie-Johison /is MississiopiJohn Hurt ftdllY anv less of a ballsd si'n*erthan Jolunon? I, elbctric euitqs. Bip BiilBrunzy--except for his Fcnamoint r\cordinp of"House Rent Stomp," ("if it's Parumowtt
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it's got to fu gd.'") crtd most any Bluebirdutist rnt sowdinggs rough as Toinmy \4cClenrm,wlnse occeplarrce is terunrs at fust. qeutificial. Sssrbns made with electric euitorsue just out of it. Puentheticallv,l miiht oddlhat this position also applies to'th.ose-feruent"ol.d-timey milsic" qffebionadas wlw. iurchas their Chmlie Patton cousins. dismissNashuille, Hillbilly ond the uqious CormtryandWestem stvles.
As a rehttal to the inane rational.ein.respect to tle use of amplified instrunentsmtglil one sqgest lle electric guiturendering of srch "cowttry " or- " dDun-hane "
rtrsls as Big Je Williams md Lightnin'Hopkins, to nane but a few. A ntnther ofyeos qoWillians stated (to the uriter):"&se I mplifv tw suitu sonetines:espcially' whbn f u,uk tlte snwller,'rnis ierioints. N4akes it possible to be ]teud."A completely logical md practical apprmrh!
It is more than. wderstod tlwt thetostes und desires of people ue seueral,nurch the sane os tiei luiue differentumts.and needs. These se tmiuersal truths.Wlwt lsratlar fuffling, thotgh, is the factthat tluse indiuidwls lwue ochieued anillusuy, self4esignated status of inflwrrcein the prrcess of extolling tle uirtues of thecotmtry blues, (which certainly can stand upnits aun neritd, while, at tlrc sane tine,creating a suprficial awa of almost completead lnr i ty and hrnntl edgeabil ity abutthemselues md a nrythical'tn" kingdornas an adjwtct. One can rnt help but wonderin respect to such intricate lilarledge achieuedwilhout ony attempt to sauu or wderstqndin ony slnp u form, other directly relatedrutsical truditions.
White countrv music is castnlly dismissedin toto. "No
fdeling," "t@ cornj," (lile Homer
and Jethro? ) @1d that most heirnus of alltransgressions, "tN commercinl! t' With JimmieRdgers, the {Singing Brahena.n," mochery andscrcasm cotre ecsy. The obui.ous is W-passed:the link, inter-relq.tionship ond intercho4e ofwhite otd Negro musical traditians in the South.(Fu a fwtlei discussion of this point, consultJ olm Cohen' s exce llent, directly prtinent,qticle " The Folk Nhtsic- Interchnnge : Negroatdwhite," SinE Out, Joruoy 196il Anindiuidwl such as Urrcl,e Daue lvlacon is relegatedto tle stq.tus of s bdfoon utd "ui7o" uefun md Kirk ltlcGlee? Hequen help the one wlw
slmrld go so fu as to rentionHmhwillims.Emest Tubb wtd. Btrh Otttens. As for the likisJ-oan Baez, the Greenbiw Bays, the New LostCity Ramblers otd some of tie i'NewWeue,"Daue Rw, lvluk Spelstra. etc.. utell. vou hadiust btter fuset abod it: And Bob D,vlon. TheBeatles ond nnw others, they reallv ilan'iexist md ue only the mirchil;ntions'of sonepess agent's abrtiue attempts to Wrrytratea hmx upn an rnsuspcting public.
No sqlient reason is apwent for theobuiously stringent dichiionty ircisted uwnas. betuteen tle " Cllulie Paitonites' ,,felalvely nsrou) wea wtd all othermasical troditio,ns, gticululy the white orps.Tle linits, otd subsequent oiuidewsts."we self-imposed, cmfinine qtd connletblvsenseless. One'would think that exbloration ofthe seuerql related traditions twuld euoluegln"eost natwally qs a re_sult of runical ctriousity,rl lor rn otlrcr reason. lt is one thine to dislihe.despise utd ablw uuious rutsical slyles.( these ue innliennbb- perogatiue s ), afte( hnvtngctchrcuecl sone sort ol D(,ssing, qafluaintonceryith tlery euen if srch be o{the'rnost fleetine sort.B-ut, to excoriate the sqre thing witlntn even-the most cttrsw attewts at fatnilimizationreehs of the lack of sensibility and direction.
One of the reasons, seeminqly contributory.to the nurow musical deueloiniznt of thisWticulo scltml (The "Pattonites") wwus to betleir inilial intrd,uctian to music. IJnlilb mowother listeners and collectors they. (in mostinstorces), lnue rlrtt wriued at the cotmtrv bluesthrowh, std as a logical outgratnh of . iazzinterests. (TInWh this is ceftainly iot'*e gleaueruE of mtry! ) A fairlv nunal route. itapwcrs, would be iiiliu[ contact with iazz ofsotne sort, gerrcrally " troditional," "dixielant'or "classic," (Jelly Roll lilorton, Kin* Oliuer.Jolamy Ddds, Bwh Jolnsm, LitWaters, Ttrhlthnplry,_etd but fo1np means etduding " mdem,"(lililes Dauis and Thelonious lvlonk also nlaybhrcs) to bogie-woogie utd uuious relitteilpiarc blues styles and tlence to guitu blues.Tlen from guitu blues Wh lo thb slaOinesotrces: religiotts rrunic, gison ond unr6 songs,tle uqious white traditbns includine"old-tiney" mountain. hilIbilly. etc. Allof this apreus to haui: ben difectlv bv-oassedIw the "Pattonites." The result his tteen ashort<ut to a mrcical "straight-jochet."
Ttw stmdudreacion is "He's whiteand he iust can't sinp or olav lile e'sDode'cat." WeIl rww, why ftust onZ da so? is thisreally a necessry requirerrcnt fu occeptorce?Of c6wse it isn'i! If is raher ridiculoils to euenexpect one to sing otd play eXaCtlV lihe arntter.SLbh concentrqtedly slduish imitation unuld,of certainty, result in the errusculation ofcreatiue effuts.
TO a degree they, tle "Ch,qlie Pattonites,"remind one of the hsd-cue traditionbl-iazz"mouldy-figs" who would, md still dd,defute endlessly goblems of such rnagnitude as:uns Bix Beiderbecke reully in the stud.io at aputiculu tirc mddidheieallv tahe aturybubreah? Rather qn tnfnttolate ltiCIw-w to fu swe.
A, b extend this euen fwther, lntn you leqdthe one about the collector wln unulil listen toand. c-ollect recqds of @tds wtder seuen pieces,which uere recorded in Chicaeo and New Orleqnsdwingtheyeqs 192*30 0nlyl Soud ludicrow?Perhaps. bul a wallel exisls directly with the"Pattbnites." Srch on attitude bus'Iitttelittle differerrce from tlwt of total rejection oftle electric guitu md lo<thing upn the sameas a complete nmifestation of the Devil.And, tlwt all subsesuent recordirws od effortsconstitute the "DeaA Sltrimn" fuilh anolo'diesto Rabert Jolarsm) of blue's recordinls.
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Persannl prefererrce inay run to wnmplifiedinstrunents but such a rcsition dres rotrequire a sumnwy distriissql of all recudingsutilizing anplified instnnnents. Des LittleWqlter and his electric mouth-hup wlewhen listened to alongside Nmh Lbwis?Hudly! Such complete and categoricdismissals, coupled with alatwdly dogmaticappraisals, giue rise to incredibly nurow ands tiff I ine mn ical attitudes.
4l*@ Rid4l", the Grand Ole.Opry Ondthe Btue$t.Uqs. (heater hagedies dO exist than odmiUinglo tle foct thnt HanhSnrru is capble ofneaningful prformotces os is B.B. King.
_ f n many W?!S a,e ue in need of xrch adeuoted,-alnuist fotwtical eleneit. But the entiremasical nwtwation wacess need rnt fu socompletely, wd resolUely bypssed in tleopration. Yes, Chulie Pattonites: There's abig nwsical world out tlere. fu.uq sorne of it,You migltt euen get to enjoy it! !
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We are sorry thatBhtes & GospelRecords. 1902-1942'is 0empor-arily out of fint.A reuised edition(including coun0-less additions,nnterial not inthe first edition.and a number ofextra features )is practicallycomplete, andnegotiations arein progress forits publication.This much im-proved revisionshould be avail-able before verylong.-R.M.W.Dixon and JohnGod,rich,
There isn't anything degqdine u subrnissiuein one statillg that he (q she) is ennmowedof the rotqlvst, most obscrre blrrcs singer ontite ore h;nd a;td lvlontana Slim's "Therb's ABluebird OnYotr Windautsill" and Johnny Cashon the other. ls one ll?llY the complete antithesisof tte other? ,4re they tfuly of diubrse pluities?There ue wovs to f ind out. Listenins, to srrchwtists asWiif Cqier, Hofut Smith and tlte StapleSinpers would b one ury to gain tlp tools neededto 6riue at ualid md hn;wledseable rutsbal eualwtiansmd opiniors. For irrctarrce: there qre few bettercontemnoruv exawles of ,llississippi blues guitsttm ttnt of-Fathei Roebtrch Stwleb--euen if he dresplay an arinlif ied, solid'bdied-irntrunent. Wlw harc?Yoi"r nw eiei gei "ttrned-on"
W the lihes of
fiiE
lion, Miss. 39301qION_F"i,RE BLUESJAZZ. Pachins, andee dditiotnl.-All
, ititmers must rnail ne>x, so I can ship youfecorvs you utn I catbget bx6s.lc1e). Sug- .
(17) UEMPHIS MINNIE_ (37) MEMPHIS ]UG /55) ALBERTA HUN-I'm T'alkins abow You No,2 BAND-Kansas Citv TE'R-Chiroins Bls//Bunble B-ee No.2-Vo 1556G/ Blws/Snte of Tetk. Sotneottc Elsd'-Pa.rb(_18) QHARL_IE McFA_DDEN- Blucs-Vic 21185 V 12017 V/ (red unx)lota Doun (B.ounder Elues/ (38) IAMES VIGGINS- (56) BARBECUE BOBL_ost J ourney Bhrcs-BB 5325 (B[. Leroy Garnett. -doire I]p Cow*i/E-
'Piatn)-44 Blues(&iss. Miss.Loh LeiieEls-
(19) CLARENCE VILLIAMS thev 6ass: rim flike1/' Co 14316 VQRCH-Mountpln City Bl.ues/ FAs6o p6und-:Panz' 6Z) MA MINEy_DreonL-"ty _Mc!,]s4.4 95.e2-8_ 128ffi G 'Eik;iL;;;ii;A;(ufl4a\oNE_.w1rltn ., ijs.I_w.Fstsstppr_ Ei;;_F;;;ifr;iiifNEWBERN-RoII & Tutnble_/ S_HEIIS-gtop g. Listen/ hiclire ,"iolai'"
'N-opo$r^$1ry2-QF^WZe^G Qj.uins Ttpi Thins- '[ial
ilt2' nqiilty_Honey(?1) FEV,F.._v.M.q_gHEE- oK88D7 c " fu"t,;'i";E;L;iM;-li;i"-I;ornh In B:Ily ol Qnle if| tiyli"Tr""dJiiia_Wlen His Stripes-Vic (-4Q-B_ESSIE IACK- _ V"; Itifr'b'*"-"
?97.7?.9.-._. soV-\ott^& lloqte/Groc- (sq LERoy CARR_HotdQ2) |IMMY O:BRY-AN!- e-rjesQ4She.lt'-Ro4eo .'i6l^-Fii"p;";i'i;;,'Si'ep:pi"g
6yt C-qs/s i Bl*' 5285 G (Alabinna Bltrcs) it;;bitr5;:i,;5fin C
efrrci'iii,E'ffif8! ftls"s.twtptil.-^.^ ^ tf[r'g;l^F"*y;:X?t'c"i,a-GitlBn},To!.he u!) HEIRTVHTTTTER c"i"7t"S'ii"iin"7E"to"v;;As:,fl;; lilri V - -Rait.Crat, Biu/H.w.. ^ E,ii:tri*i7dlfrb v
l^i;. Pq -----.---..-^-^. Fox c-hqsq-!-ic-2p87Q,p TtiuZtTitE ctnii-'e4j ELDERS MaNToRSH GA VALIER RoLAND 'oLef'o oifroi4iJrmt,,'A tOW[ntj{_Siii"-fLii,i _--Early lhis lulorning/ Hap I Feet/6 or 7 Tinrcs
MfE;4,;4bo,";1^t"ui,'- I!eye6^R.e1y Laity-Kotneo :(ix'a?iiW iaiL,lpo,"""tRLi;4K_86it-B_C_ -_-- 5257 G (Atabart banel- rcri ipJzbivA"tffiNcs(29 TVO P.qOR BOIS- Inuse) iith R;;. F.,*-.-M;C;"-'r[i".i.' a.ittiiiiO:f4'" e ($),fAMPA RED-c,o:nn Ziiii;i"hi;oariiii no*"
I,ooft At lty-Bab1/Sltting r.eed Etues/ t htnss A9o^9,, Oi Mor"iniTi"i;n<-'- -
Oi-f.i-6lr6t/oi[d:' ConirsMl_wsy:-Yp_1637 v' Eii6 E''""Rorn[sb?s c &4 zuNDWLLIE ,, f65j ilA MrNEy_teat-f iii, ai"i-*t p'""t l^oHNSQN-lesus [[ake^!Jn ,';; il;;;;i'BTi"ii..izaj' nnn ,ATERS a Dyjng Bed./fuow His Btobd sT" niili"Etii;:F;",nfnniib"_i;ul"-* -Co742z6V - ^ D2s2V'iiiiiZi7Ei,",4:uio1iu""" (-4s.).MEltpFlS ArNryrE & ?ei'nfuuo LEMIN"A";;,t:e;74i;i'v"""" KAls$s loE2cant po'tnFFERS6u--T'il,ii",,/iit Evi-rATLbit uith I.t To You-I/Port 2-Vo b"";;;"'E;ti'M;;;f''t.'foitii,ii''ni;"";St;L" 46) ed,,ii Ml-L'iit"bt"-"rniit"Tfriitcfft;
Fi;;: 1523 G (rim ftdce) "p*ifi"261s77'" """
O-Kbi6i'E' ad BENNY MoTEN-on i_asI.ifrA_eo*-ct*,y(iiib2n"w'rsow_ [o"iggfngprcl.lIloRD,{iir,iii'eliiiriia'Vi,*"
HER BAND-,'eebie -'y-? l?t!'o^!,,. " 12252 V'iiiiiZi7Ei,",4:uio1iu""" (-4s.).MEltpFlS ArNryrE & ?ei'nfuuo LEMIN"A";;,t:e;74i;i'v"""" KAls$s loE2cant po'tnFFERS6u--T'il,ii",,
/iit Evi-rATLbit uith I.t To You-I/Port 2-Vo b"";;;"'E;ti'M;;;f''t.'foitii,ii''ni;"";St;L" 46) ed,,ii Ml-L'iit"bt"-"rniit"Tfriitcfft; Fi;;: 1523 G (rim ftdce) "p*ifi"261s77'" """
O-Kbi6i'E' ad BENNY MoTEN-on i_asI.ifrA_eo*-ct*,yeB)DADNELsoN_'goiesgtolp/c^LTFFofuD'Fiir, i i i 'ei ; / i l i ia'Vi,,*",iiitiifiZ6ET,L;'in"a flAyESTBtueGuiter b;;;;.h;,;,di;:i;"nii,7,' hi,E"::ii,Ziiiot ltayy._v1c.!Q!eQ!_--, liizb'rZ-"E-7L,;;;i;,-' ii:,;;fti 47)'ELZADIE R0BIN,- iaal"oEecou t.t.es) BEALE 1TREET $oN-{9,c9.,wilt^Ezett)-
'EATE{'_\tii frin rcSHEIKS_Stoeet To Marm/ r(nDtrutl DLucs/ Eanel-_ Tlnt pure Relision/lii;E;r"rii;;p;;*"* Ipuse.Mar>Para 1.2417, i6iT;"8|L;E;"jz;*1253I G r'r t(tts. txrsses:rlm t@$e) In My Heart_paraTjol-clercncEwrL- (&) lDtr^Qox_Lady liid6-c*-"
---'tiAtis"ondhl{#ii Latty. Blws/Moa.niits TaViTEc LEG How_
W[ifi'E": ?:!* ":- iiffiw^.:':::: .,^ Ef"';'trA*ln:a:Lrjiinii nemry_seek- L4e).prAEyAsUpo4.RD -ci'tZiioyi"*.-*.
,i,e Ei,;iiiii:"t;"t"81:;;" B_AND_tu aun BtsJyou (iCj bEiii srREEr:'P;,;-i%li'E F.or Me-Cs 14141 E 3"fib-r#'::R;"L;;,-o;rizj'Ftoliiifuu srur- (.ta+- _ctap!,e _..____ rjiii'hT"liZ"lii'i riiit'FL|:F;;ii"'iZ:' (tu).a.-EssIE sUrH-'D;;A;;'ii;:i;;;'"'pi,i izdda-C FiJii"n Hqd Driltins PaflMoney 1i796'V'ft; fr:;-riiii,i")ip{iT,,Ei"a llX;;r;{1lf/_J; *r, i7'ari"in'i;;L"c;""utiT|r1ffi/r,, ,,rr_ t_sti e4-nEvcfiiil!"l rcs) MACqN ED/MessKatieMess/sneer'Lj.Art{i j j lci:fr";f;Ti
TAMPAloE-worningwatker Bts-OK B<ISZ G
"C-nii7n^Sii'Ziiti-iiiii* Bls/Wfineins Ttni(34) Lours ART,BTRzNG v'-i'biiL"i-o{'iizs Tunp4K 8676 v-Pearut Vendor/You,re V' fti;-i;Ier"
"--- (70)"PEG LEC HW'Driuins Me crazv4K i-sZi-"bl{irtUctnv- ELL-Fo' Dav Bls/41478v- VdRfi:i'ii-niiiji" Na,, Prison Blues-Co/jjs) TEXAS ALEX-
-a;-Nq;i;;i;;i" 14177 V (a fap irnrtd'AMER-Frisco Btues/ E;;;;i:tfr;t"'lipa:" tam crks')
'
work ox Btu.es-oK fSiJ$fifiii tA:ci<fb1Y (71) BARBECUE BoB8658 G him flake)
'f7 E-t;;"7-K;;A"Ci:i: -CoIdwaue BIs/Bee-
G6) NErt/ IRLEANS iti-*"J-i-i-6-&.1-1""' sin' For Love-Co "
wAMERERS-perdid.o 6al-ndSlsifls:u4n- 74383 v-street Bts/Gatenoutlv-
'U; ;T;;{i;/E';i (72) BLIM LEtunN
e;-6e' V: 'E-'u";El""-e;-i,itiii v- t"t[f"IflfffrJi{^"r
House Bls-Para 12373V-
ffis-i you pa brc k e n - r e Cordfii br vou send ard takeMvonnse of Special 4thFlrss Foe W sourd recor-:dings, Will'someloutscnur€.e up bot tor ouer-se,'l' wvnerc. rleaseq,cgept nry qo.bgies t'orEt ts uwonuemence.
(2)THE4rOOSe4oose Grease/SOB Blws-Hewin 92018 G hare-L of 2
(1) REY. t.M. GATES-|otwh& rle Vlale/Rich Man...OKA78 G to G/(il THE IELLY WHIPPERS'4oose
Grease/SOB Blrcs-Hewin 92018 C hare-L of 2
Snnp4Y B't62 V-(13) TED LEVIS-T|nRoo[ Bhtes/Milenbere
twi-Co,l39 G(14) MEMPHIS ]UGBAND-Stins,y Wotmn
Blues/Swt Eiilrnwrs BIs-Vic 20552 G(15) BLIND LETNNIEFFERSON-Risins HiehVaer/Tedd.v Bear-Pari12,137 G/(IO SONNY GREER_Sawd.av Nizlu Fuction/Beg,p4ul Blfus-Vo 3012 G
hmtn cooies)H CHARLEY PATTON_'P
bnv B lue s / B anty Roos terBlu6:s-Para 12792 F/
AVCTTOITS
CIJOSING DATE:November f5, 1967N)VERTISING
mffii**.Y
WALLACE-Dead,;/Haue you Euer4K849e g
7043 V-BMCEY_
*itwlav Blw s / Left AloneBlues-Vic 21349 G to G/(7) CLARENCE WILLIAMS-Wloop It Up/l'm NotVMyihe-CO Ie7 G(8) ELDERS Mclruorsh &EDWARDS-TIE 1927 Flood(8) ELDERS Mclruorsh &EDWARDS-TIE 1927 Flood/Whot Kind o{ Man OK 8647v-/G/(9) FURRY LEWIS-Iellv-Roll/ Mr, Furry' s Blu.e sJvo 111s E-/v/(IO) CHARLEY PATTON'-Doutn
The Dirt Road, Blues/ItWonlt Be Lons-Panj12854 F- (Ist side-l dis.inte&nl 1" lair crk, inditd-ible:2nd side-3 iliss)(111FF'ANKSTOKES_'B
eifuhe B lue s / DountounBlues-Vic 21272 q(12) CLARENCE WILL.IAMS WSHBD S-Take YowB lack B ouom/ Cus hion F oot
49
ffi
f ll If { i' !,!;,Fi,"' : - -Sati s fie"d-H e rutin 92003 Il(7O X'IEMPHIS TUG'BA'ND-Iw
BandWoltz/Miss. Riu&Wahz-VicQ8537 (,tity 2 &%'inchranr cf ,t. l/75) STOVEPIPE
ho3!;f,H;l'ir::f:LMou.tEVo I2l1 V'(above is the rarest of -aII lirwtv Noone records)(76) CLARENCEVILLIAMS BLUE 5_'ir:wtr&z'ff*EE!fiiffiffiilt
AND IAZZ. Packivgand
lnffinf'ffirtn-lllhma. Don't Rush MeEIitNi No Bls-Gnt 6766G'{
a DS
\
Y
H
Actwlly, Wardlow lnd knounall alonsilnt LuIa. of all otherineffabli dots on the Delta mao.ua{tlte most losical olace to76okfor P atton's bl;e s-sihsins wife.on DRY WELL BLUES. Fe niadistinguished the Patt6n uerse:
Wlen l-uns -liuin' at Lula,I uns lioin' at easeLord tlrc drauslx conrc and
caught us-and it,porched up alt the trees,
- ONI DIFFERENT RECORDS.Patton mentinvs so nutny towns tlntSon House doubts tle ai.tlenticityof Patton's self-styled trauels.
'
(!n HIGI! vATER EVERWHERE,Patton's itinerary uould ttrn anyblues researcher'uho tried to foltouit into a motorize d cocltroachl)House euen s&specrs tlnt theirooer4qmes uthich abbwtd in Pattoi's'blues, rislt d.atn to ELDER GREEN.were fak1d. Apwrently for otherD ela' re sidentl' of P aticin' s era.Iwueuer, such relerences imoliizd acosnwpolitan asiect tlat Pa:tton. whotrauelled as far from Lul,a as Jackson.M e r i.d!an, _t/agno'li a, and, G uI fpor tqith Son Hotbe, liked to play upon.Conuersely, tle more nobile'blilespractition6rs of thc 1930's nayTnue found, it dxpedieru b enddicateany lQcal or " hick" stamp fromthbir lvrics.
When more direct methodsproue fruitLess, as is often the casewithin'the DeIn tlrcatrd of operations-Wardlou,t discards his usuhl blitz-krei6 tactics and. rctre,ats to co-ntemplateLne lyrrcs and musrcal style of lusmissing quarry. The mort: obs'cure thesinggf 1ly m6re important the rutancesproulaed. oy n's record.s.
ONE SUCH PERSONAL NOI{-ENT|TY is Bo Weauil lachson. ultosebottleneck brauunz. yOU CAN'T KEEPNO BROWN, has femind,ed somc. SonHouse included, of House's unrlc: inparticuLar, thc pie'ce he rmt calls'LEVEE
CAMP'MOAN and first recordedas LOW DOV/N, DIRTY DOG (creditedtp 'Williq Wilson of Greeranod').Some melodic strair* Jackson 6es onthat record also seem loosely relatedto Patton's WHEN YOURWAy GETSDARK. Moreouer, I ackson's' pick-uo'touards the latter part of YOU'CAN'TKEEP NO BROWN recalls Patton'smamentun-Eathcri ns attack. Thc lwic sJackson efipLoys aie nearly il.entitalwith thase bf Delta artists'like Patton.WiIIig Brati, .WiIIiam Harris, Kid Baihy,and Garfield Akers.
Thoueh lackson's SOME SCREAMHICH yELLOW bears a certain ltarmonicand rhytlvnic resemblnnce to Son Hotne'sDRY SPELL, his suitar dieresses inatnanner not senerally assodiated uith the' p4!sa1!ng,'l ' .und.ullating' ,.' plpitating'te pL lepu,CA L[y-I aC ft-turnnterLng Ue Ltl Sutarpickir. Heicb, it may be infened tFntBo Weauil. if hat actlnlltr iuhurallydepriued, leirned or deuiloped a p/e-' tiig beat' nusical style. ln {act. Jack-sorf s syntax (" 1'm'crazy abotn mvJanc. tdll the utorld. I do") indicatdsa boclatnrd,ness far ereate| tlnn thatof a Clnrley Pationiand is ratlwrsieeestiue'of Henry Thonas or EliFr-alner. Orui obuioiusly arclnic uocaltechnique of lackson's is, lwpeter,duplicated by Patton: tlnt of delibei-atbly distortins. the prouttciition o{a utbd. The first uirse of YOU CAN'TKEEP NO BRWN r's szo!;
Soon this momin' namaBlues all arowtd mr bedThinhin' about the' kind,
Words tlnt my rnrna sLaid..
On SCREAM]N, AND HOLLENN,THE BLUES, Patton bauls:
Lord, lnue tnercyOn my uicked iLoul...
PattonSON IIOUSE states tlwtftton spoke cleaily bw saPatton spoke cleafl1 bw s-ang
in a strcinsely safifed fasfuon(nnkiryg il rui s"urprise ilnt only(nakiryg ii no sltrprise ilnt only4yo ofhis uersei, according tttKlatzko's report. are still recaKlatzko-'s report, are still iecalledby his lornrcr aspociates ); it tlould;h; ; ";; ;kt;i; -i;f ,i ;,;hi ;; ;r'',:P*ry an occurat'd trans.cripiiontetwenng a,n accurote tfanscfof a Pation sons ore seneric.Both Bo WeauiFand, Fattot tBoth BoWeauiFand Patton besidesusing tle wused or " brokbn" uocalplvaiing,iohich is typial oJ tle.mostpfuasiw ihich is twial of tle nosti ural ofblue s s irwifs. ltal f-su.nlloutcertaii twrds artblw otlbrs bvbwc lirg them t ogether. uith s ubs e quones, r ttczr Wto6 nakes a trauestyuw.crur:E tren Logetner utrn su.oseqtEruones, r ttczr Wto6 nakes a trauestyof plwnetic iranscription: one couldonly gu,es s,at u.'hicfr uords are finhilyapocopated by tle wo.'singgrsi A"n
'
etxpL,od.ed.\.ouer-stwtll Led ut eu ol aJACttSOn Une trugn, red:
T hinkin' BO U T tlek i-l nd :WORDSTHATny nnma hfu slaid,
Accordine to the uaryins lerpth ofa giuen lind, or its sy[Labic brEak-'down, I ac ks on erwhisi z es differentuords by a suddei change in'6uer+Il
oohnte or Pi-tclu PY dtaniw otttLihtin-"d,as ard luttittg o"thers ot'labnotlv. tochson also imPrts aei;f"fii;,iA,rd rlisPrmiryg adiry t"his'unrk tlat niElrt 6dlnutt! De .,described by bhps qrit'ers (uerc uwyable to wdPlvase toYce ) as the';{!"**f{,ayYixtbAt\!.::tr
innigrr:; the nistt;narc "' uns
Hitich CHIJPMYPOI!(; .S ADDLEU P nvYeYe blac hmatr"'
consider Patton o dAJI gool or else,incomprelens ible., B oth .uteux o Ds c w e
Pafioh's nethd b1 att-rt'bu'tn9asvstetrututic oocaf, tecLmiquc to extran'
ZLi "ra iu"tioe socioasyclp causes'
Jn'2fr+!"";:'].lirt:'t*T"7,Pattoh. or iPos he an *!*f,.'6#o'o''/, iFotrFl1f' fll'* !f*t ; ;' * "secord uerse to droP tle egSs:
I kpw slrc had -a nqu qn-lafiIer''i;:[;,*; on tte (Sw ) Flouter"'
CfoseuP of Bo{Veavil Jachsonshorvs an older, frail nnn' GirI I'm going,-tP tlv co'ntrY'
Won't be uerY long'":!i'"t'q:k*,"rn't a been in Glerdoru'
,,iH.9\rH,E jf".//ffir:ni[.
Yw#i'ffiffi'f:,;:r::#sT X: wtz * :eB[ tl f*, o'*,';';E;" i;;; ln the stut t,"s been
hithert6 denied hint'
On HAMMER (sic ) B-LUES, (i ilthis tmin llos lgft, uelt -tt tntv oe nau)
Aif*:tw;'lin'fi'i':A&Y,'iLi" i"i all arottt-d S.wuv-r"" )'.7,:ini.'V!,nt:,!nl;:",;,H^f;i;^
'tii;"E; fu;""il ;-d" tle satne Deln";;;;A'
irc-,'tiquto"P. ClurleY P atton'"#,i::"f "#ffi :tfiuit'ltlfl fr iiu"nrcnYELLOW:
THUS, TIIE NIAGE{ Patnnhimself as a peasant1artbsPltuwrutlas e' lived.'bxtstenlialt sm lor c e shis oral histotY 9J the uettz to oe';;"";;;;",";;
rhl! as ttnt of tle Dela
i:ii':;,{"n;in:}Aei#"'i,"t:ff,:,*o^"'so'cial circifixiin lorces him to tear;i:{}y;sii'l"rA"#"#i1{:#'!i:"0,
'#wi,::fy;::#'li-iTJ:w:,-existcintbFoian9itir,,' .onc e Pwoeyea- . . ̂on the sleeue rcles ol a fotton re'sste'#!#:wf#;f :#;:ftffi?his"o'{ifri"itt7-i"t i6n). Tle.racial oieut'. -iurrentlv in coin orwng.the.nore poeuc
blues o6rderers, is, aslde lr,o,m De',r!g,
bnizlt'ltff"f i";'"7'?ia,2\i,1"fi ,,i'i'fuvzl:,":!"t"il6"rii::"8*?"',"[::\tfo'i""kii
"iifti i" i) it* mi ght ot hc'nui s e
OVERCO{\lCERlfuPirh I ac k s on' s"ii{iitnr""boas congeak a mis' .[i;; ; f, ; ;i;";i ;- hi i. p tudi o P tn t o smPh",#,0. #i' i,: q"uhf,l#;noYt;t;tr UiTiil oiv iL""ntwles"o uoice tlwt isZflJiiy-ib"fiig with a.se. In his..sgnss,'ii "#ri,:i j"k;,t;t, ffi r! f,J i ffi , hsrv,neither rwme raised any -locaL eyeo-rous-;h;';"b;i; w;;At;; 6!t- asselnbted. ttw
x :E ii:"*-,t! g 3 [1]e,{, I a c k s o n )
A h h4ugh Kid,B,oiley',s,noti c-eably' snnoth uocatr delrDery t 9[' Qrigin !D'5 ) would seem to retnou.e nlm Jr9n:.rtwc lenc lvt lvoated, s Ia ck' I ate d, tL gtu'scrotwred Dela obyss tlnt has .cqPturedthe fixed gaze ol ottt reuered. crltlcs,
iiii,siittr|;li;fr:6f iht'l"pl:'ii{";;;lbue ineuocably..ob s c ured a lnmetounreference' The'first ln-lJ of.the giue'.anny line ls sung q.5 ttlDugh Lt u?re run
uord.s ; he nc e th'e- oll'imgortan4 p-tyas e
It'olEi ,it"orrle.r) is 6lurred''My oun
approxinxttion oJ hts uerse r's:
Heu thc rollin' mill -5i" iia bwnt doun last nigfuI can't, get tlutBrown iln this tann ndaY-
uith a uerse useil bY Pouon in IIOONCAINC WN:
Oh well trhere were You nan babY,Clarksd'ale mill bulnt dotun(li-nx."-"nv doutn Sw{lower with nry,Face all fulla frouns.'
Both wint out th-c ittpoftance of tleirmill iobs to local women'
Wav doutn in MississiPPiWLtcre I uns bred' attd' bornReared at SwflanerBe mv rntiue tnme.
Got up this momin'Bluei all arotud' ttry bed'tii{""!"#;J ,ailev uns deod.
as the
q, " Is this sontc new'ihichwe're to be grateful?"
st do apav with such o[d
Clnnee ca$:On tfu T.P. leauin' FortWorth. Texas:Goin' throwh Dallos...Grand, S'aline...'Mineola, Tyler, and Lonsuieu:Marslv[I, Little Sandy, Bis Sdndy.Texarkana, and doublis bdck to Tort Worth.
Such a route uould take Tlnnmsdirectly into tle SlneveDoft arca.SHANTY BLUES. a fraLmentedsketch of an implie[ pe"rsonal brushwith the'lan, bbginsi
A-t Delhi and at Eudora (and )the trouble sot rolLin' dswn...Trouble in Hwtis.Ow into Marion.l.At Doyline lyin' dounMv head to the unll...When I get up ('ateen) MonroeLord I'-oe got to go,..
IT CAN BE SEEN TTIATTHOI'IAS uns fotniliar uith bothrwrthem Louisiorn and, southemArkansas. a twtion tlnt is re-en{orcedby other ieferences he seems td makeon son*s like BOB McKINNEY('nnkd trouble in Delhi'), WHEN THETMIN COMES ALONC ('I'Il ncetvou inWilnnt'). and. COTTONFIELDBLUES ('Ju.st 6s swe as the trainleaues outta tlnt Morabay yard'! eoin'throueh Terrv Toun'). Sinte ' RaktimeTexai' onlv'mentiorrc tlot state inthe most edneral and Erandiose con-texts ('I kot the Texa\ blues'), itnny be sdfely said tlnt he uns onlya Texan ih the satne sense that J.F.K.uos a Berlincr.
As tle only sineer who nuyactwlly conlorm io tle legeidary'. exis ttintial' approac h bfigrnr.:rng conststeft Ld,ea. rhync. andmdter ptterns, Tlnrnai inieriectsa ouirkish elemcnt (euen in hisballads ) tlnt uould not be fourd inthe blues of a Clwrley Pattbn. whois said to faue compossl his'Iyricso!? Wpgn I,n ryspiig, Thomas, .descrlDes N,s IoD os a newer olcross-ries NOODHOUSE BLUES ).as uell as the fact that he lwd rc't'seen lnmc for 16 years by thetimc hc recbrded.'
q
Lt)
.t
zo '.\0
3q
, sucn t en .erson utEs asle sense enough to keep unrm,tw clothes is"so thin."
rr|Aff BUTLERS 6rrt Vmrlion record is ro goodl\ rou'lt sonder wherc hc'e bmn all this t ime Hev ireils from down ('rrolinr *r1 rhere they krowlio$ lo sinf sDiriturl muric. Sam ploys a mran ruit lrin his orn wry thrt crn't be b€st. On the othcr sidehe plrys tnd sin3r "HEAVEN lS M)' \ ' lEl4"" rn-othcr grert 6piriturl. IIeer this record todry!
t d ' I . , l l o ! D d Y o u F i l 'W. , "n r r rh i B . .un ld G. r . lo l l
. , ; , , ' . j i ' . , . . , i by . J X . G.k r ud Hs Cona! . . r t lon 7
Co,n 15 l l . r ' .n A . tb tP , . , , . r to r rh . Pgtor lo l !'
; , . . , , , " , , r , \ ' . r . ' , x & v J . I C . t . . & d H r C o n a r . r . t i o n t 5 .
t 0 5 tgh Bsd. r ; i c
tq !, r t B .br I@r . I Ca ; i (
f[l'ocnliun Xccor0s- . r - . , g ' . O . r y
J . t . ' .on coun t B lu . .
l \ . : ' l P r l r i S .mon
OF ANY HIGIILY-REGARDEDBLUES SINGER. Herw (RaetimeTexas ) Thomas ii sute(v ihe Teastlikely to be traced by toiday'sresedrc ltcrs. A s the'reportbd obi ectof an ituensive but luckless Te*antiuest, it uould seem that Thomas'tareer, i[ rwt lile, ended bet'ore thoseol today's su:iuing Tercs singersIig gary.' T he as s wnplion, hane u e r,t6t he uns a ratibe Texan runs con-trary to both his musical style andhis'Iyrics. On RUN MOLLIE RUN.ip t'act, hc s&ggests a rnrthern Loiis-l,arur onStn:
I went doun to HaynesuilleI did not so to stayJust got iltere in the sood old timcTo wEar them ball anl clynru..$l.n ,.p"w dann to Boissier CityShe did, not go to stny..,
Arcther hint is prooided, bv an aprmr-antly oointle s s'detour T fuhas tb.ke son MILROADIN' SOME, uLhichpwports only to describe a trip fromDaIIas !.o Chicago by uny o! Olila-lnma, Kansas, dnd tr4iss6un:
Septer$er, 1926: Was thls thefirst recading by a MississippiDelta blues singer?
BUTT.,ER+
&dtt
viDCAI,IOlr
Oni TIIE WIOLE. the casualatd euen a.ulsnrd, if tnt obscurernture of marry placi-referencesi-ndicatci tlc fait tlut tiey can oftenbe of absoluiely rn lelpin locai-ing it singer. Tlle sntd of residencyproclained by an AVALAIU BLUES'constituzs tfr,e most atwical ofreferences. Thoueh NWSVEEKmagazine could Mmily conclude' .,.whom did thcv find in AualonQrd.fug cous bui frlississipp.i JotnHwt?', it coul.d rpt luue irur.en:'whom did they hear futd hustled inthe Arkansas Delta bu Blind. LennnJefferson?' tluugh the latter sang:
I say a peg-lee u,omanShe'cai'tlwilly set our doushI left one in Lakiport lost niphtAnd I 'm sel l in ' jb l ly ro l l
In similnr fashion, Buddv Boy Huykins tells ihe listbrer uthere'hellas iu.st been, brt rwt fromuLhenceh.e iame. Ha.akins prefaced hisfirs t P aranwunt re cbrds
first Paramount record with: " Lisfen-people, tlese are rw bltns: I bruns' em all tle uny frok Birminslnm.s
His 1929 Parairiwt, A Mqannounces: " I contc aII thc unysfro,m tacksor4 Mississippi." Oi theott er,std,e ol ila,t record, he usestne chorus:
I'm gonnn srntch i.t, grab it,Anyltxry I can set ttI'rh go:nrn ta*E it fuck to deor IsoI' .( I+ )
Tlnugh the Delta town of Isola unsprobably amone.tlE plncbs uthere Haukinsplayed'u.'ith C6arley P aton (ulos euoice appears on A MG ). before bothtwned itb in Richrnond,. Hiu,kins isa stylisiic friend only'of Memphis orAffiansas Denornefs.
*(t) Notil,e hout otl'nr old-foshioned,singers conform to Hatpkins' adiectioalboo-sterism,'such as Patnn ('I'm sonnamoue dear old Alabann'). Bo Weauiltackson ('Tlrc red-lnt timnns, dounin deat old Alabom'). and ||illie Neubern('When I left MempEis, Teruressee, onmy uny baik to dbar old Marked Tree').
DURING THE COIJRSE ofAWFUL FIX BLUES. recordeil atHowkins' second, session. he stealsth.e 'nwmlish'
fetish of Ed BeIl,utlw nnde his oun deblt later tlatmorxh, On MEAN CONDUCTOR.B ell obligingly states :
I iust unnrn blind, itA's far as HaniltonWfuin she blouLs ' fore to cross itI'm gonna ease it'dann.
Prouided tlnt he does not use acontractiue form of anatler tou.,n.this referenlce plabes BeIl close'toe rs at z'.doub Le,' B ary [oot B ill,^whopuDl.Lclzes nls resrd,ence rn arreenrbille, Alabama on SOUABBLIN'BLUES.
BeII's FNSCO WHISTLE takeshim into rwrthem Alabana. uaclpowledged in his spo!6n aside,"Whap it itll I set thiS Trinilytrain." In the c6u.rse of his rdsearchinto blues styles, CayleWardkntp er c e ptiu e Iy' n ot e d iltat B(n KE RWHITE, on'his NE|| FNSCO TMIN,uses tlte peculior warblins. uocalqtyle typical of Bill and Bell.(I*)Since B'ooker ins oigirn-l-ly ar e s id ent o f nort heas tdrn Mlbs rss rppr.the trauel's of BiII/BelI nnv Inud'taken them ihn tlnt area. Tlnu.shsuch deductions are INFRA DICutith blues uriters wha see blues
53
as monomorphic in clnracter. mnyof Wardlmt' s ileoretical coii ec twessuch as the onc uthich held ilmtSkip Janes played in Texas durinet le'.1920' s,' lni e. uhimate Iy s EnrZ dwith the lacts,(2*)
AIIOIIIER' FOLYMORPHO{JSLYPERVEBSE' s tylist is T om D icks on.
wlto recorded, at ihe sarc session ns il.i,Iohn Hurt ard, Mooch (HELENA BLLIESRiclnrdson. Dickson's cottabile suitarstyle swsests tlnt hc deuelooed 6r unt
ecorded at ihe same session as didH4rt and^Mo-och (HELENA BLUES )
ckson,n as did
Lilee otfie_r singers
style sueg,ests tlnt he deueloped 6r unsiiflucnc6il by pre-blues danci rhvthms,I/is sozgs ci:inin insredients o(the Her-rnndo sihool of blu.e\. Lilee otfr,er sinper:ffis sozgs c6inin insredients o(the Hernndo sihool of bluc\. Lilee otfrer sinetwithin th.e Meniphis sphere of influencZ.hc Ims a Texas tinse' to his'work, On
'within th.e Meniphis sphere of influeruhc Ims a Texas tinse' to his'work, Onthree of his four blires. Dickson repetpart of'the KEEP IT CLEAN themb.three of his four blires. Dickson repeatspart of'the KEEP IT CLEAN themb.qt pl,iye! by Clry4py lordan, uho, accopart of'the KEEP IT CLEAN themb.qt pl,iye! by Clry4py lordan, uho, accor-as pLayea oy uMzrtey Joraut, lxho. adiig tb Big'toe Wilftams, ca:me t'r6ndtng toHelern.
Furtlrcrmore, the uay in uthichDickson nses his puit1r-his useof octaue clnrdin{ of . full. lnrnnnicac companimeru,, of ,gtliiar breaks,ann ol fentluely elaDotate Lntro-ducti6ns ond c6das-resemblesSkip lames' conceDtion of euitar-plairq,. Skip, who' Iiued in"W eotn.Arhqryios dwing the eayly 1920's,'uouJd"seem to lnue.uthile 1nt copy-specific nates, enwlnted, stnpersIike Dickson and Buddv Bov"Haukirrcin these respects. OnDEATH BELLBLUES, a Dickson piece tlnt uses tlreostinato of Blind Lbnnn's BADLUCK A DRY SOUTHERN BLUES.a town not far fromWeorn or Heleiais meaionid:'
The unman I'm lwin'Done mistreoted me'Fore I leaae Ulm I'm sonmMeet your friend again,"
THE'MESSAGE'OF A BLTJESSONG and tlrc context of an ind,iu-idtml uerse, as utell as ihe style ofa particular performer, prouidE ano'tlerprop for tleiorbid scribe, An antetvta'as'sinsitioe
ai Dean Rr.rs&'s is.uhile certainly no prereouis ite.' helo-fti in determiidrw ihe lobal flciuor 6fBlind loe Reynolds' NEHI BLUES'Iyrics. On tlbt record. Reyrwlds. u.tlnrnGoyle Wardl,out reporti lni been missitwfrom his old Loutsiarn Deln lnunts'for
23 years, sings:
Wish Lake Prooidence sheriff'd.ntoke theseWomen let their dresses douLnTold tlnt Wilman soul:'Doggone ulnt you learnin' in touLn!'
lN FACT, uitlput some A PRIONstvlistic htnch. lpmetoun re ferenc e su[ll alunvs eo'undetected bi the list-encr, Thi adoarcru allusion'of GeeshieWiley's to tTb soaheastem Mississippitotpi of Meadoille. for example. inLASTKIND WORDS BLUES:
Wlwt vou do. n rne babv.It neier seti. outta MedilI'm leakin' out secretsHalf-across the deep blu.e sea.
remains inaudible unless one alsohears lnr Texas-like trenolo g.uitarrurls which resemble Sarmrw lfiIl's.and uhich influerced south Mississippieuitarists li6e Isai.ah Nettles, Such''Iinks, whirl.e-gonuoluing,.are i.n rn uaybind.ing. HilI' [or efanele, sings ina ruttuter unlch truf,kes nrm a - soull1o^the1' ot'-Willie Reed; uho sings:" Said nry'baby doum in Seguin, pooreirl is oh nv inind." ThouEh obiiouslyfrom nearW San Antonio, 6r some othEroart of Te*.as. Reed. one of tlv sreat-'est
bi.t leasrlrwticed Texai blue"srnen,plays uith a uigorous backbeat other-biie found- onliin -thq -bl7es of a Dehaperfoimer like Carfield Akers.
Rddy Boy Hawkhs was a friend ofPatton's, but his style and lyricsplace him nrth of the Delta andwithin the llrtansas-ll{emptris sphere.
Herry Thonas in 1927. Cezanne-influencedrepresentation by unknovm artist isshikingly authentic.
*(1) On tlnt record, Napoleon Hairistonadds.'That siues me ihe blues to sofozck-'to lta B-enar' uthicl4 accordiig toBooker. uas his hone-ta)ru*(2) Oie can lear ulnt may lnue beenuesti*es of tlut trip, such'as the lumwithiuhich James bnds his lines onCyPRESS GROVE. a Ia little Hat Iones.
Perlaps the most subtle chrc tlnta singei is usine the rnne of a lonc.townbresenLs it-s.el[ in the form of adisrubtion of a sinier's usinl mrIn sihgine, " Wome"n in Cairo. ililtr eat,f,oikind ond, suseet," .H ewy
TIIE RIIYMING HABITS of oblues sin*er ole ntore importait tlnnare generdlly sultpose-d, Critic.s oftenattrbwe secondary ol trunQed-uDmcanirEs to certain bersei uhiihu.tere oily inclulgd to cleuerly convplete a rhyme. Most singers are soscrupulguq abow maintdining atemiirnl rlryminp sound, in a uersetlnt they iill {o to any lengthsof mis-irorwuriciation io do so:as, for'example, droppins tle
( s'
in ' b lues' t 'o nmtch' t do ' or ' lno ' ,Wlrcreas a Chailev Patton seemsto draat out a firuil rhymine uorduntil lw is iniohereni or olu ofbreath, he int:ariably esablishesits firu| sound bg[oie droppingit, !l.us, p_/.re11 Clryle1 g_ihgs'bed' in'HIGH WATER II asthough it u.tere 'brend,' in theuerse:
The uater it uas risin'.Got up to rny bed
he is not'clenchins his tlvoat'('The art of sins.inE lies in theauoidanc-e bf ri{djiy altdthe adoption of the opei thr6a'-Wm-S lnkeSpeare), .bw attenpting toapprgximate th.e sowd itf hisresoLutng rnyne:
I^tlwuglx.l uould.take a .trip lordOut oi the Pea Vine train.
IAST BUT NOT LEITSTIS TTIE CASE OF KING SOLGMON HILL.Htll orisiwllv appearedin th.e book COUNTKY BLUES asA ran DeIn cry' in the suise of Bisloe Williams, iulw coul{neuer ideritfiy his HilI pieces on thc playback.Tlien it deueloped that a nbre+oo-s ubtle Britis h'c olle ctor lnd inducedthis' pogt-hypnptic sugges tion' ofhonesi toe''s'. Tun yedTs aeo.rumows u:hich lrcld'tld Hin mdSam CoLlins uere 'iust lilce eachother' uere stafted by a friend ofmi.ne to ' rnake th.ings'intbrestin{.'T hcir superficial similinritv r.s.lnneuer, mhinly positioned on'thcfalsetto uoices'drd, the diuorcedbase and treblc lines of both men.Those uho ooerlookedilrc urnl-terably diJlerent.pic king style sand uitca[ bropeiies ( Hill'suoice is thinier ard less tutoredtlnn Collins') of the ttuo ttnnedspeculation [nt6 carnrd by decid-
distinctiue blues
tDrotto
Ithin tlvee months (tinezcord as King Solomon)blv lnue caised Artlub hin as " Plastic
Ed Bell in 1927...
Tlpwh Hill's rhyilm is.eaen trte ilwt Cotliru'. notic-eably Mississipoish. hii failwenolay nclodi lexcbot oh TELLME BABY ), ioinecti himuithsineers lihe Ramblin' Tlpnas and,pEil Lenon lefferson. ln fact, hebetmys sreater'wopirwuity' toTlwias ilan to' atty oiher's i ne er.Tlonas rct only t6es some df tlesorne Dass rtttts'as HiII (both'oattencd after J effersod. butbnulatcs tfre bottlbneck'6reak oftlv GONE DEAD TMIN on his'oUnNEWWAY OF LIVIN', HilI,in twn. adopts tlv enant Tlwrnas'self-st;yled'wstwe as the 'the nantoh6.cth't itay ip one plpge long'on tha, recor{, tust ai Tlwnwsbuffoonishly calls atteruion to hisniiuiue s6cial inase in BACKGNAWIN' BLUES f Thcv caIIne '--bg-cl14iter'; I A-M a Sack-biter." ),so Hill flawus dn absud uieutof lnircblf in acceptine a ticketdseft's il,aim tlni he"can't betihen seriotslv:
B0II| " JOI(ES"are of thesort one unuld nornnlly eLpectlpm obje ctifieQ uiIIasA i.iLiots.( 1* )OI nor6 tankible simificance is
'
tfie fact tlai Hill. ih discardinehis'alr.estins falietto on the fi/sttakes of WIIffiPEE ard BENDEDKNEE,'sings in an intornted.,
Jacques fucbe,utlnlnilt from Maldei. Ma-ss..doffed his Klnhi Creenfoi-48 intense hortrs to'u,rite
tlw aboue article.His sttdv. teuatioelve nt itle d C ourt ry B lu6 s :A Trawu.tuteid Niefu-rnare, lus beZn cuishortby an extended tow of[uty and a susoiciou{ediiorial snf f ,' S hortlvbefore leauiiu for thriV iennrnes e Ce'ntral H i eh-lands, Mr. Rmch isreported to ltaue said:"Napalm is like Mr.Clech."
*(1 ) Tlmtqh both Tlnnns ardlefferson-are joke.sters, Hill isnot, os seen Dy hls ptostrattonbefore tlw ,' got4e Qedd taily','u:n attiatd,e\phich is totallyd,ifferent from Lenon's d.eil.-giined.abcowrt of h.is 'gone
clead plgtBat nvna'.
Thomas-Iike nuzntal If rcthinselse, the fact tlnt HiIl is able"to form b[u.es lines uith subor-diiate clauses unuld place himc,Ioser to singers like'Blind. !oeRercolds, EE Framcr, Liltle HatJoies and !efferson tlnn to Miss-issipp,i singeis u.tla use more sus-tarned nates and lence laxetwords per line.
Taken tosether. Tlanarc andHill represdnt an'extrernely wrsophisiicaed school of bluess iizs.ine. In wrticular.' H ill' scai-oloisy rcininds one'of RobertPete Wtiams': he oronbunces' suitcase' as
'thouih it uere'suitkey'
; '1Dlfs' ds 'uthy' . The
olf-beai clrcrd broeres siofts ofThonus are hikhli eoocuioe'oftlwse of OscalV6ods. said n'lnue biei a Shreueport musician-Hill, uirtwlly tuioiou.tn w ttrcM is sis sippigits canvass ed byCayle Wdidlat, u.tould also seemto lnue been fiorn tle Slteueoortarea, This c6niecttne uould'neuerIuue lad any 6asis in fact uere itnot for GOM DEAD TRAIN.
PAIIL OL ES retrmrhs fortlnt record in MEANING OF IHEBLUES neatly assume tlnt Hillis not an entbrtainer bu, an anowymaus trantp utlose' disablemerXbf nind or body' mieht force himtb chisel traiiri.des"anhthere hecould. The fact tlnt srhh a con-ception simbly dimifies HilI'speisonal apbdal CI* I to an audiencebf rounderS' ind.iiat6s a' sone dead'ciitical approach. TlnnltS to hiso bs es s iob'' uill-to- s tere otwe'(uhich passes for a'loue'61 theblues' in Britkn). the author canItard,ly trglscripe a clallengingcouniry bhrcs lyric.
Nout some of thcse peoplelaue sonc down todn /And this fast train Northemord SouttemTraoellin' ligl* and clean.
Qliueogic-ally s-pea-hig,_ it migfube said tlnt'a'\isht' bhrcs sms.erunrid, natwally iatch a'cleanY tmin-ittst as a'cle6n' blues sins.er u)oulil 'Took for a'liefu' uormn. Yet. uthileOliuir's reders lmue been oderins undertle rods for lnbo lore. Hill,'as shdtnby a'clian' tratscriition'of the somel;yrics, Ius been steelthily iakinghLS lDAv tO LOULSL(nU\:
Lord I'm soin' to Minden:Lord,l'mppntw ty n legi;.e lere todayLord.l'mfionm. ty n leai:e lrcreSouthem fns. a nuian old firenun,And tlat train is iust tfuit tnnAnd tlat train is iust tiutt uny....1 decide.d l'd go down to Fryebwg rout,Atut uute rI @s L, COnrcS.(l rechon tlrc lllirnis firemn(l rechon tlrc llttrnis lliernanano enqlneer u)ould,. too! )
!,lere-s so nnny p69ple,
And tfrat fast trainHatte Aone douti d dav
'
,!nd t\at Jas^t train N6rth^and Sowhern,4nd thar last train Nbrth andTrauels in Bernice and Clny.
.SU-CH A TRANSCRIPflON,I -reJlected, properly emplnsized ratlerttait. auoid,ed HiIl' 3 afoie-nrcntionedpe c uliari ti e s of proninc iaion: Minden'u4l.sqid as -if ii-began utith a'w',uthile ' Fryebitrg' u.6s broken into'andisiointed worils.
But in attewting to transcribeHill's ly1ic.s, I only ! lnppily practicetle art 6f tlv possible." I am'contentto igrcri the historical imoort ofthis-discouery, And tle oircsticin isrct 'Who is Kine Solomoi HiIl?,. but'Who am I?'. and uhcn I olay mi HiIt4qcords, I ain Kins Solorionlltl[.Yet, rn one think-s of me as Solomon,u.rit h s uc h... tendeme s s..,
TWO WEEI(S IIITER.I witMrauY qccount at tlw lannica Sauings
portrait bf'Banio Billy'. an uncoifortable itereotype, A's I eloweredbt Billy' s sriw;tns. uoole"y-leadeauisaee', I tfrousht:""WlenBanio Bt
my account at thc lamaaca SauinssBbnh |n pro.test to their reactiondryportrait bf'Banio Billy'. an uncom-fortable itereotype, A's I eloweredat Bi lly' s sriwi[ns., uLoolel-leadeduisagei I tfrought:1'WhenBanj.o Bi
tDoole"t-twadedWlenBanj.o Billy
f,
- ' " rc " ' 'sdng, tte.sang to keep lrom golngttusane, lust as I Dtotest hls Dortrcand listbn to Solnmon HiIl tri keeo
sang, hc.sang,-to keep from going .'llLsane, lust as I DtOteSt nls Dortrat,t.and listbn to Solnmon HiIl tri keeofrom goins PSYCHO."ron golng
Reality in Mind.en is kaleidoscooic.Louisiaia seemed cold to mc. WhLredid I first get slapped doum?
Ia fiel.d. trin to Minden and Fr"yebure"aid, oaliiine my ideas aboui Kina"Solornon's rEality; tle reality of 6ttrout tines (" Kins Solonon EST: aufond, King Solorfrn C' est moi..'." ),
His replv:One loo{ ai tsuch as your,be tarred dnd,
" Am lrcaded for Mind,en.b likes of a bouttder
bnd ute'd both
ThePetlecttoof,taceSeries-PANTONE
Numerical Listingby John Godrich
f ntroduction The series commenced ot 101. ini"t" "i 19% ud continued until0335,.which.is fie last traceable number in the senes -and*""'ot SuUiv reliased in or around JFly.tg15'Therb was a Perfect 100 issue, but thts had noconnection with the Race series, and was adance record released about three years belorePerfect 101.
Perfect 101 to 140 conespond to the Pathe
fQ'sqries, l0l.appearins-$ 7fl 1 J* lfl, *
collectors.
Anvhow. whatever the actual reason may havebeeri, the'series apparently restarted agarnearlv in 1931 as far as one can ludge lmm.avau-abld record supplernents, but no trace ca{l be ,found of issue-s- 141 to.146.
'Ihere are.a lgY $nergaDs rn ule rrsullg ilL uus lrururt rrs
I54 and 159. Whether or not any ol.onmrred one can't be sure. but lt rbut it is possibleaooeared one qn't be sure'^ bllt- lt ls possruetfr6y did' for lS8tumed uP loJ the hrst trrne toryt*d"ag" onlY last Ybar!
At Perfect 16O it was.appaFngy decided,toi" J"a" hiinin t':f, 1!ip-"^l'1$,1"":fS :,*:lnclude hr[bruy recororn8s r-lr (rx-u Ds.rrsot l[L
it was a very short-lived policy' lor they are tort was a very slloft-rrYe(l F,usyr -rvl I
be found only on 160 and 164 to l6E'
At Pertect frO anO prefix was introduced,and thiscontinued until the last issue at0335.
is4o. -il
thi" pgili,' "*y{ Vq-d*? "*:"il;';;;;":tlv;;" t' a halt for a while'pil.r-rhlu Uii'was due in some way to $9pil""tbtv uii was due, in some yay to $9frgsumauy tnls was ttue lll uuillc w4y rv urv
g:njing of ihe Pathe l"l"J *,h* ,I: Tq Sff;iilffi ;;;;i th" Path", C-ameo and Plazaororro oflabel-s o become the Arnencan t(ecorcF;;; ;ilaGft o b."ott* the' American Rec"or&ins brDoration. or ARC as the group was ImreARC as the grouP was rmrelns LorDoratlonr or AKU as u-Ie SruuP wds rtprrr
cdi'nmnly refened to armng discographers anc
fi'ti;iasiils ut tt i. point, namelv 151 t<nd 159. Whether or not tmy ol these ever
51 to
A& B sides-ail isstrcs we listed in A qtd,B siile order as fu as is bnum.Comooser crditb-T?rzse ue shoum wlwreknatin, either from octrnl copies or comgryfiles. but this infomwtion is fu fron conplete'ma
1aanimal dnta tnuld be utelcorned. Iam indebted to tle'Record Reseuch'Pertect issrrc for mony of the IN to 140confuser creditsmd seueral of the matrixrunnbers.PseudonVms uare sonvtintes enployed srdwill fu illentified in the main wltere tley occw'bd tlvee occilr so often thnt to saue repetitiontlwv will b identified lere.Be"ssie Jackson-Lrcille Boean; Pineuood Tom-l osh White : fuinu futnpson-Bi e Bill.Takes snwir ue fr-om informationrewted fromocttnl conies. Takes to be fowd on issues 101to BI ub false, md slnuld be igwred. Theyue tnt shatm in this listine.Ref ease dates are slnum Eneoth the catalogrcrusnber md. ue estirmted from calalogue stryplenents qd ad.uertiserrcnts in ttDst cases, ul'l'also
from cud file dnta for ukich I un indebtedto Ddnlvlalonv's covl, tif Helene Chnnra'sColwtbia cud file oi a pqt of this series.-Achtwwledeetents mttst also go to t\ert wtryattfu tlw lmi of this docwrent, utd also for tlelost of mury calaloge supplenents, etc-
I am extremelv eratelul to all the kind peopleho have suoofie-d take numbers in the form olwho have suppfie-d take
sdditions rcBlues mdadditions tor numbers in the fonnofGosoel Records 1902-
1942, and eamestly.reguest Your continued"*oltation in conipletine this numerical listingbv iendins anv mis'sins ilata that you can to-bv iendins anv mis'sing ilata that you can to-iirhr C.drich,'P,Rockland Gese6nt, Waun Wen,Swansea. U.K.
l0l 106735 MA,MIE HARNS-You G:et -Md (Mike lackson)(7/26) 106736 MAMIE HARRIS-WhaI'sT E ftatter Nout ? rS.W illiams-C.Williams )NOTE: This is Robo Henderson.
IO2 106749 MARY STAFFORD-_AiN'I GOt-Niboav To Gritd Mv Coffee In Tlrc Moming
(Soen'ler Willius)' "
'td6zfi MARY STAFFORD-Tahe Yow
Finger Off lt (Ambrose BrYan)
|f ,t'itrlff rgW*Pi"'[:,eJoE;:"Y!"'Willi.anrs)i,fi{!"Y'Yl!',!:,\Wdh!'lllW#i'
igf,[tr8{{f,'^YW#r;*t"*o'""tr#'ffiffiY";#iW#fu'iTZZER1:E rit'e" e lun Tiae Papa (To'u"*i
'q one Time Moma Md') (Iach:ion)
':l "lo1H\,WY f,W EH llEl'Pi,Y uii ! Jr ii,I nrur'l {'iioi{ft tr 1,, u -Tii"i i CrZ"piil, Sncahing Blucs ( Brow*Franlcie)
courtesy of Berrnrd Klntzko cotutesy ol Berrand Klntzkc,
\98 100ru! TROY HARMONISTS-GreaI Scott(Trov-Valler)1_0663s-F I V E UUS| C AL B LACKBI RDS_rBth\bee, Strut (Bernie Moten)
109_106220 MANDY LE E-Romd,ers Blues(lvl.Tepson)(JQ/20 PA771 MANDy LEE-Wadering papaBlues (M.Tepson)
ll0 I,Mee2 ryQr 4Na HEAVY-LouisiaruDreat{.d.axn ( lom ll lsb!)
l$z? 1, ttpr, A N D HE A V Y -Menphis Ras( r on7 n,goy)
lll_10704! MARGARET CARTER-I WantA.Pleruy Grease In My Frying Pan (BudiyClvistiiil(l / 27 ) 1Q7042 MARGARET C ARTER-C omeGet Me Papa Before I Faint (Buddy Clviitian)
+l? Z A I 2E 4, I AC KSON -S ome rhins, s GonrnnapDen ro rouZADEE lACKSON-I'm Mad Because I'l'urned
My Baby Down
ll3..s1sg2 TflE OLD TLME tIJBrLEE S/NGERS-When The Saints Cone Marchinp In il - --
t #,t & !'r t?l o^!t!,!f" l / li t E t s I N E E Rs -
F,I |Yn.t t$ r"#Ik', :&Et!!c k r rain
Ul.Iqz1|l REV. l.M. GATES-| Krout I GotneuElon (- )1p7q8-? REI/. l.M. GATES-T\e Dyins MotterAtd Her Child L)
116 '107090 REV. I.M. GATES-Baptize Me
N.709L REV. I-M. GATES-You Belong ToTlnt Fweral Train (-)
ll7 107092 REV..l..M. GATES-I'mGoins ToHeaoen Anylwt (-)107091.REV. !.11. GATES-Tranping ToMake Heaoen My Hone (-)
Lt& 107044 BWDY CHNSTIAN'S |AZZN P P E RS -T he S kwk ( B udd,y C lvis tist )107043 BIDDY CHNSTIAN'S IAZZRIPPERS-Souh Ranwrt Street Blues( Christian-Fuller)
ll9 107303 ROf,A HENDERSON-GiI Goin'(Davis4raineer)( 4/ 27 ) 107 30{ ROS A H E N D E RSON -Some DayYou'll Come Back To Me (Westfiel^d)
lm nBB LAUM SMITH acc by ThcWild-cats-l'mGoin' To Haue SeoenYears Bad,Luck (Worde-Razaf)107314 LAUM SMITH acc by The Wildcats-Vhen A'Ganr Holler (Folhs'Say Sign O' Rain(Sidney Eoston)
l2l UNCLE CHARLEY NCHARDS-Leuee BluesUNCLE CHARLEY NCHARDS-Vownrd. RcixrerBlues
l?_ tolsls RO.SA, HENDERSoN-Stouup P ap( Kazal-Uermiker)C4/ 27 ) 1.p? A rc \Os A H E N D E RS0N -H o c h-S tppBlues (Sid.ney Easton)
An -107311-NETTIE ROBINSON acc by TheWildcats-l'ue Got The Right Man Now lSiineyEaston)107312 NETTIE ROBINSON acc bv Tle WiId-ggts;l Neyer Loved But OneVomin's Son( Luhte I olurson)
14'!0?317 $\D!E GREEN-A\Iey Man (HoutMy Ashes) (Io Trent)1073 18- SADIE GRE EN-Don' t W eor Y our W el.come Ow ( Hendersoo-Easton)
W LAIJ& SMITH-|| You Can't Get It LikeI.lapt Ip Done (l'll Get Somebody EIs;
- -(4, Booker)(6/27) LAUM SMITH-I'mGonru KillMysell (M.tackson)
W,YAUD| MI LLS-S omebody' s B een LouingMy Babv (M.lackson)IIAADE U]LLS-I'oe'Got The Ioogie Blues(E.Darcll)
W 10748 UNCLE CHARLEY NCHARDS-Sore Bunion Blues (Spencer Williams)I0vM9 UNCLE CHARLEY RICHARDS-I'mGonrw Moan My Blues Auny (Riclmnl Yotes)
lZE SlS QUANDER-Muna Is Waitin' For You(7/27) SIS QUANDER-M|re's Just As GooilAs Yours
'
l?g 107545 ROSA HENDERSON-B|ac| SmheMoan (L,tefferson)(8/ 27 ) 107546 ROSA HENDE RSON-F ortuteT eller B lues (Grainger )
ln 107543 SIS QUANDER-Blnck Srake Blues(t,Johnsoil107544 SIS QAANDER-Sould And Bod.v(T, Johnson)Ell KITTy WATERS-BacV Water Blu.es B.Snith)KITTY VATERS-Rough House Blu.es (S:,William;)
Uvrc7sn DEACON MOSE-TLe Dowwwcl path IsCrou.ded (Mike I acks on)(2 /.?7 ) - ! 07 581 D EA CO N MOS E -C limbins U p Z i on' sHill (Haynod-Dtryree)
IB BLIND BOBBY BAKER & HIS GUITAR_Macon Georsia Cut OutEL|ND p0flpy BAKER & HrS GtlrTAR_r'mJaolng lt AII for YouNOTE: It is nnrouted tlnt this is Bobby Leecan.ard tlnt composer credits confirm this.'but Ilnue so fu been wnble to substantiatb this,
For You(10/27) ROSA HENDERSON--Cay Catin' Dddy
1 107789 ROSA HENDERSON-You Can'tHaue It Unless I Giue It To You (A.Razaf )( t2/ 27 ) 1077e0 ROSA HENDERSON-Dyii'CmyShuter' s Blw s (Grainger)
Iffi,107618 DINE TAZZERS WASHBOARD BAND-My Ol.d. Dddy's Got A Bmrd NantVay To Loue(M.'lackson) '
1076]7 DINE ]AZZERS WASHBOARD BAND-Menphis Stnhe ( H.Clifford)
Ln rc78-35 KITTY WATERS-MeanOld Bed BugBlues (I.Vood)( U ZB ) -107836 KI T TY V AT ERS-Loud And Wrong(T.Delancy)
lS 107791 ROSA HENDEkSON-Police Blues(Del.anev)'107792frOSA
HENDERSON-NeueI Let Your LeftHad. IhoutWlut Yow Risht Hand's Doin'(Delaney)
IB9 10?619.2 DIXIE ] AZZEBS WASHBOARDBAND-Kansos Ciw Shuffle (Moten)107620.2 DIXIE ]TZZERS WASHBOARD BAND-Blach Cat Boncs (Leecuu-Cooksey) ..
lQ 108670 8490d GMNT &WILSON accWlnopee Makers-Matra Didn't Do lt And PapaDidntt Do It (Grant-Wilson)6/29) 10876i (3532-8) OZIE WARE acc WhoopeeMakeis-Hit Me In Tle Nose BIrcs (Horold GrAy)
141 to 1{6 arc rntaced
I47 9594.1 FAMOUS HOKUM BOYS-Saturday Nieht Rub(7/30?]95{6.2 FAMOUS HOKUM BOYS_Black Cat Rag
L8 9598-2 FAMOUS HOKUM BOYS-Tlat'sThc Wav She Likes It(7/30?l eses-L FAMOUS HOKUM BOYS-Eogle Riding Papa
lQ 9582-2 GEORGIA TOM-Pis Meat Blues95Bl-2 GEORGIA TOM-Six Shdoter Blues
Ifl 9585-1.2 FAMOUS HOKUM BOYS_Sornebod.v''s Been Usine Tlnt Thine9s96-2 FAMOUS HOKUIII BOYS-Pdoa'sGetting Hot
151 to 154 arc ulraced
I55 9597-1,2 FAMOUS HOKUM BOYS_Nancv Janc(7/sl) 9610-2 FAI0US HOKUM BOYS-t),, Tl@t Thins
L6I 9599-2 SAMMY SAL{PSON-I Can't Be
}#f!i"!n**, sAnPsoN-skaodte Do Do
IV8 9495.2 PNMITIVE BAPTIST CHOIROF NORTH CAROLINA-I Loue Thy ChwchO Lqd9498.1 PNMITIVE BAPTIST CHOIROFNORTH CAROLINA-Fi+hI On, Yow TirneAin't Long
159 is rntaced
lfi e587-2 FAMOUS HOKUM BOYS-PisMeat Stw9588-2 FALOUS HOKUM BOYS-Cuitar Rag
$on llouseIntotaislnr*lsrt One
By NICK PERLS
S(hI HOTJSE:
IbcerDer, 1966.
WHAT DOES SONHOUSE SAY ABOT]"7CHARI-,EY PATTON?PATTON's DAUGHTER?WILLIE BROWN?LOTIISE JOHNSON?PARAIT,IOUNT?STELLA GUITARS?THE ALREADYLEGENDARY DEC. 1966INTERVIEW BY STEVECALT & NICK PERI,SREVEALS IT ALL.HERE IS PART I OF ACONTII\T]ING SERIESIN 78 QUARTERLY...TRANSCRIBED BY NICKPERIS:
Yeah and u.te lnd, been doum to lackson,Miss. and, done some recordins.s and uedone come back {rom tacksoiand. so, Clwrley,he unke up and inissed a ten dollnr bill and
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he said. thbtwillie eot it. He laid it onWiIIie and, they hafa little trouble oboutilnt Holtt rueh tmuble ? Me and him neuerdid haue rnne. Hws much trouble didthey lnve? Thev didn't do rwthin' butars-ue. and all tlwt kindn stuff. They didn'tdo" rn' fiehtin'. lust ars.uc aii4 tric{ onearwthdr"and. all *nt kiidn stuff. Did he everfitd his nurey? No no neocii foutd it. Williedidn't lnue it.-somefudy else kot it, Buthe iust nude
'sure he ca'lled us"if Willie eot it,
bu'Willie didn't set it, atnth.er ulo eotit,but he put it onWillie,' 'cause they slept inin the Same room tlnt nisht Wherbabutswas ttat? That utas anither lil' old funnvolace uhere he died at Where Willie'dietlrit? No. Chorlev Patton. Yeah tlnt uras up from...uh,..remembdr ne tellin' vou abotil ChbrlevPatton' s motlrcr. dawluer..'. Chirn Lou?...'Yealu Clnrlev Pdtton's dawlter.'.Chitw Louand her mnthlr...rnmed. Millie. Well, tlnt unsn'ttoo far from their horne, another lil' oldcouhtri olnce.Ttp;t wis in Boiles. ridtt?Yeah B6iles. ris.ht...risht out from Boiles,southeast of Boiles. Abut how far?I'd sav...lo'ok like n me.,l'd sav'bout three,four rtIes.ls tlnt m a nain rmd r...?'No,
it's off tle nain road. A stat€ rmd?Yeoh, it uiis a state road.Yas it dirt orpaved? No. you see the lllirnis Centml..,Rtttts tlnrfuAh tlnre? And, eoes all the unvtfuoush to Vicksburp and. aiound tlnt-a4&i.there's a little cw"off that comes arowtd fromJachson and, then coiies into the main roaZ,Was this town risht m the railrmd line.Son? Yeoci, thislil' old toun uns on this-lil' old cwoff, you knout. thev call a IiI'cutoff. It uiSi't on the|naii lllirnis Central.I se6, but was it a stm at all lor hains?Tlains stop tlrte? Oh leah. veah. yeah. can'tcall the nante of tlat lil' olil'tfun bilher-'buit wasn't too far from Bodles. Was Charleyverv carcful'with hi:s mmev? Did he lmemoiey lots of times? No. ri, he d,idn't losemonci too reeuJar.'cause'nnni lE uns tiehtuith'nanev. Oh l*l was? Woo.'brother. vEah.He'd. drink a lot, bw thing ab6ut i.t, h6"d get.itanDther u)cty. you knDw. LonE to hln^ sDent ,tand buy ut6at'he unnted-he'd holil tislit to tlntrnoneyi He unuldn't euen sioe Bert6 rn moneymuch..,the one he lnd, for dn old lad,t tlottimc.,,the one in Chicdgo...nout she'd,idn'tget his noney too mucT He unuldn't euen buyfood lnlf the'time'cantse she's the cook. and'he' d uciit on her to corne from the u.kite Tolk' skitchen and brins him his'food. Tlnt's fhe uny heate out the whitd folk's kitchen. He didn'tspend anythins mLch. Clnrley sure uns clwicya'bow ttuit, Wds he mkins 6lof',? Uh huh Eeums nnhing eood. Me ord-hiru that's uhere uewent to plaliis tosether. Nou.'I'd set nid andhe'd sei wiid.i.l 'tr soenil mind. bw\e inuldn'tspen[hii. Let's sdy. vou wanted to borrowsixne money ftorn him,-wonld he ever lend yannutey? Yes...sonethins like a couple of dollarsor sonething. He unulfn't so ouer ilnt.' Toomach. No; Ee's close uithhoncv. Tlw's thcrcason hiin and, his brother couldn't set alone sowell,..Son Patton. No. tlwt's the fai.h he dd ofhim,'cause he's so ilose tpith mbney. He did.i'ttucutt to buy thines he really need, ali@ys tr"yinsto work oi somebody else.!.you k:nou...'so tfrcviustcould,n't set horsei for tlnf accowl. Wlnt kirilof thinps wonld lrc'eet nrt of otlrer neoolebesideS tood? WeIE nout Beriln. see. sE'd feedhirn all the titne, so uthen we'd be'doutri there..'.tohen he'd go to see his dausfuer. u;ell MiIIie.sh.e had, andtler nan then for"a fukband. ClittToy? Cliff Toy-rnan. yoi hit it isht on tlc nose.Thbt uns'his iamc...:C7iff Tov. suie uns. Yeah.but Cliff. see Cliff unsit t iehlous of him- vou hnout.he'd tiiirt hin iui;i like hc'unuld trui or shircbodvelse he didn'tknout. And lE lnoued Clarlev usbd.to be his old ladv's old nan. see. He hwuidtha and krmred'tlat uns hii dawlxer. but vetand still, he d.idn't act like he ui.s ied.lous'...iust make himuelcone and eoerythiiu...treat himiust as nice...ulole lotta euvs inn't-do tlat.See, if they knout tlnt she-u,|ed to be yow unman,your i]awliter, see, he don't unnt yoi around toornuch. Bit, Cliff. he did.n't care. y6u knou.t. hetreated him iuii'like a brother.-Hon' oftef did
Ctarlev so down tlrcre? WeII. he didn't s.o tooresular:, il. rct too reeultr. Well. do you"srbune he lad anv*snecial reasm fa eoinsdoffi tlpre? Well, ihe 6nliest reason nonl.-.uLeiue uns to*ether, ne and him and Willie, and. uecome to his lnuse,..him and. Bertln's...first,Theu we leaue frorn his lpuse and eo tb lacksonto rruike the rec6rds. tlrcn we come 6ack andue plnyed around the coutry on the SaturdayniEht klls, a little better {nn a week, ond. ihenutd eet reaAy to leaoe there. Thenwe come bacltto Eoiles. tlo come back to Lake Canren. and ueutould coinc tlwt far uith us, and then he'd say," Let 's stoo b"/ Cl i f f Tov's "
. and then we'd 'stop up the:re lihe tfrat alnd spend a little titne,But that's as far as he unuld come u'ith us.and then. he'd s.o back to uhere he liued.
''cause lb didnl liue too far {rom them. 5wue'd keep on to.,. I see.' H6 lived nbart[rcrc? Yeah, he liued near there.lltrereabouts,
'
do yqr kmw? IAal's uhat I can't call the...the nane of this lil ' old place now that unsn'ttoo far from there.Vllten diil Charlev mvetherc. ib you know? About when ilid he startlivini thde? Clnrley started to liuin' there, itu.as tmwd abow' 2 8.',,' ale e n' 2 8 atd,' 29. s omeuhe r ealonz in there...in the neiehborhood of that. Icanl be exact uthen he slarted lioing, there, 'couse
him and Bertla left from up there toLula, tlnt'suhere he pot hcr 6t.'and lbft and uent doun to thisolace. otrril see. tlat wai after he went to Lrrla?Yeah. tlnt's rieht.Alntt lrorp lone was he livinedowri there in"this tovm? WeIl, le1's see. Itutasn't too lorw. because uhen we went dotan tolackson. lv hiln't been doutn there too lone. So,after ux'nade the record.s for H.C.Speirs, uZ conwbbck lpne. It uns iust ab6ut a littte better tlnn atoeek before Bertlui serds us a telelram tlnt he'dtn*en rlie mawsund, died. ad hnottted by tlnt, hccouldn't a bedn lioin' there too lons.Dill he havegry-special relson fc nwing {6qn ther.e?,Well, Ln a uny, -because, see, hls brother ata tneyu.Esn't too lar lrom thal. I hey rlj{ts lzulng outr on aolnce ,lcv
'calf Dockerv's Pltnntion. WII tlen,
l,lillie. s6e unsn't lioihs. too far from there either,so he'utas dout in his n-eishilorhbod, see. WeIl nout,him atd. Willie Broum. thei near 'bou srowed' wtoeether doun there 6n D6cksry's' TM.t's tlp
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re\son thev M been plavine ioeetlwr a aood. uthile,vou s ee. T hev uns otd dc qfoinfanc e s, alnd so he' s?ettins in his'neis,hborhooil, see, and tlnt'-s ulzy?-iiifr.. nnied bdck doum ihere, 'Cause his bfotherard,'then thev lived doun there, ard Millie liued,a.i itt"l'", Chirn Lou. she's iloum llrere. Woul- dy(xr have anv idea if
'the Toy's could be alive
Still? Pelt, iln't's what I can'l beposit-ive of'couse it' xbeen a long tine sihce l'ue Qeen-doun --there. I don't how I 6ouldn't sav uhether they stillliuin' or uhether thev ded. lltat was tlre age ofPatton's dardtter, Chim Lott? Ag th-at ti41,vou mcan? Oh. Chitw Lou, sl:r- unsn't tlat ott.. .tiitt'liii coi:i...|'d sav she uns afout 2,0, sopethinglike tlnt. She unsn't huch more old,eltlon tlnt.Was slp nalried? No, no, she unsn'tlJonied, tb.Tlat's the reason I uent to liking her. )he unsn'tmuried. How'd she like you? She act like shedid. Yeoh, kl I had so nany back up there around.L"i"-Ciioi "nd, pl.aces, I 6oukln't'bdlg'em bockutith me, bw I'd tblk.trash^and;make.l's so cruzy ,'bout'em atd euerything. 6yl' I unsn't crazy enoug,nabout 'em to uant to bnng them bac!' -capse
.I tu,dtoo nanv up thcre uniting for rne. Who,t &bolltC.lnrlei. did he knorv vdu went for China Lou?-y;"h,-6;
knotoed it, yeah., Ile ta-l.k-in ryy faoor.atdeoertthins to her. I itnuldn't tell her I'uhwed tobii"& her'b"k, tell ler I unnted to get ryarrLed to I'eror rithing,-'cause I lnd loo.tany a[ready.,Eugn,tltesonp one I sot tmx, we hadn't got nwnled yet, outI t&s iunpihs. tle broornstick uith lter just the -satne.Ve diiln'i eel married' wttil 1934, Euie, bu!-.beJorcthcn I didn- t unnt to s,et nntried ,oo [email protected]@s - -C'trCrlev stitt amunil when vou miried EvieJ -No. seC. Clnrlev he died in --. '32, and ! nwnied Eut'ei';'i4.nstiwefo iGt saving abqrtt ly-hen vou.wentdovm to Jacksm to ntake reconF. tlow llrrqntfune did vtrr sperd down in J-acl6m trl thattxip?-l'Il-say about aro d"yf . Y" uerc tlere abowtuo davs ond thenue cone oaclt to t-ilrrley s... -fn^i"7-piiioi;" l-r"". Aborfr how nnny records diddid.ydr rg$e down there? Tlvee' I tl9i.n$ it uns. ....ttvee. t nev u)cls on o sontcthing like "qlwostrick"
wlnt he Ind,...called it, uns nwde outtn alwniruan ,'co,use vou olay tlem nfih a sassatlvch uooden;;.dt;!C:[ii6 needle? Yeah, thbv ca-lled -themsassafrack. We u'sed to Rather tlnt stull qn4 nake-t"iGii-ti. "ood t"o. Siilsafrass? Yi:la!4 Sassafrax.Tlnt's ufut"ute called it. We'd go out, but vou
could.n't use it tntil like this time of year (December)and then euerythins...the tree leauei And. thines died,iust like the ireesis nou. Well. it died an"d fnt'runs
t,he sao baclt doun and then tley'd cut the stuff.They realli make sood tea, So them'the kindnneeilles y6u play ihe record with, Thev didn't callit alumi,in, bw it's iust the same think. They calledit sornethina di{fereht then, rnt alumiia. I cdn'tcoII it right-no;i. What would you say rms thename of this corpanv that vou recordedIcrjl WelI, no rnord t6n the nian's rnnte.,.H.C.Speirs...Speirs P horn srap h C ompany. T hat' s theuhy they \ad it...Speirs Phorniraph Company...Yeah, ii uns Ill North FarishStrbet in IacEson.Did yur ever see any of th6e records out onsale. q anv Sreirs PhonoenDtt Commny recods?VelI. I lnd,
-a c6uple of them-rwielf, You briuettt a
gorplg? Yeah.Wtrcr(alnuts did'ygu bW t|iern?Jent d,own there to lackson and, sot then lron htrLBw nap other people. didn't sed no othei folks lnuethern 'cause
vbu |ee. they didn't last IonL. And, heuent o.lt of bi,siness'utit{it. Yeah. it didi't Last tnoIons. 'cau'se you hafta use them sa'ssafrax needles, ard,peo\le d.idn'i utantio be u.nnied withilnt stuff.Tlrciecinds you sot ftom him. were tlpy the aliminunones c the rEeutar black ones? Noi tley uns alwnina,you know, bw they call it sornethine else (tt tlat tine.Wlnt ute ca! it nka, it 4ns alwlira. Yeal4, tl-ot'-s the unythev uns. Thev dif,n't last too lons, so tlwt's thc reosonhe'went ow of'business, Yeah. th&'d play, but tleyunuldn't lasi too lons. 'cause'euet.y tikc vou plav 6nedan. navbe tfuee. foii davs, or sonbthine, artd thiev'dgd itll..ilryarirc,'chd the"j inul.dn't lnldlip, see, dndtlwt's uhy he lnd to so out of business,What sontsdid -yan b-w from hfuil? T[e
'last one...let's see
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rwti..ne aid Clnrley andWillie, ux nadn one tosetherand ux uh...ue call,ld it...l Had,'A Dream Last NiehtTroubled Me...but it lauas Chistian, We nade it ai aChristi.an sons. And tte uere playins like tlnt weuns sanctifieil. see.'cause hb uhraZd sone sanctifiedsonss. AnA me and, Clnrley ardWillie. rart a oneb{us.-uasn't sanctified. brrt'ue's makins oui likc it.
'
voi knou. to nmkb thi record, Clwrlevl, le snrted tlu.tlsines a little )..,tlnt's the uny ute s6iw it. So on'reco"rd,.
oeoole' didn't knout ro better, TlEv fiewedue's iliee'sanctified s!a.vs. We u.asn't na'tutis butoI' uhiskey drinhers dtd blrcs players. Sql. didvqt ever iee tlnt r€cord ffi Sale? No, I neuer-see'd
tnbody else uith rurry a one, No, sure did.n't.Ba I nnilef, him a letter atd tuld him to serd mea counle of thetu ktt other people, I teDer saysant iobof,v else'uith one. llo* niuch tinp ifteryur Lecqiled did you get the copy of.thc
Did-Ctarlev lnve anv a ras he dead bvtfiat tirc?
- No. he d,iiln't lnue none. but Clnrlqv.
he lnd,n't died. ilren. So, he heard tfu rccords?-Yeah. I mailed to H.C. Soeirs to rush me a cow.It unsn't too lons. then, Clnrley died. I don'i knoutuhetltcr lE eot afw of the recoils or not. Bertlnneuer did sriv. Did C'harle.y knqr how to read andUnite? No,'he couJd.n't rebd ard wilte. Him andWillieBrout, rnry a one, they could,n't read, and, utrite. fu.yql were the only otie? 1 uns tlrc only one. Nary'aone of tlrcm couldi't red a.nd urite.Vlhfut were sdrrcof tlt6 otber titles tlnt von did down there?...tlntyqr Charley or willie or the ttnee of von did-besides that sone " I Had A Dream rast NidrtTnodled llle"? -f eoh. I can't thinh of none-it's alot of little foolish sonss,,,Clurlev. he'd try to nmlte arecoid, out df anvthine.-vou knout. ''cause h6'd looe tocloun,.." Yeah'fubyt' ftmitates Pattoil,..and. a lottnkinda fitnnv stuff lihe t)lnt. We'd let hiin do oll that wrt.Olt, hO mide dbnp blues down there? Oh yeah,'yeal4he nade blues, ard so, tlnt song u.,os the one'they iunedus to plnl like ute ueie sanctifilgd. I renrcmber thbt one,bw all tfot other foolish stuff. I don't hrout ulnt allClnrlie mmeil. He'd rnrne [fti record anythine.,,youhwut, to s.et a)ny uith it. Vllnl about Vut. did-vournlre anV recods dorvn tlpre? Yeali. ui playidtosetler.-No. I nrean iust you yquself? No.'not iustWnryself. Wltat abouf Willie?
-No, No, he didn't
'
eitfulr. We's iust tpith Clnrley see,'and'let Clnrley doall the led.iie ard sinsinl tlie sonss, and, we'd ithtconanent alonE uith hiri. He'd tak; all ilem old'foolishsongs ard thi-nss..,soile of thetnuould sound alliisht...s-ome of thefr lnd a mednine to thern,.sonrc didn-t.Tlmt's tfre unv he olwed. I{6'd iust say o;nythins. thefirst thins he 6oull think of..." Heh babi" ftminTbs?qt!gn)'-Au sho".,.anl all ilnt old kind of funny stuff.Well Son. I was wmderins if you ever Sdid 6nv-'Olins 0o him about it-fiaf he-used to clovm sonucfi-von or Willie? Oh veah, ue often da tlnt andtell hii too. Sav " Cltarlei. voi outtit stoo so muchtlnt ol'' foolish ircssin' arbuid." (imintei Pattontr-"OhMai all I unu to do is set Daid for it. Wlnt's thedifferenie?" I'd say "Yeah,"bu'it jrht sowtd,s so ffi
'ish and a lot of iunh to it," Patton-"Whot's theerence. nnn?" ['d say "OK ilutt's your littleunson'."He didn't mind if you criticized him?
n, me and himue played tosetlrcr beforerdvillie did. Me dnd'Charldv did. AL LuIa.s tle first place that n e and him iust plny|d'. Bu.t'the 6thzr time...no, the firit time that
'. his rame, it's been s-o lone.,Xou mean Artbly? Ye.ah, yeah, .WelI, .he's on hlt "4y tlvoughe. and these lour boys thnt mode the prcce aboutseen four anl 20 elders on th,eir knee's...that uas
nn(?), u=nd Mosely. Tlnt's the fow sws, and. theyeo6d in sinsirw. They didn't fuiue ni irusic. Thev6ine theirs bzi Were'they relatives at all ofrother? No, they unsn'i..,iust ordirnry friend.s.ev ws famous tuith him. So uell. this eiv. he
Texa5? Itou iu.st called his rnme, M laib-ll? Yeah...He wapgou.ig throudl fo fexap... Yeah, and so heunted, Llnrley to cotnc Dacft and recotd sotne annClnrlev told htm about me, Me and him uns playinetosethbr. So he told Charlev theu he unrged mi to'conewiih hin in the next recordinss, And so, he left $100.Tlnt uns for cisare ttes and lood, and pay Whieler Fordalittle so'nrcthihg, 'cause he'lnd the carl And hc uent
tuns lor ctgarettes and. lood, and Ny wneeler f of:tle so'nrcthihe.'cause he'lnd the carl And h.e uentSo. it ums abut three days after then'fore we liton'out ructy to Grafton. Ahd tfris eirl wliat unstout on'our uLay to Grafton. Ahd this eirl wliat unso:ola"yins. the piarn...you know, the pidce what they uns
,,bldvin-e Inst'nisht (Louise lohnsoi on Paramotni).'.'LoirisE. So ue"picked her up.Ylbere did you pick her
.tfr? We picked'her up at...ihat this nnn?...You knouthinnolYou rpan Joe Kirbv's? Kirbv,..loe Kirbv.We picked her up there, She ins playinA foy.[iny A,'rmstrong,ardwe sot her io comc a/rh us,Novti ho=w did vtu happedto nic[ler u;l?. .W.ho lold yott?. Willie^Broun, See, hehtnued her. I dldn't. lle knowed her. Jo t@t's the causebut it's suoposed to haoe been Charlev Patton's s.irlfriend.Well. who'Rnew her first?...do vouhave anv i(b6?Wlrich of tlp two? VeII, I thinh Villie Broum Enoutedher before Clnrley did, Charley, then he sot in uith herfor his'eirlfriend.'And after ue" left Mempfii , len4essee,bn ow ini to Grafton, ie stopped anothbr little placeiust nortt of Membhis. and uxibowht some liquoi. And\vl and hini. u.te dll diinkin'...excdpt Wheeler'Ford, hedidn't drink rnne, And so they geis r,n a argunrcnt-lwr and Clnrlev in the car' 56 sle sets out-of thefront seat ard bome in the back tuhdre I uos,' Tlnt's'u.,hen
it went to lnppen. and I g.et a snortin' ' She' dtake one. kept on iidiniz alons,i Charlev, h^e's nnd.He's sitiinp'in the froit' Ride alone..'.I cotwnence toleaninz oue"r nlkind trash to her, I iav "l really kindalike vdu eal." Arufue take another bik stnlLoi. Sowhei we"eot to Grafton, Charlev didn-t knout tlnt IM done"nnde her,'sei. So thiy lnue a little hoteltlere in Grafton. ihere the recdrders stay at. Andue's all oui geiting thc grips gnd' euery,thing, qnd.sgthe nan cotne ouer uhat attend, to the place qMI_ grolngeuerbodv their kevs to th.e different robms. So I Zome-un. and'thcv'se ielline me E6w "the nni done beeniElre ond si:uen us all ihe keys." I said "tuhere did heso.'causZ he ain't giue me'no keyi' and s,o Loujseii:u "Y"" he did." f sav "No he didn't." Sav "l
sotrui and vour kev." I sav "Oh, oh, that's it then.'-i;i;i;t'; the'unv ii fiappenbd.flow did Clnrlev takeit at Ont tinrc? WelI, hb'took it prettv sood aftei hefound out ulnt heopeied. 'cause he krioiled slb u.asihoushraith hiru'iee. So he didn't seem like he s,ot nndme oi nothins. Me and. her staved tose ther in our littleroom- So Cffirley and WiIIie ahd thii other boy,.. WheelerF(rd? Lemon. Lemon tefferson. Like in this'room.Clnrlev in the next one,'Willie in the next one. Then meand, L6uise. ue had the one that's facins. the street.and L6uise. ute had the one tlat's facins. the street.Tlnt's the'uny that uns,V[haL was' the bize of the
hotel? On. it ilms uLn srories. We fud the upstairs.How lar rias it fron tlp stttdio? Qh-,-ab-qit...l'll sayit unsn't quite a mile. Sittin' on a IiI' ol' riuer run bythcre. It lbd been an old time factory of some kind.
61
Bw they got it and you krwu. nnde a stud.io out of it.Bw it isdd to be sdrne kind itf old time factorv.Wlwtkind of car did you come ub in? Yeah. it uhs anold Buick.Did y'all have yorr inshnbnts withyou? Yealu yeah, we lnd all them arjli zs.What kindof rruitar diil Willie play? I1e played a Stella. andI lwl a Stella. Clwrlev hbd a StbllL.Clarley lbd afetty fancy euitar. ilidn't be? Yeah. yedh. his'nuns a little more fancy tlnn me and Wi[lie's. ffiratwas francy alonlft it?'Well, you take the heod-snll.the neck of it, ums nade a'Iittle differenl. you kruni-,.It lnd. littfe fancy coils in it and IiEe tlwi.'Tlnt's thconliest thin! thai's different about it. Where did heqet,htp gur-tar, do ygu knoril? No, no, Idon t know exactly uhere lE got Lt, to be exnct,Bw ue ordered ours, Me andWillie. u.te orderedoars. lVhere did .you uder them fron? (hderedthem from Chicas,d Where did you set the ideato order them? ?v lookin' in,.lwe tbed b eet these,..catalo&s, utlnt iue call it at tlnt time, ca.ialogs. .Atn LooftLng tn the catal,oe tnen.,.we saw them.n thein the catalos,. Thev hav6 r€cords in thosecataloes? l*eah.TIg,t wasn't Sears Roebuck. oranythine like that? Wait a minwe...na. it uns;'tSears aid. Roebuck, Montgornery Watd'l That's lt.I kneut it wasn't Sears aril, Roebuck. Monteomert Ward.They didn't cost mach at tlnt timc.Vllat fias WilIiePpJ.ip+.bpfore he,sgt tlrg thine Fq4 MoptgqmervWA,m' l weIL nou, I don' t knou uhat k inda sui tarhe had then, because me and him, we hadi ' tstarted to playins. toeether. But I doi't krout uiwt kindhc had before'tEn. fuv mdt uurld a $ella d' hcrnItffiscllriY $Ad? Ofr, mine cost eleuen dollnrs and sodidWillie's, Back at that time. But eee, I bet youcouldn't get one nax for tlat. I ain'isdw one kvselfin a longiime. Ain't'seed a Stella t'or a long tinic.
END OF PAKI I. PAET II CONTINIJED IN TIIENEXT ISSUE OF 78 QUARTERLY !
lI 0[|ilnl
1$tltlltl
OUT IN SEPTEMBER !
ORIGIN JAZZ LIRRARYBox 863fJerkeley, California
OJL-I1*RUGGED OJL_I6_HAGUUUPIANO; featuring-Blythe PIANO: featuting--C.lor'& Burton, Henry"Brown, errce Jones,-Blythe &RomeoN'elson.'Cripple Clark, FronhN4elrose,& Burton, Henry Brown, ence Jon'es,-L|Lythe &Romeo N'elson,'Cripple Qlark, Fry4l N\elrose,Clcrence Lofton, Je'sse Sidney Willians. SnilhJames, Btytip & Clcnh, & yuine, BlindLe.royFr:ih'Melrose. M "Fats" Gcanett, Will Ezell, HeruHudson & Buddy BLtrton, Dtterson'.and others-$4.98 ond others-$4.98 oz
1967, Gayle Dean Wudlow.
Rights Reserued.
EIfiEI}]BENSHIS BNOT'il,ENT OIfiIfiY.o o By GAYLE *,ARDL',,
Rev. I-edell Johnson-TuurryJohnson's older hother.
,
J achson, iVlis s is s f ppr.' TheEill, skiruv elderly nnn saton a shaight ctnir under a rmg-nolia tree in hi:s fmnt yard. Heleaned back and said: Aes, I'rnLe de I I J ohns on... and T onunyJohnson ux$ nry brother."
Seconds later, I began askingLedell lohnson. the b:rother of.-one of dountrv blubs' most famoussinsers.aboud Tonnny [ohnson'slife"and music.
"lom" he tms fow yeusyotrnger thmt me. I uns bqn inigZ. so Tom nalst haue beenborn'in 1896. (Other sourceslist lohnson's birthdate as1894).
"Now, Tom, he tpas tleseuenth child out of 13. Firstthere uns Peuly, thenVbla,George, Jim" Idn, t edell fuy-self ), qnd then Tom-"
Tommy lohnson's fatherwas a slaie. Ledell remernbersthat "Daddy uns born a Strattonin Atlunta,-Geosia, and he unssold to a familyTnCopiqh Cow.rty,Mississippi. where we utere allbom. He'uis sold to soneJohnsons-so tlnt's ltow nE gotottr nfnes."
The father, Idell lohnson(Stratton). married Marv DlaWilson, who was also 6 nativeof Gpiah County. Ledell'sfathei died in 1924 in GystalSprings.
Conceming Tommy's earlychildhood, L"edell rdnarked,'"I leuned Tommy haut to playthe guitu first. I leamed my-self from untching nry wrcleplay. I leuned Tonurw the'guiiu
long fufue heian utayfrom lwme."
When I asked Ldell whenTommy lohnson ran awav fromhis fath6r's farm near GvstalSprings, he said, 'lormrry justup awl ran cg.Nw wnen he urts12 years old u);th this olderwoinan.
"Tom, he had, been workingfor N4r. Lwfield Redrmnn doumat Terry, and because he unsso gd a worher, lth. Redtnanngaue him a harse and bqgy tocury home. W brother gwethe horse and btqgy to ownnther, and it wasn't tuo upehsIqtgr tlgt Tom t4 and left withthis older wornn to go ip inthe Delta.
"She come wtd got TomnryfromTerry, uhere she liued,'and
they iinh off and went upnear RollinxFork. She couldhaue wssel fu his grandmother.She hsd a datqhter herself qsold as Tom u-ns."
63
as-€
a
. K
-€
Ledell thinks that thereal reason the wornan stoleTonrny lohnson away fromhome wis that Tomrn'v couldplay the zuitar well enoueh toinalie nnnlv. and she wou"ldset the tnoti6v. He remembersthat the uom'an's name wasMoore.
When I asked Ledell whatyear this was. he replied thatit was 19 14. ttris is confusing:Ledell declares that TommyIohnson was only 12 when heIeft home. Yet, Ledell, whoalso places the date as 19[4,said,'"Tomtry, he ru"rsed f une af.ter I got nwried in Nou-ember, 1912, and that wasbefore he ran wny."ln I9l4Tommy lohnson would havebeen l8l
Tommv staved up in theRollins Fork'area ittd in th"Delta lor about two years.Then. he retumed to theIohnson's farm iust west ofTerrv. which is L small townclosL'to Crystal Springs. Ilethen retum6d to th'e Deltafor a short while. livins atBovle, which is in SunllowerCoirntv.
ln 1916. Tommv came backto Terry aeain and marriedMascie'Hwell (Gmpbell )frofr-Terrv. [,edell arid Tom,,stole,' lfiaesie away fromher father an"if took hbr to Cry-stal Sorinss where Tommyputri.il Mlggre in Ledell''shouse.
In Decernber of 1918(Ledell rernernbers thatthe war in Europe hadbeen over one month)Ledell left Drew and
-tN
x
Io
a
sretumed to Crystal
Tommry Johnson stavedup in the Drew area lor aldnger period of time,thei cdme back to CrvstalSprings. Then he werit tosbuth-Mississippi andt-roulSlana.
When Mascle's fathercame lmkiti for her, Tomand Ledell liid her. so thatshe could not be located.l\.4"ggt" was only 14 at thatume and a very attractlveyoung woman.
In the fq.ll of 1916, Ledelllohnson and his wife Mary'lnd Tommv lohnson and hiswife Massiel all moved to theTom San?er plantation at Drew,another small Delta cottontown in Sunflower County.
"While u)e u)ere uP there'Tom started plaving musicwithWill (Willid) Broun andDich Banhs." said Ledell.
"Tomttty. he pltyed more thartI did tliiwh,'bui I tlols playinea lot in thase iuhe houses qfu putbs in ihose dsys."
When I asked Ledell if heever heard of anyone namedPatton, playine bround Drew,he said.'"TIwl ew nnmedChmlei Putton-ctirne in tlwreat tirwis qnd we played toget-Iter. I sut Towrw otd Puttonolav toeether moiv times.We'uUEot toget\lr and playedlor lrhes or lor cnnces aruIWties."
Deep in thought, he con-tinued. "I di.dn't see himmuch,'but dll three of themsuvs (Patton. Bqnks, andEiqtil rmre' sinqing thotsong about'Hitch up nuywny ad saddle W ryy greymare, I'm gown luw tttyfubv od in tlrc worldsoiewhere'."
Ledell rernembers thatBrown and Patton were aboutthe same ase, although Pattonwas mavbe-a little ol"der.'Will, he uns rnnnied toJosie Broum..."
lust then, Ledell 's wife,Marv. added. "Youhrww
bth of thei played thesuitw. Josie, thnt's Will 'swife, was from CrystalSgings."
I asked Marv if Willand losie had'anv child-ren.
"She sid, "No, not
as fu as I renemfur."
Who was tllaggie CamPbell?
Ledell saw Tornmy atvarious times in thsrpxtfew years in different.placbs. Sometimes the twobrothers, along with avounser brother. Maier.blave"a uDtowr ih CrvstdSptinss in the mid 1920'siri froirt of Thaxton'sdrug store.
Johnson. like otherblues singers of that per-iod. had 6untless wohen.Ledell rernembers thatTonrnv had so manv wivesthat Ledell could liardlvcount or keep up with them.
"Tonatty he neuerIwpt rn u.mun uery lug.He lwd one for a whileand then just up wd.lefther when he hud a rwtbn.He stayed on tle nmteall tlui thre, mouing fromone town to utotlw."
l4hen I asked himmore about the famedMasne Campbell' Ledelllau-ghed liehitly and said,"YZs, I re"ra;ter tvbggie.Her and Tommy foughtaII tle tine. Thev wanldmahe up md thei startright.birck fightin€ adargwnS, agam.
"One night up therein the Deltu where thevumre liuinp. Tom odVlaeeie gol'in a tud fiehrwith snaut all ouer tleercund, knee deep. Sheitqrted hitting Timmywith rnts and puts, andfinallv bit hini on the eu.Tomw, he got up a nnuin'and run rieht out thefront dmr-in his wderuseuinto the snan with herrisht behind him clnsinghim- Both of then uterebuefmted. A few minties
Rev. I-edell Johnsor-'75 years old.
,, I luhed oter theretley uryre qnlktngin am fuch to the
alreody nnde up."
:olmson had so manves that it took Le&quitea few minutes
'"Ian futaut, Tom onceMneto gotui thhin
ninernber their names.
"IIe lnd this wormntArfusos-I don't
her nme-fq. Tlen there wasunwyt rurilEdwtd thenVlla
i aunwn rungdwlnl thinkuns
: andwowm
lost her mird,t ,
abtt Rasie?"
"I renembr tlwt none,tI ibr't renenibr
lqprcd to lw.
Rev. Johnsm holds Victor recordnnde by his younger hother,Tomy.
I asked Ledell if thelast song Tommy sangthat nig6't at thei partimieht have been Bis'Rood Blues.
He said, "I'dan'tbnw wlnt it uns. butIe swe t@h, ilnr'lasttrip daun the Bie Rudby hinself tlnt iight."
This year, Ledell lohnsonhas tumed 75. How wouldyou describe him?-As agertlernan wlro lives a Chris-dan life, is still active,preaches nilren the opportunitylrises, and has a kebh menrory.
Today, l,edell lohnsonsits in ihe shade"under thetrees at his home at 15Z)Barrett &reet in lackson.He rerninisces a$but eventsthat took place a half-centuryor nxrre ago{row frasilemenprieslhat rlay G lnpedclean by a caoricious flowof timeihat drifts down theunending tlig Road of life.
fulitq's Note: Thc infor-nation tlmt Tonarry Iohison, solder brotler uos'still liu-ing in tacksgry ilfdss., aras"HflJ"#"?I/,i,!#i&tvf
lact tbt- Ledell Joluson usedtun dtllerent tnnes nde itQlfficutt po trgck him doun.Ile uns lound in time tn beinteruiebed for tle firstisste of 78 Qwrter1y,
o
E
a
an
f X
x
€
hiniw mhis recuds.lbthinnnhe thenbvlfuwlf . (L"edell I ohn-sonoften refened to Gafton.
Neh'asha, tosone records with
wkll neuer didback
as Omaha.)
"Tomtny, he said
rwL cqated
piece fo hirn Tan,le just sat there fqa few mirunes mdhept saying yes; bdle neuer unuld sta.t tlesotr&. Nter aultibtle nwt toldTomtogiue him the gaitu ordhe unuld Dlay ithimself.
'
"VVell, Tomlwnddhintlre Erito srd taldhin to go ohead-'lwutrwhm you'.
'"tlVell, le nnde tlwtwhite mottrud, ondheiust took tle Euitu mtdhit Ton rieht-on tlrehead with it ud hepttryiw to hil hinwiihit tsrtil Tom gd up mdrancu)cw fromhim.Bustediiat euito allto pieces.
"fu there u)e uEre,with rn guitu, and ununre stppsed_to plpya wttt datm tlere in$tlh'Jachson- We hdto go bnaa a guitvfrom soneone to nlan'the
ryty tl,nt niiltt.t'
Tonrny lohnson hadlittle' reisiecl' for mus-ical instruments. Ledellrecalls "...u.nsn' t rnthin)fu him to beok or teu rrya $50 or $60 euitu u)henhe got nad aI a wonnn."
lThen I asked Ledellif he knew how Tornmvdied, he told me that'"Tomues nqt dnr anvy dat4hter's llouse,
EIla Lee Hompton. nlay-ine fq a wti. Bben
"
drh*irW ctl nieht md,wlen Ie finisled thisInst sow otd the wtvbrohe up-, nry il@ghteruenl hto tle kitclnn.
*Sle lcud ffimeoneqn on!|ry couch, grceFm8 @Adyulg.
"Tun le was alreadvemfuhndbefqe he died.He &otk so mtrch of that$lo that it ate his'ircides w. One pint oftlut stdf nahes a eallonof whislisy. Ttwt'i whathilled him" drinkirw tlnthittd of stuff."
Solo is a paint removerthat has a high alcohol@ntent.
TMIv stowdnnkinetufrils fuL'iruse he soldullhis riehrs, b,n hestf,tpdihnk so bod andsonrcl4 il t/f,s lnid forhinta mhe aw records.TWboy umrtd *t*
lun. shre nolish. moon-shhb, Sr,l;-arrythinatlwf hod alcohol in it."
! 'o
F
G
G
R
xR-
N*.
Torrnv lohnson uoulddnavs snind a lot of tinretalkiirg Gfore he sot around tophyigg songs. [.&ell.recaus one n€umwlng rft-cident when Tonrnv -s
Sutg wqs "busteil rq"lor lust that reason.
"Tomq/, le unssittirydo.mat thisstre, Etd, this fuhitemnmre almg andaskedhinto play sure
ffiVif*ffiJHft?Fd inorc
HNSON, JIMMI[ , , ANI} HI5 ( )R( I I I . .S1 ' I {Ai l r r D $ & ' t l J r r : l c r * r + l l l ! . i t i , i , r , J 1 r i r r ' r r , ( . , . t r , , l { x 1 1 . , i .
J O H N S 0 N , " I ' O * ! M Y w i t h ( , r , , r
f l rq ! ; r t l \ , l r r r t r r r l l l u r . ,l i lr11 ld.rod l l lrr"l lyt l:1ye l l ls.,.i u t r rcd [ { ra t l l l o r . .t ' rNr l l J r r r rk . , i " .1 , : r * 'S laggre { a r r r l i * l l l lNr r -
J:r in That Band ' fasl, .r .u,. , i , ,
/ .l'i.rl/,\ut 8t :llattii F..r.riicr,: 1 .,,.Jonah in the Belly of the \tr ihal*
l{ ' : . ' . 1.. \ l ' . l \ ! , i , ,li'#i i/r* "!rrr'p* fic:. .ir. lt . .il, r,,
JT}NEs ANT} COLLINS ASTORIA
lsr'rra xtru! rt0l" r- l{; I I
fluet }itrrrnl
J{INES AND JON[S--Comt,ci i ;r n,Tomtny J*hnwn { l ir:ctr, rnd { atear l. J
l_ i re r * aod { .u* rs r i 4
65
1Plerye sen{78 to
Crgf Stqg.
78 Qtnrterty, Yolum One, No. 2:
fR
$1.65
(sdrterAnniaersary
Issue)
ItF trvltc you to @nflru"rtading lsfue [b. 2 of drr
m*!y roh.rnc
copyrfShro $@\tgg47tt ercrfy,bc-
0inffnffiXRrmt &
1.65
.[ibutors-Loarrence Coln. Fmnk
Godrich, Doue Jyd-snw. Don Kdnt.Berititd Kt4tzk6.]oln llacKenzie.Pete Kaufnnn, NickPerls, IdcqrcsRochi. Bob Groom.Dwrcai Schiedt.Iacob S. Schncider.Robert Trauis. HenitVestirle. FmncisSnitL Gayle Wardlout.PeteWeldins, BertVhyatt.
Lettersof uaiseoverwhelm7S-QuarOerlyotncesin Booklyn!
_Deq '78'-You obuiously hmte
t-le most creative uuitywis otdlayout nen in the busirless. Andfg otrg fwky rnauld you qe leaguesWora yow closest comretitor-tlwqh whetler ft's Storyville or$glphGiwbLrgI can't ia.y fo swe.Yow contribtiors we excellant utdunll-infuned to a nan, tlwughN4r.Rrclp's wolixity seeis to ilrcreasein direct wowrtion to tle cnditvo-f tle -lyrics'lp errcowters. Stil7,
Ejrct,o"#:,2n '
Vaher de Block,Zes.ersdreef. 118,Brtssclwt-BelgiumCANADA:Cda Publication^sP.O. Bu 87.Station t.Toronn 6.Ontaio, Carda.
78 QUARTERLYis published by 78Publishiw Cokwnv.39 Remsei Sneh.
"
Brooklvn N.Y.1120r,'u.s.A.
fiomthb ercellent
nns t r edder s.f y ggy nigltrywe s utell
from the ercellent resewch md '
l?Pgtx^{y!.^Ygay,!:IP"t"!!right apstosy of lh. CoIn,'781 ur.olsqnleqtainuq frorn cwer to couer. Tlemtertainirq frorn cwer to'couer. TleIoblrewoihrctims alone slnuld piuerrcst rdqs fyeey niehrnwes uETlinto tle coning Ciason-RichardSottsunod, &iitor. BLUEGRASSLJNLINfITED
Deu Sirs-Yow nwgazine whichprryts to @uer the blws utd iazzfield, couers neither. It dres c6uertlv field of wetentiousness wettythoroWhli liaoeuer. lt confirms ione-thing whichl'ue ahtnys suspected:aspirmts to tle business of musicalpopganda nahe fud, out-of-tunercises with typtuiters. Tlw lnuern busilpss d,ipirine to tlg nusic bus-ircss. A unrdio you inept guituimitatus, fwnbling piun pwhs, otdhsmanica woslwuls: leqn ot lnnesttrade-1.Y. fruires, Paxton, Maine
Volurp (lrc, No.2
Corpnsored bvOcigin lan Uliary
t8ffit#',lp o'ConFrUrlJl
-nefusreserued.. All pilntednnterial is coiywis,fuedto protect each'atiloratd carmot be reoro-duced eitler in ilnleor wt uitlww theauiln/s consent.
IlL
Sris-As a recipient of yownniling piece eniitled NO SD(OUTRAGE"..ln fact you may bedyine or seriously ill, I unilld lihcy:ou Yo wderstuA bw disappintedI am- You, fu exmnple, coul.d rnthrnw tlnt I haue ben lwspitslizedwith spinnl neningitis (since theaee of eight). Youenjoy the*neftts of sod lealth...but Idun't IiI?e' to lnue nry face rubfudin it. Reswnsible dults don't'really need. the caltous, sopllanwic'lwnfr of a cleap'mryazirw parrderer hour wice of s1.50 or$1.65 or whirteuer isn't cheapthous.h-it's exvensiue). This isthe ;aior reason why I lnve rntreswnded with w check of S1.5rJu $1.65. Hounuer, I will agreeto sepuste nN wrsonal lumil-iqtioh from the iield of iozz otdblue s-sub iect to the se cand.itiorrc :0) You serd st once a cow ofyow first issue with tle undehstanding tlnt I con Qcceqt orreject it. (2) You will rct billne until ,vou receiue rw decisbnon whethbr to heep the magazine.You mny wish to tahe the oppor-twity of .saluqeine solne of ilwdamnge done w yow orocnwe-ond sqluaging yottr oun cottscience.Tlw decision is yorrs to mohe.Jim Colaczek, Upper Darby, Pa.
Deu Sirs-As an ex-stdf nemberof The Record Changer. (1941-1957 ), I resent yow-winting Ptr-Duted letters with sbh sl@ns osr'I'tnh out a tlvee-ybu shbscriYtion in 1957...and lnuen't hesd
Gentlemen-As a subscrifur tovotr "nngazine" I am awlled Wihe irrcredanb hch of edtorial diec'tion std, proofreoding, on the firstissue. For yotn infonntion' I csmetn with thii interesting tallY:28 misspelines, 15 mistales in' ptnrcturii.on, 1 3 typeqaphicql enos,5 lines of tvpe rnissplqcecl' orttl14 historicAl and otlwr inaccw-acvs. Considering the elabuatetifr1tt: prod.rcioiyou ue fusteringhere, you at least o-Wht to giueto s,iue a cwsorY glonce at whnts'pri:nted izside-Amold Blair, Hac'kensac, New Jersey
Deu Sirs-I unuld lihe todirect this letter to You ond Yotrreders: Why so rrurch swe tomnical rnncntities ? ( i.e.,Chulie Patton, King SolomonHilt. Tomnu Jiimson, ChmlqJordbt, etC., etc.) Whot u wlnis ttv sowcb of Yotq -statisticaliifqrmtion oni&e blues udidzz 7gs? Wbos is Yow woof- .render? He is iloing @t utustnliob ( uell4ane! "I-Paul Digglio'Des Moins. Iowa
wwthinl" snd, a.sain, in afe6tr.re stw, |rch wfauorqblefeatr.re stw, srrch tmfauorodies as "tle demise of Th"'digs
as "tlte
RJcord Chanssl" and"tle fail'we of its uitions to neet theirwe of its m^dtions"to_meet,theirminiiarm bi.ds." After all, Iiloubt if 78 Ouarterlv will lastout tfui yeu, Iet alone.a L6'yeu sDan utd tun nalor uxts-Frank Richardson, [.osAltos, C,alifomia.
Sir-Yow Chnlie Pattonolntosraph ilepictine a leutorson wfih STP, crrcdile, utdefusinA cvclobs is extrerelYB.F.- Bad forru old boY, tlnt' sthe onlv unrd iu it-Iohn Har-rington Sims, Fsq., llarrow,Enfland.
Deon Sirs-As a Procticingpsychiutrist I f !nd. Yow tlugozinef aicirwting wtd extremelY .bizwre. Most of Yow readers,if it uere pointed out to thern"i:outd imnbdiately swt tle inrplied sexwlitv df sirchuiswlobiects as recud lnbls kircwla; and, duh)-Elane Petersen,M.D.. Moline, Kansas.
Erlitq-People wha fuesssry ! &_esg ftnny. They
Iww in the foct ttiat I ruewg!9 glotles. I da rnt find
fwaty. I do not wiih to
'Paul Hillarv. SanCalifomia.
"
Boys-l thinkyow nnAazine isyguy o.K. I lihe tle piotos tn.I lwn sorrc trotfile uiderstandiru tlelrg urds uq tle snmll tyw. Bit,
altWs keep us gtessine. I esoec-ially _lika yow feawe m hesidentLydm B. Johnson (l'm sr,re le'stlc one you uare tuitine abott).Wlntnuld haue gesseld tlnt Ie isWt Wly a le@ine collecW of T8 sAi'l'exas bhrcs singers as uell?t qree, t_E ts a great Anericon mdts swe doing a firc iob for his
ffi/,*Latthi-a J<ihnson,
trlfifl'mP$dPpltftfl]($lNTlrrcluded in this LP is a fuqttifutregqdtrctiut of a 1930 Pqorcnntcatalogue a.tpplement with nlwto-qq4q ofBlind Lemon Jefferson,Clyulie Pat ton, Elzadie liibinsoh.B.litd-Blahe, George Honah, od'Norfolk Jubilee {ttntet This a-ptge suppl.enent nntains over 40Pswuml recuds eiuin{ record
Wlkr'6tt%/d9ffi.'rlqtcn-tncludes postage and piic-xrng. sourHEmr PnEsnvhTtoNEECORIF, 266b Vineville Avenue,llhcm, Ceorgia 31204, U.S.A.
" M us icallY ard hig tori.collYtlrcse oreTiw ol the JnestI P< of thb, bhns eoer:::.;Li;; "_ROBERT{4ELTON, Neut York Times
" Be lzona-Y az oo llo,s Plnn'tled. a reissttc serles un'cnpromises to riwl iJ na.t,"#e,%rffafi|f*"'-ldzz MonthIY" . . . /us real lY nken the, ,
:tr6tr{ffi6rt,%f,f{Worl.d
MIS$S$PPI BLUES,192?-1941, L-1001-
ft!"ft.'fl !"!""i'f":rtfu *^f *';zi i!,:: J :::oi; ff ff!,,lvlottie Delaney, tohnBvrd. Bobb"v Crart,5on
{w::#gH'#ar;$;i8$.lml:s8tul8rY9ftr',T$#l*'mTm,f;::f"^,t*S lni.' R obert W ilkirs, B i gBoy Cleyeland, FurrY ^Leiltis, hrank Stok-est t omDickson, Konsq; loel
$3,1i+fffim$d'ituPJ-I8ffH'n',ffitrING: HenrY Swqa4&.Henrv TotiLns-end, Hi. Henrv ,Brodn, CIqrIeY-J ordnn, t ed''dv DarbY. tim Jacltson' Joe
paftffiis#J#'ffiBot Htwkins, HenrY I honns,Blilnd Lenotl IeIfelson, Lrttt'e
! i:,!"r: n:ni,i't,Sl'; #: :,i: ij !n,
fr{,#+;*{ffi"ffiiffi{#'Tffi;l*,",Lii[ ry"f o".Y, G^",o'eioltf;rbo,o
h"* "? H:nTn o,:1" f,:i;,, ^,Satanrah Mit14, I raue Ltn' tt t'ues'
Vri:w"2,'wnYWi;:*!4ffiei'm'lE'
i$
YAZOO RECORDS INC.390 fust 8th StreetNew York, New York10A09
THE BLUES OFATABAMA. 1927-193r,L-IOffi- FEATUR]NC:CIi fford Gibs on. EdunrdThiimns on, I ay' B ird' C olermn,
Wr,k!'#n:,n!E'ifr""r.Bare f oot B ill-$4. 95-Yaz@Rec6rds Inc.. 390 East8th St.. New Yort, N.Y.10009
i$jc85qo&Lu#ii_ffING: ]slunan BraceY, LtnrueM"Cm, Wohe, Vini:int, Arthut
i:i:st!.v?,t::"t.1#T1,t^*i.s.siooi Sfrei&s. Mrssiss iPPiM,ull.r. W ill i e' Han is -$4. 95-fffi'nrionis Inc., 390
ffilrts#'New Yorrr'
:sI^ilTtrid#r'FY"["X[3',F"*,iiiYx:'Y"...f rrn Lo"i"" No,h Lanis, WillWi ld o"-.- M" obhis M i4nie' Kan'sas Job, Cairc4k tugJtoflwers,
-$6;',#Tffi#ffi'ffi:N.Y.rooG
I$HSJ[,T#PffiE*7EifjnNC, Miss. lohn Hwt,W as hinston W hite, ll'btri9-
?ikX,iul"*"'fr"fr/sf *!:C lwrley P attog, 5 ot1.H ous e *'rzill "\r,ft f:: |lf"';;, rwMi " "i! s iip i' Iti mner, B Ii@'
#:##.ffi#;+ffiffi8"'fi."8J"81#H.Frr-'rTdtZ.-Fr0f-C snptih tt AndeTia'\t. n-rnt"r 3 Bltn-s, Hout
?tr"{!ry"?itr"i;,!"*nft E;,u^'Tlrc Blwst Voice lhrowtBIws. ard otso leqtwng:
il:!l'!w;"1:r'"rf"'"#ft ::;",'{Wffi#ttiffi--EaSt Bih st.' New Yorfi'N.Y.1flt09
Written from reseuchedinfonnation secwed atlvlontgomery, Alofuinfl,tvluch 1967.
BLACKBTNDS
ByGayreDeanwardrow Of
Phoa cowtesy of Cayle Wardlout
m,NADISE
,|ITC,AI4ERY, ALA-A' The old dolored
woman baid, "Go wtd seelwnes Bell, if you ttnnt totzrnw abut old funds. Hetpos one of tle orieinalmembers of that frnd you'retalking about."
Thirty minutes later, Iwas knricking on the dircr ofBell's homel Bell came tothe door and invited me in.He was mediunrsized. brown-skinned, and he looked likea fashionable bartender ata country club.
I hoped that I had foundmy sorirce of information.I went straighr to rhe poinr.
'flVere you familiu withthe Bloch Biids of Puadise,q bald that played here inMontgomery' in ihe 1920' sand mode records for tleGervwtt Record Compony? "
'.'Fgmiliul Of cowse,"
said Bell. "l uns orp othe orieinnl members of
'the
butd. But tfutse uxre 6tddays, uny on bach there."
Alter more questions,answers, statdments. Bellgot on the phone and calledanother original member ofthe band. Tom lverv. wholived about four bl<icks awav.He asked lvery if we could
'
come over and talk to himabout the band.
So, armed with an Orisinlazzl.ibrary reissue of TheBlack Birds of Paradiserecordinss ( By Ways ofJ azz4.JL-9 ),- we itartedfor lvery's house.
.l_very, tall and slender,*i$ ul air -of leadershipand a flair for creative bon-versation, was more likethe-stereotype of a universityprofes.sor thbn a formermusrclan.
Both.lvery and Bell seernedsomewhat aloof for the firstfew minutes of our conversation.Perhaps thev unndered abr.liutthis airthor'3 interest in adance band 40 years in the past.
However, after listeninsto various cuts of the ban"don the Origin reissue. Iverylaunched f-ull force into theanswers I had sought.
The Black Biadise became a1925, when acolored musicians
Hounrd, trombonealist: furuel Butdrums; Jwres Bell,
Montgomery. corsradu:ates ahd eIrom Tuskeegee(located at n"earbveegee, Alabama)iMontgonrery to sed<
Oricinallv. thereeisht
"mernbais in tl
TEev were:Willie'
alto and soprano srPhilmore "Sharly"trumDet: Tom luem.lleliin Snrcl/, oiano:Boyd saxophohe (teluory Johndon, utba,
Borders, Small, HaBell had all attendedeeAee and had playdthd school banil af thrcollege.
The first name of tnew band was "TheBlack Birds." "Thisstrch a comrtan ntng.t,said lvery, "Thnt un dilgd to_cltmge it to tluBloch Birds"of
Bell added. "I dan'tremember wha cunethat mne, or whait, but un all lihed i{.ue tooh it."
grouo bought and servirts rnstrurnents.
The contract was rnadepossible by a Mr. Swett.the manag6r of a local
'
music sto-re where the
contacted Gennett exec*utives in Birmingham, andthe cqrpany sent one ollts talent s@uts to neq-otiate a ontract with
-
Howard.
All eight nrembers ofthe bandwere required tosign the contract. Thiswas to prevent the bandfrom reiordins with otherinterested coffipanies fora certain length of time.
Copyright 1%8 W Gayle Wudlow.All rights reserued.
Birmingham and _spent an
1820'Third Avenue South.
DlITIlngnaITt ano sDent anentire day recordihg at thecornDanv t s studios-locate<iconpany's studios-locatedat 1820'Third Avenue Soutl
One nromins in lulv0.7 ,4, grou"p, telt fbr
\\UDDY WATER, an oldsong rearranged by the band,waJthe [irst"sonc recordedat the session.
BUGAHO\,44 BLUES, thcsecond song of the session,was named after a roushcolored neighborhood inlvlontgomery, near wherethe band olten olaved(when i t played at-Wash-ington Pirk, a local Negrorecreational area).
T?SI{OMINC,O BLUESuns a uersion of onold blues tlnt the fundreuranged and improuisedto suit its nembership.
SIJGAR was taken fromsheet music that the bandhad bought atone oI thelocal mtisic stores.
SHIM.ME-SHA.WABBLEanotler instrumental, wastaken from a dance by thesame name that was borular in the 192)'s.
RAZOR EDGE, the lastnumber in the session,was another instrunrentalthat was released on theGennett-produced af fil-iate label. Black Patti.
Witl-rin three weeks, theband was back in Binninghbm,recording three rnore mas(ersfor the (bnnett Company.Strangely enough. lv'erv'can'tremeriber the tilp. However,an employee of the localmusic'store owned bv Swettdoes remember the bindmaking two or three tripsto Bir;ingham, since hehelped to arrange travelexpenses.
Rust shows three titlesfor the second sessionof August 10, L927. Twoo[ tlle masters, When JennyDoes Tlnt Lob DounDurce andlndiuwlhtd(taken from sheet music),were never released.
The third title. Slornpin'Fool. another wiid instn*mental. was released onBlack Patti 8053 withRazor fulge on the reverseside.
Neither Ivery nor Bellcan recall havins seenthe Black Patti issue.This particular record wasnever-located bv a col-lector. and is c6nsideredto be one of the unfourdmasterpieces oI jazz.
e
rebc-
"We npre all tichledto death," Iverv saidof the trip. "We didn'teuen thinh anything aboutthe amount of maneyinuolued, just that ueunre hauing a chanceto record."
Bell rernembers that"that compony uns tohne wid us royalties,bul ue neuer did get any-Thev said ue had to sellso rintry records in srch apriod of time, m.d ue couldrecord again."
Rust 's Jazz Directory1897-1931, shows six sidesas being recorded at the firstsession] probably on July9 , 1 9 n .
osszstedb
d,lftt
tractgr
a
li
x
o
-
o
A.
;:9 -l
s:E c*'s::EIEEEEi€EggEEFEi'g:eFst
EFEicHEiHEH
IFF-..
Evidently, the unreleasedtitles were-not issuedbecause of either P{r sales,or ' lmproper' mustcalcualitv for what Cennett trasdeeking from the band inirs RaCe issues.
Lookine closclY, onc cansec that dlc band-did twt-rtypes of.numbers. ThcYwere clthcr rnstrumentaliazz or dgnsg rnu51u rrt th i I' rn'hite
background.' [hetitles with ihe white danccbackgroun-d scem to"bethe o"nes fhrurett refu.edto issue.
When the band rctumedfrorn the recordinq tr ips,rt went to a pnot0grapnvshop on Dexter \vcnuc rndowntown Montgomcq, mtJhad two publicfty shotsmade: one, a stf l l withtlre band's membcrs posedaround their instruments;thc othcr, ut act ion sltolsimiliu to those macle b1'Lhicagtr photo{raphcrs.r . t l . 1 t ' t . t . h l u t d s t l t t h l l l L . l l \ .
I vcn , thc p t rb l ie i t i -,rr in, l" . i tncnrbcr trI th. 'bard, crcctet l a l i t t lc sig'nthat said "fixc'Lusiue('|erurctt llet,'ortLing i\r.li sts "
and sct it on the fltxrrto bc inclut lcd in urc ofthc photographs.
\P l r l r r t ' t t t l r , l l r t ' t cer . r r r l i t tg t. l i , l l i t t l c to cn l t t r . :u t l teI t lack I l i rds o f l ' a la t l i se 'sl 'cputat ion in the ccrttr i t lAlabuna area.
' lhc bari t l
alrcady had that part oi t l tcstatc conlplctclr ' - in i ts gnp.
Its only conrpcti t ion inthe Nlontsomcr!' area \\'ercthc Originat ;{abeuna l)orrr-i r rocs , a u 'h i tc t lane . 'hand,runtl a colored bmtl t iat l rcnragucly remcmhcr. hr thcnamc o[ the
' [r iangle I lamlonY
Boys. This band alsorecorded for Gennett'
The lJlack Birds consis-tently outdrew both bands,and each week, for a numbero[ ycars, the band appearedon Saturday nights at' t-hewhite countrv club nearHarragut Springs, a sry!lresort area on the outsklrtsof town,
l l l t
ntt
PUSt
i l r
tll
tn
h
c,1s
q
\
\t!t
tII
I
Tom lvery labove) nnre than40 years ago...
Notice their closenessto the Frank Bunch sound(also on Gennett)-a Birmin-eham band. some of whoseirembers were also originallyfrom Tuskeegee Institu"te.
This sound is almostidentical in arrangements andideas. Thus, it m"ust beassumed that the Negro mus-icians of Alabama wEredeveloping their own individualstyle and sound, iust as werethe New Orleans inusicianswho'had been developing jazzin that area for a numbeiof years.
Both Ivery and Bell recalledhearins old6r musicians in theirarea wtrile they were stillyoungsters. The styles andappro.'ache.s played by theseolder musicians were srmilar tothose used by the Black Binlsin their 1927-recordings.
\>,
o
oqR
a
ssc
What happened toAlabama'p legendaryiar,z band? lTho werethey? Glayle Wardlowuncovers survivinemembrs of one of
of the Black lJirds'was based on sheetthat the band had
in local musicThe other songsde up by the v'ariousof ihe band.
hnd a bushel of" Ivery said. "Wetried io introdure
barids before thevr recording as a uhit,Ivery and Bell felt thatlvery and ttell telthad little effect on
new that the people- f , t t
;is the method bysuch songs-as- BugohDnw
written. &ll playedfionBugahaftn and,riwo, nd alto sax on
ery and Bell both aereedHilward was the belt
they ever encoun-uos on extra-
trombonist. He playedwith his feet as his
s. He played the slidehis feet td slww off .
utos iust a natwally
members of therck Biids had listenedar.ly j qzz- recordin gs by
the sreatest iazzbands to conb outof the lleep South...
JuIY. 1927. Birmineham. AIa.Itrluddy Watbr was me of thennst-porular sonss of the la0e1920s, and thls is probablythe best version of it.
styles.
This Alabama iazz stYlemav have evolveil-[romstreet bands or college"iJit[..t bands thal hadbeen a Part of.the.Negroschool educatron lnAlabama' s larger towns'
One summer, -tle FessWft"iJv S*a of Birmingham'with tlie Bunch brothersas mernbers, Pqd a vtsltto Washingtonfark rn ,Itiontsom"iv' The two bands.trpaEed in a marathonl' i""; rrd bsttle " sessionthat lasted lor hours'
Ivery remembers thatit was'a close contgsJ'but that in all truthlulness'audience aPPlause madethe WhatelY.band aslisht favorite.
l'"ur rn both got Pfid'the same QtttDunt, qntl
, ,,that uns what counted,Iverv said, amused'
tn tS30, the ban .ananged a tour ol themiddfe west,- begrnnlngin Texas. lhrs tour.caused the first break'uPin band membershtP'
lverv did not wantto'raiJdrtJuP, since he hadffi;Jv iob is a Po"t'l;;i;: b$;;." wtro had full--iiti"'iou", also did not wishto mal<e the trtP'
Actually, Horruard. was the
.iit*66t of.the bandi,fr.i *"J" hi. living bYilii"i"H"""' The. iesi ofiil;i;'i;h;a ruil-time jobs'
The band, under.Howard's leadershtP'
[uil,';"'i;:* iB ii "' ]ts"'ilii -a bttt"rs who did;"i;-C triP retumed to
Montgomery'
Howard staYed in Ornahaand PlaYed wth otner6'"iJ" ih ttt"t area' HeIiG"qu"ntlY formed aband oI his own'
to speculate onwHowudbecqte aof the Frwh Pgrkin'1a local Negro Pzz ua local Negro Pzz mlin that city. This grorl
Zffi':a7,Hi:trdi,;
(It might be i
and u"ws iecuded inIndiatn in 1931.Houtud uns the
time.)
This band is
By the deePentngdaof the DePressron, th€Black Biids of ParadirhJ ai.Uuttd"d..tt'bers who stayed lnbecame Part ol a newthe Blacl Diamonds-the leadershiP of Bell'
linh in secwmf a t€ctcontract with Germeltuws with the band at
The f-?;t#rffi"tu##'a s atgprPry area'
some in the Montgomery 1to have been a better unlthan the outfit that rit. UnfortunatelY' ttir"a u-"-tt*"" to' record'
in Califomia.
"rtiJ:?il"fi9i""ilof Paradise are decei*;;;i"hnson, $nall'and BoYd.
i"[?#flj, ]:.'-ltrtll:active in music tn NortnOarolina. Borders. was Iheard from a small town
Bell has onlY recentlYredred from the musrc.,.business, but he ts stttt""iiu.lv anPloYed as atopnotbh brict<. g1s91.ii5;;id"" at- tp: ryPAvenue in a, Iashronaoreirielio neighbothood'
lvery has no-w retiredfrorn t6e U.S. Covemment
i,::$ff,11,::"ri;ilX,"imThurman Avenue'
Ivery sumnred i-t.Pll uPin theie words.
"We uerea orettY eood ltttle lunebmd. bven if I lwue to saYso wself ."
AnObituary
o o
hHvgDhaES ROCHE
ihtr2HE
By JACQU
Copyright 1X;8 W Jacques Rocle.
Nl rights reserved.
fray's strange state of affairs, wtrichbrings the rural blues singer acclaim forethereal ht earhy qualities he hever intended to cultivate, and then gives hima commercial brushoff, prevffted the public recognition dre Henry Stuckey beforehis death on March 9, 1966. Referring tothe gushy compliments and reviews thathave beset him since his rdiscovery, SkipJames once remarked:'ryou cur't liw offair prddings. Hervy krcws tlnt, tm; he'stn snwt fu these slbhs utn talk youinto sttdying the natsic racfut again."AtMr. Criswell's plantation in Sartartia,Mississippi, wtrere Gryle Wardlow dis-covered him early in 1965, Henry Stuckeyhth lau$ed off and shrugged at heconcert success of his former protege,matterof-factly commentingt "I cor playjust lihe him."
Henry Snrchey, according to one wlrosaw hiin plav. had a "beahtifrrl, deepvoice. bui was so uslv I couldn't bearo waich him lone.""Althoueh it is dif-ficult to asses ti'e worth of-a bluesrnanu,fiose music was never made Public,Stuckev's reoutation was such that H.C.Soiers.' when' irterviewed bv Wardlow,still rimernbered him fiun the l9Z)'s.Even at that. none of his discoverer'sovertures to-record ccnpanies produced€n encouragrng response.
"Han old is this sirwq? In hissixties? " an Electra sdretary peevishlywanted to know. "Well, we c-an't spec'ulate on everv kid tlrat conres aloniwith a tape r6corder; we backed onE kidonce and'he never found a single bluessineer. Send a taDe." Since ur6rd eotaroilnd drat the Lih"ty gf. Cqngr.esl'.unctuous imoressario paid onliin cokes'blues sinseis have also been inwillingto soeculite on the promise of 'sending
a tabd. on the prernise tlat even a -
'has-been' counirv blues artist meritscloser scrutinv thlrn anv woul&be blues'intemreter'. the follovlins data inrecards to Stirckev has beEn cqnpiledb/Gayle Wardlow and myself.
Hern Strchev. bom in the 18fl)'s,saw his first sditil in 1904. A Yearlater. he tmkirp that instrunerit. Bet-ween tg07 and 1909, the voung SkiPIarnes wandered into a Rlntoria lrjke-f,ouse to watch Stuckey and an oldermusician. Rich Giffith (also deceased)'accomoariv a fiddler who was playingDnorfunSnee. Thoueh that tiile is stillpart gf Jarire-s' repetolre, Stuckey hadcfrnDletelv lorqotten rt some J) yearstatei. Upon his" retum fmm the war in
Skip Jarrcs, pupil of Henry Shrckeyand Bentonia's nnst fanpus nmeenv.iq probablv today's greatest eqfitry'Drues penoflrpr...
1917, Stuckey tausfit larnes how to olaveuitar. The dtvle 5e ii said to have'sh6itar. The dtyle he i6 said to have'shirwn
cluding a version oI Slidin' Delta ( ,They'dItaue ireal deep, sad sowtd euen when
'
the.y upre rappd u frail.et'), and thenquit playing-auitar for a yeario " study"w'hat-he-hail Seen and ldmed. From thatpoint on James's music-such as his earlvcomposition, All Nieht l,ong-started cominsfrom "within", thorish some sonss. likeI Lnhed Doun Tlp Rood, still rEtiin anolder, possibly local, touch.
The school of blues-playins develooedby f ames on his Paramirurit r&ordinsscou-ld be desimated 'Bentanid', for"Skip.now falsely billed as a'Deltu"bluesm#.adhered to-no distinct reeimal stvle: e.s.'Delta. OnlyJames. and Hind Joe'Reynolds,among me blues srngers who count. wereso mutically isolatd. Both nren were amonsthe most eclectic of blues sinEers. ltrlhereas"some blues singers like Tonrn"v lohnson(wfrose Cml Bfuckllue, apiebi in Soanishtuning, was leamed bv Skipl aopeared innearb-y Flora during the eailv 1920's. themusic played bv S[<-ip and Htinrv Stuci<evnever spr6ad o[t of Bentonia. Within Ben-tonia, fbth l.ames and Stq"k"y set out todestroy all iheir competitiur.
These two men performed wheneverSkip happened to 6e in town. ("1 neuergot into utything u arwnloce tm deepor lone; tlwt's why I rebhan they call neShip.'') Both pickLd their Stelld suitarswith three finiers and plaved in -cross-note' tuning. lhen the'fir'st country bluesrecords carnle out. thev " sfudied"'someof Blind Lernon leffeison's pieces. as wellas those of lateiartists (tike Kins SolornonHill), but only for the purpose oIY' playinethem futter." Today, Sldp will relu'ctantliper[oryr-q few sqch acquiied pieces, like
'
Jach O'Diurnnds.
_ ln neighboring toums lihe Puotwntas,James was not adverse, Stuckey recalled.to.singing his blues on Saturday nieht andgorng " W the rmd" to preach on5rndav.il-qllher married man stayAd home at nighti"We treated ow aiLes in nv kind of Vnt,."said Stuckey. Both readily adkno*teasid"dheirexcessive drinking: "l uhs trvinp to'b a'_nwt', so quite ninrally I uns a-hnhitwl{utthud,
" James said.
-According to Iames,
)lqckey was an expert and wiley crapdhooter:'_' I ryuer would ;bin a gane wifh Hervy whenhe slnt-tlnse craps with strangers.,, [n hisown nght, Stuckey was an entreDreneur whowould, rather thari hire himsell 6ut to hous.parties (at which food and admission pricesmade up the musician's fee). rake in the entirep-rofit from his own parties in Sartartia "He'ddo most otythine to-get otd of unrk. Herrvafunys lihbd to tab-it easy-you'd aluaisfind him out lumting u fisiinE somewheie."
Stuckey, in tum, uihen asked if S<ipwo*ed ab a youngster. replied. "Hid rnotherswe did. Hah! " The persdnal atritude ofeach rediscovered mah towards the otherwas totally.patronizing, and sorneuihatconsprratorial in matters pertainine to musicand other Bentonians. Skip, when ieferrineto pElst local violence dir&ted aeainst hi;Fself, would validate his remarksby saying:
gultErr. lhe style he rs sard to have ISkip was built around ragtime pieceslike Sc/ty Doe. ("The olil version") rliki fulty Dog (" The old, version") andStqck O' Lee. all olaved in the kev ofplayd in the key of
nearby-barrelhouses.
C.H;, ffi "ffi 'ff '#",i#"sk# ;iof his house at;dght, nvhen, ilnbetnownstto the James familv, the pair plaved innearbv-barrelhouses. Stu&ev.' nfioto the f ames familv, the parr rnearby-barrelhorrses. ftuckey,
u. qr(ru, JtucKey was prtatrng JKID outof his house qt night,-when, ilntetnown
towerbd over his youns Darder. servedas a general bodiguaril bt such times.
As nmy as q dozen mtsicinnsworked around the Bentonia area duindurins that period (ftuckey himself hada broiher, Shuke, who "pldyed bettertlwtHenm did."'l n I'd follul them lihet!* prn( pipr, aJI ouer ioun,"*ip. reports.Jzunes re€uned sqne local pleces, rn-
"Herrv Sttrcb could tell you about it-"Stuckev. on the other hand, would onlysnickei at Wardlow's then'relayed accounts.
Even when lames made the Bentonia"..n.- th.it rdsoective sidelines often sunderedthe pair. Howevbr, Stuckey was q!l-q to con-firm'the fact that Skip's Clerry fuIl wascomoosed at his Gafton session. Hq yasGf,it;,ith many of Sklp's -cornpositions,iit "Znreis Gioie nd Deuil Got lvlv Wonwn,a piecijhe said had been once known locallyai Devil's Dreun- He rernernbered )ttp's*r"-ii"a Cratt Juw ndCatJish("inold sons") fiom the 1920's.- Ol Spcial.Rider. fre said: "A tt)owut died wtule..sutg-ing tfnt song." llhile Stug.key.knew ltttleabout the developrnent ol J<rP-s Pranostvle. he sometirips backed up hts prano'plhyiirg on guitar.
Dul_tng the. 1930's, Stgc\ey.r1n.a,,,,,
*iik" J ar.", personally appreciated.
ln 1935, -lames came back from. Ig*qS u+dhaooened to oass bv a party at wluch StucKeyw# playing.' $thgygh Skio had. for the mostpart,.quit playing blues gipcp h1s recordingbessio:n, hle t-earned up with Stuckey that. .nisht. Earlier that sarne day' Stuckey sard'sdin.one had recorded him. No record oI a -Si"&"y ""p"ion exists.. Jameg rernanbered that
b"n"ihoeu "" lq the Mi.s-si s srpf i-Qef ta ( "f f ebarrelhouse rn the Mrssrsslppl r-rerta I ne
c9t as.fu as pelzgni,l'.9aid $igf, ll ll"1,Tffh'J,# 6;i;;'Pd"", *t'551 "ivG' t'" '
i;iG hG; patty, b,it pant,arne$.tfr1partrcultu house panyt Dur malllLalrrcu ur4r
[G "*"-i*"1*nie1t'ry9s go"i*ql an$ t]rat'not having yi"tt"d !o
"il ilff; ;"hJ io "nnhe a sllotr" orint*a" oti Sucke-y's performance, he ta<i"iiu *ui-t"a *tit'oth6r Bentonians. threw a partyl"-iii" tt.n.i before playing in public.
Iames soon went on to Alabama but' itlthd late 1940's, retumed to tsentonlp wtth.
lrun$#Je.n:$."ft:"#3uffi f":?.3!T;;,Stu6kev. threw parties every r.nday nlgnt atwhich flie two entertained, while J ames' ̂ coustn'Lincoln (Buddv) Polk of Yazno, ran a cale rnBentoriia which featurpd both men' ,Another ,cousin of Stuckey's, Burd Slater'.also prayeoi;"tF "na p.*d*.ja some of thei.r songs'.
iS:l*Jerifi ;trxi'ffi "*::1,i1.,i s?".iTi'-and lames also accepted [vrtatlons. lromfrien?s to play for nearby Delta partlel' unce'Stuckev reborinted, both men saw ttd. E aueyplavini in a Delta barrelhou.se' thougn meincideilt is not remernbered by Jkrp'
tact-
Soon. Suckev was advisine larnesto so up North.'where musicaf 6pportm-itie"s seerned greater. To lames-this rneantlivine in a'rdwobated' city like Chicagoraihicfi he felt ihould b ''wiped off the nnp'.Nevertheless lames. who disliked his iobresidencv in Sartartia, suddenlv left wrthhis wifein the earlv 1950's. Yet, tiringof the travellinE required of a musician, hethen abandonedhis briel comeback altogether.Stuckev in tum went up to Omaha md foundworf ai a band guitari'st. They never metagarn.
At the time of his discoverv bv Wardlow,ftuckev was livins in a baneir, 6ne.room shackwith his wife. dau-sfiter. and grandchild.(" 1 irruehe his lick ntust hdse strrck tot4hin tle Nr:th-") Blandlv, Stuckey indicatedthat his Delta banelhorise operalion hadnetted him more npney thanlis &naha career.Desoite a plantation strike in 'tense'
Leland which took place at the time ofone interview' Stuckey remained char'acte.i"ti"altv' relaxed. His affable qndieiirved derfieanor $ggestd that of aDdia rather than a Yifro County resident.In discussins his erstwhile friend' theolder man diiLr't seern to believe in orcomprehend Skip's uansformption fromhiitt fmlish" days on the lthitehead. .-oiuntuii*. Iust tie same, Stucke-y, uhilelackins larn6s' arnbition to travel,- record'a"a ta[d up the ministry,- neverthelessexhibited the same detachment Irom hrsiut *dins" and contonporaries wh-ichmade Skip. b,v his own description'
"an
dd fellai."
Puffins on a cigar, Stuckey, rarhq hqdkeot up fiith lanres' career through theT&iiuind (*ipts cousin in YaZoo),-"AGd. i' I'd liie to neet hin again.- Iuns ui in the Deln in tln fifties wd -Aqctsonelidy pwing 227il in a lnuse. WhmI-r";{ir;tid.: t 6nlv fowd q plwnsraqhrecod.t' Iames, vvlrc "umtldtl't plg lnBentmin-aeain fq 810 a min4$4".niltiust before receivrng news ol btuc{ey. qileath, been discusslng an eventual vlsltto Sartartra to see mm.
( Anv reliable wrson wln rnuld fu willitgio dsstst Gavle Wudlaa in his efforts to , ,recod. other, still'liuirg discouertes -s tnuncofiact him-at bx 7525' Nbridiilr, Miss'l
WINSTONHOLITES:Kansas CityPNOITOTEN
By DOUG JYDSTRUP
F ,
Copyright 1968 W Dow JYdstruP
&MerittMnsic Comparry' AII rights
sotne notesBy D0UG JYDSTRUP
ffist recuil collectors uowtdfiie-unrld like the music that cameiiorn X"tt""" CitY in the 19-20 -s';30;", -a eueninto the 1940's'f- nbit collectors, it is thetarnitiar nanps of Mote& Lee,i"i""-St-", AlPhonse Trent,fii'friuia"6 thit cqpture theimasination. Several Years
id*F,lhl3":".f,i''si-,and blues, the narne-rnostfrequentli nentioned bY theJtt=Iii*tit was- -q-re we
-seldqn
hear -V'l ins tut Ho lne s.
Holmes was the onll'. realDrqnoter the Kansas LitY-Neero musicians ever t.t?d' +dthipart he PlaYed in thrs roleoui"'uli cdlectot" in his debt'tvlitn"f t i" Jtt rts, some of theabove musicians would never[;;"-bd well knou'n' He wasaggressive in booking nane6iia" i" io*, anar$ng.bandbattles, @ncerts' recordrng.dates. Where there was musrcto be Promoted and nnneY tobe made, Holmes was tlEre'
,#y#I"tfffif:;{!,il;;;J;";'in Kansas GtY
iilniyntr,lm"*u*;Dressed of a master at one tlnrc't-J
"i i*"t one-- record nelergot beyond the first Pressrng'
reserued.
Two of the three knownreligious Meritt records heproduced seern the easiest tolind: vet. the biesest seller onMerilt wis ??fl}i.y Lena Kinrbrough, singing s6lo on oneside, City Of The Ded, thenioined bv her hrother, SylvesterKimhoufuh, on the othei sidein one oltheir popular numbers,Cahbaee HedBliles.
"Lena" is actuallv LottieKimbroush. Why Holmes choseto label Irer as'"Lerw" is rrrrltknown. He knew her and herfamilv well, and she was undercontract to him at the time.(llhile nrarried to William Beaman,Lottie also used his last namefor records.)
To pronnte \Ieritt 2201,Holmes had plrotosraDhs takenof the sroupi:hat riade therecord.- He-save the ohotosaway to cusionrers who boushtthe iecord. and he had thern"tacked to indls around the 18thStreet bars and dance joints.
These Kansas Citv rccodinrs by "Idra" Kimhoueilron Winstm Holmei' oqm labCl. llleri6. are achrallv
-
bv rnttie Kimbmud (ad her hpther' Svlvester Kim-lioridi: @lus arc blacf,, pld, ad-wbfte. I-aterItrterift issues wer€ lrrple, gpld, and n'hite.
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The dav the photos weremade, l.oltie wis eick. However,her sister, Estella, was eortsveniently in Holnres' store tostand irrfor the picture taking.Winston llolnps himself also-acted as a stand-in for thepictures,- since Sinp.n Hoe, whoblaved clarinet qt the session,ilid'not show uD. Because the"actioo" photb shown here hasbeen kmwit for many years,and since Holnres is shownplayins the clarinet, this photoinai hive led to the belief thatHolnes was a musician. Brt, hedid not olay any instrument,includinls iritai. for which hehas also"tii:en given credit.
One nieht. tlree years arc,a ladv plion6d me. (Severafmonthsbefore. I had knockedon her door. askins for oldrecords, nnrsical aitifaets, andother related items.) Sheannounced that she had finallyfound the 'stuff' she had toldme about, and that I could comeover to look at it anY timeI wanted. This provbd to be atrernendous find. Anpne manYother items, she producEd th6second photo sho-wn...and"off" tbke!
She had been present atthe photograph-tikine ses sion,hadbeenierv closeLo theKansas Citvblues scene. ind hadowned items of interest to anyoneconcemed with the importantcommunitv of obscure bluespeople in'the area. She led me'to
Estella Kimbrough, who wasthen alive. and Estella confirmedevery detail of the session. Sheprovided the proofs of bothbhotoeraDhs is well as a coPYbf the"re'cord. lileritt 2201.
Estella was not a singer ormusician. as had been the restof the Kimbroueh family, but shehad a clear nreinrv of ihe daYswhen " those hids'were mahingrecords ond singing in tauems."She. too, remembers Holmes asbeins a iirst class promoter whowould do anythins tb get hismusical interestJbefdre thepublic.
There is no evidence thatHolmes pronroted any otherMeritt rebord as activelv as hedid ml, and he proteciedhimself by puttin! the principalswho made it under contract.Both Lottie Kimbroush and PaulBanks (who died in darlv 1967)were si'med by Holmes,'and thefaded simatuies of the peoplewho witn-essed the signfng ieadslike an index of the iirpoiantblues and iazz musicians inKansas City in the 1920's.
Photograph "8" was notused to irohote this record.Holmes himself was an avidphotography fan. He was oftenseen c€uryrng a camera with himto dances. rdcording sessions,etc.. and had he no[ been sointeiested, the "off" takepicture might not have been'preservedTor
our benefit 40vears Iater.
>.o
o
€,=*.rJo
on this gr€at 1928
BLUESl l t \ l l I l t a t * - P
-The country blues Pioneersrediscovered this Year and thecontemPorarv blues scene inthe U.S., England' & Europe'
-Fhscinaun g bio graphies ofCharlie Patton, Willie Bmvm'and other Mississippi bluessingers hom flochery's Plan-tation.
-The very la0est discograp-tricat aOOitions ard correctionsto-fnu"= & GosPel Records bYits coauthor, John Godrich'
As a iazz collector., ue You ,onlv eeiting Pwt ol the Ptct,we.!Shouldn't You hnow.more aoouli#-iit'iii ialnns) thnt lq-lped chnngeqkiii it7 i iti iaetime ?,Ei etand' spr e mi er ttttt gctz rttz, or'-t-,-ES UN-Lirvtiieo,fretPt You fill in thase"-;ui"p
i"ot'onihe mttsic that' iii i i, ia"s bt d" n and C aLl owaYi i,'[ri itn N " * Or le ans' f ir s t,Letirn-bt*" bands in the late -'1'3d6:;;-the
music thnt reathed,":ti,titt U.S. irominence steP bY'Jii
iiii tn Gotden Aee qfJii, in the 192Q's-that httttgifis rhvthm & blues dwingitL-i",ii i g; iia s q,d. 40' s - tne;tt;;- fuhird todnY' s e le c tr ic'ix-n
A ,oU and tle^exciting ,ItIe whi s /De tr oi t / C ht cago sown'
BLUES UNLIMITED bTiNCIS
,^tiiirca manth W manth couer';;; ;;'th" wtim;{ea blues Pic'ifr-e."ti;i att here-the fast' ,brea.hinA news on r9d$couereqand coitenPorary bl.rns stngers'i# ;i;;;;: bt ue s di s cogtoPhYiii iw t1n's ttuou4h the .' 1 960' s, caref ul lY,researc heditibtu't, a inalth gf new infor'frli o"-,' ut * in g. e d i tor i al s'i nf ormitt i u e and d i s c em tn g'rni
ioid i " utn*s "' reasonablYPriced too !
ot{LY $1.?0 FoR slx ISSUES !
BLUESutrlimited
ELUESU hl l* I f'.{ l"1* E: tl
38a Sachville Road, Bexhitlon€ea' Sussex' England
TlneB,ar:est7SsOtce qain,78 QJARTERLY
exanines the scratcrhy shellacs.A number of well-informed readers tookvigorous exception to the "knownoobies" portrived in the first issue.(ki fact, i number of readers tookvigonus exc@tim to the entire"
frogromt' anilulllerafins these rarities.)However, the series will continue.despite npanincful advice hom'frierd.s "and-the demearing tone of those-arxnyfixxrs notes lyou kmw wlrc youare out there). chaiacterized brv
'
psychotic 19,{I s Palmer Penmlarshioin'sr.- ink and sr bluelinedtablet paper.
ln nwty mses tlrc "mly hnanmcW" tvfired rut to be the only copyknown to the conrpiler out of s6me''fqrr or eight or lS existing copies.
78 PNESENTS
* -H, Goering (Rominten Forest, 19zM )
In otber instances, "lltee hunm: - - t , - - - - l ^ ^ - ^ - r - 1 . , - r ' o ^ . 'copies" ggtgd as a cat+coDbs" acted as a catalyst to rmlear
a nuclear holocaLrst: and qlpse qeekp;.h;;&;lJ lurv ol J inmv BlYthes,Lovie Austiri's' C,arfiald -Akersr.and. -F-na f}mzins1tons upon the unrdentrlredbody of the fi'apless'comPiler.
Wittwn wishiw to redirect tleblane. the writer-acknowled ges thathis aicociate in this lepturg (nanelgss'of course) was at the tme rnvolved rn.. ""oat"t6 research proiect. That muchof his statistical noih later proved.tobe fradulentin both this and that otheri""*t"t ppiect he was working on?l-r* E;;*;i;
-Recovery of U',9. [guar
Ghte fromThe kales of NewWuldHmingl should be taken into account'
This gross situation is beingrecouped by-a vigorous.note ol con-
f*ilf",*,m:o*$ilfi u'""f '*"phrase "knann coqies-'
Ow swcial thanks so to KennethHansen. Henry Henriklen, Jim Lindsay,Bob Mantler. Henry Vestine, MaxVreede, Gavle Wardlow and many o^the1sfor their response to this featur-e.-GayleWardlow seni some 15 photos of Supentones on the littlekno'i'n 2000 series.Henrv Henriksen mailed a detailed listof mtsibilities and omissions to theA-B kction. These include bluessinset" Bvrd & Glover on Gn4et!7040,Cf"?u But'"ton on Gennett 7319,:Cham-oion 16125. 16216, and 16756, andFir"rnount'13003, SunnY BoY &^H.isPals on Gennett 6106, and the lollowtngi azz bands: En'a Btzzington's Rustrch.velers on C,ennett 6894, BabYAristocrats Band GennetJ 6198' JohnnyBurris & His Orchestra (bnneJt 6E5Ll'Walt"Anderson & His Golden f;heasantUo,ratut" Gennett 6342, t}re Blythe.'sBIue Bovs on Champion 15,(I)0 senes'Clesi's'fueoleans Crennett 606 1; plusthe Sammv Brown Gennett and thel"n"nJuw'Blvthe & Burton and Blythe& tlark
'"iae's lscleautA to appear
in the comins Huest I'nrn l6sl.
Omittedt.t thi" feature,.bu,. .mfine their appearance rn the thlrdi""""""t 78 QTIARTERLY will be aiistins and estimates of the rarestpiano78s.
78 PNESENTSTlnetr'ar:est 78s
rmleash
HERE IS78 QUARTERLY'sOFF'ICIAL(but unauthorized)FOLL OF TTMRAREST COTJNTRYBLUES ANDINSTRUMENTALJATTZ RECORDSTHE RAAEST COTJNTBY BLUES-c-D LlsIlNG: Je Cblicott F@eThee W e Il Blw s /Tlaw lirg l/lamBlws&utrswich 7 1 17 kstinnledless tlwt 10 copies) Burv CarterMidnielt Swciril Blues4t Wan't fuLaw4qizwro 7Xi6 (oru knotmcooi: estiinted less tlun 5) (lndc-ario-Streus fu eille U n Bm/*Uineflnt Stuff-Suwrior 2798 bstinatedbss tlni 5, tiut mtsicallv pcrirlBieBoy Cleveliud Quill Blues/Goin'
(estimoted less thnn 10) Janps ColeI Loue lvly Wy / (Brod.ley) -4lnmpion16308 bstinwted less tlnn il Jares@le lvlistreated The Only Fr iend Y ouHad^/ ( Buster J ohns on ) -Clnw ion1C718 bstirnated less than 5; one w-confimed copv) walter Cob ltlarruKedoYotr Yes lla'ut Clean/EuerY-body Got bnebdy-Cermett 7318bsiirnated less thbn 5); Chotnpion16104 bstinnted less than 5) JLY-bird Colennn tvli7 Loe Blues/UellvRolI Anderson)-Gewtett 62Zi kst'innted less tlnn 5; 2 knoun coPies)
Ifl'arest Z8s irnated less than 5 ) Sarn CollinsI Wqnt To Be Like Jesus lnMIyHewt/Leod tt4e All The Way-Gennett 6D1 (estimated less thanJ)Sam Collins lrlidnighl SpcialB I tp s 4)o T ha t T hine-Ge'ruw t t6307 (estinnted less than 5) SamCollins Hesitation Blues4t W on' tBe Long-lJemen 6n9 (estimntedless thnn 5; one hnou.n cogy) SamCollins The Jail House Bltes/Pork Chop Blues-$uyrtone 9DI(estimated less tlwn 5) TeddyIhrby t!y_ Lwna Blues/Lutdy LuadlWonied Blups-Paramamt 1 %28(-estimated less tlwn 10 ) Teddy DarbyLose You'N4ind BluesNhat Am I ToDo? -Poramawtt 12907 ( estimatedIess than 5; probably jazz instrum-enlal acc. and belonp,s in arnth.erIisting) Teddy llarbi DeceiuingBlues/Built Rieht On The Groind-Vk'Ior 23311 bstimoted less 5:2 Knran copies) Blind WillieDavis I Bel'iete I'll Go Bcrch flome/Tiust In Gd And Do Right-Puamonnt 1D79 kstimated less5) Itfattie llelaney DoumTheB i g RNd. B hre s /T al lolntchieRiuer Blues (estirwtted less than5) Slim Duckett and Pig NorwoodSister [,4ory Wcxe Three LengthsU ChninNou GottaStond Judge-
Jaybird Coleran Man Ttouble Bhes/Tlwh Brcted--Suitcase FuIl Of Holes-4ennett 6245 (estimated less than5) Jaybird Coleman Ah'mSich AndTired Of Tellin' You,4,lo N4ore GorlWater-4enrwn 6n6 (estimnted lesstlwt 5) Jaybird Colennn CoffeeGrinder Blrrc s,4,4an Ttouble B hte s-Columbia 145i]4 (estimated less than15) Sam Collins Yellaa Dog Bhtes/Louing Lady Blues-Cemett 6146;Bloch Patti 8026 (both estinwtedless than 10) Sam Collins ?/reJail House Blues/Riuerside Blues-4enrett 6167 bstimpted less than15); Blcrch Pqtti 8025 (estimatedless than 5 ): Herwin 92043 kst-imated less than 5) Sam CollinsDeuil In The Lion's Den/(JeIIyRoII Ander son ) -Cermett 6181(estirruted less than 5) Sam Col-lins Dcnk Cloudl Blues/PorhChop Bhtes-Ge-nnett 6%0 (est-
aGt\Taststrot
F
h
nent For Yowself4heh 8971bstirrutd less tlwt 5; rn hanncopies) Slim tlrekett and PigN&wood I Want To GoWhereJesus Is/When The fu,ints Golvlschiw In4heh 88P9 kst'irmted less tlwn 5 copies)Willie lhtres fuieet P-oplu BuffBlue s /(? ) -Chanpion 167 45(estinwted less tlnn 5, THEBANEST INSTRUNMNTAL JAZZC-D LISTING: Celifomi:r Poepies Wlnt A W onderful Tine/Inu--Stnset tsrruttberedkstirruted less thut 5) ttoaglCarmichael and His Pals OneNieht In Havsu"/Stu Dust-Geruett 631 1 bstinated lessthms): Clnwion 154X) kst-inwted less tlun 5) Carmichael'sCollesians lhrchOf TIE Hd'twrs /vll alkin' The Do g-Ge rne tt6474 bstinnted less thnn 10);Charnbn 16453 fustimared lessttnn 5) The Celtar PniYsWailingB lue s /Bur e I H ous e St omYV oc aI ion1503 bstirruted less thnn 15)bnannion Rhvthm Kings Su,eelA u iio Broutn/ Hattud Tlnnas )Clitipion 16387 kstimated lessthnn 5) Tlre Chicago l-ooPers
C I or inda /,Thr e e B I i nd lrli c e -P er f e c t14910 kstimnted less tlwt 15);Pathe367D bstimated less tlnn 5) Ttl,e.cfriciso Stornpers Wild NIan Stomp/St o mnn otr St uf f -'C hnna i o n 16 297(esti'mated less than 5) The Chicagost'ommrs R ic hmond stonP/ ( stateSff e ; t RambLer s | -C hnmP ion 1 6 350kstirruted less thnn 5) The Choc-otate bu,oie" Thnt's Mlv Stuff/WhenI Tale Mv Swu To Tea-Vocalion1617 ksiirnaled less tlnn 15) Tbe .brro"ot te Dandies Loueless Loue /One Nlqe Time-Vocalion 1610(estinnted less thnn 15 ) -Btddv ̂.Christian's Creole Five Sunsel BItEs/Texas Nlule StomP (estimated lessin*, lO I -Ot*h 8311 nndy Clristian'screole Five Sr4cn House StomY
Okeh 8342 fustimated less tlwt 15)Btddv Ctni:stian's Jazz RiPPersSnli nsnwt Street Blues/T'heSfunk-Peifect 118 kstitmted lesstlnn 10): Parhe 7518 kstirmted lessthon 5) iunie Cobb's llonntownBand East Cmst Ttot/Chicago Bwz-Puanawt 12382 kstinwted lesstlwn 10) J.c. cobb and lli:s Ghninsof Corn Endworce StompNeqningAnd Blues-Vocalion 1il)4 kstirrutedless thon zil t.c. Cobb and llisGhains ot Can Shnhe That JellYRolI /Don' t Cry, Honev-V ocalion 1263bstirruted less than 25) ,1.c. coltand llis Gains of wn Smohe ShoPDr ap /B oot Tlnt T hiW-V oc al ion1269 kstinated less tlrm%)Jesse Cohen and llis Universi8of Wi:sconsin Skyrockets Dizzy Cmters/P o s t age Stomp-P u anowt 1 % 42bstirmted less tlw 5) Jesse Cohenand ttis Universi$ of WiscmsinSkvrockets lt's A Sin/Slcl.tt BeefPuamotmt 12641 bstirmAd lesstlun 5) Coohie's GinEersnaDs Higl,Fever/Here Cones The Hot TanaleMlqn4hah 8369 kstinnted less tlwrt15 ) Cookie's GingersnaDs lvlessin'Arotnd4heh 8fr0 @stirmted' lesstltan 15) cookie's Gingprsnaps LoueFotad Y ou F or N\e4heh 4ffi7 5(estinnted less tlnn 10) WallieConl0er and His bfi GdStuff/H ollv w d Shuf f Ie 4 e me tt 6 369@stirmted less tlwn 5) WiltgtCrawlev and His Orchesha Big TimeWomon/She fuues Her *rcetestSiiles For Nle-Victor 23D2 kst--irrated less thnn 10) Wilton Crawlevand The Washboard Rhvftn KingsNiw Crualev Blues/l'nHer PaP'She's llv tt4d.ma-Victu 23344kstimaied less thnn I0) chas'breath' s Jazz'0+tt|p;niacs Btitere ii"i BIue s /CrazY qutu4heh 8477bsiirnated less tfuYt 25) Creole.Ias; Btttd Tach'Em Doun-V ictorrnJ ui:i"rrtnred (rw bwn coPies)Jack Danfqd and IIis Ben FlanklinHotel Orchestra Alnbama StomP/OnT he Alamo-PRCSF U n'rutnbere d
-rc
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a
a
Bhrsiciurs WhenW Baby Startshe Tlnt Thiry /Po{s on-V oc;
ine Bl ue s / ftvlor t on ) - Aut ebstinwted less tlnn 10)
Blnsicians Don't Give ItFwnble-Vocalion 1515
tlwn 15) llarry Dial'siarcl LiheWlnt I Lihe LikeIt/lt ltlttst Be Loue-V rcalion
bstinnted less tlnn 15) llarrv
kstinnted less thut 15)Digs and His Ochesha B/ach
Rhmsodv/Niehtnwe-9497 b;timaled less than
e Diggs and Hls Orchesha'an'ue Gone/St. James Infir-
9653 kstimated less) Paul Davis and His Orch-Black Attd Tan FantasyL)nder'
less thm 5) Jack lhvies's Sich CP Lichs/(Robinsoils
t lmS); ior 2748 kst-
Rest)-Clwrcion 166Mless thsr S) j Stwrior %10less thott 5) Voltaire lle
The Harlem lvloon-{ltnnpionkstinnted less tlnn 5) DixiePoplw Street Blues/(The Ragr s I - Aut o gr aph U n-number e dsted less than 5) The DixieturcWhenIt's Sleepy Timebuth./Riuer, Stay'W ay Fromrrlhamnion 16341 bstimated
inated less tlw 5) The DixieSerenaderc St. Louis Blues-C htKin g-4 lnmp ion 1 6 36 5,Suwrior %71 (both estirrutedIeis tlnn 5) Dixieland ThmpersThere'lI Come A Day/rtrleuyWay Blues-Pua 12525 bst-imitted less thut,I5) DixielandThumpers Ori,ental L\on/fukThat Thing-Pua 12594 ksti-mnted less tlnn 10) Dodds ardPafian Oh Dodd,y /(Dixon mdC ltamey ) -P w amowt I 2 47 1(estirnated less thqt 10) Doddsard Parham Loueless Loue/l9thStr e e t B lue s -P u wttowt 1 24 83(estinated less tlwn 15) JolnnyDodds' Black Bottom StompersWeuy Blues/New Orleans Stow-V ialion 1 5632 b stirmtedless tlw /5) Jottnny Dodds HotSixAotumy Dodds Ttio GooberDonc e fl nd.i eo Stonp-V ic tu23396 bstirnated l,ess that l0)Down Hore Seremders MeanD o e BIue s / C ootie Stomp-Chnnpion 15399 bstimirted lesstlnn 5).COMING IN TTIE IIEXT ISST]E:THE RAREST PTAIIO, A IO E!COIIIING S{XX{_'TIIE RARESTJUG IIIID STRING BAIIITS; TIIERAREST BLI]ETI WITH JAAZACCOMPIINIMH\TT.
TTIE MISSIS$PPI B[,T'S NO. 3:TMNSITION, 1926-193? ;-OJI-17 : FEATU RIN G-HAMbNCW illie NewMn-B.oll & TumbleBlues, Drearw-svd d W ormn Bhrcs :Rafuft Jolns6n-I' m A StqdyRallingllan, Sunet Hone Ciicaeo:J ohnny T empl e4 i s Bmt W hi s tlb !Blind-Joe Amoslk O Blues:S!,ip Janes4lqny BalI; BofilequilJachson-You Cait Keep No Broum;Big J oe W illiams-Stepfatlwr Blue s i49H i eluny Blues : Miisrss rpuJohnHtnt-Stack 0 Lee Blues:Mississrppi Bracn-Y ou kolded ltle& Droue'lvle FromYor"r Dnr; f IlOvercone bnedav; lfuy Bitler-tvlad Doe Bhrcs: Hosie tvlae lvloore-fthml GirI Elues; furtha lce(with Chulie PattoilAhhd ReoderBlue s-$ 4.98-4R[GNN JIUZZLIBRARY, P.O. BOXE63,BERI(ELET, CALIF. 9470I
c{)tnrNc s00ft...LET'SGO BIDINMJL-18''
i -
From the back coverof OJI-15. . .
ORIGIN JAZZ LIBRARYP.O. Box 863Berheley, Calif . 94701
ORIGIN JAZZIlBRARYlokes pleasurein awnuttcing tlte releaseof tup exciting picnw LPrei sstte s. OJL-I 5, RUGCEDPIANO CLASSICS, andOJL_16. RAGGED PIANOCLASSICS. These LPsinclude such leeendarv arclunreissued cnlii,s os Blylhc& Burton. Bltthe & Clorh,lhe Franh \lilrost' Richmond,lnd. session, Jim Clarh,Smith & Irt'iiw, Sidnev Wil'liams, Llen,e f)uerson, arulnun\', lnon!' tnre.
RUGGED PIANO CIIISSICS,ts21rys.0l l - l i . . . t t t I ' t t i1.\ ( . ; SA j r r lunte. : , . l in t ( .1 ' t rk ,C^r i ppl e C lurc,n c e I -',.[ t on^ I I.a nr vlJr( run. IJ lack l lu lnt(nn I t t I I t \ ,l ) lv th i & Burton, l lh the. \ ( .1nrA'Cou Cat f)urcrtPort, \'tmnt Ilrtru n,Rnn,eo . \ r /son, Janrrs ld ig, r1rn.s./esse . /umes. F ' runA l le l ros, -sa.,r8- Orisin Jazz I ibrarY,P.O. Box 863, BerlieleY,Calif. 94?01
RAGGED PTANO CI-ltSSlCS1923 i 43, OJI-16...1-' t" A T I R-ING: Sr4.ar lndent urx!, 51nitharut lrai'ne. Blind Lert,7 Onmclt,Blvthe & Burton, BIYtht , t (- larA.Ildrue Duerson, l"ruhA .llelrnse,Rol ' Cooper, Alonzrl-\ Yn9cY,,Leorpe i l . Trenrr, V i l l I izcLl,Sitlnbv I illilnts, Clarelg-e I ones-fi 4. q 8 -oriCin JaTz llwary'P.O. Box 863. BerkeleY,CaUf. 94701
Mississippi John Hurt, 1963-Volunre I of the orieinalPiedmont Recordines " Folk-sons and Blues "--,4 ualonBluds. Richland V ornen Rlues,Suike'Dr iuer Blues, Sal tY Doe,C,nc I I ookins. f, 1xs5, .SPanlshFundanp. Cdsev lonei , LoutsCollire',"Canb' Man B lues, MYa ii iii biui,' t i ia ! a ne -C of, sLnchanstnP l land , Joe Iu rnerBLues-Y4.9q0nsin JazzUbrarv. P.O. Box 863, Ber-Keley, Calif.94?olMississippi John Hurt, 1964,Volume 2 of the oricinalPiedmont gscordines "$br-ried Blues"- LazvBlues, Iar-ther Alone. Sl id ine-Deln, NobodYCares fqr"ltle,-Cou: Hooking BlwiNo, 2. 'Talk in ' Case), Veepin+and V'ailine, Vorried Bluei, OhMarv Don ' l l ouVeen , I BeenCrt in ' Since l ou Been Cone-8 4;. q B -Drisin Jazz. LlbrarY,P.O. Box363" Berkeley, Cal-if. 94701
Risteo !E€is*n, e t-:ra *r:r* ilavenpor
Anintotuieut utith
CANL ITARTIN
| "TIIE CHICAGO STRING BAI\ID". June. 1966. II Left 0o ridt: Cad Martin. violin: John l9rencher. II lrnnqrica-; Jolrlpy Young', nrudolin; John ke
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mundolinist lohnnv Young] bo"th Martinon.l Floqan *".te forrnd eailv in 1966 inC{rd Bogan w"ere found eaily. in 1966 iand Bosan were lound early rn lyoo lnChicasS. where thev have lived since1932-*The interview with Carl that
I tms lytrn in Virginia-Big StaeGap, Virginia-in 1906. We tuere aLuge fanily; I had three brothers mdrurterous sister s...yeah, about eightor nme.
My father uns o stone-rason but lrcuns a god narcician too. Playeduiolin md euitqr. He plwed a uiolinall the tim6. mostly plavbd at wtiesuound theri:: Iw'd iet out with tlpfellows md plav. Thev used to callhim "F idd.lii' \4arlin." He reuer didnahe qnv recqds:'unv bock tlentlere umsn't qny'recoiding. lvly botheruns a musician tm. He uns s u,izsd:played violin, all string {nstrunents-naned Rolmd lvlqtin. He utas six yessolder tlwn rrc. He uxts ttty dddy'sf irst wife's son. He was born in Srrr.-tqtbwe. Sli,uth Cuolina; tlnt's wherew dadiy uns originally froru
The uny I got to play-fellotttsunuld coie 6v cnut ploy the guitu;that's mostlv ulnt they would PlaYboch there then. The only thingsyou would see Luts the Plectrumfunio, the fiddle and tLte guitar...anri v'ou could see a nandolin rccas'iontilly. Btd tlnt's all. Where Iuns, it .tvs a cool'mining region;fell6ws unuld cone tlrowh there'with
a suitu-minine men--std they'dstop oier at ow house wtd I'd uatchthem plav. I ruas just a little boY,md I'leunt to pich up a Piece d tun.
I uns raised up in Krnxuille,a big city. I had'been brn in BigStone Gap bd ue left there whenltms 12 veus old qnd cane toKnacui[le qnd from then on I callthnt nw hame. Thnt's where Ireally-Ieunt to play. A lot offellows hod shaund me haut to play.ke. my brother Roland had astrine-band, and that's wlwre Imostly lewit to play becange,after"he found tlizt I couldhit aiate or trn on tle guitu, then heaslrcd w father to let him teachme lnwio'play, so my dnddy jrcttwnt ne oier-to him- Artd I didn'tunnt to leun. 'cause I unsn'tstudytng aboilt no guitu! But Icouldn't whw him, 'cause he wasbieger than I'uns, so he nnde mecone hone after schaol and sitdaun md study. Then he got onthe train-tlnt tms in Knmuille,Tenn.-eot on tle train md uent toAsheuille and browht bock aguitu nYy size. They hda12-Etrtne gilnor; tlwt uns too bigfq nry lwtds.
ke, I'd come |nne afterscluil. I'd sit dotn otd wocticetlg euitu. Wasn't tun wbeksbefde I uns plavine in tle bmd.Bfues? flwt u^ s-imple! PluYine
Oy "f the more inleres.ting,yEt least known, country bluesmusician to record in th'e mi&1930snas Carl Ma4ip,.an accomplishedsinser, mandolinist, violinist, guitarist,andstrine-bassist, on all of wh-ichinstrumen"ts he performs with equaloroficiency. Besinnine with a s-essionIor Victor's Bluibird Series in Chicagoon Oct. n. 1934, at which two titleswere cut. t 'YouCanGoYottWaY" and"Kid Man Blues," Martin participatedin six additional sessions' from .fanuaryof the followins year throush miil'Apri[of 19.16. for Ok!h. Vocalioi, Bluebird,Decca and Champion. Among these weresuch memorable berformancei as theww "GoodMorning, Judge," "Crow
Jaie" (n extrernely popular and muchrecorded piece), anit ihe fine topicalsons "Let's Haue aNew Deal"(reiSsued on Blues Classics 14, theonlv one of Martin's 12 selectionscurientlv available on LP). In addit-ion. he barticipated in a number ofrecording date's led by suc[Chi-c.qgo6"".a Ufir"" performeis as Big BillEhoonzv. Tarirpa Red. and BumbleBee Sli; (A'rnbs Easton), and backeduo his close friends and long-timeolavins Dartners Howard Am-strongt"Ibuie'Bluie") and Ted Bogan ohiheir March, 1934, Bluebird recordings.
Tltof gh the,help o{ singer-guitari-st-
t932.totio*" was condlcted -uJ ty home inChicago on May 31, 196b.
in that string fund in two uteeks.They fuul akLss fiddle, had man-do I in, u iol ins... had al I ins tr ument s,so L leunerl to play different onesW being rround. lhem and, I gess,h'fuing musically inclined. I'dpick up euerything I could see.
\ior, hp had fotn pieces in hisstring band: guitrr, uiolin, nnn&tlinand 6uss. Rolanrl,'hr plaved thct,iolin most all the tinb, but he couklO!u"," all thase others too. lle pla"vedthat old music-yctu krnu, cointrynwsic. He played euery kind of oldbrealailnn number you ctruld thinkof , plrryed aw of them. And he uulsblind tcn. I neuer seen a mon beathim playing the uiolin, and I'ueseen sotne rtiolin players! And whenit atne to lhat old hinrl of mtnic!They unuldn't let him get on tnkinrl of contest, ru> sirI They'dlet him play but they wouldn-'t lethim be in the conteit. I neuer suaatyone to beat himplaying. Irutter could tnderstqnd him. toseue nry- life, but he leunt to plW.l'le coild eubn mahe a sound in
'
his heqd-hurwnine lihe-thnt'd bejust lihe o uiolin. It'd be makingmusic just lihe it uns a stringinstrwnent, lile a uiolin; you couldeuen record it. I don't hrnw howhe did il and I neuer sut anybodyelse in w life who could do it.It tnuld be iust lihe you wereplaying o uiolin, playing themelody in your head iust lihe auiolin. Neuer bew what it tms.He u,vs a nattral mtsician.Played for both white qnd colored,qnd he traueled all ouer. raentall tfu ough V irginia and W estVirgi.nia, Kentrclty, and all downSouth-
The striw band unrhed euery dny.Tltey tuent out euery dav in the upih:Bach there then they'd pich up fl.% or 30 dallars euery dny. Jist Soout and play, stmd on thb corrwrl, onvocant lots--all dif ferent places-playall day. Plory for;tedicilte shows'.That uns ris,ht uoundWorldWor I.1918 or so.-We played on sideualhs,streets. in stores. onywlrcre, Fellowsunuld go on uacaltion- und I'd go rightwith tlbm wd play rutsic for lhemlthey'd dmce. Be gone with them fora weeh or two. Played euerywhere allthroWh the mining-ueq of Kentrcky;euerywhere they krnund ne, nen unuldsee ne playrng...
l- played bass fiddle too. I recall orcea lellan gaue me len dollus. said."You're the best bass fiddle olaver Iever heard." I played whenl ilayed-whateuer il uni, euits, bass'ftdate. tplayed! Tlen I utent to playiig the'uiolin.
- (Drring the 192)'s, Carl continuedthrs pattem of traveling and performinp.and by the late 'Z)s hat form'ed a [our]'pieee unit with his friend lloward Anr>strong.who, ljke him, played violin,manclolrn, gurtar and bass, and withvarious other musicians.)'
_First record I euer nnde, I nwle inlerutlssee, inKrnxuille. it uns cailedThe Vine Street Ras. It urn me andHouxvd" abut fow-A us there, recordedIGoxrille County Stomp ond The VineStreet Rag. The'fellais beat tn out oflhe recoril, though; tlwt's whnt disen!cowaged ne from lots of recordins.fucause-il uns Brtnswtich-thev beatus oul-a fellata cqlled Brann. Therecord tus swposed to be urder nwnane but lp piut his nane on it. Hetold ne his name was Brann. Thisuns fufore'32,'uny bach befue then.We nwde the record and tlwt ieltqt,he told ne, le said, "Now in a monthyou'11 hear from me." When the recrxdcame out, I heurd it on the uends. butnty name rDasn't on it.
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That mnt lwue been arowtd'28,sonewlere in qowd there. lt4e andHottmd md Rolutd and qrctherfellat>it unsn't Ted (Bogan); Idon't fulieue I hd nn. up on himthen--recorded those runrfurs in theSt. Janes Hotel in Krcxuille. Bnns-wich lwd tleir outfit tlere, tlwy hadcone tbous.h there. Tlev tuote usletters; tf tDe had any talent, musicmd lihe tlnt, tley utere going to Putthe studio up in the hotel qrld for usto cone tp ihere. We uent up thereand ute nnde the pieces. Tley krnwwhen tlw record's rieht. They hadunx: they nnl?e it oi tle wu.. Whenthei od'that urfi cautv tlen he said,"Y;d'[ hear from me in a rbnth."He neuer did. write fuck and so I didsaid to ntvself . "Well. thev beat usout of the record." I heail that recordbut I had to wv to heu it, on theuendor. Tlwi diserrcowaged ne righttlen, you hrnw, from mohing records.
I cane to Chicaeo in'32. lt unsfort of tE ccfine. Ane boY's in'Oetroit
rww, Hotoud ,Armstrong; he'sa bad man on the uiolin, I'm tellingvou. qbad nnn...can play onything onilp'uiolin. Me ond Ted strch together.The otter kry, William Ballinger, he'solavinB bass violin in a band-somebi14er band tcnh him utvY from.w. ,,He ums somelhing too; he @uld reallYpich thnt fuss uiolin.
We olcved onvthing, PoPulu songs,qtythine- tttev called-f or. W e playedfoi cluictes-. for all occosions. Whenvou plav music for ww liuing You'olav'wiat
the people wffit; that's the'uni I alunvs irieil to figte for
nryself . Anythine they ttnnt-if itnhs ;,eUt iss, darrce's, bre ahdouns,itwrches. dvinine they sent for melo come wAbny.-fnal's wlry I
lewnt to play so utell. 'cailse Ipracticed all hinds oi music. Tlenwhenl cane to Chicago, I go in thePolish neishbrhad. eo in the lrishneighborhiocf, ] eo iitlle Germotneighborhnd, go in the ltalianneishbuhoad; I lwd to leun to playall their musics. I go doum to Lyon& uealy' s b Chicaeo mtsic store )wtd piih up the runic md come bschand sit ilaiun wtd leqm it. I leuntreqd ru6ic md I cqn eet il off thesheet.
Way I got to record there, afellow called lr/lelrose hewd me,.came
to ne. Bwnble Bee Slin andIhem uns recordinB with him bochtlere then-Bil BiTl ord cll tlgmfellows-and in got together md uteuns practicin4,, releqrsing togetler,wtd so lllelrose hewd me, so lrc gotme to go doun to recqd. FellowcaUed-WiUiwts. I went doum to hinmd recuded too. I msde somerecuds with Bwnble Bee SIim, butI forpet wlwt thev tws rnu>Eutnble*e\ttn and Bi'e Bill. and I nndesome withfanmRed. I cqn'tremember wlnt'I plwed in tlnsedovs. I iust plavbd'withhim (TanpaAeal+is ruimbitrs-btl I don'trenember what they uns, but Iplaryed with hin, tlnugh,
It uns ubut fiue or six yeusago t4or I gne up -rmtsig, nqlbeeuen longer than ttwt. Ve, lplayed rusic for a liuiW; I lihe toplay. Now uhen I was in the Arnry,I kbpt the rnarale up; I practicedmd utent uouttd there playing.Thev told tw serqeqnt, "Don't letMaiin comsaror.rid here when we'rehavins contests. He wins all thefirst orizes." Now that nnndnlin Ihnue, the Arnry gwe ne that. AndI hpd a Gibson guitw, a fellow bowhlmd gaue me. I hept the morale upuhei I ums in the ,4rw.
Chicago, $eptember 4, 1935:.ThisDeccfi,inks in excite-rpd with spmeof the best blues Perfonm-nces otEte-Ifua-r-lD0s m-such labels asFaramnmt and Genne$...
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evening. I was treated to severalhours ol their mandolin-zuitar renditionso{ such ballads as "Red Sails in theStarcet" before they would deisn topcrform blues. Apparentlv theifeltinrpelled to convin'ce me bf their musicalsophistication; certainly they keptdelerrins my request foi blues adthough tley couldn't believe that I would beinterested'in such music. Finallv.lhugh, J got.Cafl to sing and. pldi"Crow Jqne",' from there on i[ waseasy, and they performed blues forthe'rest of the evening.
Prior to leaving Chicago in Iune of[966. I recorded Carl twi-ce. Ai thefirst session he accompanied himselfon mandolin and gritar, with tlresupDort of Iohnnv Young. who altematedin'plar ins ihese instrurn'ents with him.Thht day-Mav 31. 1966-Grl performed:" C rou J ane Bltte s.t "' C or inni."Tlouble on yow Hands," "Yotr StateStreet Pimp " (a piece Bumble Bee Slimhad recorded as "Rwtninq Bod LuchBhrcs" ), "Mistreatin' Bfttes," "Eueryday
I Haue the Blues," "Grattedigger Bltes,""Lize Jlne," "John Henry," "Franhie
ond Johnny," a tentative "Good lllorning,Judge," and a fragmentary version of"G6in' Bor:h Hornb-"
At the second session we attemptedto recreate the sound of a stringband and, in fact, we christeneil thegroup we assembled "The ChicasoStrin:g Band." In addition to Car[ whoplaved mandolin. violin and zuitar.ive used lohnny Youns. zuita"r and'mandolini lohn t,ee Ganterson. suitar:and lohn Wrencher, harmonica. AIItook-tums with the vocal chores, andthe instrunrental combinations weremany and varied. Carl's vocalcontlibutions included "Deceiuin'Blues," "Trouble on Yow Hands.""Hooilm Blttes," and "Railroqd'
Blues," and his driving nuandolin andsensitive violin playini enlivenedthe vocal and instrumeitalperformances by the others.
I alunys lihed mwic and wouldn'tdo onything but play music, but itInked like there wasn't any demandfor it. Tlte syndicote tmh ouer thevendars, juheboxes, things lihetlwt-tlwt's u lot of disencowaqenentto musicians. You hnaw. you c-an'tplay here. I used to playinthealers before they put in loudspeahers,talkies, ond a lot of places I usedto play where you're bwred out rnw.Ygu go in a1d the fellow tells you,"Don't need music. we got music."Well, okqy, there's a ueil.dor tlwre-but look at the musicians thnt'sunlking the streets md tlwy can'tget ih Tlnt diserrcowqged me, too,awlnle lot. 'Curse I could lnue fuenpluyine masic rie,ht uowtd here'still,
6ut you cai't fisht tlgswilicqtei mdl hrcw it. ke wlntI'm talhing abut?
MTERWORD.' Thoueh he had notperlormed professionilly for more thana half-doz6n years whei I met himearly in 1966, Carl was in splendidvocal and instrumental shapb. Thiswas due to the lact that he'and TedBogan, still fast friends, were in thehab-it of aettins toserher from time totinre for dn eve:nin['s rmsic making,at which times they would play andsing for t-heir own enioyment.
'lt was at
such a session at Carl-'s South Sideapartment that I first met the pair one
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(EDI?'OR'S NATE: Carl Martin's firstrecord probably aDpeared wder tfrisrecord probably aDpeared wder tfrisps e udonyrn-" T EA?VFjSSEE C HOCOLA TEDROPS"-TitIes listed in the DixonDROPS"-TitIes listed in the DixonCod.rich Blues & Gospel book area a w _ - ^ - c - , f / . c , , n
od.rich Blues & Gospel book areKtnx County Stomo/Vine Street Dras".ecorded in Knoxutlle. c. April. 193d,^rcx uow[y J[omD/ v Ine JIreeI ufQg
Recorded in Knoxutlle, c. April, 193d,issued on Vocalion 1517 and 5472. aruisstnd on Vocalion 1517 and 5472. and.probably featwins Carl Martin. Rolandprobably featwins Carl Martin. Rolandtrilartin.'aitd Hounid Armstrond. C)w tlnahd. Hounlid Armstrone. Clur thanks
Freeman. u.tho first identified'fied
to Daue F.re.eman, who firstlw record.)
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Ilave vou seen the \I,il'( 'OD.' l ?.. . l r txn,taybird( o l tman t l t (h t t to ( ' { ) l { ' -n lan ( .a r i r r r lu " i : rL ' r r l , j t t : : :f i { i I r I : l / ? a ' ( t ) l ( t \ : I t t l l l l t 1
t , , r ! s r r i i , i l r h o l r s : , I a s . r ,/ 1 t : - ' . . J k L a i L . l ) l i l t ' \ , n ( \ l ( t l I
j t t : . : . l l u I L i L l t : ! , t n ' l r t r r l . . r n r !
i r t . ; t i t u r i t , ) 1 , t ) ! i t \ Q r l , [ ( ' . \| \ t ) t l | ) ' \ i l u t , i t . s t r ' t r t r * l i i r ' r r t -
r c f r r ' . i I r r r t r , / p i u , t t t g r L t l t i t . i L
f , \ . s / / \ ' i a r I ( ' t , t t t \ l l l ! ( ) l l l L ! '
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. ( ' . r l ) t , ' r / - ' t . r r u , i r / . \ . ) -
x ) - l t .K . ) . . 1 r l t l r , , . s s . ( . , i l ui ) u l , i L t t t t i l n . s , I ' . ( ) . l l r t r 8 ' ' ,. \ r . t , t . , , t . 1 , I t t r , ' 1 1 , , t ' - ( ) t t l , r r r t t ,
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BLIIES WORLD. Ensland'sexciting new blues bi-nPnthlv6nnr. J nter ted ur t iculate aPf>,*r1, to 6/urs s inccrs and blu shiston. Pro.- ides
"ar t ic les of
I i terni l qul i t l . PacAed wi th nueulrh o ' [ in formt ion on tdaY'sblues re i iu i l and on the Colden.1 r c o f ( . oun tn B1 rs . S i x - i s su rsLb".'ript inn: 7 t shill i ngs (ouer'. . "o. , : l2 - lCreat Br i t t t in) .4Jdres.s; l l lue, Vork! ,22, MarcrCre s.e nt, Knul.s {ord, C hts hire,Englnni
Typical Fse of RECORI)FINDER ten days beforeauction closing-1r'.s u e11-thumh ,! ,uE.s ;,,f mo.uth-11tte r-I n g , i t A l L t I e : U P d l I n r J l t r k "o f a thousau l
" 7 .o ros " . . .
the, in l1 na ju 'uure , o f lF au ' -t iois i i the U.S. t.rtnt bonu:on oc c as iorutl fr ts c i nat i ngor t . i r : le on iazz ' o r b lue .s h is -tory, S ub s i r i pt iori Rale.s.'t ; ; l ' .00 fo r JJ ' i ssuc .s / { . .S . . \(laruula); $ 1.00 ( oters eos ).\oLt: nat, addre.ss: Rt:cor,lF inder , , l ; l2 , l l P i .co BLu l . , Sr rn tuIloricrL, ( nLil. l tt ).1.05
TIIE SEI]OND I,INF] I.Ssecoru l k r non? 0s ( r l ( r : znu rguz irre -p uhl i s |.te s r t I l ,t hc(xt': LtLng rn I orturtLt)n ()n .\ (a1( ) r leans t 1 i t . s t a ru l p rescn l Tossgrcuts, Neu Orlerins i.s s[tLL' the
c rer t t iuzz cen ie r o { th t 'k t r l J . a \ t n u ' l l , l i . ' c o i e r l nreu t l i rw ' l ' fu Secc t ru l L ine - '
l t . s e i r u t I i r t y , t r t i e I c . , , r . p h ' , l o s -, r , 4 1 1 . \ i l o r i o z z r ' ' l l 1 i 1 , ' r s . . .I lu- dt, you'receiu.e it '? 7 ha., ' n l ) u u ) y t ' u H P I I l I . \ l . l l l nthc ' \cu . (h l t rn ' l , t zz C l i t l ' .
,4c t i t ,e membersh ip i s $ /0 .,4ppLy to the Nat , 'Or leuruslh2z 'C luh , 2417 ( . )c to t ia S t . ,N rtt., ()rlertns, Lu. 701 I 5
S'fORl'\'!LLF.. Eneland' sinspirrd new, jarz bi-nnnthlyl ) c t t l n k ' u l t t t f U l l L l t [ t : t U l t l l r ' t i l )
I ( )6 ( t u : i th i t s r l . i sccrn ing ur t i c t 'eson trotl it iorutl iazz arul exr:it ingp ln tos r r l 11n , ,y ruoh l . I n . lu r l , ' '' r
t t t ' c ru t l t p l t i i t , ' . ' , ' l c , ' ! , ' cu , l ' t ) r t ' . 'rC I On l t t ' n t l l l t t l . . . , r t t I t t t \ , t tU( 't i n n ' , l , t b a l n u m t ' r i ' a l \ . S u l " c r i l -t ion rutt:s: $2.80 for 6 l.sstrs( {,t.5.. A mc ri can R e pr e s e nkrtne-B o h k u n m , . i l l j r t . i , ' a 1 r , . , S t , t t , nl s l a r u ! , \ " u \ o r L ' l r t 3 r t 2 r ; S u l , ' r r i ; "t ions in other counLries, conr(rc1Snryu i l la , 2 t1 I rsu icA l lnu l ,Dugen lna F .ss , ' r , l ng lnnr l
Typical page of VJM tendays aft,er auetim closing...tnen core cramps, musea,.su'eal, Wlrc. ds e,ompctintb i .dd e i s ' ami t r e.< ul t s 'o I mr e78 auctiorrc, The only imiorinternational source bf rare 6878 auct ions. Includes'LP &tnpe sales t/ atrc tions, C ontntrefalsciruttine articles on early're
c ord c ofrwnie s, de tail ed'Iabel nmi icals. Subscr ip-tion rates: 85.50 t'or 12 iisu,es(LI .S.) ; 36/- (U.K. &ouerseas).Address: Vintage Iazz trlart,1 H i l lcr . s t Cud.ns. I to l l i "H|II, London N.V'.2.' , Engbnd
NEUBENNEEV.ES
By JAC0B S. SCHNEIDER
'\Ulutt u;ere, some of tlu, difl'ert,nr:eslpttrieen jcnz of my time cnd the unyit is played kxlol'? There i.s o uosldiffercnt'e in tlu, rh1'thm rauJ tlu' stt'Leof i n.s lru.nu:rllo t k tn." sti,J Rcuhenl ic . ' re* . " l r t th t .sc t l t t \ s , a nus i t i t r t tplut'r,ci instrumrntolLy nutslly, urul helt/cl'r,d lrun Ihe hetrt, rnrl frtr thepLre lot,tt ol' mttsi< . Htxr ofter futuruus cbt,r lad lo ;clr scsslolts lnnutsiciturs u,ln unukl plul' ftr ruihingt r I t ' r t l w r i l i t ' s , l l h i l ' l ] u ' r t t r t s i , ' i t u r *of uxlal' urL: irufu,ed c'lnriktltk', it ism()re or lass rf tt trtnmarc'irilprr4xni l i ,rnt.
"Srxncr u lott'r ut alL npl aitlu'rat jan sessions, tlu,alres, lutl sprtts,reslututrn.ts, or lxtlLruxtrn"s. I ImttuKine Oliuar, I'ouis /.umclr(fi], J(iut.'r iv l-)rr ir ls, ITrtt l i i , 'Kcplrtr, ! tuul nl ll i u ' , , l l ' u ' r g t 'a ls o f l f r r i f { l ' . . l / t r , r *aLl oru' ltig famiLy. Of antrx', I ulxtAncur l,-es.s William.s. I ntruk' rr<'rtrd'i ru ls : l t l t )e l l t ' fu t l l \ l r t r lo t t . I kn"u '. l i t l ' l n , Smi lh , A lcx - lo , 'hs ,n , / . ,Y i , ru|iLLiams, fk.'t I'ips Page. I couldgct tn rutning them for hours."
Iieubcn Rceves rvas lxrm Oct-obcr 25. 1905. and this makes him62 vears old. But. if you wcre tozucss h is age, you 'd - -aY hc rTasncarcr ro +S. l la is a bank zuardwith thc Chemical Ilank Ncw YorkTrust Lbmpany in New York CitY,and the mere sieht of him scaresarvay all rvouldbe burglars and hold-up men.
He had two other brothers: GcraldReeves who also was a f inc nrusicianand plaved trombonc with Louis Ann-strons i t the old Sunsct Cale in Chicagoand uith F-rskine Tate in the old Vendomein Chicaso. This brotier is deceased.ilis othei brother, Robcrt, \\as not anrusician and is now ret ired' Roh'rt isthe oldest mcmber of the Reeves family.He is s t i l l l i v ins a t the o ld l tomcstcadin Lvansvi l le. l idiana, wherc Reubenwas rrom.
_ Reuben is the youngest of the three.He went to school in Evansville atRederick Douglas Hieh School. HLstarted his mudical cireer here, playingthe trumpet, and bv his senror vear.became ihe assisthnt bandmasier.Before this, his only eonnection withthe music world began when his motherinsisted that he pliy the piano.
Mrs. Reeves, an accomplishedpianist, gave piano lessoirs to her son,but somehow or other Reuben did notbecome attached to the piano. As heexplained it to me, wheri he eot tohigh school he wanted to pliy thetrumpet because it was loird'and itappeialed to him.
Paul Baldwin, the school band-master, gave instruction to pupils whowere interested in music. Clne' dav.Baldwin placed a battered t*.pei inReuben'S hands, and Reuben, linowingnothing at all about trumpet. iuststarteilto plav. Initiallv. sorie u.rv'weird' soirnds ernereed.' Thesegradually tumed intda semblance ofhis latei style-a hot, eleeant stylethat was to'characterize hf s plavinein Gricago through the 1920'3 aird 30's.
. Reuben played in the high schoolband at concerts, parades and otherclvrc entertarnments. (all sratis )tfut surpri singly, Reuben's" ambiiionwas to become a dentist. However.after he. graduated -from high schooiand during one of his iazz sessronswith the high school bbnd, anotherland from texinston, Kentuckv (BillS.nith & His Orchestra) heardhiin.
$nith became interested in Reuben.recognized 'something' in his olav-ing, and asked him ifJre would'lik'eto tour with the $nith band duringthe summer.
Reuben eamed $.fi) a nisht asa tnxnpet player for $nith's"band.and that S.00 was a considerablesum, because it was 1923-the eraof The Free Lunch and The Cood$cent Cigar.
In February 1924, Reuben cameeast to New York City to enter derptistry school, but he irever did. Hestarted taking on engagernents indifferent nighl spotsl One of themwas $nall'6 Paradise.
_ If any of you rewJers rememberSnnll's Puudise in 1924 (oris-inally called the Sugar Cane)l itttns locoted at 135th Street aidFifth Auerute. Later on, Small'sPorudise maued to its presentlrcation at 135th Stree:t otd kuenthAuente, and is now called Small's
Pwadise Restmnant. It uns thehottest night spot in New Yuk; tday,il ts a Ime restawant where rutsiciutsstill congregate.
Here, Reuben acted as a substitute.replacing musicians in various bands'from time to time. After nnre than40 years, he doesn't remernber thenames of the bands. He does recallthat Count Basie was the piano playeron several occasions. Reriben cbn-'tinued playing at $nall's and orherlocatioirs lorlbout six months. Infanuary, 1925, he went to Chicaso.tsy that time, he had acquired a'reputatron.
His first iob in Chicaso was ara little cafe on State StrEet calledthe Oriental Gfe. And this is where&skine Tate first heard him olav.Tate went up to Reuben and iskit'him if he would be interested injoining the Tate band.
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let us stop. The iam sessions withLouis md wseli must haue lastedan how od q hnlf at a tinle."
It Jas at the Resal that Reubenformed his own gro"up: ReubenReeves and HisRivbr Boys. Thepersonnel of that famous bandincluded his brother Gerald on tronr-.bone, Damell Howard, clarinet,Clrner Simeon, clarinet and alto,and Jasper Taylor on drums.
"There was a fellow by therwne of Mayo Williams worhing withVocalion at that titne, wha twsloohing for ta.lent, md he hewdnry bond playinC at the Regal. Heasked ne wlether I would be inter-ested in nnhing recordings. Weuare neuer told qctwlly whatrecords cane out4t)e twe irctqshed to atterd otd rnalw therecordings. From the list ofrecuds tlnt did cone oul, I muststute tlwt un nnde nany, manYnare which the Comwny euid-ently didn't issw. \4ost of therecqdinEs urere mode in theFtrnittne Mut in Chicogo wlterethe Brtmswich and V rcql ionstudios were located."
Reuben had his band foraooroximately three vears. theni6ined Cab Callowav's Band atihe old Cotton CXub'in Harlem in1931.
Bv 1933 he had reorganized hisRiver Boys band in Chicago, andsome of dhe band's performancesappeared on the Vodalion 20(X) series.fie reorsanized River Boys heldtosetherTor about three y6ars, afterwh"ich, in 1936, Reuben led a band
,?BiLS"'{gifJfr t'if, t'8fi {tr?F#'fbetqe Reuben ioined the brn..'
Said Reuben. "Ershine Tate hndthe best bmd. i euer played with.He uns a mnster, and the Woplgused to stond for hours applruding.Nter eqch rendition there uns afiue to ten minute wait for the'(mDlu.use
to sto\. PeoPIe canethiowh stdnts, snow and hnil tolecn Tate's Achestra."
&skine Tate's Orchestra was tosive Reuben his first bis start asi full-time professional.- One exampleof this professionalism was musicalaccompbniment to silent movies. Itwas h6re that Reuben leamed a specrial skill of the era-the ability to-play and synchronize classicll musicto silent film.
Reuben Reeves played trumpetin tJre Tate band frir three years,lnuis Armstrone had not ybt ioinedTate (it was aftlr Reuberi left thatl,ouis became a member).
Reuben then went to the RegalTheiitre with Dave Peyton, whowas a Diano player anil musicalconducior. The'Reeal Theatre waslocated at 47th Strdet and SouthParkway in Chicago. When Reubenwas playing there, Louis Annst-rongand his'bana were featured at tieSavov Ballroom next door. Louis"amd into the Reeal lor one weekand he ioined Re[ben tor a jazzsession (see photo).
Said Reuben, "I httew King Oliuerrersorwllv and lE ltns at tle toP.Yet. rn one could euen cone closeto Louis on the trwtryt. At tle thrche ioined me at the Reeal fu theiam sessions, the audibrrce unul.dit
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Alvis, an old Ellington man, was thebassist, and tlarryDal, the drummer,was the leader. Thev piaved first inThe Rendczvous on MicDougal inthe Villase and then at $nall's Paradise in llarlern. That was between1949 and 1955.
In the meantime. Reuben hadbecome a member of the ChemicalBank of New Yorft. Trust Company in1952 and is still employed thbre.He has many fond recofiections; hestill loves rirusic, but he says thatthe life o[ a musician is too much forhim at his "lender age" of 61. l lesays that iazzis excitine and exhil-iratins, bul the hind of j&z he likesto olav and the hind of olaces he likesto irtai, at are only [or'a younger man.
llhen asked what he thousht of1960's rock and roll. Reubdir said."I hnow tlnt some roch and rollersIaugh all the uny to the funk and rmhemare nonq in one yeu than the old-time mnician made dr.ring hislifetime."
Chicaeo. ttby 22. l9Z9: Reuben'sfirst ereat recordine session alsofeahres lhmell Ho-ward. OmerSimem and Jasper Taylor...
with C.onnie's Hot Chocolate Show.the road edition for the season of1936.
Then, he joined a group headedbv Dick Waril. a drummer. andthevplayed mostly in New York hot'spots,
big tidre restaurants andr6sorts. Cab Cal_loway's originalpianist, Earres Princ6, was lnWard's band. Another familiar namewas Thomton Avery, the sax player.
Afterwards, Reuben began work-ins for the most famous e-nrployerof"alt (Uncle Sam). tle wa's in theArmy durine the entire war and sawconsiderabfe service overseas. Nearthe end of World War II. he was incharse of the 299th Army GoundForc"es Band of the Seventh Division,and thev plaved for all the bovsoverseds.' Hi: continued to leidthat aggregation until after DDay.
Some famous names were mem-bers of that band. They includetrumDeters lack Wilson and Otisfohn'son, as well as Rudolph Williams,[he son of Fess Williams.
After the War and his honorabledischarge from the Army, Rarbendidn't find work quickly as a musician.He worked in the inst riffice for afew months. However, he soon ioinedHarrv Dial and His Bluesicians.Hiltrin lefferson, an old Calloway man,was pliying saxophone and Hayeis
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AUCTIONSStolzeAnction:lbte: soecial
ffffit*rWILLIAITT E. SIOI.ZFP.O. Box 71New Wmdstoch, N.Y.l3lZzAUCTION-Mininun bid is$I.ffi per recqd. ConseruatiuegredinA, satis faction guaran teed.All redords shipped oia ParcelPost in the U.S,'Overseas per-cels u:ill be d,orfile-boxed fore x,tra pro te c tion. ̂ 50 g _pac kingchseb in the U.5., $1.00 perdouble box for ouerseos iimers.
(1) ALABAMA MSCALS:Nancy lare/The Dirty Dozen'sCous'ins-Me 70163 E1-2) ALABAMA WASHBOARDSTOMPERS: Who Stole TIELock/Rockin' Cluir-tr/o 1587 E+(3) HENRY ALLEN: Roamin'/Patrol Waeon Blues-Vi 23n6 E(4 ) P E FtY p RA D lQ RD ;, Luc yLons/Ain't Gonrw Play NoSecdnd Fiddle-Vo 15165 N(5) LEROY CAR.R: Blues SheGaue Me/You Can't Run MvBzsiness No More-Vo 02681 Nrc) ROB COOPER: West DallasDrae/Black GaI (loe Pullem)_BB fu59 E+(7) IDA COX: Fortism/TreeT6o Tall Paw-P'ara 12690 E+(BI ROSETTA CMWFORD:'Tired
Of Fattenin' Froes/Double' Cros s in' P apa1De 7584 Nrc) IOHNNY DODDS: Come OnAhd Stomo/After You'ue Cone-Br 3568 N-(10) C@T GMNT & KIDWILSON: Come On Coot/HaueYotr Chill-Para 12317 E1(11 ) EARL HINES: Chicaeot hy t lu/. E u er y b oly L ou e s- M yBabv-Vi 3W42 l'1'(12) IIM JACI6ON: ContaStart Me A Graueyard/l'm ABad Bad Man-Vd 1164 E+(13) IESSE TAMES: SoutlernQasey I ones/ Loncsonte DayBIrci-De 7213 N-(14 BLIND LEMON IEFFER.SON : P ncwrcnia B lues / T lwtC ra ulin' B abv B lue s - P ara12880 N-(15) BLIND WILLIE TOHN.SON: Treat A Straneer Ris,lx/Go With Me-Co 14597 N
-
( ]6 ) ] OHNSON'S ] AZZERS :Skiddle De Scout/Can I CetIt Now-Co 14247 N(17) CURTIS TONES: Black'C,rbsv
BIucs / Alley BourdBl'rei-Vo 04249 E(18) LUKE JORDAN: Pick'Pobr
Robin Clean/ Trau-eline Coon-Vi 20957 E+/19)"LITTLE CHOCALATEDANDIES:6orTT imes/Tlnt's Hout I Feel Todav-oK 8728 N-/20)CNPPLE CLARENCELO'FTON: Tore Yow Plnv-luuse Doutn/ Broutn Skin-Girls-Me 61166 El/E-
(28) MISSOURIANS: MarketS fi e e t S torw/ Mis s ottri Moan-vi 38067 E(2e)BENNY MARTON: Tlw:Gold, D isser' s Sorw/ ToilorMade-Co-2924 E{(30) TELLY ROLL MORTON:That'lI Neuer Do/Fickle FayCreep-Vi 23019 N(31)SCOTTIE NESBITT:Tr6ubled And Blue/Deeo DeeoIn Thc Ground-887155'El
'(32)IIMMIE NOONE: It'sTieht Like Tlmt/Let's SapA WiId. Oat-Vo 1238 N-(33) KNG OLIVER: WlatYouwant Me To Do/Too Late-vi s80m N/El
(1) AMOS: Muddv Water'Blues/Mean Bad Bhrcs -
(16)OM ALEXANDER:'I Gaue Yow Louin' Euerv
Dav/UeIy Man Blues-Co'14664 N(17) CHESTER ALLENAND CAMPBELL: BoozeD i nhi ns D addy / Railro adBIues-BB 6224 NMRE TESTS BELOW:(18) COW COW DAVEN.'PORT
AND IVA SMITH:Tlnt' Tlrc Kird Of Girl I'mLookine For (Cnt' 7231 )/( reuersZ: I ack Walhrup:The Moon Is Yellou)-Cennett test E1(19)DEEP NVER PLAN.TA'TION SINCERS: t oslunFit De Battle Of tericlw/Truin's A Comiir'(Ch 16378)Gennett test ElEO) ALBERTA IONESACC. BY CORKY WILLIAMSBLACKBIRDS: Slnke ALittle Bit (Gnt 6439)/(wvidewified suteet band)-Gernett test El
(14) ALABAMA WASHBOTSTOMPERS: Pepper SteaAYou Can Depend'On Me-Vo 1679 E-'(15) ORA ALEXANDER:'Sieetest
Dad.dv In Tarn/Men Sure Are Deceiuirw-Co 14626 N
shiwed uia Parcel Post.fld pcking clnrge phspostage.
(21)WINGY MANONE:'Lei's Spill The Beans/About
A Ouartbr To Ninc-Vo n34N-(2f) McKNNEY'S COTTONPICKERS: Chcn,r/SoncSueet Dav-Vi 21730 NQ3) McKINNEY'S COTTONPICKERS: Save It. PrettyMana/l Fowd. A Neu B6by-vi 38061 Ne4) TOMMY McCLENNAN;Brown Skin Girl/Baby,
BB 5852 E1
Islnnd. Blues (Vi 38041; rnx.4BB5 1 -2 )-Victor test N-(37) TINY PARHAM: Doin'The lue-tue (Vi 23027: mx.6293 1 -2 )-Victor test N-(38) TINY PARHAM: RockBottom (Vi 22842; mx.629 32-2, unis s ued take )Victor test N-(39) TINY PARHAM: DounYonder (mx.62933-1,UNISSUED TITLE and un-listed take!)-Victor test N-U0)TINY PARHAM: BIuelvloon Blucs (Vi 23027: mx.62934-1 )- Victor tes t' N-(41) TINY PARHAItI: SqueezeMe ( mx. 62935- 1. U N ISS UEI)TITLE!)-Victor test N-(42) TINY PARHAM: BackTo The Iunzle (V'i, nx.62936_]. UTU ISSU ED TIT LEand unliSted toke! ) -Victortest N-U3) TINY PARHAM: NoutThirt I'ue Found You (Vi22778, mx.62951-1)-Victor test N-(U) TINY PARHAM: NaaThbt I'ue Found You (Vi22778, mx.62951-2, uruissueil toke)-Victor test N-(45)TINY PARHAM: MyDreams /Vi 23432: mx.-62952-1, unis sued take )--Victoq test N-(46) TINY PARHAlll: ltlyDreams (Vi 23,132: mx.-62952-2 )-Victor test N-(47) TINY PARHAM: AfterAII I 'ue Done For You(Vi23432: rnx. 62953-2)-l'ictor test N-(48) TINY PARHAM: AfterAII I 'ue Done For You(Vi234'32: nx. 62953-I) un.issued take-Victor test N'&9) ISHMAN BMCEY:Brdtn Mama, Blues(Vi 21691 : mx. 452159-1,' uni s s ue d iake )-V i c tortest N-(ffi) ISHMAN BMCEY:Leauin' Tou-tn Blues(Vi 385@: mx. zk5459-1,'unissued
iake)-Victor test N'(51)ISHMAN BMCEY:FoLr Dav Blues (Vi 38560:tnx. 45461 -1, unis sued nke )-Victor test N.(52) MISSESIPPI IOHNHURT: Bie Les Blues( rnx. 40 Uf4- Ai U ni s s ue d)Columbia (Oheh) test N'
(s) MEMPHTS tbC SeUn,State of Tennessee Blues/Kansas'City Bluns-v i 21185 E-(6) BO CARTER: RamrodDaddy/.4as In My Pants-oK B8e7 N-(7) BO CARTER: BannaruzIn Your Fruit Basket/Pussy Cat Blues- Vo03091 EJ(8) BLIND NORNS: The(taty B hrc s / S wdou,,n B lues -De 7290 E]O) TEXAS ALEXANDER:'Lboee
Camo Moan/SectionGane4K 8494 E-/V/(10)"LOh"NIE IOHNSON:Louland Moan/Tired of Lit'-ins AIone4K 8677 E:/V(11) SONNY SCOTT: TryMe Man Blues/Black PonvBlues-Vo 02586 E1(12) ALEC ]OHNSON:Sund.oun B I ue s / M is s M ealCramo-Co 14445 El/E(13)BARBEC(]E BOG:B arbe cue B lue s / C lou.dySkv BIues-Co 14205 E-toV1(14) CHARLIE MCFADDEN:'P
eople P eople/ GroceriesOn l4v Shell-De 7317 E(15)KOKOT'IO ARNOLD:Model T Woman Blues/MuIe Laid Down & Died-De 7198 El(16) BUDD| MOSS: MvBabv Won't Pav Me NoMind/ S top Haieine Around.-Me 70170' El
- -(17) CLARENCE WIL.LIAMS: SIow Riuer/ZuluWail-Br 3580 E-/VI( 18) MISSISil P P I SHEIKS :'Stop
& Listen Blues (scr 'irc;ud. ) / Dri uins, T hat T hing-oK BB07 v/E--( 19) LITTLE SON IAE:'Tuf{
Luck B lue s/ Dies,in'MiPotatos-Vo 04.707 E(ZO)OSCARWOODS: LONCWoIf Blws/Don SeIl It-Doi't Giue It Awoy-De 7219 E
IIENRY VESTINE815 Hartzell SheetFacific PalisadesCalifornia 90272FOR TRADE ORAUCTION-l orefertrades for good, obscurecountry blics. Rightsreserued, to relect any orall bids.
(1) CHARLES BECK:Da n2o G-(2) BROTHER GEORGE.SANCTIFIED
S/NGERS:Vo 05261 E-(3) ELDER NCHARDBRYANT: Vi 38507 E-(4) ELDER].E. BURCH:Vi 21198 (enlars,ed cetxerhole) E(5) BUSTER & IACK:vi 2s2s7 v-(6) ] AMES COLE'S WASH"BAARD FOUR: Ch40047 N-(7) DALLAS STR,INGBAND WITH COLEYTONES: Co 14410 V(U CC)W COW DAVEN.PORT: Vo 1198 G1 .(9) CARL DAVIS:Vo 03132 G/G1(10) SISTER CALLYFA'NCY: Br 7110 Vl
78 AACTIOIVS
(11) DESSA FOSTER &HOWLING SMITH:Me 12117 G1(12) GEORGIA COTTONPICKERS: Co 14577 E-( aboue: rc ng.)I 13) LAURT HENTON_Br 71zM G(14) LAUM HENTON:Co 14388 E-(15) ALEC ]OHNSON:Co 14416 N-(16) BOBBIE LEECAN'SNEED-MORE BAND:vi 20660 v-(17) NICHOLSON'SPLAYERS (ius): Ch16137 G( ]8) SETH NCHARD:Co 14325 G(19) BERTHA ROSS:Cnt 6227 G4(20) TEXAS TOMMY:Br 7044 E(21 ) TV/O POOR BOYS:Pe 180 E(22) PEETIE WHEAT.STMW: Vo 1722 V(23) CHARLIE KYLE:vi 38625 v
FRANCIS $IITIITfumne0s FarmBodle Sheet GteenHailsham. SussexENGLANDTMDE-The follapinerecords are aiaihble lortrade, but only [or blie.stterns ol eqwDdlent ran.ty.I'm not'brdoared to taddqne good iiem t'or unLesser ones.
(1) BO WEAVIL IACK.SON: Para 12390 E+(2) CHARLIE SPAND:Para 13047 N-(3) ED BELL: Co14595NU) LONNIE COLEMAN:U) LONNIICo 1444O Nt t t , l LUt\ t \ I t LULLtvIAt\ :Co 1444O N(5) ROBERT WILKNS:vi 21741 E+rc)DE FORD BAILEY:rc)DE FORD BAILEY:vi 38014 E4(7) NOAH LEWIS/DE(7) NOAH LEVIS/DFORD BAILEY:Vi 23336 N- (L-inch
48850-1, unissVicnr dst N-
)Vicnr dst N-BS)TINY PARHAM: BIue'Islizrd
Bhtcs (Vi 38041; mx.4BB5I, unissucd take)-Victor test N-rc6) TIW PARHAM: BIUC
DON KENT324 West 96th StreetADt.5DNew York. N.Y.10025AUCTION-Trodes setpreference. Condition'swiranteed.
P leas e spec ify"78" auction.
(1) HENRY TOWNSEND:Poor Boy B lues/ lilistreatedBIues-Co 14491 N-(2)GEORCIA BROWNS:Decatw Street Bl /TampaStrut-Vo 1740 E+(3) MEMPHIS ]UG BAND:M emphis S hake doun/ MaryAnn-OK 8958 N-@ MEMPHIS ]UC BAND:Gdtor W obble / Mv Bus izess
nc rnp)(8) VOL STEVENS:vi 21356 N-(9)MARTIN ANDRCBERIS.' Br 7007 N(10) PAPA EGG SHELL:Br 7095 N-(]1 ) GENE CAMPBELL:Br 7184 N-(12) FURRY LEWIS:Vo 1134 E-(13) ]ED DAVENPORT:Vo 144O N-(14) BLACK BOTTOMlvlcPHAIL: Vo 1690 N(15) BUKKA WHITE:Vo 03711 E/E-(16)MEMPHIS ]UGBAND: Vo 03182 N(17) ] IM FOSTER(Collins): Ch 15301 E-(18) TAyLOR &ANDERSON: Ch50016N(|e) BUSTER TOHNSON/McCLUM: Vrs ffi57 N(20)V/ELBY TOAMEY:Gnt 6(N5 V01 ) WALTER BEASLEY:oK 8540 N(22) SYLVESTERWEAVER:oK 8109 E
121) cow cow DAVEN-PORT A IVA SMITH:Alabamrny Mistreated( Gnt 7231 )/ ( unidentifiedhillbillv hnd )-Cenne tttest EJQ2) GEORGIA TOM:Gee- Bu It's Hard/ LeueeBoind Blues (Ch 16682)-Gernett test E1Eil CARIVIICHAEL'SCOLLEGIANS: MarchOfThe Hoodlwns (Gnt 6474)/HOAGY CARMCHAELAND HIS PALS: WaltzSwreme (mx, 13184 anduiss ucd! ) -GennEtt te st E04 NEW ORLEANS'RHYTHtul
I(/NGS: Tin RoofBlues/HUSK O'HARE:San-Gennctt test E1%)ALEXANDER BROT-tlERS.'Sr. Louis BLucs( Ch 16499 ) / ( unide nti fied' hillbillv )-C: e nne tt te's t E I06)STEELE AND IOH.'NS1N:
Selline That Stuff( Ch 16395 )/( inid eruifie:{'hillbillv
)-Cenne tt te-s t EN7) ALABAMA I]ilI AND'GEORGE (Buddy Burton &Marcus N ormanl: Cros s ingBeale Street(Cnt 6X)5)/
-
( unid.erui fie d hi LLb|IIY )-'Gennett. iest El
TsAUCTIONS
(21)V o i
(23 )Vo'(
( Franc i s Smith-c ontinuc d )VANTED: In addition tona.ny countn/ bhes. Iunni the follanins'items inreasorable condiiion. Tooprices paid.BERNfCE EDWARDS-Para12653, 126n, D766, 12741;RUDY FOSTER-Paia 1298i ;CHARLIE TAYLOR: Pam12967: FREDDIE BROWN+Para i29lo: loE DEAN-Vo l5zt4. AISO URGENTLYWANTED: 10-inc h RioersideLP Hociel Tlnnns/Mu,ttCarey Riu. RLP 1042.
(14) HELEN HARRIS ACC.SKILLET DICK & HISFRYII\f PANS: Ch l5BBl V1(15) KING SOLOMONHILL: Crcnnn 3325 E(16) BLINDV/ILUE ]OHN.'SON:
Co 14582 E-(17) ROBERT TOHNSON:t'our pre.uar Lanirnte d,lL-Lncn. one-slded.Colunbia tests in EJ(18) FURRY LEWIS:vi '2164 E1(19) GUY LUMPKIN&EDIDIE MAPP/EDDIEMAPP: QRS 7078 N-(N) BLIND WILLIEMcTELL: Vi 385W El(21) ROMEO NELSON:Vo 1447 E1(^22QLp !A!,_SMo.ttFSHOP 4: VO 1045 E/V1(23) CHARLIE PATTON:
02931 E-)FF' NKSTOKES:
ADVERTISINGRATES (black& white onlv):Onc.sixth wLi(2% by S%'inZlcs)-$6.4O: One-thirdwee (2% by l0/zindhes )--510.00:One-lalf weeft% by SViiches )-$17100: Tuothirds ws.e (5 b.tD/z inchZs )-$30:Full wse (8% bv'10/z inc\es )-$37
PE1E WHELAI\I39 Rensen Sheethooklvn. N.Y.11201FOR TRADE ONLY:(1) GARFIELD AKERS:'I untpin' And Slouin'
Blubs-Decca TestVM777T2_A EE) PINK ANDERSON&.SIMM]E I)OOLEY:Co 14336 E1(3) LAVIE AUSTIN:Para 12361 VA/E-(O BEALE STREETSHEIKS: Fillin' InBls-Para 12894 E- to E. (5) BLACK BIRDSOF PARADISE:Gt 6210 E-(6) BLACK BIRDS OFPARADISE: Gnt 6211 El(7) NCHARD (MBBIT)BROWN: Vi 2147s El(U SALTY DOG SAM(Collins): Slout MonnSlour4;8106 E-/E(9) IULIUS DAN]ELS:vi 206s8 El(10) NELLIE FLOR.'ENCE:
Co 14342 E+/E(11) FRENCHY'S'STRING
BAND: Co 14387 E1(12) GOLDEN MELODYMEN: Clnl ffi3 V(13) HARVEY & TOHN.SON ACC. BYWEST VIR-GINA MMBLERS/CAR-OLINA LADIES QUARTET:ch 1ffi2 v
Para 13127 V-WANTED: BLUES ANDTAZZ ON CHAMPION162N THROUGH 16800'SAND SUPENOR: Buster
(24) FMvi 21672(2s) wALVi 21672 E to E4(25) WALTER FAMILY:'T
hbt' s My Rabbit/S laherBen (pia-iwr_unshfurd,Ben (piaiw, unshfurc
ffiTlz[:!!]i'i"d-Q6) IABO WILLIAMS:Paia 13127 V-
E.L. KEHOE5r3 S.W. lotl st.Ft. LaudedaleFlorida &f315FOR SALE-.'NOodd 78's, , . iazz,blues,..intbrestedin selling as agroup foi tlte rightDrLCe,
MAIL THEFTOF PACKAGESBecause of it.mdaees for 78urblishine co.ivhich do not fitin the standardnnil box shonldbe nniled toPete Whelan.c/o TechnicalRenroductionsCom.,4fi SefieDriie. Parurus,N.J. f i652...
Apologies to:Don Kent-aecause tle neclwticqlfoldidbinding rquirements of the8-wge form system necessitated thewithdrattnl of his featwe on KansasJoe \hcCoyat the wry last mirwtefuaw eclqdulpd fq the 3rd isstrc).f fanClS 5lllllh-becouse earlier srycecommittments on the 2nd isstrccaused his feahne on recorded bluesto fu rnstwned to tlre Srd isstrc.[4axeV TaipleY4owner of the CharteyPattdn pfuito ieprduction atong wititlte uiginal Puamaunt stpplenent)for omiuing the credit line on the ttnPatton ph.otos in the first isstrc.Nick Perlszecfunical spqce limit-ations on the 2nd issue safutogedPart 2 of the bn Hotce lnteruiewQo appeq-in.the Srd issud.JaCqUeS HOCh0rphose ocid rebuttalto ciiticisns of his "TheWords"
featwe uns,deleted.
t ohnson" S crapper B lqc kaell,Tonanie-Bmdtey, Ed FaxHud,son, l arnes' Bat Rob-ins on. Robinsorl s Knishtsof Re'st. Georeia Torn-Poor Jdb, Bur-se & SM.e,Will Slla.d,e. Picaniww IwBand.. Mosby &Sykei.S tat e' S te e t' Ramble rs', T heChicaso Stonwers, TfteDixieSerenaders, atdnwny nvne.
ALKbout
-A ColumnOomrcntand Discussionhb Groom:
f is'lui says it. WEre arwther writermisltt'uenture a tleory uith thewioso tlat his interrietationhisht be urong, "Rbche" allansrc-nangin for.Znor in his ol,Ieged
; emmirctionbf his trunscriptionsFond the corrclisions lrc derioes fi figp tlwn sh4pq -tlnt he is aftei:'all iust as fallible os awone
elsb. He birates Paul Oliuer fort ircqrectly lranscribine KinE-. Solonon niU' s " T lnt ConeDead' Tmin" and nnkes a htdicrouseetEralization abou the "oDses-
iive will to stereotwe" dis-nlayed by British ri:Searchers.If ihis nirmrk weret t so chil.dishitunuld be amuins. corsiderinetle c ircuns tnnc e s."W hv " Roc hi "
sluukl thi* ilnt a reiearcher'srmtionolitv slpuld laoe anybeariw oh his perceptiuenbss orlack of it is beyonsiny compre-hensi6n. lf anvihiie. it is "Roclrc"
plo disphys it uifi-to-stereotypew conDenrciul.y truslEarlf,g aline in a Heru'i Tlzo1rus -reZordingso os to fit it'into his theorY,
e cfaer esrirnticn ,f lf"text of "Rochc's" articlb seemsin o.rder at tl,l,s poiw os the pro.'sard con's of ll,l/s tnrious tlrcort'esncri.t discns'sion.
His initial corngt^s on ChuliePattonand BoWeauil tackson seemreasotable enouel\ althoueh hecould lnue newioned ilnt-Pattonunuld lwdlv lnue lnd, to fake his"Elder Gre6n" piece, os'itunsalredv in conwbn use. "Rocle"
misotites tle linc from"HatrunerBlubs"hohich slntM reallv lavetitled "Hamnock Bh.tes" ) bw tleRqtc reference is correct. I unuld'ilisagrei tlut Ki.d Bail.eY sings
'S unllou.ter'. iz /us "Mdss lssrppiBotiomBhres". bw in this clase Ican offer rn alierrwtiue. "Roche's"
swei'stion tlat the Geors.i BaileythdiPatton mentions in nCircle '
Routtd The Moonl'uns a reference toKid Bailev is an iruerestink one ardnmv uellbe conect. The iliectiue'liitle' does rot occrr in thi ttersein question in the recording I lnueheard.
I amrafrg ilnEed by Roche'sreference n ulnt.le te'ms thc"Frozen Lenon" theort. While thereoorted details of le{f6rson's deathh6oe neuer been iubs'mntiated' itdoes rwt seem so uilikelY to metlnt Blind Lemon suffered a hcartattack atd died froni'exposwe alonein a frozen Chiiaso ste'et. Roclremisdwtes Blind Lemorls
"Maltese
Cat'Bhrcs" ard destroys tlwirnnact of tlw lntrowini line u:hichuibidl,l ihscribes the c6nditionI ef fe/son must laue often fowdhihisell in, prPic.ularly inihe .nnnevles i beriod' irnncdintely beforea reciordini session Wlul Blind-Lemonociwlly sings is ','l got nsttt / drunh to heeD u.ltffn oecaa6emty'clotles ii soihin". This nustl,it,e been real ercugh-fg let'fersoneuen if it misfu seeln lihe laiinsYn Roche.
bclp cqrhdes from exaninins,the lyrics of sone of Henry Thonds'srecoids tlui it is nore probbLe tlza.tTltonns carne from the Louisiarn/SowhArkatsas ared tlnn from Texas as issenerally tlpwfu. This premise seems"n
be bosed oithe nentfon of seueraltoutns in this area in Tlnrmi's sones( in "Slzontv Blucs". Delhi in NE L:ouis''inna
on thi road from Morvoe, Louisiarato Vicksbwe. Mississippi atd tnt farfrom the Mjiidssippi Nber, ard EtdorainSE Arlmnsas).'6ut' is this anv noresisnificant tlni'lincs like "l'm g,oin'back'to Menohis, Tewessee" ii"Bull Doze Bluis"?
(as "Bootlessels Blucs"'). IoLnHenry Haniri[ (as "Gonrn'Keeo MySkillet Good and, Greasy" ). Mfssii-sippi John Hurt hs "Pby Day" ).otd time uhite country sirwei llicleDaue Macon(as "f u6 Got"MySkiIIetCood_and,-Gr.easy" ) end nnrfi oth.ers.ln "Run Mollie Run". Tlwms newtions Bossier City, now a subwb ofS lveueport, Louiiinm ( conectlyidentified by Rochc) aid, Hwts'ville.Tet(n; (whi6h for s6me rea-son Rochcide nt ifies as Hayne soille. Louisiatwand tfrcn fits it fnto his hypothesis).Huntsuille is mentioned titice andreferences to a ball atd clnin. etc.confirm tlat,-Thornas it refening tothe'Hwztsville iail. Tlzc ture rcin {act
"Hunts'uille Bourd". HentyTl'nnns lad tlrc nickrane of 'Ra[time
Texas' and I thit* this is d fair"indication of his origins,'
Roclp criticires Paul Olioer forincorre ctly trans cribira Kiw SoTo-non Hill'3 "The GoneVeatTrain"in "Blues Fell This Mornins", Nou)tlnt Kins. Solonan H.ilI l:p,s 6eeni.dentifie-d as loe Holrnes and somedetai[s of his life are hrmtu it ispos s i ble' to e xolnin s one re fer enc e sin his sows. Olioer is criticized fartnt reaUzfng tl@t HiU uns conneciedwith Louisfrrw. flfu's is lwrdly fairand. I susoect. sinnly rellecti'Roihe's u'ishio shbrb ii the'elory'oJ yeuealil_rg _the_ _tne s tory .of King'Solornon Hill. Howeuer. illen ore carnesto exannine the lyrics of "The GoneDead Tmin" fuihich I lnd, tanscribedIow before Roclre's article aaoiared.alo"ne iith the otlpr tlvee a&tilable
'
Hill-sides). it is ouite euidew tlntsqme oJ tfe supp6sed plac.e referencesgluen 6y Rochb' qre- quite irmgircry.C on s i d 6 r lng \o c-he' € _c-o n e npiw uirernark abolt " the uill-to-s tbreotvoe(uthich wsses for a bve af tle blilcsin Briuiinf' hil outn d.istoitiors ofblucs lyrics are rather pu,Vling. filyou)n uerszon ot tne secofa statnzafollouts:' "Lord I once uns a hobo,
I cawht so nnny freis.htsBw-fd-ecided I'd go ilaan for a t'amwtthar-d take it as it c'ontcs(l reckon tlwt nrcan old firernanand ensirrcer uould, to)"
Snansely"ot odds utith ilc referencesto Frie\urs and lllirnis in Kocle'stransbripti6n bw essentially conect I feel
Rmln's renart dut a'nanv-too-subtle British collector' ind.uced loeWillians to say le uns Kine SolomonHiIl is rnresense. Tlrc sw-s.estion spruneorisiully from a conuersoii"on betunbn
"
Witlinms'dnd. Bob Koester wlw later stntedit as a certain fact in "Jazz Report". Ilnue neuer belieued this or tlrc'iden-tification uith Sam CoIIins, which Rochesivs a,us created'ta nalce thing.sinierestiw'. a ooin less iilea id anunorincioled oie to nw uav of thinlciw.I ian't firasite tlat niany be6ple uere"fooled; I ndr41 gaug tlrc'siqgi s tionser1.ous consldemtlon
hlp's cutnsf tfut HilI is ableto form blws lines with stbordirutechiuses lurdlv nkes intn acconnt tlnttfuee of his fixtt recooered recordinasderiue blnoit uerbtim from eulier-recordirrys.
tlv first edition of "78
wtdrly" tlere apbeared an:icle irxitled "Thc Words".itten bv (utder the psetdoh-rof )
"'lacqtres Roclle", Inrruion with' otloer featwes inb same nwgazinc,.it discus-an tnteresttnt toplc: ,ncase tlp g,ledluig 6f.inforse tle s.le:aniis of infon
on theAacksduril olfrom the lviics to their
.'In thc co:wse of it.r, "Rocle" maEes'a
nter of controversial and.nncathte re rmrks des eruing.a reolv. Desoite the scorn-ichld pour_s'on thc heads- of
r resiarchers (noably tlw-sh ouiety) "Rdcle''s"
nanscriitions and tle coruions hc dmus from them olehing but. infallible.
Aut\rzfug arwthcr uritels articlein this-fasFion is not sonething, Ilihe iloine brt in this case I felttlut Roc[e's dogratic asseriiotts ncededclullepging andtle record seningsfratghL
- i 'ts
i'>'q
\I
*';i;'.iaogros Rov MAR?IN ANDKID WI LLI AI/LS-B irminglwm J ail9714 ROY MAR?IN AND KTDWlLLllrlrtlS-A[w I Sleep ln YotrBam Tonight lttister? iSEt)
1]61 9611-2 FAMOUS HOKIMIBOYS-You Con't Get ErnWhOf Tllat Stdf961%1 FAII/DIIS HOKUM BOYS-Rollin'N\ill
rcz 96m-I GEp1RGIAlu/'l|[-The Dtrck's Yos Yos Yas9645-I GEORGIATAI-YouGot lVIe ln This lvless
163 9579-3 GWRGIATWFlvly Tetcas Blues96N.T,-2 SAIVfuTY SAMMN-Bat LeS Baby
164 9750 PATT PATTERSo/NAND HIS CH/i'/'[PIA{ REPRIDERS-Tha Old Chisholn lYail9738 PATT PA?:TERSON ANDHIS CTIANIPIOI{ REP RTDEBSThe Cat's Whiskers
166 9894 GWRGERILUY (TlEY odellins Rwtlq ) -The RailrrudBwn98n GFnRGE RILEY (TlE Ydel-ling Rustler)-The Grave By TheWhlsperine Pira
rc6 IN82 PECK'SNLALEQU ARTWTE--Going Doum ToThe VaIIev10085 PFfrK'SM\ALE WAR-TETIE-Oh,l Wunt To fue Him
L67 19861 ARTHUR CORNWALLNnD WLLI Atil CLEARY -Wlnt AFriendWe Hwe In Jesu.sNNq ARNilJRCORNWN,LAN D WI LLI AI4 CLE ARY -P as sIt On(NOTE: Fa issues 16? 0o 170the first digit of the rahix ntnteris talse and should be disrcgnded.)
168 19758 PATT PATTE,RffiNAND LOIS DEXTtsR-TIE Catboy'sLoue fung1N51 PT{N PAT?EBSI\I ANDHIS C?IAMPION REP RIDERSTidw Uo AndDounThe OldBrass ilagonr6e 11M48-2 GEORUATA'IAND HAIINAH \MY -TqribleOwration Bfues(7/3il 110041-1 FANWISHOKU\4 BOY S-Come On ltftona
r70 110046.2 GF0RUAIu/|tAND HAI\4VAH llAY -WInt' sTlwt I $neU110033.T,.2 SAT/IIN SAMPSOIVAND HANNAH llAY-CowtHouse Blues
,
Th,ePerfiect'.oof,lace$eries
Numerical ListingW John Godrich
-PANT 2
1W47.2 GFNRUA TO\IHANNAfI NIAY -It' s Been
On ln
1B 1N31.2 HAA/NAH MAYBONA/IE THOI\IAS_v'Cql Blues
HAA.IVAH IIAY ANDTHOMAS-WhuI You
Tlwt?
114 1M38.2 FAMOUS HOKU.ilB?YS-You Do ltINN-2 FAfuIOUS HOKUIVI.B?YS-TIaI Stuff I Got
176 10il1 THE FAMOUSGARLAND JUBI LEE SI/VGEBSsf,lln Snle De Loch?IOffig TT]E FAMOUS GARLANDn BILEE SINGER$-So u th B oundPassenger'Ilain
(NOTE: These titles are byBnant's Jubilee Qnrtette. )
176 IO5IO TIIE FN\NUS GAR.LfrTD JUBILEE SINGERS_Were You There?
THE FAIIMUS GARLANDSINGERS'LeI Jesus
You
10525 THEFAMOUSGAR.D JUBILEE SINGERS-'t It Rain
T'IiE F1iltIAJS GARLANDSINGERS4hLoTd
L,ong?
TOO4O-2 FAMOUS HOKUITThat Bread
1N5I-2 FAMOUS HOK]NI BOYS-lt's AIlUsedUp
179 10045-2 BILL WILLTAMSAND SAlVlil4Y SAMPSN-NoGod Buddy9621 -1 S A[ltttlY SAMPSON-Tadple Bhns
I8O 1ffi59.1 T'IIE TNO PNRQQY$-I l,t, Sittins On Top OfThe World(6/3il 10652-1 JOEE)/ANS-Tahe ALooh At Tlnt Baby
r8r 1M50-3 T'.flE TWOPOOR BOYS-lol'tn genry Blws(5/31) 1ffi51-2 JOqEI/ANS-New Hrmtsville Jail
r8z tM49 THEMOPOOR BOYS-Tuo White HorsesIn A Line10655 JOE EyANS-Georgia Roser83 10661-2 ART'.tlURNicCLAIN-My Babv GotAYo-Yo10653-2 JOE EyANS-Mill Nhon Blues
r8410665-2 JOEEI/ANS-Shooh lt This Nlornine Blues10654-I JOE WANS-DounIn Blach Bottom
r85 10656 JOEg|N{S-Early bnte N[omine BhEsT0657 ARTHURIVI'CLNN_Crewn And Sugar Bfues
186 10053-2 SAlVtMy SAM-PffiN-MeonestKindA BfuesIffi 54 SANTI,'TY SAMPSON_I Got Tlw Bhps For W BaW
rn 1m55-1 GFDRGIA lVpt-Don't lvleon To lilistreat You95AO-1 SAI'IMN SAMPSON-Grandmn's Fann
188 10633 THE COT?ONPICKERS-Steal Aunv ToJesus10534 THE COT'TON PIC-KERS-Listen To The Inmbs
189 10523.2 THE FAMOUSGARLAND ] U BI LEE SI/VGERS-HoId The Wind10524-1 TIIE FAI\[0I/S GAR-LAND ]UBILEE SINGERS4h Rochs Don't You FallOnltle
(NOTE: These titles are byBryant's Jubilee Qurtette.)
,-2 GWRGIATON|FIANN/AH NIAY-RentBhes
721ffi9]- WLLIAMS ANI))N-Barrel House RasFAMOUS HOKUNI
IqDm
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d{o\q)
IXi C3936.4 RIil|TPARISTREE? WASHBOARD BAND-Fortv And Tiehl (Melrose )C39g7.A RNIPART STREETW A$IBO [R-D B N']D-PisslyWiggly (Cobb)
(NOIE: This is The BealeSheet Washboard Bard, ardtahen frqn Voc 14(B.)
IN C6947.A BESSTE JACKSON-Bloch Ansel Blues (Smith)C6848- A B-ESSIE J ACKsp/N _Tlicks Ain'tWdkingNo More (Bogan)
(N0fE: This is Lucille Bogan,ard taken frorn Br 7f86.)
I8 C5562.A BESSIE JACK.SON-S/oppv Dnnh Bhrcs Uunes)C5563.A. Bi'Sfl E J ACKnN _Alley Boogie (Bogsn)
(N0TE: This is Lucille @an,ard taften from R 7210.)
I99 IM42.I SAIVII\4Y SAMPSON-Police Station Blues10043-1 sAMMv SAMPSON-They Can't Do Tlnt
Oz0[.' 9584-2 FRANK BRA,$5l,l ELL-lvlowtain G ir I Blue s9583.1 FRANK BRASSI4/ELL-The Westem Blues
ozor 10052-1 SAlvlil4v SAMP-SON-Stste Street Womut1 0044.1 BILL WI LLI ANIS_[/Ir Condrctor Mqn
o20z 9740-2 SN.W NGFOUR-West Cmst StomP9741-3 SALTY NG FO{JR-Ballin' The Jach
(NOIE: These are listed astlp Red Devils in 0he Fer-fect files.)
0203 10841-2 SN-W mGSAM-Sisnifying Blues10842.2 SN.W DOG SAM-I'm Still Sitting On Top OfThe World
(NOIE: This is Sam Collins.)
02u 10512-I T',tlE FN/p{JSGARLAND .IUBILEE SINGEBS .-Euery Time I Feel The Spiritu/32i 10514-2 T'IIE FNralSGARLAND ]UBILEE SINGERS--Shirw OnMe
(NOTE: Tlpse titles are byByarl's Jnbilee qnrtett€.)
O?[l T1612.1 AI,ABAIIA RAS.CALS-Georgia Grind
(5/3il 11619-I ALAB^4ARASCALS-Ruhus Juice Sutffle
(NOTE:These are tlp MenphisNighthawks.)
02tr, T16N.1 ALABATARASCAL|-Endtrorce Stomn11625-3 BLACK DIAMONDTWINS-Bloch hd Tackle
(NOIE: The B side is by BrdilyBwton and Ed Hdsm.)
ozoT 11611-2 BIG BILL--IlowYouWant It Done?11624.2 BIG BILL AND HIS JUGBUS?ERS-r\4 &O Blues
02w 11689 JOtrlUAWHlTEA/VD HIS GUIT AR-Bod DepressionBlues11659 JOffiITJAWHITE AND HISGU I T AR*II owl in4 W o lf B lue s
ozw 11688.1 JO*IUAWHITE NnDHIS GUITAR-Things Abut ComingN4v Wav11695:1 JOffIUAWHITE AND HISGUI?AR--So Suseet, b Srcet
OZIO C2611-AHN.F PINT JAXON-Fan ItC2503-A HN,F PINT JAXON_How Can I Get It?
(NOTE: This is Flankie Jaxon,and talien from Voc 1257.)
I9O 10517.3 THE FAXNUSG ARL AN D ] U BI LEE SINGERS-This'IYain (-)(8/31) 10519-1 TrlE FAMOUSG ARL AN D J U BI LEE SINGERS-l Wont To Be Reqdy ( -)
I9I 10562 EYANSANDMcCLAIN-So *trrv Deu10654 JOEWAN-S4hYoub n O f A G w
rsz 1ffi35-2 FAMOUSHOKUNI BOY S- Ain' t GoingTlere No More(10/t1) 100ffi-1 FAMousHOKIM BOY S-P i e -tu t in g Strut
IIN IO8N.2 SAL"IY DOG SAM-SlowlilunaSlow10897-1 SN,W DOG SAIVI-New fulty Dog
(NOTE: Thls is Sam Collirs.)
rs 10855-1 RB'/. JORDANJOIVES AND CONGRF,C ATION-Blqck Cat Has CrossedYow Path10857.3 RW. JORDAN JONESAND CONGR F'G ATI ON -H e I IAndWlnt It Is
(N0fE: This is Rev. EmmittDickinson.)
fn w477W LULU WU-LI rLltIS-C wele s s Inue BluesB/32) W476W LULU WbLIANIS-You're Going To l-eweThe OldHome Jim!
(NOTE: This is Lulu Jackson,ard taken ftqn Voc 1193. TheE nunters are controls.)
Bigano ) .
from the collection of Berrnrd' Klatzko
I'rTLLTEBNOurNFare Thee \A/ell:
q/ BERNARD KLATZK0
"Willie Brottm," said lames McKuncback in L9S7, "i'sn't nuih."
McKrure had heard Manheim's coPYof a llillie Brown Pararmunt and gavethis ooinion of &own to Pete Whelanwho hid never heard Willie perform at all.McKune was the onlv authoritY on;;t* blues ai thai time and' so Whelanand. a few years later, McClosky, usedto DumD Mckune with questions aboutblu'es Sinsers in order to avoid the pitfallof spenditg npney on "bad" recorils.
ln faimess to Ianres (who rightlYresarded Patton is the greatest, hearing&"own onlv once) his fiist inrpression ofWillie as i weak6r sinaer in the Pattonvein was really a quic[ and accurateiudpnent. The facf that &own standsb" i siant asainst nrost otler bluessinge?s,wasi't as apparent in 1957 aslt ls today.
lhe importance of all this is that\{cCloskv had some vague Prospectsof findin's the Willie &own-Pararmuntof findins the Willie Brown Pararmuntarmns N6nheim's effects. What addedarnone Manheim
$o*eyt qrg, not iu oii, timber.unll,es lwtl Egun nowlmg In wtson.The trail tms Vold. It had begun in1930 at the Pcramotnt fwniturefoctort' (subuntrortors to the WisconsinCtwiri in wintry Port Washington, Wis.Thirty eight ye'ors later, the trail nwdec sfuip right- trrn eqst to New Yorh.
Ilv Aoril. 1967. Bamev NlcCloskY,th. inoit voracious recoid collectoi ofhis time, made a hunied exit from hisoverworked'57 Chevy and descendedon the 'innocent' streets of Qucens,New York.
He was wearing a sheepskin-lined,senuine cowhidejacket ahd a blackfut"t. an attire which would have madehim aooear ouitc at home with thets"iu,li'" and russed mountain cliffs ofthe Pvrenees. b"ti[ rather absurd amongsttlre high rise apartment buildingsof Queens.
llc trembled sliehtlY with antic-ioation as hc appr:oached one of t-hebluildinss. Thii'mission was important.Philio lVlanheirn had died and tlamey*u* fr"t" to scavengc the remains o[an alleged prize collection of rare jazzand blues rbcords.
Actuallv. the contents of thisollection were virtually unknown . .because \lanheim was unapproachablebv other collectors r'r'ho were out toilke unfair trades. llhat attractedBamev, a fierce country bluescornpetitor, was tie magtc nanre Wt'llteBroilm.
spice'to the situation was that NlcKungdidntt re.ember which Parannunt Manheim6id. P"tunrount released only two Williehown records. A half dozen copies ofFuture BIuesA4 & O Bftzes (on iieChanrpion 50023 reissue) are in thehands'of collectors: so we know kown'smusic of the early t30's. Two cra*edand unplavable Paranpunts (both l1'utwe/tvl & Ol wbre duq out of MississiPPishackd. first bv-Wardlow in 1963 andthen. Dave Evins in 1967. But Paramount
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I
L3ffi9 Kichine In MY SleeP Blues/Window Blues is still an illusive anddesireable item.
lVlanheim was afraid of germs and woresloves, McKune had said.-He wouldn't3hak. hands witl you unless he hadgloves on.
Bamev suspected that the chancesof the Willie &own Paramount stillbeins there were miniscule' Didn'tManhieim's relative tell Bamey thatManheim died about a year agri ?
"Whnt record collection? " She said."I lwuen't seen Philip in 15 yews.He died alorw -Pennile s s."
This information was gleaned afterBarney had nrade over [5telephonecalls lnrost of them embarrasSing) tovarious Manheims listed in the NewYork telephone books. This desparatesearch beean when a letter fromVcCloskyto Ntanheiil was retumed bv the PostOffice stamped DECEASED. McCloskvhad never written to Nlanheim before.
Beins unable to establish anYworkable relation with Manheini's onlycontactable relative, Barney went dir-ectlv to Manheim's apartment house,The'Wentworth Arms.-to talk to thesuoerintendent. In the lobby, Bameydiicovered the porter mopping the floor.
"lvlaybe you can help me," he said.Bamev showed the porter the retumedManhe'im enveloDe tb establish hislesitimacy as ari interrogatot 'lI buyotT records md I hnaw Mr. \\anheim hadanice collection. Could you tell newlnt hqpened to his records? "
The oorter out down his nroP andsearchid for the right q,s1ds. "Wel/,
Julv. 1Sl0: ure of the two Pannomtsrec-dddlhv Willie Fown. Ihe otherBaranult. "Widow Btues/KichingIn ttfiv Sleeb Blues ", still hasn't beenfqrf, by collectrs...
ttrra, tilre, you'll hne ta tqlk to tleSrqer," he said.
"I tried the *ner. He isn't Inne.Don't ttnw, I uin't make trouble-see? No tiouble. I'monly interestedinbuyine the records. Are there uryrecords left?"
"Well," said the porter, "nosl
of tle records uas disposed of W tIrcfitperJ'
"Did he sell then or tlvow tlwmouf?" Barney asked.
"Well. vou'Il lwtn to talh to theSuwr,"
-the porter said. "Call tlw Super.
He comes ii at fiue. The plnne. Thebuilding is in the plnne boh."
Bamey left, found the telephonenumber 6f The ll'entworth Arms in theQueens book, and called at 5:30.
'fhe $rper's wife answered the phone.
Slre spoke with a pungent Irish bro-gue.
"I uns at yotr lnuse euli.er today.Did the prter tell you?"
'\es.t '
"Are there ory records left?"
"'Ihere are a few in tlrc basenent.It doesn't pay to cone out here for tlem"b few, hrid[y any."
"WelI, l-et nE come oyfi,onlury. I'lltake w ch@tces, ohnry?
S[re reluctantly asred to let Bameycome back the nbxt-day, Sunday.
On Sunday it had tumed.bitter cold.It was to become the last cold daY inAoril. Tftis, Bamey thousht, is iI. Onlyq'few records left.'The clwnces ueremote. I'm doiirg it for the WiIIie Brann.
The Super's nanrc was Keamev.McCloskv rang the bell. Keamey'cameto the door. il" *u. in his 60'sl aboutfive feet. ten inches, with brieht blueeves and a ruddv complexion.-Theysfnok hands. Hb hadbie hmtds, B5;meYthought, lihe Jack Dempsey.
"I'mKewneyr" he said.
After a few minutes Mr. Keameybesan, "\ftanheim uns a fine gentlenm.H;had class. AYale graduate, youhrnw. He died ttn yeus ago. I don'thtww wlnt hapwneil to hiial the end,.He cane frornd fine funily mdhdplenty of muttcy. But at the end, YouWnu;, he uns cutira tmrks of wt ottlof thb building ond ielling them-"
Could haue sold his records, tm,Bamey thought.
"He uns acting strange." Keamevsaid. "He hept to himseTf , you hrnd.He didn't lihe to bother with peoplebecause they alunvs wanted ionbthinpfromhim- He didn't go for tlwt. Ftarnitlnugh, he ums aluays tahing youngngn w to his awtment. you hnant.Espcially sorie youtq fellows iustout of gison."
McClosky and Keamey took theelevator do'wn to the basenrent. Theywalked over to a huge cardboard boi,the type used for shippine canned smdsand rirbasuring three bv fo=ur by thrdefeet hiefi. Books madri up the'bulk ofits conlents. But strewn'over the topand to one side were 78 r.p.m. records.
Bamey beean probing. He examinedthe first-disk'. "Relaxiil' At The Toro",Muglgsy Spanier on Bluebird, new butcracltid.'Good white iazz oI the'30's,but not rare. Next, "Roch Of Ages",F.W. McGe on Victor Er'and still inone Diece. ToD preacher of the late'Z)'b who made some of the bestreligious records. This was not arnngthem.
Next, "Jonoh In The Belly Of TheWhale", new and whole. The last one.third of the record contains some of thenrost exhilirating religious music everwaxed. Sold a hundre-d thousand copiesin its day.
Next. "Vicfts bwg BIues-No. 2",Little hother iVtontsomery on BluebirdFl-. The second bes"t Litile Brother record,L,xceeded only by "Vichsbwg-No. 3"-ond one of the f iipst country-blues,withpiarn occomp. (a rare combination).
Next, "Slccherlee", Furry Lewis,Brunswick E. the country b[ues classic,tle reissue pressed from the originalVocalion master. Bamey fishedJor more.There were several Claience WilliamsOkehs in G condition. Nothing more.
NO WTLLIE BROWN.
God, Bamev thousht. the sheletulremnins. "Wliat haplpened to all the otherrecords, Ulr. Keuney? "
"*me uEre throtm out, you hnow.But he must hme hnd some in his othera.W tment in Manhattan. "
"Heue rn ided. Fqct is, you hnow, hedied there not here," Kearney said.
"What cqasedhis death? How olduns he?"
"He uns ubout 52. Don't hrnw whnthe died of. What do you die of at 52?"
Bamey handed the Super 91.50 'for
his trouble' and the recbrds. Did it payto track down Manheim's Manhattan
'
address ? Dead over two years and allDroDertv in Manhattan probablv confis-batbd by the..Ci.ty. Barhey's greea naameasurible limits. Not quite insane,in fact, perhaps completelv sane, heknew the time. It was time to bidWillie Brown FARE THEE WELL.
EPILAGUE: Pararnount 13099 stillhasn't been recovered bv a knowncollector at this writine. But, as luckwould have it, a compl6tely unknownWillie &own performbnce was discoveredin the archiveis of the Library.Of Congress.It was well oncealed, slnce r[ waslisted in the catalogue as a Son Houserecordins oI "Vlahe\4e A Pallet On TheFloor". Recorded at Lake Cormorant.Miss.. 1941.
Future BluesA & 0 Blues-re issue auail-able on Orisin. OJL-\.1\4ississippi Blues:Make Me APallet 0n The Floor-isstrcdand quailable on Herwin 92404.
Beyold his four titles mPaiamumt (two haven'tbeen heard). this is WilliehorYn's qrl.v other recordine. Recoded at l-akeCanrnrant. Miss.. 1941;,f iEiii;il iiil"tlrii idvTtirt-ized llenrin label.
" Another aportment ? " asked Barney,surprised. '$hat's the address?"
Notes onBrianRusttsJozz[.ecor:ds18g7-tg7l
W*n ile secorui edition (i.e.,thenon-Blues version) of this fine worftwas published early in 1963, I sotdown to'work on ch'eckins all m-v filesagainst it. The notes res'ultins'fromtfiis were sent to &ian Rust f5r hisinspection and comments. Theseconunents were then inserted intothree carbon copies of the notes andthese were circllated to variouscollectors in the USA, the UK andthe European continent. The lastcopv seems to have disappearedfor'&er. but the other tw6's iourniesproduced further material. All ofthis has now been collated into themass of notes which follow.
This material arises from thesathering tosether of data on recordsil,hich hive Either been seen andlorheard bv me or have been reliablvreported to me by scores of collectorsw6o are discoer6phicallv inclined.So many peopfe Have (aird still are)been inv6lve'd that it would be wellnish impossible to name them all.,*t Yther'than implicate anyone, shouldthere be anv erroneous dlta herein,I will list rio names but here offermv tharfis to all who have conttibutedin the hope that they will recognizetheir owri paiticulariterns asmey appear.
Additional md.erial has beengained fmm various record magazineartrcles whose wnters are. ln.mvopinion, reliable. Thus, it may wellbb that some of these notes are not"newsl' to everyone. However, ifthev do nothins inore than serve thePldnse of getilng everytlrlng into oneDlace. tnen some qood wlll @melrom all the effort'l
The nnteriql is condensed as muchas possible. I have tried to make it
ip thecircwr
. : i 're
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t .
FF- _<@-PrF4r .4S
*.t dfadcE-qulds etrear.as
a4ist headings ii fotCtype andartrst headrnrs ln boldtyDe aridpibudonyms in capital l6tfers. Tune
, of altemnte takes shanm where kutmW rw tn. witlnut tuhe,'tlvn issue no.wiilnd:label md with tqhe in ( )-:7668,4795 GB) Apx bat rc. whnanil blaintake|; 7669, 3697 (plainl; 7712,7022(4 ); 7752, 4831 blain); 7809 on VF 1053(rnt 1049 ) ; 4s 7936, 4910 GB| 471 GA),9267 GA),3811 GB);7997,4909 (4),471 ( plain), !/96 (4 ) ; 7969-A, B Gemettlabel says feafines Lillian Robbins soWesunnbly she plays tle slide-whistleo nwsical-suo; 7993, 4935 GA), 531 GB),7I% GA);7994 tahe A also issued,4933 GB),9280 GN;8092-A,B qlsoLillian Robbins featwed, ,1975 GB),3868 GAand -B);8033 phin tahe alsoisstred, 4795 blnin), 2117 GA) ; 8058,459 GA),3798 GAI;8059,31n (pbiil;8060 plain, A featwes a xylophone,9369GA), 9797 (plain), strihe od Westpofl 3IA0h Jre furuEls side): A 8101-A striheout Westryt 3A72 orui add to 81n-A; 81Ntahe A also isswd and add AWx 451;8110 all sune; 8141 ttnhrnum to&e alsoWestprt W70 as PAVILION PLAYERS;8252 the Germett Special is lnblledFraternity; 8343 qdd talw A on Strlrr 9n2;8344 add plq.in tq]?e on Stqr 9392; 8365-Aadd -3 as'urcal credit; 8404 atso'Awx421; 8405 also Apx 388; 45 8464-A unendurcal credit to -3; 8465, 5232 GA), 418( plain), 3976 blain) also on Gusdsnwn1389 (tahe whnaun) os NEW JERSEYDANCE ORCH;8466 plain also issued,5232G8), 413 GA), 9438 hlain); 8484,5243 blain), 94X7 GB); 8594 plain talwalso issued, fr77 fuIain); 8648/8649-Aanend Gemett 5324 to 5334; 8686 plaintahe also issued. oddEW 4012 kilain)AS UPAIV\AT NOVELW ORCH;Jonumy (16? ), 1924, strihe out "Hula
L,ou'l odd this session--5720-A"Mindin' llly Business" Gewtett5364, Stur 9512-g/21plain "HulaLout' Gewwtt ????, Stir-r 9512-(nu wluwm) "If You'll Come Back"Gennett 5354: wld hx unknatun)"Lezy" Gennett 5407;8824 tal?e Aalso issued, anend Stwr 9439 to9539(-A);8825 plain talw also issrnd,anend Stur 9439 to 9539 ftlain) ;re-utrite next session anending date totilav. 1924 (rnt c. Awil)-3*72 olain"()h Baby" Gennet't 5452, Reiinglon50M3 as REMINGTON DANCE ORCH-8973-A "Aiental Loue Dreams" Gennett??? ? , Stur 9551 hnt 9550 ) , Operaplwne9 551 -8gI 4 plain "Neuer Abaih " Gennett????, Stqr 9551 hnt 9550), Owraphone9551: odd this session-eslv Jme. 1924-8906 nlain "Wait'il You *ie lvl^y Gal"Gemeit S4TI, Star 9s6o -8w7:A "If ICan't Get.The One I Want" Genrett5471, Stur 9560-8908 plain "l,llaytine"Gernett 5463, Stqrr 9564; from wrhalnse $ s ion-( wthniltn nm l "lvlaltdalay "Gemett 546&add-perlws from saresession us 9052-"Go Emmaline"/"Ltrcille" Genrwtt 5532:9547 plaintahe also issued. 3075 6lain aitd -A):cI -9608 plain 6td -B rilso isstrcd,3094 blafn, -A and -B);9638 plaiit
litles ai: in guotris; but, as much aspossible, I hdve referred to titles bymatrix number for ease of loeation.'
Fwtler data is solicited" butplease note: (l) indicate yow sowce(the actual record, oompany files,ac.); restrict such inforruition toarlists conloined within tle alpltn-btieal limits of these rntes sb fupublisled (l-would rather you add tomy notes on. sav. Fred Rich thanhive us botf ddiicate each other'sdata) Dependits on circumstanbes,further ma:terial l,r/ill be published in78 Quuterly in due coufse.
Write to me at : [0, Fore Street.Taunton, Somerset, England.
40 AtISTtN-{onect tutv title onPzmrowfi 12359 is "Don't FugetTo liless-Arouhd.When You Do TheCharleston", md tal?e 1 also issued.cEllE AUSTIN-MonA Hazel doubleson cunet on LA-ffi8-4. I-TOVIEAUST|N-I0005-2 is " TtauelinE Blues' In95-2 rnt on Cenhry fr12; il98-2Siluertone cat. number is 2552: amerd \note, only Silvertone 3572 us THEHOT Docs-others as BOBBY'SRWELERS: 2219'I also Siluertone3552; rmtrix of "Too Sweet For Words"is 2222-I; Awust,1926: Pamassiesavs ctt is rnt Lodnier utd tlwt tbnis-orobablv Ki.d Orv: 2622-1 also onfi(z as titcu noeurY's NyMPHS& SA?YRS; uocalist credit on %21-1/2624-2 should be -2 (rnt -1). 42 addBACK BEACH PIRATES- pserdonymon XX lnful for State Street Ramblers,
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"Canzone Ammosa Nenetist Loue Song) "
Columbia 94-P, 170259-7 '"Vleuy Bhrcs"cdlumbiag4-P. B,AR HARBOR S:OCrcryoP.CH-add9115 "WhenNIy SWU WalhsDoum The Street" (Westchester DonceOrch, q.u. luter in lhese rntes). 53WALTER BARI{ES-{-%60 full title is"l'4y Kindn Loue (Orn Way To Puodise) "Decemfur (24?), 1928, odd C-n04 "BeurKoo Jrrck" rejected, C-3941 there is arwn-ua:ql uersion of this on GermonBrunswick (tmlm.oun cat rn). BARREL-HOUSE FM-Ed Allen is urcalist(rnt Williams), 327 title on QRS is"Nobdy's Business (How I Loue ThntN4an) ", 330 also VJR 21, on the Pua-ru>unt issues this bqnd is titledBARREL FIOL/SE FIVE (i.e., ttueewyds ). BARRELHOUSE PETE-llrisis ctctually Art Gillham" see RecordResewch 19 fcr a full discography.54 RFJRLYN BAYLOR ORCH_inoddition to the re-write in tlrc lndexthe. followins should fu rnted:instrunentation is cnt, tbn, clt, pno,gtr, dms and,ChampionI54TT is asVICKSBT]RG ?EN. BAY STATEBROADCASTERS-39/2 is tale C onVan Dvhe and Godson and tle latteris os BAY STI\TE SYNCOPA?OBSas trcll as the Radiex. 55 BtXBEIDERBECKE-I?I4I rnt on IIRS23 (this is aWoluerines sidd, 57kptember 8, 1930, re. pianist FranhSiewrelli clairns to haue made thissess ion. cEORcE BELSHAW-tohesue both A, rwn-uocal tahes uere alsonnde and may hare been issued onGermon Br-ut':swick. 6? BEN BERNTE- b19804 recorded July 19, 19%,
Mend \/luch 15 to \luch 1'1, i9n, andna, IL21$74 slnuld be, E-21865, mx &22308should be substituted fu U22310 qnd dateis April 8, E-24473 recorded Septenber fr,E-25130 Nouember 10, E-28418'urcal triois labelled "Ben Bernie's Sped Boys"on 3896 md this is also Dwphore D4033as THE MANIIA??AN SERENADERS.E-28811 shauld be F-28881, 63 Dich'Stabile joinedBemie onltlay 11, I9D, soshould not b in this personnel and hesaid thnt Paul Weisan uns rnt in theband when he ioined. E-nm| date nnrelihely Decem\er, 1929, and rartunumua:qlist is fuldy Thomas. E-n338 uocalistis Scroppy Lambert as is thnt on bH557fu which a lihelier date is \4qch, l9D.64 HARRY BIDGOOD AND SqM iNCNN-4-155-E also Gtwdsman 2032 qs ,MTAND LF.SLIE YOUNC. BIG ACES_R365is also as BIG CLIOCOLATE DANDIES.65 add BIBITINGHAM RED JACKE-TS_pseudonym on Buddy f or V agabonds, q.u.67 BLACK I[MINOES-sides onGennett5347 ho.ue whrnnn alto qdded to instru-nentation. 8670 tqhe A also issued.BLACK finernS--odd 20822-2 "&ne
A These Dorys" Bu;y 1218 ad 1347recorded c. August, 1928, ad (wl<ruunrm) "Just AStueetheut" Bury 1218.68 EUBIE BLAI{'B-12344 Bun 1448 as
also issued, 3086 (plain antl -A) : 9610also Chamnion I50N as Sfl'EN'CtlAtfPlONS; 9699-A also EnglishVocalion X-9901 os RIVERSIDE DANCEtsAND: 9701-A is labeLled ?RAYIS-CARLTON ORCH on Gennett qndtherefoe tw- rnt be aBailey's Luchykuen side (also on Chnmnion 15U)6 asTED n4ARSrt ALL'S ORCH ) ; 97 23 fulltitle is "Desdemona (That PersonalFriend Of trlirr-) ": 9715 olso Chnmpion15031 as' ffiVEN CH AIIIPIONS; 97 15omend V ocalion X-9796 to X-9797 ;9776 Chamnion 15040 is as SEVENCHA]VIPIONS; 9816-,\ also ChnwionI50SS as SEyEN/ CI'A\{PIONS; December(24? ). 19%. amend rnte - Aco G15955only ds RIO'GRNIDE DANCE ORCH-UGn8 as OHIONOVELW BAND,Gumdsmon 1892 onlv cs NEW JERSEYDANCE ORCH-1816 os SAN FRAN-CI%O DAIICE BAND; Februuy (1? ),1926. amend rnte-Coliseum 1912only'as MARYLAND DAI'ICE ORCH-1894 as MAYFIELD DANCE ORCH,bthGusdsman as SAN FRANCISCODANCE BAND. Aco G16008 as OHIONOVELTY BA,ND. BUSTER BAILEY671112bu,-also Aiob 142 as BILLYWARD, Clarinet blo, Nouelty Acc.49 MAYNARD BAJRI!-HuoId TqftpIWs buitone sox. 50 SMITH BALLEW-109773-8 hns q uocal W a femnle;409771-A also Pulonhone R620. Ariel24541 as ARIEL DANCE ORCLL4038n-A also Ariel4636 as ARIELDANCE ORCH, sr150874-3 also RegalGn9C2 as DEIJZA DANCE BANA 404512-Calso Pulophone A3C93, 4045134 alsoParlophone Bln. 52 add BARBARYCOAST ORCHESTRA- profu.bly HuwdBery (tbn), Cliff Ratull (clt/alto), BobSlnler (clt/len), M. R. "Russ" Coudeyblt/alt/buidir ) , Phil Thompson (prn) ,Chrrch Peacock (bjo), whrnwm (bbs), LewisBeers (dms), N. Y., c. late, 7924, 170031"-l"Wafush Blues" Colurirbia 72-P, 170032-2"*m" Columbia72-P: BARBARY COASTORCHESTR A OF D ARTMOU TH - per sowrelwhnoum, N.y.C. prhaps 1928, 170258-2
BOOTGR--Oriole 347 as Booher's DixieJazz Band. Gennett 6375 is listed inle.dger as "Old Time Orch Play" whichnwi irulicate that these ue "Cotntry AndWe'stern" rather thnn jozz or blues per-formances. ?3 PTRRY BRADFORD-14n/1430 11283 issue also on Brooduaylabel, Febr wy, 1924, irrcludes OttoLlardwicke (alt). 16 BROADWAY BROAD-CASTERS-2357 tohe Aalso issued,Perfect 15126 and Pathe 36945 beu rnx108640-1,2 uith higher tahes a differentuersion of this ttne, 77 3128 also Romeo619 mdl,4ay, 1928, seera abetter datefcr this session, all these ue probablyfum Lanin4irected bands as nay be theBrunswichs. BROADWAY MELODYMAKERS-{dd Pwetone 11284 "Two
Time Dan" (Aipinal Indiana Fiue)/'NiId Popa" Origtnnt Geugia Fiue)both o.u. 78 BROADWAY SYNCOPATORS-10464 also Aco G15163 as OHIO DAI'ICEBAND. 79 HARVEY BROOKS'QUALITYF0lJ&-Leon Herrifcxd and Henry"Tincan" AIIen. add BROWN & TERRY'SJAZZfILAFO.YS wthnown !Pt, tbn, clt,prn, bbs, dms, c. Jwe 1921,79n'A'"Dorktown
Strutters Ball" OK 8006,7982-A "Tlte Hesitatin' Blues" OK 8006,7983-A "fuxophane Bhrcs" OK 8017,(mx unhrnwn)' " All By l,4yself " OK 8014,(na wlttnwnl "Arv'n-In indiana" OK801 4-c. September 1921, 70185-8"Yelpins Hound Blues" OK 8018, 70188-8"Doum Bv The Old Swimnin' Hole" OK 8017,70190-8 " Atmt Hagu's Blues" OK 80!8,(na unkrwun) "Jtanp Steody Blues" OK 8021..80 II{ERRITT BRUNIES-6/3/61t on Aulograph6lJ arcording lo an Autograph sleeue, 8larutther title, if rl exisls, probably fulongs tothis Much 2, 1q26, session md reputedly unsissued on German Odeon 03301 and 60233'" Foreuer With Y ou". CLIFF BRYAN--o/so apseu&tnym f cr The Trauelers, q.u. .82 BUF-FALODI,$IS- wthrnwn u(ral l s I t s tlarc lct.Arlen. 6619 take 2 olso issu:d, Bonner 1775is lahe 2 and also hns mx 5381-2 in its unx !6648 alsoNationnlNlusic Louers 1178 (tohe 2)a.s I|AS?ER \IELODY MAKERS, 6649-3 also
JOHN MARTTN & FIIS ORCH' 1N5.1also Bury 1460 as JOHN I/IARTIN/ & HISORCH. Vusity 8045 as DICK ROBERT-SON & HIS ORCH, Vusity 5056 as DICKROBER?SON & HIS ORCH. 68 RLINDPERCY-lhls is labelled BLIND PERCYAND HIS BLIND BNVD a1d mxs are n138-2(c. October, 1927 ) "CcnI Riuer Bhrcs"ond nI80-2 "Forrteenth Street Bltes"(c. Nouember. Bn ). 69 BOB OR B{JDtliLlJD-the lritWrial "Louable And Stueet"ha.s a complic'ated discogr ophicaL history !\lr.r.sl if rnt oll isstted uersions ue by afum Lonin band thaugh na issue knoumbears his name. The performonce is liuelydurce music u'ith one cLtryus diuided intoso/os bl clorinel (probqbly Lany Abbott)md tro-mbone (Tom Dorsey). \lx is ffi21recorded Aueust n, nn. Botmer 6483as CINIPII{WJYS,' Reeal 8831 as ? ' Ariole1668 ond Jeuel5685 o:1 UNIVERSIry BOYS'Ooiina !386 as ROt '\DERS, Imperiol 2172as BLIDDY BLUE A,ND llls TEXANS"Cameo9%6 uld Romeo 1058 as BUDDYp'tplos arup ms)RCH, Perfect 15213 wtdPatnc YOSZ os BEN FRAIYKLIN HOTELDANCE ORCH-u'ith a umietv of matrix,andcontrol numbers. 70 JINII\IY BLYTHE-/75Uiolze 2 also issted, I75I tahe 2 also issued*rd Pora ornt 12i07 is labellerl JAll{ESSl,VnE o.s ls (?1 ) 12304, 24fr tahe 1 alsoissued and m Siluertone-this tune islabelled "Puntp Tille", Pqramatnt 12:!/0;i or .lltltttg ALyfUp and add the dittomuk for 1026, Puamount 12368 is asBLYflHESWATIBOARD BAND (i.e.' no.tirr yt and 2542 title is,"Buddy pyttgns.lazz" (i.e., na arystrophe I ufi tnts nasa uocal Q511-I Lteing instrwrentctil,, -- --Poiirr*t 12376 is as JINfri4IE BLYTHEAND IllS RAGI'IUFFINS ftnt JimmY andrnt Roeamuffinsl and 2503'1 Centwycatalo"elo no. is:l1n (nat 3ffi9), 7.2-^-.Ci,iiit qSOZ as BLYTHE AND BURTON.It"rin m. 1931 , in Gennptt ledger JumesCtarh is listed as Chorlie Clarh. B'Ott-EMIAN BAITID-MelroPole 1258 is qsBOHEI4IAN DAN'CE BA\D. CHARLES
Aper 9525 os YANKEE SIX ORCI/, both Ilsitnrssrn,s cs LONDONSKIE J -Pl CC,1DI LLI -l MZ.CIIIUK BIII,LOCK-9ffi7 also Perfet't 12591.Rt'gol 4955, Romeo 1%6 from unhnown takes,9;il 1 tahe ') olso issued, also Romeo 1266Itoht, :J I , l()759-2 also Bonrer 32252, Canndian[)omirut 510q,1. 10770 also Banner 32252.I.'RANK IIIINCH{lhdmnion 15398 os NEVOIiLi'A\S S?'RI]??ERS. 83 WILUAM E"BUDDY " Bt.TRTON-see also tslues Lt, Gos-pel Re(rrds page 100. 84 EZRA BUzzINGToN-<uill III|ZZING?'OA/'S RUBE BAND, cr.Iult, Ie)i. l2299.A "Broum Jug Blues"/l2!qt)-.\ "lJru h
'l'o That Dear Old Form"
Gennett'I)124. In oddition to the re-wite intfu'lndex, rutk: thnt Chawion 15581 is asJOSII SI\IPKI\.S A,ND I/IS R{-/BE BA,ND.
nE00aD$by Charles LaMoore
ln,a domoin uhere rigLLt.sare. Juzz") , dn ol )erL Lnr LuLt tonextsts Jor ( ;onunerCLal ,c .ntre-p r P n e u r . \ l o c n l e t l h P b [ u e \re issue f ie ld u. i th l i t tLe appor-ent knai,Ledce or interest'Lrtb lues ( i .e. , ihe |nphtzardser ie.s on l l is tor ical Records),Therefore, u.hen onother { .5.rerssue com[nny r ;ot tcs on thescan t , t h i . s ' i n i i . seL f i s no t, , ' t , i . l i r r 4 . l l t t I . t t l r q - t h i . ' co i l \ [ 4 rn \D P H I i l s h \ r . t \ \ L r t n N 1 1 y . l t < : tu t n i l t t l , l i c u u n l r ) L l u c s ' i n , rt rad i t ion e s ttt h Li.s fu.d by ()r t sJ n
Jazz [ , i l , r r r t ) , the resu l ts u r l o ftujor ink:rest to blrcs collectors.
7 'h t ,y i ssLpd the i r f i r s t f i terecrnls undcr the "Be[zom"
Iabel,then t; lutngcd their rnme tr,
"\ 'a:oo"
fo r the nex t fne re iss res , .4s k t'the first f ir i ( l]elzona): fAe l/ iss-
iss ipp i l l l Lns (L -1001) i . s o co l -Iec t ' i i n o f DeLn b l rcs uh ich no t .only preients futher sides bt, t c l i nint lerl xed' yreats C lutrlt c' I 'r i l ton,. \u r r l lou , " , r t rv l Ruber t lo l tn ' , ' n ,hu t s r 'n ! l i yh l .s Dc l t ' t su i tu r s t " l c ,h . y . ' i c l t a s L l u t t i c I t i l o n e r a i r l t h c' I \nu i lL . t on l rc -punc Icd HuIk r r, [ue t on | | i l l i , tn l lan is ' inms; i , ,n t t l
I m L ( : d L ' I n t & n
Belzona's \lemohis LP(L -1002) o f fa rs ob icure ye t ( ru t -skrntl inp piifctrnunces oi eacht rack , T lu : f t t c : t . t fu t t . l / r :n rpA l .s s t1 '1clurs rmtre rcigtime in lt t ir in I/ lsi l.ss-ippi stylc i i denrnstratetl harc bt'i ich ,is ()corse' ' [ 'ore1.
Trn l)ick-. \ n n , u n J , ' , [ . p v 1 : . t , , l ' l ( n p h t : . l l i n n t , .' l l : r ' l o u t t u i ' , 1 o t t \ ( t n c , ' { t h ' I ' e ' t
re r , t rAcr l t l {o r t .s l ' , t [ :u r { L r t t i . , ,l"runk Sto[i:s, cnl RohcTt l l i lkins..Srprlse of this alhunt: t l ie great.4 | [en S lu i r - lL is rough, rough z L t i cc( lx tc lx , l . L ) op(n C h t t tk 'n iL ;A g ,uLar r )fu ts l .hc uu l .h i , r i , v l lu t l r :on t t ' s l ro rn ul r t o f l i t ' i rLg t t ru | good r t l r t . ' / . ' r i t( l r L I t 11 InE.
, t r t ( ' , t t r , t
I have over 450,000 out-otprint records -95% ofpractical ly everythingrecorded by any Mnd orsinger - in fact, anythingof importance recordedbetween 1900 and l9S.r WILL EXCHANGE myjazz, blues & personal-ity for blues and hil lbil ly
records of the 20's and30's" r wrr.l BLrY coLL-ECTT0NS of 20's & 30'srecords, radio & Army/Narry shows of the fl's& 30's. I have 20.000classicals & 10,000 16"transcriptions. sENDME YOUR WANT LISTSNOW ! Jacob S. Schneider,413 Ans0edarn Avenue,New Yorli, N.Y. 10024
i ' t , t . . \r krntn. i .r tui s ir t trr ( ' t t tut lr tI t ' t ' t . . . , t r . t ) t , t l l , l : . r ' , t , t , l t , , I l ; , ,
lu r tu re \ r 'u r t lu lL t se lcc t t ' r l 7 r ' r r r .s'gu ik r r i . s t .s , .sucA i r .s L i t tb I lu t J t rn .s , r t
. :upcr l ' I ins , rp i ' A , r , t l t " [ , t t re ' l t l ^uk , : y , ' 1 | , i l i l l i , R e e , l , u i t l t l t ' t n 1 c , -1 r a u . . ' s , ' a i c o [ r h r t h r r , , l ] l i r u ! L a n i nI e [ [ " r s o r t , i n ' h i s , n l 1 r a " u r d ' J e t u m l l cn l ' rnur t t r \ n ty t ime, 5anm1 l l i l L ' . s t o [u t i ler i "nor La iked b \ p ,u i tu r d ie t , ' tn t l K inyS,' lomorr l l i l l pTaytnx his hard, bru"r1-uekn i fe su i ta r . Surbr i . v o f th is a lbumiBu i ld i Bov Hcntk ins-h is th roa ty to iceand. {u i ta i a re so c lose . . t ,hey b6 th soundas r l l l e ) uere rn open G tmrnB.
The f ifth Belzona LP, BtindWil l ie l f i iTel l 1L- lN5), featues l l leTel las a young man in his misi"al prime.t le was neuer lo recaptue Ll lgaln,After this album, th.eie can be-rn doubtol McTell as a rnajor l2-string guitarsty ILst .
*-
HEffiINPANT 2byJOIIN
IufacKENZIE
ln the first issue lohn MacKenzielisted and described the known Herwinsin the 91)00 and 9.3000 series (pressedand labeled by either C'ennett oi Para-mount) and the obscure'popular' l lerwin550fi) series. We also reld'the hisroryof Herwin-its beginnings as the Arto-phone Corporatioi in l{18 under theSchiele ffothers through its merger withthe St. Louis Music Co=mpany and theLayer Brothers in 1925 as a'mail ordercorirpany to its demise in 1930. Here,theri, is'the initial listing of the little.known'hil lbil ly' HerwinT$00 series(pressed and libeled by C'ennett, Para-mount, and a third, unknown conpany):
75500 SERIES: HILLBILLY ANDSACRED RECORT}S
75fr1 (.4) Blue Rids.e lllountain Blues(775:612Q-VERNON DALHART: (B) TlrcLi shte nins ( s i c ) E xpre s s (2 I 76-i )-4U YPHILLIPS: Label Tvoe ?
75501 (A) The Liehtnins, Express (97024)-VERNON DALI{ART:78) BIue RideeMountain BLues 0703A)-SAME: LabilType A-l: Both sides also on Ge 3129 andSflu 3129; (A) side also on Ch 15017,Chls 165, and Chle 320; (B) side also onChlE 164 arut ChLg 314.
75502(A) The Death of Flovd CoIIins08s4A).-VERNON DALHART; (B) The'Dream
of the Miners Child (9853A)-SAIvlE:Label Tvpe A-I: Both sides also on Ge3197: (AI side also on ChIs 160, Chls315,'Ch[e 318, ond Ch 150"48; (B) sidealso on Chlg, 505.
75503 (A) ln the Bos.s.ase Coach Ahead(e36sA )-V ERNON UILHART : B ) TheWreck of the Old Southern '97 (96i7 )-SAlr lE: Label Type A-I: (A)side also onCe 5675, Ge 3079, Chle 162. Ch /5/55.& ChIs 3l I : (B) side also oit Ch 1512i.Chls fbl, and Chle 320. NOTE l: Latirpresisrngs of Ce 55BB and Ge 3019 navilse ma{ter9617, rather tlnn thc mastbrtlnt had orieiwlly been used. nannely914a. Nu.9749 b4ars the sliehtlvaltered title, "The Wrech ofihe'SouthernAId '97". NOTE 2: "The Wreck of the( tld Souh.ern '97 " u,ns asain renide in1928 uith Master GEX 12544. Thus.pressinss of Ch 15121 made after J LIv13, 1928, c6ntain thc later master. It'may slso be that oressinss of ChIe 161ond Chle 320 nade afterihis'date"con-tain the-htir ntflster:
75504 (A) Little CId Loe Cabin inthc Lane (12[0il-DAVID hllLLER:(B) I Vish I Was A Sinele CirI As.ain(9669 )-V ERNON DA LH ART : La"be IType A-1: (A) side also onCe 3062,ahil on Chle 331 as by KENNETHBARTON,
"and on Sili., ztol9 as by
IOIIN FERGUS (or FERGUSONI: (B)side also on Ce 3107 and Ch 15035.
75505(A) Sospiri E Baci (9376A)-???: (B) The' Prisoner's Sone ()147)-V ERNON DA LHA RT : Label'TypeA-1: (A) si.de also on Ge 5678 als'byI. SUONATORI AMBULANTE: (B)'sidealso on Ge 3030. Silu 3030. Chls 319.Ch 15073, Ge 5588, ann ChIs 163.
75512 (A) The Church in the Wildtlqed-7pQ9 b )-ROD E H E A V E R &QUARIETTE; (B) ltlother's PiLyerstiaue f ollaned, IIe (7890a)'-HOMERRODEHEAVER: LabelTioe A-I!
-
(A) side also on Ge 4916'And Silu4p1f as bv RODEHEAVER ANDCNTERI^ON QUARTETTE; (B) sidealso on Ge qnS and Situ qgiS.
?55I3_UNKNOWN
755r4-LINKNOIIN
75515-tNKNOilN
75516 U) Behind, Those GrayValls(eBe7B)-VERNON DALHART: (B) TheLetter Edeed ln Black 9898Ai-SAME:Label TyFe A-l: Both sides also onGe 3222;'(A) side also onSiht 3856.qtlQ Chl6 flZ; (82 side also on Chlg160, and Ch.ls 319.
75517 U) ,L ,nOno*o Soldiers Graue(eBe6I-VERNON DALHART: (B) Lifeof TomWason 0947)-SAME: L;belType A-1: (A) side also on Ge 3258.Situ 3856, Chle 323. Chle 157. a.nd.'Ch 15073; (Bfsidq also 6n G,i 3238,SiIu 3856, and ChIe 505.
755ff(A) The Little RosawodCas ket (96 I 6 )-V ERNAN DA LH A RT :(B) The Neut Riuer Train (9615)-SAlt4E:Label Tvoe A-l: Both sides also onGe 3084'bnd Silu 30M: (A) side alsoon Ch 20323, Chle 164, and, Chle 322:(B) side also on Chlg 165 and C-hIg 321.
s
o
755U(A) lesse lames (9717A)-YER-NON DALHART: (B)Iu,st Tell ThemTlnt You Sau tv{e (9716)-SAME: LabelTyoe A-1: Both sid.es dlso on Ge 3143aitd Silu 4OI2: (A) side also on ChIe 503:(B) slde also'o)n Ch 20323, Chlg 16Y,and Chle 310.
ZSSW f)l Drantsy Waters (778:6080)-FRAN K F ERFuI ( sic )-tOH N P AO LU KI :( B ) St. Louis Blues i22z: 5qs-2 )-CHIC:AGO DE LUXE ORCHESTRA: LabelType C: (A) side also onSiIu 6070 asbi'FEREM AND PAOLUK (orP4OULHI ): (B) side also on Para2!!!1,.q@_o1_S-ilu 3526 as by THERED HOTTERS.
75509 (A) UNKNOWN: (B) St. LouisBlues (9647),-FERER'A AND PAAL-UN: Label Type ???: (B) side onCe .3101.
755W (A) In the Heart of Hunii(9394.)-???; (B) SiLuer Sdnds of V'aikiki(93954)-???: Label Type ???i Bothsides also on Ge 5699'dnd Ce 3024 asw w.P. PATTERSON & M.L. ROMANO.
7551O_UNKNOYfN
755llU) Mother and Home (9473A1-VERNON DALHART; (B) Thc RunatuayTrain (9474A )+SA ME: Label Type A -l':Both sides also on Ce 3051 anif Silu4oI8: (B) side also on Ch 15017, Chle311:'(A)'side also on Chls 163. '
"
75518 (A) The Great Titanic (X111)-VERNON DALHART: B) Tlb Shi;Tlnt Neuer Returned ft1i2A)-SAME-VERNON DALHART: B) Tlb Shi;f lnt Neuer Returned (X 1i2A)-SAME,Label Tvpe A-l: Both sides also on!lnt Nguer Returned (X1124)-SAME:I^abg!.lype l;!.: Both^sides al.so onLabel Type A-l: Both sides also onCe 33l f itnd SiIu 3828: (A) side alsoon Chle 156, ChIe 315. and ChIe 316(B) side also on Ch 15/21. ChIs" 155.and C.hlg 317. ̂NOTE: (B)'side"uns_.'
on Chle 156, ChIe 315. and Chle 318:(B) side also on Ch 15/21. ChIs" 155.'and Chlg 317. NOTE: (B)'side"uns
'(B)
remade in 1928 utith masier no. GEX1278A, Thus, pressinas of Ch 1512112784. Thus, pressjngs of Ch I5I2Imnde after ]uli 13. 1f28.'utere nwdeusinp this latdr mister. Whether or n
12784. Thus, pressjngs of Ch I5I2lmnde after ]uli 13. 1f28.'utere nwdeusins this latdr mister. Whether or rnlustng tms Latrer master. wnethera.ddiiiotnl- pres sings of the otherrecords ofihis tuie mbde after July13, 1928,-also canied this Tater masteris still subject to proot'.
755I9-UNKNCIITI
75520-ITNKNOWN
IN TTM NEXT ISSUE: Hentrin755fi) Series-Part 3 !
[,abel Type: A-1
A r:ecorlectionoi BigJoe'sooo
by PETE KAUFMAN
.,\ l'eu ,-eurs on ei.ther sictc of19.5() rrrark thc prinre of rny recorderrl l r 'ct in. t ' rrr :cr, ant. l i t rras duringt l t r r t t i r r rc , a lx r r r t t l t c rear 101) , tha tI . J r ( '111 r r tu r r l l l u rsur i t Sa turdayr l tL 'n r ( f ( )ns r i t ' l l i r . r , / r r ' ' s t cc t td s t , re .[ ] lue s col lcct,rr i lenrr Renard x'orkecll i rr l l iq . l oc orr Satutlur altenroottsJ t t l )a t I r i l te . a : iu l i l l t cn la t l \ c tol r i - t u : k , t f e a t l r l o g i n q l a c o bi ' l rneit lcr ' . r . . ,rrd.. t i r i othcr daysof thc *cek. With I lcnry as grsi iblecatiLl lst. i t lx 'cunc the'habit oIothcr 'blucs col lcctors in the arca-lanrcs \ lcKunc. I lon l ,ubin andi i r r r . ' l i - t , r d rop in on f l ie loe 's onSitrrrtlar aftcriro..-rn. a habit thatr rc rs i : t r 'd s i t l r unr a ry i r rg rczu la r i t y[ , r r u r ru r r , l rc r o f r r ron ths .
'Ou ico tc r ic
\\ils auglTlcntcd by a number ofo t l re r a l l ie i . rnado i o f B ig . loc 'sinc lud i r rs i r l Gr i tz -a t f ie l t i r r teDut t i r rg ( )u t r ' \ee l l cn t re issucs ont 'reol." l ahcl-antl psychology studentl .ou l . c r r (no t as a r id a recordcol lcctoi as the rest of us, butr r r rdou l r tab l r p r t t t ing the a f tcmoonsto sood rr- i ' ihrougfi thc doubleaceorrrpl i slrmcnt of discussing iazzrnattcrs and pttssihly cngagng lnan,rn-r l .-spbt psychol ogical ' f i elds tudv ) .
' l 'h, ' pl 'u-r ' t tas uswlly u'cl l
un, l icd t lro:c Saturt lav aftemoons,lurd Dronrinertt antong'the croud, r . r . l a coup lc o f R ig loe 's c ron ies .()nc o[ th"t i t ,var oftcr i found lyingon the l1oor, and it was necessaryto step over hirn in order to getfrrvl one batch of records to-another^Hc rvas knoxn sinrplv as llorizontalAbc. Ioe's other pal, kno$n to usas thrl ( ireek Sea Captain, r.r'as acrtzzled old man uho occasional lYbrousht Bis loc a hamburger fromthc s"treet Ee' low. ( lb mylnouledge
The Gheek Sea Captain was heput out to sea once Coo often?
n() onc e\cr saw l l ip loc sct footoutsidc t jrc store ir i 'al l thc v. 'arsrve knov him.)
'Ihe Greek Si:a
Caotain could somctimes be obsen'edtrfiinc a bath in a smalI bathtubadioiriing the store.
At this linp I rvas associatedwith a l iquor storc, and l l ic l0ehad a stairding ordcr with rne"tobrirtg a half sal lon of Gallo muscatelto the rccord'store cven Saturdataftcmoon, *hich supplcrncrrtcd thcharnburgt 'rs brought' ih br thc GeckS'a Calirain. Wc'al l arr ired frrmrar ious par ts o [ thc c i ty , l i rn \ l cKunecame irr'from Brooklvn.'S<r'l (iritz andLou Levy dcscended fr<lm the Bronx.Ron l ,ubin arr ived later in the after-noon driving the truck of the photo-graphic company he rlorkcd [or,often frcsh from a Saturdav aftt'moonncdding, and I came fronrihe l iquorstore with a half sal lon of muscatel.
We Wed obout lhn slore, plalcdrecord 's , d iscusscd a ra r ic ty 'o f 'subiects. and took carc to avoidstcpping on l lor iznntal Abc, rrhi leIJis loe"dozcd intcmrit tantly at lr islarcd desk in thc hack o[ thc' storc.In iecal l ing scraps o[ conrcrsutionfnrnr thosc'days. ' I crut readi l t scchow much inf6mration has beenuncovered since then in the f ield ofour part icular intcrest.
' lbday,
col lbctors knou'a srcat deal atnutthe blucs mcn thcv adnrire. rancingfrom the rrart iculai t lpc of hcariai lmcnt that fcl lcd Charlev I 'attonto the brand namc o[ thc guitarplaved by a favored artis[. In those
dals r le knew none of this. Ircitcnrber one Saturday aftemoon,rrhert sDectt lat ion cenicrccl on l ' 'urryl ,e r r i s , ' I in r \ l chunc Pt r t t ing fo r tht lre appircntl) r al id assunrptttr t ttlrat t'Furrl' lg'11 1s ttns ltrrtbottlv ahairt uut." \nd I lcnry Rcrlard, whosar ore'd'fanci ful uont 6nrpl at ion,urrndcrcd at lcngth howllrs.Gockett cooketi-the dinner whenDarid [ ' rockctt took the stov^e pipeoff to thc rccording srudio. Uurknitr* lcdg" of part iculars was l inr i ted'
Biu .loe toleroted thpsefulwdo1' of lcrru x n galher ingsamicabiv. \f ith t-rnc cxccption thatI remcmber. Onc aftcmoi,tn' Ilig
Joc, without .any.preamble orlpparetrt ntot ir at ion, suddcnly pickedub'Sol Grit , and heared him downtfre f l isht of stairs lcading to thestrcct." loe then retumed to his nap,and no ixnlanation of this forcefult l isplav of irr i tat ion was erer forth-.omins. As I say, this was anexcepiional occirrencc, as Joe was
seneially pleased to have us Sather .ihere. Occasional ly though, potentlalcustonlers aroused Joe's susptctonor displeasure' I l lustratrve ol thtswas an occufrence on an altemoon
iurridst the usual Saturday crouddiscoursing noisi l l on vir iou.s topics\vcrc two \ 'ounq t.ecnagers qule.t l \scarehtng Lhnruqh thc rccord hlns,to al l intr 'nts utd appearenccs thc0rrlr prospcctirc cr ir torners in t l leplacc. loe suddcnlr . lnfr,rntcd thcm,hnd dcriranded lo knrrrr ufiat thevivantcd. loe's appcarencc at suchnron)cnt: ' ,ras lonri idablc, and cltouqltto . lwc iurv sensible persons (asthcsc two youngsters prorcd to hc)into fculul rctrcat froirr thc st()re.
'l'here LL,as, hou,r:ttt'r, sonre basis Ifor :rn occlsiorral t l isplal oI suspiciorroir loc's pan. , \ cerlaln amount olrccirrd pi l lcragc \\as taLin.g placc..\ntl orr'onc Saiurdav altr'moon \\cdcc i t l c r l to nK) \e l l i ! loe 's hugc t l csk[nrrrr thc hack oI th.J i t .rrc to the-front of t l ie store,direct ly bv thccntrimcc dotlr, as a lncasure to prcvcnta contirruation o[ the pi l feragc.\\ ' i th the dcsk thus locatcd, i i uasirrurossiblc for anvone to conte iurd gorr i i lxrut rrassit tg drrcct lv in front ofl l i { loc. ' l fut r. l ic occasional thel is.ori t inuctl . I ' 'or rto*, instcad oft l ,rzirrq in thc hack o[ thc strrrc. . locsa t a t ' l l i s t l csk s lunrbcr tng tn thelront ol thc store, rrul l i fvin-g.to a.qrcat c\tcrtt thc 1turpo.,e; of thc chanqc
F-()r s(mt( r('(Iso/? thc rrenn\c(nnpi.rrt i l r( j r) t rr I l0e
's cash rc'gistersas' o[ten l i l lct l ' to or erf lo,r ' ine.' lhe
pennies rvould spi l l overlntotlrc tjthcr txrmpartments rvhichscarce lv hc ' ld 'an t ' co ins a t a l l .' lhus.
niakirrs a sale sometimcscrcated probl'cms, in that it rlasdifficult'to make the corrcct arnountof change.
Prec:isel1' at three O'clcrhcach Saturday altemoon a man named[Job apocarcii at Bie loe's with asuitcase ful l of dirtvbooks. Thesereceivcd our propcr attention, somewere nurchasbd i f thc action wasdcenr6d sraDhic enough, whereas Bobuas mildly'chastisedif the depic-tions did irot achieve the eprcploportions onc, ri ght ful ly expcctedol sucn matertal.
If stme of lhp abore gtragraplssccm to be pokine fun at Big. loe's,in closing I 'would l ike to properlyhalance ihe picture by stat ing thatI will alwavi remembbr loe as oneof the nicelt zuvs I havE known'llis store is riow closed, and thebuildins is about to be demolishedto makd way for new construction.Tl'rc lazz Record Center (the actualnamdof Big loe's store), with i tsnotable mot"td "Euerything FromBwh To N4onh," a dingy and -. .unprepossessing store"up.one fl ightol starrs on a sleazy blocK, lsrecalled by me with-fond appreciation'
not just a classic performanc€...
AN
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