Albert Washington - Blues & Soul Man

Once again a repost by request - I'll leave my original intro intact even if it is sunny in New Orleans today.

It is an unexpectedly gray and wet Saturday here in the Crescent City, it is still 90 degrees, but gray and wet too - not much fun for errands or field trips. Fortunately I went to the store yesterday so I've got some LP's to work on later.....and beer to drink. Guess I could do an unscheduled post too, here is what I'm listening to this morning.... 

I was drawn to this one by the cover and the title rather knowing anything about him. Well I'm smilin' and feeling smart now cause this dude can sing!! I don't know how he flew so far under the radar with stuff this good but it just makes him that much more fun to discover today.  As you cruise through this disc it just seems to get better and better - you will play this one more than once!

"Singer and songwriter Albert Washington spent most of his career singing in the blues clubs around Cincinnati, Ohio and his home in Long Island, N.Y. Washington, who is blind, released two recordings for Iris Records in the 1990s, Step It Up and Go in 1993 and A Brighter Day in 1994.

One of four children of Jerry and Helen Washington, Albert's love of blues and gospel made itself known at a very early age. Washington remembers wanting to play his uncle's guitar at age five. At seven, he made his own guitar out of a gasoline can using rubber bands as strings. After losing his father at age nine, Washington got a job washing dishes after school to help his mother with the bills. After moving to Newport, Kentucky with his family while in his teens, Washington was encouraged by his mother to continue his gospel singing, but not his blues singing. At 16, he joined the Gospelaires, then recording for Don Robey's Duke and Peacock labels out of Houston. A few years later, he formed his own gospel group, the Washington Singers. In his late teens, Washington would sneak into blues clubs in nearby Cincinnati every chance he had, and there he was first exposed to the music of artists like Sam Cooke, Big Maybelle, Charles Brown, and Amos Milburn.

Washington cited B.B. King as most influential on his style of singing and guitar playing, which was heavily sprinkled with his gospel singing roots. Shortly after his mother died, he began singing blues as often as he could at the Vet's Inn in Cincinnati, where he worked with a house band for 16 years. In 1962, he recorded his first single for the Finch label in Cincinnati, and it was later released on the Bluestown label. His 1964 singles for the VLM label, including a song he wrote called "Haven't Got a Friend,'' got him noticed in England, and this in turn led to a deal with Fraternity Records in 1966. Lonnie Mack joined Washington on several singles for Fraternity recorded in 1969. In 1970, he recorded two singles for the Jewel label before finally recording his first LP for the Detroit-based Eastbound Records in 1972.

Due to complications from diabetes, Washington lost his sight, and his career fell into a trough from the mid-'70s to the early '90s, but despite the crippling effects of his diabetes and the tragedies that befell him over the course of his life, Washington remained an upbeat, positive figure.

In January, 1993, Long Island-based Iris Records released his first recording in two decades, Step It Up and Go. He began touring regionally again, and frequented clubs in Long Island. His 1994 follow-up album, A Brighter Day, was named one of the top three blues recordings of 1994 by France's Academie Du Jazz. Washington continued to perform in blues clubs around Long Island prior to dying of complications from diabetes on October 23, 1998." AMG

Blind Blake - All The Published Sides

In the course of this blog, there have been quite a few artists whom I had been unfamiliar with and was subsequently blown away by; Blind Blake certainly fits that bill for me. I find the way he manages to mimic ragtime piano on an acoustic guitar to be jaw-dropping. I was already pretty hip to Lonnie Johnson and many of the other guys, but this was new territory. I called Cliff and asked "Geeze, how is this guy not worshiped as one of the Gods of guitar?" His response was that it was most likely a combined product of the horrible condition of most Paramount 78's and the fact that he didn't spawn a school of disciples to carry on his style. My response to that last part would be that it is unlikely that many could even attempt to copy him given the unique pianistic approach he brought to the instrument. Between 1926 and 1932 he recorded an astonishing 110 tracks for Paramount in both Chicago and Milwaukee. To me that would seem a titanic output for the time.

Until quite recently there wasn't much information known about this genius and the much of what was printed was based on stories from other blues-men which turned out to be false. He was thought to be from Jacksonville, Fl, but his alleged use of Geechee dialect in a song (He refers to Geechie several times in Southern Rag but never changes dialect) also spoke to the south Georgia Sea Islands. Families have been found in both areas that appear to have some connection with him. He was known to have lived part time in Chicago in the late 20's by direct reports of his landlady, he reportedly spent the winters in Jacksonville. The date of his birth and even his real name were all in debate, not to mention the date, place and cause of his death. It seems clear that he drank heavily and enjoyed getting into periodic fights as a result. Different stories had him dying a violent death in the streets of 5 or 6 different places or being run over by a streetcar in one of two. The time span was 8 or 9 years, the locations usually from New York to Jacksonville and points between with little to no attention paid early on to Milwaukee. (Cliff points out that any credible genealogist would have had last known place of employment high on the list of search parameters)

 In 2011 a group of researchers finally put some pieces together when someone found a newspaper obituary, which led to a death certificate, and then to a coroners report. They even found the holy grail, the grave site. Those documents gave us quite a bit of solid information about the man including his true name (Arthur Blake), the year and place of his birth (1896 in Newport News, Va!), his parents names (Winter and Alice), the wife's name (Beatrice McGee Blake), and of course the date and cause of his death and his last address.

When their black artists came to record in Milwaukee for Paramount, they usually stayed in an boarding house where the studio had made long term arrangements with the landlord. Blind Blake died about a block from that place (Brewer Hill area) some 3 years after his last Paramount sessions (and the immediately subsequent bankruptcy of the label). He had been married in 1931 to Beatrice McGee and was still with her at the time of his death due to pulmonary tuberculosis on December 5th, 1934 at the age of 38. The obituary referred to him as "Arthur Blake, an old timer in Milwaukee". (Old Timer at 38!?) The coroners report indicates he had been unemployed and ill for most of the previous 3 years and had died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital in the wee hours of the night while coughing up blood. He had been hospitalized earlier in the year with Pneumonia.

The article ends here for now, but the researchers, Alex van der Tuuk, Bob Eagle, Rob Ford, Eric LeBlanc and Angela Mack, are now followings the leads of the parents names and the Newport News birth place to flush out the story. They finish with a promise that they have already picked up the trail there. The article also attempted to trace Beatrice and to find a marriage certificate. No certificate was found, but she does show up in the city directories as the widow of Arthur from 1935 to 1949. (Cliff points out that if Beatrice did indeed get the parents' names and birthplace correct, it speaks to a longer relationship than just the 2+ years they were married.)

I'm left with some questions and speculations and I really hope to someday see more of this story told. Did Blake meet and marry Beatrice in Wisconsin or did she come there with him? (that she stayed on in Milwaukee may indicate she had family there, but her intimate knowledge of his parents and birth contradicts that) Were there any children? Why would a man whose history shows a clear distaste for northern winters settle in frigid Milwaukee where the very strict local musicians union's records indicate there was no work for him? Is it possible he was stranded there due to the collapse of Paramount? Did his family work their way down the coast to Jacksonville and at some point stay in the Georgia Sea Islands area or is the reference to Geechie in Southern Rag merely a sort of musical travelog? (that would be MY guess) His style speaks much more to a structured larger band background than an itinerant solo bluesman, but no record exists to support that. The number of songs seems to indicate he was quite popular for the 6 years or so of his recordings, Paramount would certainly not have pressed so many sides if they didn't sell, and yet he couldn't get ANY work despite being a remarkable guitar player....WHY??

Sonny Green - Rare 45s

Well, I finally managed to upload this collection as promised.  Thank you for your patience, Chitlin' lovers.   Here are 17 tracks that duplicate and extend the previous post on Sonny Green by KC.  The last track is actually an instrumental without Sonny Green, but it was released under Sonny's name as the B-side of a 45.

One night in the 90s, I somehow ended up in an L.A. club at a Sonny Green concert.   He was still in full voice at the time.  I hadn't heard of Sonny Green until then, and he hit me as something like a cross between Little Johnny Taylor and Syl Johnson, with a little Al Green thrown in for good measure.  In other words, POTENT!   I was happy that Sonny was marketing his own CDR at the time of his classic 45s.  So that is what I am posting here. 

I wonder if Sonny Green is still around and singing?   

Enjoy!   

Legends of Coutry Blues - The Rest

I'm cleaning out my upload cue and that may well be it for this place for a little while - I'm not feeling it lately and there has to be better things to do with my time -

To the 10 or so of you who actually participate here, I apologize, it isn't any of you, I just don't see the point right now. 

I'll be back and recharged after a bit.
 

Legends of Country Blues - Son House

 Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. (March 21, 1902 – October 19, 1988) was an American blues singer and guitarist, noted for his highly emotional style of singing and slide guitar playing.

After years of hostility to secular music, as a preacher, and for a few years also as a church pastor, he turned to blues performance at the age of 25. He quickly developed a unique style by applying the rhythmic drive, vocal power and emotional intensity of his preaching to the newly learned idiom. In a short career interrupted by a spell in Parchman Farm penitentiary, he developed to the point that Charley Patton, the foremost blues artist of the Mississippi Delta region, invited him to share engagements, and to accompany him to a 1930 recording session for Paramount Records.

Issued at the start of The Great Depression, the records did not sell and did not lead to national recognition. Locally, Son remained popular, and in the 1930s, together with Patton's associate, Willie Brown, he was the leading musician of Coahoma County. There he was a formative influence on Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. In 1941 and 1942, House and the members of his band were recorded by Alan Lomax and John W. Work for Library of Congress and Fisk University. The following year, he left the Delta for Rochester, New York, and gave up music.

In 1964, a group of young record collectors discovered House, whom they knew of from his records issued by Paramount and by the Library of Congress. With their encouragement, he relearned his style and repertoire and enjoyed a career as an entertainer to young white audiences in the coffee houses, folk festivals and concert tours of the American folk music revival billed as a "folk blues" singer. He recorded several albums, and some informally taped concerts have also been issued as albums. Son House died in 1988.

Legends of Country Blues - Skip James

Some of you may have figured out by now that the Blues posts have had us on the road to Robert Johnson ever since the Big Joe Williams collection. Bit by bit I have sought to give a realistic picture of what came before RJ and what his influences were. Certainly on the song writing level at the very least, Skip James seems to count as an influence. I've just now realized that I'd posted these songs earlier on the blog, but I'm happy to say this is a much superior remastering job.

At the bottom you will notice that Johnson's most direct influence, Son House, is on the last 7 tracks -- he is also on ALL of the next disc!

A Soldier's Sad Story - Vietnam Through The Eyes of Black America 1966-1973

This was intended for Monday but internet issues intervened. As someone who remembers the era all too well, I must say this brought more than one tear to my eyes.

01. The Monitors - Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)02. Players - He'll Be Back03. William Bell - Marching Off to War04. Eddy "G" Giles & The Jive Five - While I'm Away (Baby Keep the Faith)05. Big Amos Patton - Going to Vietnam06. Mike Williams - Lonely Soldier07. Joe Tex - I Believe I'm Gonna Make It08. Johnny & Jon - Christmas in Vietnam09. Jimmy Holiday - I'm Gonna Help Hurry My Brothers Home10. James Carr - Let's Face Facts11. Zerben R. Hicks - Lights Out12. Richard Barbary - When Johnny Comes Marching Home13. Tiny Watkins - Soldier's Sad Story14. Emanual Laskey - Letter from Vietnam15. Gloria Edwards - Something You Couldn't Write About16. Mel & Tim - Mail Call Time17. The O'Jays - There's Someone (Waiting Back Home)18. Freda Payne - Bring the Boys Home19. Edwin Starr - Stop the War Now20. The Whispers - P.O.W. - M.I.A.21. Carla Whitney - War22. Bill Withers - I Can't Write Left Handed23. Curtis Mayfield - Back to the World24. Swamp Dogg - Sam Stone

Scrapper Blackwell - The Virtuoso Guitar of Scrapper Blackwell

Francis Hillman "Scrapper" Blackwell (February 21, 1903  – October 7, 1962 was an American blues guitarist and singer; best known as half of the guitar-piano duo he formed with Leroy Carr in the late 1920s and early 1930s, he was an acoustic single-note picker in the Chicago blues and Piedmont blues style, with some critics noting that he veered towards jazz.

Blackwell was born in Syracuse, South Carolina, as one of sixteen children of Payton and Elizabeth Blackwell. Part Cherokee, he grew up and spent most of his life in Indianapolis, Indiana. Blackwell was given the nickname, "Scrapper", by his grandmother, due to his fiery nature. His father played the fiddle, but Blackwell was a self-taught guitarist, building his first guitar out of cigar boxes, wood and wire. He also learned the piano, occasionally playing professionally. By his teens, Blackwell was a part-time musician, traveling as far as Chicago. Known for being withdrawn and hard to work with, Blackwell established a rapport with pianist Leroy Carr, whom he met in Indianapolis in the mid-1920s, creating a productive working relationship. Carr convinced Blackwell to record with him for the Vocalion label in 1928; the result was "How Long, How Long Blues", the biggest blues hit of that year.

Blackwell also made solo recordings for Vocalion, including "Kokomo Blues" which was transformed into "Old Kokomo Blues" by Kokomo Arnold before being redone as "Sweet Home Chicago" by Robert Johnson. Blackwell and Carr toured throughout the American Midwest and South between 1928 and 1935 as stars of the blues scene, recording over 100 sides. "Prison Bound Blues" (1928), "Mean Mistreater Mama" (1934), and "Blues Before Sunrise" (1934) were popular tracks.

Blackwell made several solo excursions; a 1931 visit to Richmond, Indiana to record at Gennett studios is notable. Blackwell, dissatisfied with the lack of credit given his contributions with Carr, was remedied by Vocalion's Mayo Williams after his 1931 breakaway. In all future recordings, Blackwell received equal credit with Carr in terms of recording contracts and songwriting credits. Blackwell's last recording session with Carr was in February 1935 for the Bluebird label. The recording session ended bitterly, as both musicians left the studio mid-session and on bad terms, stemming from payment disputes. Two months later Blackwell received a phone call informing him of Carr's death due to heavy drinking and nephritis. Blackwell soon recorded a tribute to his musical partner of seven years ("My Old Pal Blues") before retiring from the music industry.

Blackwell returned to music in the late 1950s and was first recorded in June 1958 by Colin C. Pomroy (those recordings were released as late as 1967 on the Collector label). Soon afterwards he was recorded by Duncan P. Schiedt for Doug Dobell's 77 Records.

Scrapper Blackwell was then recorded in 1961, in Indianapolis, by a young Art Rosenbaum for the Prestige/Bluesville Records label. The story is recounted by Rosenbaum as starting three years before the recordings were made. While still growing up in his hometown of Indianapolis, an African American woman that Rosenbaum knew said he "had to meet a man that she knew, who played guitar, played blues and christian songs, they'll make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck." Rosenbaum goes into more details of meeting Blackwell; "I met the gentleman across the street from the Methodist hospital in Indianapolis". Scrapper's friend said, "well he hasn't got a guitar", so Art said "well I got a guitar." Scrapper than said that he needed some 'bird food', with Rosenbaum being confused as to what he was referring to, Scrapper continued, "you gotta get some bird food for the bird, before the bird sings... beer!" Rosenbaum said, "I'm too young!" Scrapper and his friend continued, "we'll buy the beer, you just give us some money." Art concludes the meeting, "So we did, and he started playing these beautiful blues. I didn't realize he was Scrapper Blackwell til I mentioned his name to a blues collecting friend." To which then the friend exclaimed, "you met Scrapper Blackwell!?"

He was ready to resume his blues career when he was shot and killed during a mugging in an Indianapolis alley. He was 59 years old. Although the crime remains unsolved, police arrested his neighbour at the time for the murder. Blackwell is buried in New Crown Cemetery, Indianapolis.

Cookie and the Cupcakes - Kings Of Swamp Pop

"Cookie & the Cupcakes were among the first to blend Cajun music with rock & roll to create the musical hybrid known as swamp pop. The eight-piece band reached its peak in 1959 when their lively dance tune "Mathilda" reached number 47 on the Billboard charts. Although they subsequently toured as the opening act for Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino, Cookie & the Cupcakes mostly played in the Texas/Louisiana region, with many performances in New Orleans hotel clubs.

Launching their career as the house band at the Moulin Rouge Club in Lake Charles, LA, in 1953, Cookie & the Cupcakes began performing "Mathilda" in 1957. Although they approached numerous record labels, they failed to spark interest until radio station KAOK agreed to let the band use their studios to record the song. Initially released by George Khoury, who sold thousands of copies on his Khoury label, the song was leased for national distribution to Judd Phillips, the brother of Sun Records owner Sam Phillips. Cookie & the Cupcakes were also the supporting band for Phil Phillips' hit "Sea of Love." In January 1995, the group was inducted into the Music Hall of Fame at the Musical Heritage Exhibit of the Museum of the Gulf Coast." AMG

Elvie & Geeshie - Hard Women in Hard Times

In 1930 Paramount took two young women from Houston north to Wisconsin to record six sides of remarkable music that has been shrouded in mystery ever since. Blues historians knew NOTHING until a recent NY Times article by John Jeremiah Sullivan finally uncovered who these women were. See

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/20...

Unfortunately there is more than a little controversy over the means in which he acquired some of his information, see

http://observer.com/2014/04/robert-mc...

Elvie & Geeshie - Hard Women in Hard Times by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Lonnie Johnson - The Original Guitar Wizard

It is about time we looked at another pre-war 'guitar wizard'.

"Johnson was a pioneering Blues and Jazz guitarist and banjoist. He started playing in cafes in New Orleans and in 1917 he traveled in Europe, playing in revues and briefly with Will Marion Cook's Southern Syncopated Orchestra. When he returned home to New Orleans in 1918 he discovered that his entire family had been killed by a flu epidemic except for one brother. He and his surviving brother, James "Steady Roll" Johnson moved to St. Louis in 1920 where Lonnie played with Charlie Creath's Jazz-O-Maniacs and with Fate Marable in their Mississippi riverboat bands.

In 1925 Johnson married Blues singer Mary Johnson and won a Blues contest sponsored by the Okeh record company. Part of the prize was a recording deal with the company. Throughout the rest of the 1920s he recorded with a variety of bands and musicians, including Eddie Lang, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. In the 1930s Johnson moved to Cleveland, Ohio and worked with the Putney Dandridge Orchestra, and then in a tire factory and steel mill. In 1937 he moved back to Chicago and played with Johnny Dodds, and Jimmie Noone. Johnson continued to play for the rest of his life, but was often forced to leave the music business for periods to make a living. In 1963 he once again appeared briefly with Duke Ellington." Red Hot Jazz Archive

The Chosen Gospel Singers - The Lifeboat

"Despite notching a series of hits between the early 1950s and early '60s, the Chosen Gospel Singers remain one of the most elusive groups of gospel's golden era -- plagued by constant lineup changes, the ensemble's proper history remains sketchy at best, and even the exact involvement of their most famous alumnus, Lou Rawls, is something of a mystery. It's known that the Chosen Gospel Singers were formed in Houston in 1950, and originally consisted of J.B. Randall, Aaron Wyatt, Willie Rose, and two shadowy figures later recalled by their surnames of "Sheridan" and "Files". On the advice of manager Joe Johnson, himself a founding member of the Pilgrim Travelers, the group soon relocated to Los Angeles; upon arriving on the West Coast, the first of countless roster fluctuations struck, and in seemingly no time, Randall was the only surviving original member.

Tenors E.J. Brumfield, George Butler, and Fred Sims, in addition to baritone Oscar Cook, were soon recruited to flesh out the Chosen lineup, and in November 1952 this quintet made their first recordings for the Specialty label, yielding the hit single "One-Two-Three." (Ted Taylor, later a soul singer of some renown, was also briefly a member during this same period, although he did not appear on record.) The steady personnel shifts have been attributed in large part to the group's status as a semi-professional venture -- the Chosen's grueling weekend touring schedules played havoc with the individual members' day jobs, and for many, the frustrations of constant firings ultimately ended in rejecting music in favor of finding steady work. Additionally, many had family commitments which made touring outside of the West Coast impossible.

When the Chosen went back into the studio in mid-1953, only Randall remained from the previous incarnation; his new collaborators included low tenors John Evans, J.T. "Rattler" Ratley, and Preston Whitted, and baritone Sam Thomas. During a subsequent tour stop in Chicago, they recruited 17-year-old lead vocalist Lou Rawls, already a gospel veteran through his work with the Teenage Kings of Harmony, the Holy Wonders, and the Highway QC's. In February 1954, Rawls made his first recordings as a Chosen Gospel Singer; another session followed just two months later, but in the interim, both Evans and Ratley apparently exited the ranks. Also gone was Randall, the sole remaining link to the group's origins; he was replaced by Raeford Blair. There is some evidence that E.J. Booker, later of the Pilgrim Travelers, was also in the group at this juncture, although other accounts deny such a claim.

Rawls joined the Army prior to the Chosen's final Specialty session, recorded in early 1955; he was replaced by Brooklyn native Bob Crutcher for the studio date, which generated the hit "Prayer for the Doomed." Later that year, the Chosen signed with the Nashboro label; Crutcher remained in the lead slot, with Tommy Ellison of the Harmonizing Four soon joining him at the helm. Rawls resurfaced on their fourth Nashboro single, "Walk with Me," which may or may not have been first cut prior to his military tenure; both Sims and Brumfield definitely returned to action, however, with the latter fronting the final incarnation of the Chosen, a lineup which also included the members of a Tyler, TX quartet led by singer Willie Neal Johnson known as the Gospel Keynotes. When Brumfield quit soon after, he handed the reins to Johnson, who restored the name to the Gospel Keynotes, bringing the Chosen's convoluted story to a close." Jason Ankeny

Tampa Red - Guitar Wizard

"Out of the dozens of fine slide guitarists who recorded blues, only a handful — Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and Robert Johnson, for example — left a clear imprint on tradition by creating a recognizable and widely imitated instrumental style. Tampa Red was another influential musical model. During his heyday in the '20s and '30s, he was billed as "The Guitar Wizard," and his stunning slide work on electric or National steel guitar shows why he earned the title. His 30-year recording career produced hundreds of sides: hokum, pop, and jive, but mostly blues (including classic compositions "Anna Lou Blues," "Black Angel Blues," "Crying Won't Help You," "It Hurts Me Too," and "Love Her with a Feeling"). Early in Red's career, he teamed up with pianist, songwriter, and latter-day gospel composer Georgia Tom Dorsey, collaborating on double-entendre classics like "Tight Like That."

Listeners who only know Tampa Red's hokum material are missing the deeper side of one of the mainstays of Chicago blues. His peers included Big Bill Broonzy, with whom he shared a special friendship. Members of Lester Melrose's musical mafia and drinking buddies, they once managed to sleep through both games of a Chicago White Sox doubleheader. Eventually alcohol caught up with Red, and he blamed his latter-day health problems on an inability to refuse a drink.

During Red's prime, his musical venues ran the gamut of blues institutions: down-home jukes, the streets, the vaudeville theater circuit, and the Chicago club scene. Due to his polish and theater experience, he is often described as a city musician or urban artist in contrast to many of his more limited musical contemporaries. Furthermore, his house served as the blues community's rehearsal hall and an informal booking agency. According to the testimony of Broonzy and Big Joe Williams, Red cared for other musicians by offering them a meal and a place to stay and generally easing their transition from country to city life.

Today's listener will enjoy Tampa Red's expressive vocals and perhaps be taken aback by his kazoo solos. His songwriting has stood the test of time, and any serious slide guitar student had better be familiar with Red's guitar wizardry."

Isn't it interesting how the fact that Tampa Red, Lonnie Johnson, and Leroy Carr were very popular and influential in the actual time, somehow now is turned against them and they are now viewed as less important than other far more obscure (i.e. less popular) contemporaries? Let me also mention that Red's kazoo playing is in a class by itself! I have never heard anyone make convincing MUSIC like this on that 'instrument'.

The Southern Sons - Deep South Gospel

"- the first embodiment of the gospel group known as the Southern Sons -- appeared in the '30s. Over the years there were changes in the membership, but the music stayed true and strong. Some of the artists that have been part of the Southern Sons are vocalists Clifford Givens, James Walker, Bob Holloway, David Smith, and Roscoe Robinson; saxophonists Sammy Downs, Clarence Hopkins, and Earl Ratliff; guitarists Tim Pruitt and Calvin Hobson; and organist Robert Claybourne.

The Southern Sons reached a height of popularity in the '50s. Four decades later, the group was still around, though the lineup had changed a few times. Some artists moved on to other groups, like the Blind Boys of Mississippi and the Dixie Hummingbirds.

Music from the Southern Sons offers fans a taste of deep-southern style gospel. Some of the songs the group has recorded include "Live So God Can Use You," "Oh, Lord, I'm in Your Care," "Jesus Is Ready When You Are," "He Answered My Prayers," "I Found the Lord," "Prayer Will Fix It," "The Son Came Out in My Life," and "Whatever You Want From the Lord." ~ Charlotte Dillon

Tampa Red - The Guitar Wizard 1935-1953 [VINYL RIP]

Also known as "the Guitar Wizard," the blues musician Tampa Red was a master of the slide guitar..."Tampa Red" Whittaker, born in Smithville, Georgia, was raised in Tampa, Florida, and became one of the most prominent blues musicians in Chicago, Illinois, during the 1930s and 1940s. Whittaker made several successful recordings with "Georgia Tom" Dorsey, a blues pianist and fellow Georgia native. Though little known today, he was a popular and influential performer whose recording career extended from 1928 to 1960.

Born Hudson Woodbridge on January 8, 1904, in Smithville, Georgia, he was raised in Tampa, Florida, by his grandmother's family, the Whittakers, whose name he adopted. He was already known as Tampa Red when he arrived in Chicago in the mid-1920s, fresh from the southern theater circuit. He worked a day job but played guitar on street corners and in clubs, looking for a break. It came when he was hired to accompany Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, through whom he met pianist Georgia Tom Dorsey. In 1928 Tampa Red and Georgia Tom recorded "It's Tight Like That." A jaunty, ragtime-influenced number with whimsically bawdy lyrics, it was a national hit on the Vocalion label. Tampa Red and Dorsey recorded several successful follow-up songs as the Hokum Boys, and the "hokum" style became a depression-era fad.

Such early recordings demonstrate Tampa Red's already sophisticated slide guitar technique. Playing a metal-bodied National Tricone guitar and sliding a bottleneck along the strings, he created a clear and pure sound, marked by deft single-string solos. His session work appears on many recordings by other artists, including Sonny Boy Williamson and Memphis Minnie. His urbane musicianship stood in sharp contrast to earlier slide-guitar blues and would help set the direction for the postwar style.

With the repeal of prohibition in 1933, venues for blues music proliferated in Chicago, and Tampa Red became one of the city's hottest live acts, often with the backing of his band, the Chicago Five. With his close friends Big Bill Broonzy and Lester Melrose, a producer for Bluebird Records, Tampa Red was a leader of the Chicago scene. His wife, Frances, acted as his business manager, and their home became an informal boarding house, booking agency, and rehearsal space, where many newcomers to the city found encouragement and support.

By 1940 Tampa Red had made the transition to electric guitar, and he reached the top ten on the rhythm-and-blues chart several times in the postwar period. His 1949 song "When Things Go Wrong with You (It Hurts Me Too)" became a signature tune for the artist Elmore James. Robert Nighthawk, Fats Domino, and B. B. King also scored hits with cover versions of his songs.

His wife's death in 1953 was a blow from which Tampa Red never recovered. He had always been a heavy drinker, and his alcoholism became acute. Like many of his contemporaries, he was "rediscovered" by a new audience in the late 1950s. He went back into the studio in 1960, but his final recordings were undistinguished. He died destitute in Chicago on March 19, 1981, and was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame the same year. He is buried in Glenwood, Illinois.

Fred McDowell Vol. 2 [vinyl rip]

"... Two albums, Fred McDowell, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, were released on Arhoolie in the mid-'60s, and the shock waves were felt throughout the folk-blues community. Here was a bluesman with a repertoire of uncommon depth, putting it over with great emotional force, and to top it all off, he had seemingly slipped through the cracks of late-'20s/early-'30s field recordings. No scratchy, highly prized 78s on Paramount or Vocalion to use as a yardstick to measure his current worth, no romantic stories about him disappearing into the Delta for decades at a time to become a professional gambler or a preacher. No, Mississippi Fred McDowell had been in his adopted home state, farming and playing all along, and the world coming to his doorstep seemed to ruffle him no more than the little boy down the street delivering the local newspaper..."

Itchy Twitchy Feelings - Sue Records 1958-1966 [vinyl rip]

Various ‎– Itchy Twitchy Feelings: Sue Records 1958-1966
EMI America ‎– ST-17203
Legendary Masters Series –
Vinyl, Compilation, LP
US: 1986
Rock, Pop
Tracklist
A1     – Bobby Hendricks     Itchy Twitchy Feeling    
A2     – Poets, The (4)     She Blew A Good Thing    
A3     – Prince La La     She Put The Hurt On Me    
A4     – Johnny Darrow     Don't Start Me Talking    
A5     – Derek Martin     Daddy Rollin' Stone    
A6     – Don Covay     Believe It Or Not    
A7     – Bobby Lee     I Was Born A Loser    
B1     – Inez Foxx     Mockingbird    
B2     – Baby Washington     That's How Heartaches Are Made    
B3     – Ike And Tina Turner*     A Fool In Love    
B4     – Tina Britt     The Real Thing    
B5     – Baby Washington     Leave Me Alone    
B6     – Soul Sisters, The*     I Can't Stand It    
B7     – Ike And Tina Turner*     It's Gonna Work Out Fine

Texas Blues Volume 2 [vinyl to flac]

Another recent vinyl rip for Cliff in FLAC. Some very fine and very rare stuff here, but it would be fair to say that  this is for collectors rather than general audience. Most of this material was originally published in 1968.

The Detroiters-The Golden Echoes - Old Time Religion

"Old Time Religion showcases two great gospel vocal quartets from the '40s and '50s: the Detroiters and the Golden Echoes. The first half of the disc features 15 cuts from the Detroiters, 11 of which are previously unreleased songs recorded at United Sound. The Golden Echoes are represented with 11 songs recorded in 1949, ten of which have never been released. Usually, large sections of unreleased material would mean that the disc is primarily of interest to collectors, but that's not necessarily the case here. Both quartets are excellent examples of impassioned, moving and plain entertaining classic gospel, blessed with remarkable voices -- the Detroiters' lineup boasted Oliver Green and Leroy Barnes, while the Golden Echoes featured Paul Foster, Sr. and Wilmer "Little Axe" Broadnax -- and true spirit; it's a pleasure to hear them in any setting. Granted, some tastes may find the preponderance of alternate takes a little tedious, but if you program them out, you're left with a sterling collection of classic gospel." AMG

Robert Jr. Lockwood & Johnny Shines - Hangin' On

Another vinyl rip in flac (sorry, but I haven't had time to do an mp3 copy yet) that I recently did for Unkie Cliff - there are several more on tap.

"Two of the principal keepers of the Robert Johnson flame joined forces for a Rounder LP that's stunning in its non-conformity to what purists might like to hear from the two veterans. Jazz and swing influences invest much of the LP, the pair sharing vocal and guitar duties." AMG

I guess that is why it only got 3 stars...I'd give it at least 4; very enjoyable stuff, even some wonderfully funky moments! Oddly enough, it received a 1980 Handy award in the traditional blues category even though it has little that could be called that. I'm also somewhat baffled that Rounder has never re-released it. This is a not the rip that circulated a few years back - I think mine is cleaner.

Roy Brown - Good Rocking Tonight [vinyl/flac rip]

I just did a rip of this for Clifford and thought y'all might like to hear it.

" Covering Brown's most fertile period of 1947-1954, Good Rocking Tonight is the second of three Route 66 volumes covering rare sides by the jump blues star. Same as the first collection, Laughing But Crying, this disc nicely fills in gaps left by high-profile titles from Rhino and King. The focus is on a mix of rough-and-ready R&B and after-hours blues, with alternate takes of hits like "Good Rocking Tonight" and "Mighty, Mighty Man" giving collectors something to relish. Most impressive, though, are breakneck-tempo cuts like "Whose Hat Is That" and the infamous "Butcher Pete, Pt. 2" (the blues lyrical taste for sexual double entendre reaching over-the-top levels on the latter). Besides matching the speed of bebop, the frantic energy of these and many other sides Brown cut during the late '40s and early '50s shores up the singer's place as a rock & roll pioneer. On the other hand, Brown also influenced the gospel-based world of soul with pathos-ridden and urbane blues like "Brown Angel." And putting further pay to the singer's impressive flexibility -- not to mention his admitted admiration for crooner Bing Crosby -- he delivers a velvety cool vocal performance on "Teenage Jamboree." In light of all the musical wealth herein, then, it's definitely a shame this and the other Brown titles on Route 66 are only to be found in the used bins..." AMG

Dee Clark - Dee Clark + How About That

Dee Clark was one of the best R&B singers of the ‘50s and ‘60s, and enjoyed a spate of chart hits, but is seldom mentioned today. This edition includes Clark’s two first albums (both released in 1959) in their entirety, ‘Dee Clark’ and ‘How About That’. These LPs offer a solid introduction into this man's special brand of soul – his charm, passionate delivery, musical feeling, sentimental mood renderings and RandB innovation.
In addition, there are 4 bonus tracks, consisting of hard to find sides from the same period. This whole CD is a treasure trove of excellent RandB recordings that should have made Dee Clark an international star.
Clark's singing talents can also be recognized in his treatment of some ballads and jazz-flavoured tunes. He had a full, resonant voice and truly enjoyed singing. His abilities went far beyond the moderate pop success he enjoyed in the early rock and roll years.
“One of the most adaptable RandB vocalists of the '50s and early '60s....He could do it all, whatever was expected of a top RandB singer circa 1960, and on this album he pretty much did it and a little more, too” - (All Music Guide)

Year:
Recorded between 1956 and 1959 at Universal Recording studio, Chicago, IL.
Label:
HooDoo Records
Quality: Bitrate:
my wife's cd > flac
Scans - Artwork:
16-page booklet, rare photos, vintage visual memorabilia and detailed liner notes.
Total Time:
74:10
Total Size:
406mb

Album Info & Personnel:

DEE CLARK, vocals, plus:

Tracks 1 – 25: Rhythm section probably was
Lefty Bates (guitar), Quim B. Wilson (bass), Horace Palm (piano),
Paul Gusman and Al Duncan (drums). Horns and backing vocals are unknown.

Track 26: John McCall (tenor vocals), Doug Brown (second tenor vocals),
Teddy Long (baritone vocals), John Carter (bass vocals).

Tracks 27 – 28: Joe Hughes, Milton Hopkins (guitar),
Grady Gaines, Richard Roy, Clifford Burks (sax),
Olsie Robinson (bass), Charles Connor (drums).

Tracklist:

Dee Clark + How About That
01 Just Keep It Up 2:13
02 Blues Get Off My Shoulder 2:59
03 Hey Little Girl 2:19
04 Whispering Grass 2:59
05 Seven Nights 2:19
06 I Can’t Dream 2:04
07 Nobody But You 2:26
08 If It Wasn’t For Love 2:37
09 Lucky Me 2:07
10 When I Call On You 2:48
11 Nature Boy 2:22
12 Count On Me 2:3

how About That
13 How About That 2:42
14 Cling A Ling 2:48
15 They’re Talkin’ 2:27
16 At My Front Door 2:41
17 The Convention 3:09
18 I Love You Darling 2:35
19 Senior Blues 2:58
20 A Foggy Day 2:39
21 You There 3:52
22 Silently Lovin’ You 2:52
23 Moonlight In Vermont 3:14
24 The Times Has Come 2:3

bonus Tracks
25 Twenty-four Boy Friends 2:04
26 I Just Can’t Help Myself 2:28
27 Wondering 2:39
28 Oh Little Girl 2:39

Links in Comments:

James Brown - 5 Classic Albums [flac]

 A little (okay BIG) surprise from Unky Cliff!

I think this is fairly self explanatory, eh? 

Gonna be pretty busy for a while...Jazz Fest is here!

L.C. Robinson - House Cleanin' Blues (vinyl flac rip)

b. Louis Charles Robinson, 15 May 1915, Brenham, Texas, USA, d. 26 September 1976. "Good Rockin'" Robinson began playing guitar at the age of nine, and was reputedly taught to play bottleneck style by Blind Willie Johnson. Western swing musician Leon McAuliffe introduced him to the steel guitar; Robinson was also a blues fiddler of note and gave Sugarcane Harris some lessons on the instrument. He moved to the San Francisco area around 1939, where he often played together with his brother A.C. Robinson. They recorded for the Black And White label in 1945 as the Robinson Brothers. L.C. recorded for Rhythm Records in the early 50s, for World Pacific in the 60s, and for Arhoolie and Bluesway in the 70s, and also accompanied Mercy Dee Walton and John Lee Hooker on records. He died of a heart attack in September 1976. AMG

"...... The city of Oakland, California is not the most likely place one would go to find a legend in urban blues, but such is the case of L.C. Robinson. He makes the bay city home and has been a resident for some time. The Texas born Louis Charles Robinson (1915) is one of the last down home blues artists to be found living in the area. L.C. Robinson's career began in rural Texas where he was taught the steel guitar, the favorite of the country musicians of that area. Through the years he has added the regular guitar and a flair for playing the violin to his vast rep. It is hard to believe that before the release of this album he was recorded on his own only once.
...... In June of this year (1973), the producer of this album, took L.C. across the bay to San Francisco and put together a group of the top musicians in the area ... Robert Hooker on piano, Lex Silva on bass, the powerful Luther Tucker on guitar and L.C. plays Hawaiian guitar, violin and regular guitar along with his vocals. Critics will be hard put for words to describe the many bags of L.C., and those who were not fortunate enough to catch him in one of the spots around the bay will waste no time crying for more of the talent of this man who has been denied the exposure deserved by an artist of his stature. Find a quiet place, put this album on, and travel through time with L.C. from yesterday to now on the highway of urban blues." ~ Al Smith

Al Smith died at the beginning of 1974, L.C. Good Rockin' Robinson two years later.

Mavis Staples- You Are Not Alone

My local buddy pmac contributed this one.

"Mavis Staples has a mighty voice. Even into her 70s, she still has dynamic range that goes from a full-throated shout to an intimate whisper without losing her easy authority over a song. Over the decades, many musicians and producers have tried to wrangle that voice onto record, with varying degrees of success. With her father, Pops Staples, she recorded a string of songs that combined gospel and folk music, many of which-- "Respect Yourself" and the sublime "(If You're Ready) Come Go with Me"-- became hits that soundtracked the tumultuous civil rights movement. In the 1970s and 80s, she worked with Curtis Mayfield, Steve Cropper, and Prince, even signing to his Purpleness' Paisley Park label for a brief period.

In the 2000s, Staples has entered an unlikely third stage in her career, with a string of inspired albums that exhibit new range. We'll Never Turn Back, recorded with producer Ry Cooder, revived civil rights anthems for the dying days of the Bush era, and they still sound prescient and powerful. Following the fierce Live: Hope at the Hideout in 2008, her latest album, You Are Not Alone, was recorded with Wilco frontman and fellow Chicago resident Jeff Tweedy. Tweedy clearly has a deep knowledge of and appreciation for Staples' career, and he gives her a warmly textured backdrop that's both familiar and inventive, with nods to past glories. He cherrypicks a number of her old hits to revive and chooses some new covers for her to sing, with a keen understanding of her strengths and weaknesses. In turn, Staples gives him intuitive and moving performances on each song, whether she's celebrating her own salvation or bemoaning a lost love.
On "Downward Road", a Pops favorite that the Staples Singers recorded decades ago, she's casually scolding as she relates the story of a woman who revels in sin and pays a hefty price. A fat bass thwacks along, creating a strange gospel plod that makes Staples sound like she's marching against the downward tide. By contrast, "In Christ There Is No East or West" is so delicate that it threatens to blow away with the breeze. It's a risky tack, as Staples could very easily have bulldozed such light accompaniment, but she adjusts her delivery to convey her awe in God's unfathomable omnipresence. This, she seems to say, is something to celebrate, and "I Belong to the Band - Hallelujah" and "Creep Along Moses" sound like party gospel-- jubilant cries heavenward.
As covers go, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Wrote a Song for Everyone" is an obvious choice considering the public quality of Staples' music, and she sings it with such humility that it's surprising she's never recorded it before. On the other hand, Randy Newman's "Losing You" is much more private, and Staples communicates stoic, dignified heartbreak with every syllable. It's a remarkable performance, matched only by the reassuring title track, which Tweedy wrote especially for her. "You Are Not Alone", as its title suggests, intends to be a salve in hard times, and Staples rallies her most sympathetic delivery, as if comforting her listeners individually.
Rather than protest the state of the world, Staples is toasting human endurance-- hers as well as ours. After decades in the music industry, she still sounds invigorated and ecstatic, unburdened by cynicism or disappointment. With Tweedy, she has created a record that is mindful of her own past, yet these songs sound fresh, original, and often inspiring."

Sister Wynona Carr - Dragnet For Jesus

It is Easter Sunday and once again the organ swells in the background signifyin' another Gospel Sunday here on the Chitlin Circuit.

"Wynona Carr (August 23, 1924 – May 12, 1976) was an African-American gospel, R&B and rock and roll singer-songwriter, who recorded as Sister Wynona Carr when performing gospel material.

Wynona Merceris Carr was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where she started out as a gospel singer, forming her own five-piece group The Carr Singers around 1945 and touring the Cleveland/Detroit area. Being tipped by The Pilgrim Travelers, who shared a bill with Carr in the late 1940s, Art Rupe signed her to his Specialty label, giving Carr her new stage name "Sister" Wynona Carr (modelled after pioneering gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe) and cutting some twenty sides with her from 1949 to 1954, including a couple of duets with Specialty's biggest gospel star at the time, Brother Joe May."

As complete a bio-page as you could want can be found HERE.

T.D. Bell & Erbie Browser - It's About Time

 BELL, TYLER D. [T. D.] (1922–1998). T. D. Bell was born Tyler D. Bell in Lee County, Texas, on December 26, 1922. His grandfather was a musician who started him out on the banjo when he was a child, then he began to play guitar while in the army. After World War II, he tried to imitate his idol, T-Bone Walker, with songs such as "Bobby Socks Baby." This later earned him the nickname of “Little T-Bone.” At the time of his death, Bell was the last of the three great blues musicians who ruled East Austin in the 1950s along with the Grey Ghost (Roosevelt Williams) and Erbie Bowser.

In the 1940s Bell played in the Rockdale/Taylor area with Roosevelt T. Williams. He worked at an aluminum plant in Rockdale in the late 1940s before quitting his job to relocate to Austin and work as a full-time musician by 1950. Club owner Johnny Holmes had urged him to move to Austin to play at the Victory Grill, and Bell became a regular feature there, helping to found and define a developing Austin blues scene. He also toured as far as Arizona and New Mexico with his new group, T. D. Bell and The Cadillacs, which included A. J. Manor, W. C. Clark, Willie Sampson, and George Underwood. They shared the stage with T-Bone Walker, B. B. King, Bobby Bland, Gatemouth Brown, and others.

With the decline of Austin’s East Side entertainment scene in the 1970s, Bell left the music business and developed a successful trucking enterprise. He did not return to the stage until the late 1980s. In 1987 Bell formed the Blues Specialists with Erbie Bowser for a Victory Grill reunion show. A 1992 album with Bowser, It’s About Time, earned a nomination for a W. C. Handy Award, which is a coveted award for blues musicians. In 1994 Bell and Bowser toured their way to Carnegie Hall to play a showcase of Texas music. They also played blues festivals across Texas and were regulars at Austin’s Continental Club.

“His second go-around at music was an honor and a pleasure for him,” daughter Melony Bell said. “He couldn’t have asked for anything better.” T. D. performed his usual Friday happy hour show at the Continental Club right up to his admission into the hospital in December 1998 when he was diagnosed with cancer. He died on January 9, 1999. He was buried at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Cemetery in Austin and was survived by his wife Virgie (whom he had married on February 15, 1954), four daughters, and two sons. In 2009 Bell was inducted into the Austin Music Memorial.

Clayton T. Shorkey

The JB's and the JB Horns - A Double Dose of Funk 1972 & 1990 [flac]

 Ahhh, what the hell, let's get FUNKY!

" There are funk bands. And then there are The JB's.

In the early 1970s, James Brown's production stable was quite simply overflowing with soul. Beyond his own genre-bursting music – which brought funk and R&B to new stratospheres with each platter he released – he began to curate his own label, People Records, to explore and expose the lesser-known talent in his own groups and musical universe.

After a mysterious, psychedelic album by a group calling themselves The Grodeck Whipperjenny in 1970, The Godfather Of Soul released a slew of 7-inch singles for the next several years on People. In doing so, he firmly established the label as the world's premier outlet for super-funk, with artists including James Brown himself, Lyn Collins, Hank Ballard and Fred Wesley.

In 1972, the next album on People was an easy choice: The JB's and their ridiculously funky full-length debut, Food For Thought. Made up of JB sidemen including bandleader Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, John "Jabo" Starks, St. Clair Pinckney, Fred Thomas and Bobby Byrd, the group was the definition of a powerhouse. As proof, look no further than the fact that the ten songs on this platter have been sampled by an almost uncountable list of producers over the past 40-plus years, and grooved to by hundreds of thousands. From "Pass The Peas" and "Gimme Some More" to the sonic attack of "The Grunt" [which also contained work from William "Bootsy" Collins and his brother Catfish, who had recently defected to join Parliament-Funkadelic] Food For Thought remains one of the funkiest albums ever made."

 And now for my personal all-time favorite JB Horns disc...I used to have damn near all of the obscure issues of the many different names of this band, but I don't think any of them was better than THIS gem. An absolutely infectious live show with some very enthusiastic Japanese fans!

All songs written or co-written by members of The JB Horns. "Funky Good Time" and "Soul Power" co-written with James Brown. Recorded live at Club Gio on June 11, 1990. 

Personnel: Allan Jaffe (electric guitar); Maceo Parker (alto saxophone, background vocals); Pee Wee Ellis (tenor saxophone, background vocals); Fred Wesley (trombone, background vocals); Mark Helias (electric bass); Jimmy Payne (drums). Audio Remasterer: Yuka Koizumi.

Artie 'Blues Boy' White - Dark End Of The Street (1991)

It has been nearly a year now since Artie White passed away - here is one of his fine Ichiban records - anybody got any of the others?

"Whether it's blues, soul, or something midway between the two, White does a fine job throughout this disc. Travis Haddix, once White's Ichiban labelmate, contributes three nice tunes, Bob Jones a couple more, and White dips into past triumphs by B.B. King, Ike Turner, James Carr, and Little Milton for the rest."