Hi, there... This page is part of the Slipcue guide to various blues artists, and is part of a much larger music website. This "guide" is not meant to be comprehensive or authoritative, just a quick look at a few records I've heard recently, as well as some old favorites. Comments or corrections are invited... and recommendations are always welcome!
Various Artists "BARBECUE ANY OLD TIME -- BLUES FROM THE PIT: 1927-1942" (Old Hat, 2011)
You gotta love it. Two dozen vintage blues, boogie and jazz songs about yummy, greasy barbecue, in all its carnivorous glory. Almost all the songs contain thinly-veiled sexual metaphors about "good meat" that gets stolen, sold, or given away to "some other guy," though a lot of them also express a genuine love of barbecue itself; either way, there's a pure sensuous hedonism that comes through in the music that's hard to resist. There's also a nutty, loopy, fanatic joyfulness to these songs that make 'em enjoyable to all but the most hardcore of vegan animal-rights activists. And if you do like a little 'que now and then, you'll definitely get a kick out of this collection. Included are some of the best blues singers of the 1920s and '30s, folks like Bo Carter, Brownie McGhee and Tiny Parnham, along with a bunch of more obscure artists who throw themselves into the music with equal delight. There are several female singers -- Lucille Bogan, Memphis Minnie, Georgia White and Leola B. Wilson -- who are every bit as lusty and naughty as the guys, although their songs tend to be about them "selling it" rather than giving it away; Savannah Churchill skips the prostitution angle and gives the sex-songs genre a voluptuous spin with "Fat Meat Is Good Meat," singing the praises of those with a little bounce on their bones. Aside from the novelty value, these are also great old-fashioned blues songs, with catchy melodies and great musicianship. A very fun collection with the usual high quality audio and scholarship as other Old Hat releases... Highly recommended!
Various Artists "THE BEST OF WASHINGTON, DC R&B" (Flyright, 1993)
I'm a big fan of the Interstate Music's Flyright label, but even I gotta admit that this is a subpar set... Not in terms of historical cratedigging or obscurity, but just the music itself. Culled from the Gotham label's early 1950s output, this features a lot of tracks featuring drummer/vocalist TNT Tribble and trumpet player Frank Motley, working in various small-band permutations... It's rough, rugged, enthusiastic and wild, but little of it is memorable, even with the electric guitars-meet-bebop rock vibe. Tenor sax player Willie Hickerson offers the most cohesive, least monotonous material, but that's only a handful of songs out of twenty... Worth checking out if you're into ultra-obscuro material, but there's certainly better stuff from this era, and from this scene, to attract your attention. Oh well.
Various Artists "BLUES IS KILLIN' ME -- CHICAGO BLUES: 1951-1953" (Flyright, 1981/1990)
If you like the classic Chicago blues sound as defined by those old Chess records, this set of early '50s urban blues obscurities could be a lot of fun. It does get kind of monotonous if you listen from start to finish, but taken in small doses, it's pretty groovy. For one thing it includes some late-vintage (1953) sessions by the legendary Memphis Minnie, backed by her third husband, guitarist Little Joe Son, as well as tracks by the more obscure Floyd Jones, Baby Face Leroy and "Little" Hudson Showers. Pianist Sunnyland Slim plays on most of these sessions, which were all cut for Joe Brown's JOB label (with some singles leased to Chess). Some serious blues cratedigging here, with some gems and some marginal material as well.
Various Artists "CLUCK OLD HEN: A BARNYARD SERENADE" (Old Hat Records, 2012)
A great, goofy, poultry-themed collection of Depression-era blues and old-timey tunes, with plenty of classic novelty numbers and a bunch of super-squeaky fiddles. This collection tilts a little more towards the hillbilly side of things, although there are tracks by bluesmen such as Peg Leg Howell and Casey Bill along with various jug bands, a touch of jazz and of course a slew of rural artists who didn't fall easily into any one category. There are a few stars -- Gene Autry, Cliff Carlisle, Riley Puckett -- but they are far outweighed by more obscure performers such as the Beale Street Sheiks, George Edgin's Corn Dodgers, Sweet Papa Stovepipe, the duo known as Mustard & Gravy, and most delightfully, the group vocals of the Utica Institute Jubilee Singers. This disc makes a great companion to Old Hat's sizzling BARBEQUE ANY OLD TIME collection, though this has a much higher proportion of animal-imitation tunes... Great stuff, of course!
Various Artists "THE CENTRAL AVENUE SCENE, v.3: COOL DADDY" (Ace Records, 2006)
The third volume in a series collecting obscure R&B oldies from the Los Angeles-based Combo Records label. This is decidedly second-tier material, a bunch of loosey-goosey, see-what-sticks journeyman performances, including a fair number of songs that Ace Records showcased on vinyl albums in the '80s, as well as over a half-dozen tracks that were previously unreleased, and perhaps for good reason. There are a few well-known blues/jazz cats on here, such as Peppermint Harris, Jack McVea and Gene Phillips, as well as a slew of much more obscure performers -- Sherman Booker, Sadie Lee, a gal named Margie, Jake Porter, Robbin Ray, Floyd Turnham, and others. A lot of these songs sound like they were recorded with assistance from a slightly zonked out house band, high on weed, booze and whatever else: the performances aren't always fully committed and the singers aren't always in command of their presentation, but the guitarists, steel players and other musicians do get in some nice licks. Indeed, sometimes it's when they are at their most disengaged and lackadaisical that they dash off some of their most intriguing riffs. I had this disc absentmindedly tumbling around in the Chez Sixpack CD carousel for about week or so, and found it relaxing and fine, though after about the fourth or fifth time around I started listening more attentively and found myself musing about the history of reissues, and how in the 1970s and '80s, discovering even subpar material felt revelatory and new, although after several decades of internet-fueled archival efforts, that sort of enthusiasm may become harder to sustain. Then again, there's an additional layer of connoissuership that comes from of accepting and even consciously embracing flawed musicianship, listening to oldies while in search of the human touch: the DIY ethic of old-school punk, with its reverence of imperfection, can be retroactively applied to older recordings. Plenty of un-slick, unerproduced old blues, country and rock tunes to be found down in the vaults!
Various Artists "KANSAS CITY BLUES: 1944-1949" (Capitol Vintage, 1997)
A big city tucked away in the sticks, right between the backwoods Ozarks and the wide open plains, Kansas City farmed out numerous stars on the early jazz and swing scenes, artists who generally fled Missouri for the more cosmopolitan confines of New York, Chicago, New Orleans or Los Angeles... It also fielded some of the more raunchy, rugged blues recordings of the postwar era, as heard in this 3-CD set featuring the likes of Jay McShann, Julia Lee, Bus Moten and Tommy Douglas. Judging from the lyrics, the Kansas City crew drank a lot of liquor, smoked a lot of weed, and had a lot of sex... It's possible the drugs had an influence on their musicianship -- other than Lee and McShann's recordings, many of these tracks have a notably lax, ragged feel to them, and if you're not still enamored of finding naughty old recordings, the dirty, dirty themes -- which the main thing that are meant to keep your interest -- may wear thin quickly. Julia Lee is the real star here, and the razor-sharp briskness of her band helps the still-shocking frankness of her coded sexual lyrics leap out at listeners, even after all these years. You might be better served just getting one of her records instead, instead of having her tracks all broken up, but it's nice to hear her in the historical context of her hometown scene... But I have to confess, after having spent years delighting in playing this kind of salacious entertainment on the air, sitting down at home to listen to three discs worth of it was a bit tiresome... Perhaps this is a young person's game, after all.
Various Artists "HARRY SMITH ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC" (Smithsonian Folkways, 1952/1998)
Oddball record collecting mystic-savant Harry Smith was one of the first eggheady bohemian types to take stock of the vast ocean of hauntingly evocative, genuinely odd, music recorded by rural blues and country artists during the Great Depression. While living in New York during the early '50s, Smith assembled a three-volume compilation of albums that acted as a Rosetta Stone for the nascent folk scene, moving many artists to earnestly take up the song-collecting banner, and later inspired others such as Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs to create a whole new folk canon of equal power. This widely-praised, Grammy-winning Smithsonian-Folkways box set reissues four discs worth of material originally assembled in the early 1950s by an oddball record-collecting savant who became the guru of the 'Sixties folk scene. And it's pretty awesome. (Note: legend has it that these albums represented only a fraction of his collection of rare 78s; the rest of them were pawned to the New York City Library, which musicians such as John Cohen and Mike Seeger -- of the New Lost City Ramblers -- later used as their creative wellspring during the folk revival).
Various Artists "HARRY SMITH'S ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC, Vol. 4"
(Revenant Records, 2000)
Another absolutely gorgeous release on this John Fahey-related label. This 2-CD set of primal folk and old-timey recordings follows in the wake of the Smithsonian-Folkways box set and has fewer unknown artists -- there are several tracks from way out in left field, but mainly it's heavily populated with well-known acts such as the Carter Family, Leadbelly, Memphis Minnie and the Blue Sky Boys. What is specially compelling about this set, though, is its excellent sequencing, in which each song -- even those by the well-known artists -- is set into a larger context, and sounds new, fresh, and mysterious. The collection opts for melody rather than the quirky starkness associated with old-timey music. The effect is lulling and trance-inducing, making this set much more accessible than many similar collections. In addition, the lavishly-designed booklet, which includes amused, laudatory essays by acoustic music veterans such as John Cohen (of the New Lost City Ramblers), Ed Sanders (of the Fugs) and John Fahey (who owns Revenant) is both aesthetically beautiful and wildly informative... a fitting tribute to one of the most charismatic cultural eccentrics of the Beat era. For accuracies sake, I have to point out that the provenance of this collection is a little up in the air, since the erratic Smith had assembled a precise playlist for Volume Four, but lost it during one of his down phases. Still, with the input of so many folks who knew him personally, I think it's safe to say that this collection is pretty much the real deal.
Various Artists "LOUIE BLUIE" (Film soundtrack) (Arhoolie Records, 1985/1998)
Rough, relaxed live kitchen sessions with old-timer Howard Armstrong on mandolin, fiddle and guitar, along with Yank Rachell, Ted Bogan and others providing some accompaniment... Mostly it's Armstrong's show, though, as he cheerfully works his way through a set of blues and jazz oldies. The 1998 CD edition adds a handful of vintage recordings from the 1930s, with Howard and Rachell performing as members of the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, and backing bluesman Sleepy John Estes.
Various Artists "MASTERS OF THE DELTA BLUES: THE FRIENDS OF CHARLIE PATTON" (Yazoo Records, 1991)
A great set of eerie, old-school country blues, from heavy-hitters such as Kid Bailey, Willie Brown, Son House, Louise Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Bertha Lee, and Bukka White, and even includes a few unreleased test pressings, for that uber-collector sheen. If you're looking for the original version of "Canned Heat Blues," some raunchy, hard-times moans or some sanctifying gospel (several great songs by Bukka White) then this is a fine disc to explore. Recommended!
Old-Timey compilations -- yes, there is some overlap, but also a few special surprises.
Various Artists "RED RIVER BLUES: 1934-1943" (Interstate Music/Travelin' Man Records, 1991)
Intensely lo-fi historical recordings from obscure pickers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia, including several guys who were doing time in various state prisons. None of these guys were brilliant innovators, but they had plenty of tricks up their sleeves, and perform with the kind of intensity and focus that defines this style. Worth a spin though you might have to wrestle a bit with what tracks to include in your own private acoustic blues playlists: the audio quality is rough, but the authenticity is immense.
Various Artists "THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF" (Shanachie/Yazoo Records, 2006)
A cool set of blues, gospel, and proto-country rarities from the early days of the record industry, harvested from the 78 RPM libraries of several of the world's old-school uber-collectors, folks who spent their youth in the 1950s and '60s canvassing the South, going door to door asking people if they had any old 78s they'd care to part with... This 2-CD set includes rare material that went unreleased over seventy years ago, and several songs that only exist today in one or two known copies, Holy Grail material found only on precious, whispered-about, highly prized solitary shellac and vinyl copies. Oh, I admit, I was suckered into buying this just because of the R. Crumb cover art -- that, plus the tagline about how this is "The Rosetta Stone Of Record Collecting" made me think this might be like the keeno Crumb-curated That's What I Call Sweet Music jazz collection from a couple of years ago... Other than the artwork, though, I'm not sure how much involvement Crumb has with this project... The provenance of this collection is a little fuzzy, but the dozen or so ubercollectors that contributed include folks like Dave Freeman, Dick Spottswood and Joe Brussard, who have been at this kind of thing for a while. And, boy, do they have some fun stuff! If you like old-timey music and rugged country blues, then this collection will definitely float your boat. It's great stuff. The liner notes are a hoot, too, full of plenty of knowing, self-deprecating jibes at the world of obsesso collector nerds, including a scary article about the Collyer Brothers, a pair of New York nutjob packrats who filled every cubic centimeter of their sprawling, four-story house with tons and tons of crap, bric-a-brac and junk, and actually died inside the labyrinth... That could never happen to me, say all the collector nerds who'll pick this set up... Oh, no. Of course not.
Various Artists "WHITE COUNTRY BLUES 1926-1938: A LIGHTER SHADE OF BLUE" (Columbia Legacy, 1993)
The hazy line between old-time hill music and blues-influenced proto-country is mighty fine... This set falls well into the blues camp, but it's such a great collection that if you're poking around the edges of antique twangcore, then this album might also run a shiver down your spine. Recommended!
