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NEWSLETTER #141
Blues & Gospel
Various Artists
 

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS Ace CDCHD 1099 Cool Daddy - The Central Avenue Scene, Vol. 3 ● CD $16.98
The third volume of Los Angeles blues and R&B features 24 tracks recorded in the mid 50s for Jake Porter's Combo label including unissued titles and unissued alternate takes. Includes Jake Porter & His Combo, Floyd Turnham & His Combo, Jack McVea and His Orch., Gene Phillips (the previously unissued steel guitar instrumental Steelin' The Blues), Honey Coleman, Sherman Booker & The Blue Notes, Betty Hall Jones, Chuck Higgins & His Mellotones, Joe Houston & His Combo, Robbin Ray, Margie and others.
SHERMAN BROOKER (BROOKS) AND THE BLUE NOTES: Cool Daddy's Blues/ TAL CARTER: Sadie Lee/ HONEY COLEMAN: Daddy, Why Did You Leave Me?/ THE COMBONETTES: Gotta Have You Baby/ CHUCK HAMILTON AND CANDY RIVERS: Please Be Kind (unissued)/ PEPPERMINT HARRIS: Married Woman (Take 4)/ CHUCK HIGGINS AND HIS MELLOTONES: Papa Charlie/ JOE HOUSTON & HIS COMBO: Shuckin' (unissued alt.)/ BETTY HALL JONES: Goin' Back To Town (I'm Gonna Leave You On The Outskirts Of Town)/ MARGIE (MARJORIE WILLIAMS): A Woman's Answer/ JACK MCVEA AND HIS ORCHESTRA: Don't Bruise The Feeling (unissued alt.)/ Hoo Doo You Baby/ Oh How I Miss You Tonight (unissued alt.)/ You Brought Me Heartaches/ JOE MORRIS: Don't Let Nobody (unissued)/ GENE PHILLIPS: Steelin' The Blues (unissued)/ JAKE PORTER AND HIS COMBO: Corn Pone Boogie/ TJ/ ROBBIN RAY: Allergic To A Broken Heart/ FLOYD TURNHAM & HIS COMBO: Alibi Baby (unissued)/ FLOYD TURNHAM AND HIS COMBO: No Parking After Eight/ Turnham's Greens (unissued)/ BILL WATKINS WITH JAKE PORTER AND HIS COMBO: Hey Little Girl/ THE YOUNG WOLF: Worries And Troubles

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Dialtone 0014 Texas Harmonica Rumble ● CD $15.98
15 tracks, 56 mins, highly recommended
An excellent and solid collection of down home harmonica blues from six veteran harmonica players. Three of the performers are well known to blues lovers - Lazy Lester, Sammy Meyers and Bobby Rush and all turn in fine performances accompanied by excellent small groups. Lester brings new life to standards That's All Right and Honest I Do and Rush plays some nice chromatic on Willie Mabon's Poison Ivy (which Rush takes composer credit for - naughty!). The other three artists are obscure but are very fine. Orange Jefferson is a superb singer and plays top notch harmonica accompanied only by the funky electric guitar of Thierry Cognee. Joe Jonas and Mel Davis are also excellent artists - both are strong singers and harmonica players and perform original material. There are plenty of collections of recent blues harmonica recordings but this one certainly impresses more than most. (FS)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Document 1103 Jazz And Blues On Edison, Vol. 1 ● CD $15.98
18 tracks, 71 mins, recommended
Although Thomas Edison hated jazz and blues he did record a number of very worthwhile titles for his label and this CD reissues 18 tracks recorded between 1920 and 1929. According to the notes these are all unissued but according to the discographies quite a few of these were originally issued - maybe these are alternate takes - if so the almost total lack of discographical information doesn't help. There are some fine sides here from Lopez & Hamilton, The Original Memphis Five, Andy Razaf, Josie Miles, helen Gross & The Kansas City Five, Rosa Henderson (a fine cover of Clara Smith's great Don't Advertise You Man), Elsie Clark (her Loud Speakin' Papa is a real gem with some very clever lyrics), The Georgia Melodians, Clarence Williams & Eva Taylor and more. The music is deserving of a higher rating than I gave it but this set is let down by the mediocre sound with excessive use of noise reduction resulting in a very thin flat sound. Document should take a lesson from the folks at Archeophone who get a better sound out of material that's 20 years older than this! (FS)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Document DOCD 5678 Never Let The Same Bee Sting You Twice ● CD $35.98
Three CD set featuring the completed recorded works of 12 artists whose music falls into the category of "songster" which means their repertoire includes non-blues and pre-blues material. This replaces several deleted Document CDS. Artists are Richard "Rabbit" Brown (a truly wonderful performer whose five performances should be in everybody's collection!), Papa Harvey Hull & Long Cleve Reed, Big Boy Cleveland, William & Versey Smith, Luke Jordan, Mississippi John Hurt, Hambone Willie Newbern, Eli Framer, Louie Lasky, Cedar Creek Sheik (a fine singer and fingerpicker from The Carolinas), Robert Hill (a fine singer and harmonica player from Mississippi accompanied by Sonny Boy Nelson and, possibly Willie Harris, on guitar) and Virgil Childers. Some wonderful music though sound is sometimes subpar, even by Document's standards, and the Mississippi John Hurt tracks are particularly bad. Puzzling since Yazoo and Columbia have issued beautiful sounding reissues of Hurt. Still the rest of it more than worthwhile.
RICHARD 'RABBIT' BROWN: I'm Not Jealous/ James Alley/ Mystery Of The Dunbar's Child/ Never Let The Same Bee Sting You Twice/ Sinking Of The Titanic/ CEDAR CREEK SHEIK: Buy It From The Poultry Man/ Don't Credit My Stuff/ Don't Use That Stuff/ Ford V-8/ I Believe Somebody's Ridin' My Mule/ Jimmy Shut His Store Doors/ Mary Had A Little Lamb/ She's Totin' Something Good/ Watch The Fords Go By/ What A Pity/ VIRGIL CHILDERS: Dago Blues/ Preacher And The Bear/ Red River Blues/ Somebody Stole My Jane/ Travelin' Man/ Who's That Knockin' At My Door/ BIG BOY CLEVELAND: Goin' To Leave You Blues/ Quill Blues/ ELI FRAMER: Framer's Blues/ God Didn't Make No Monkey Man/ ROBERT HILL: G Blues/ Hill's Hot Sauce/ I Had A Gal For The Last Fifteen Years/ I'm Going To Write And Tell My Mother/ It Is So Good/ Just Smilin'/ Lumber-Yard Blues/ Pal, How I Miss You Tonight/ Tell Me What's Wrong With You/ You Gonna Look Like A Monkey When You Get Old/ PAPA HARVEY HULL & LONG "CLEVE" REED: Don't You Leave Me Here/ Gang Of Brown Skin Women/ Hey! Lawdy Mama (The France Blues)/ Two Little Tommie Blues/ MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT: Ain't No Tellin'/ Avalon Blues/ Big Leg Blues/ Blessed Be The Name/ Blue Harvest Blues/ Candy Man Blues/ Frankie/ Got The Blues Can't Be Satisfied/ Louis Collins/ Nobody's Dirty Business/ Praying On The Old Camp Ground/ Spike Driver Blues/ Stack O' Lee Blues/ LUKE JORDAN: Church Bells Blues (Take 1)/ Church Bells Blues (Take 2)/ Cocaine Blues/ If I Call You Mama/ My Gal's Done Quit Me/ Pick Poor Robin Clean (Take 1)/ Pick Poor Robin Clean (Take 2)/ Tom Brown Sits In His Prison Cell/ Traveling Coon/ Won't You Be Kind?/ LOUIE LASKY: Caroline/ How You Want Your Rollin' Done/ Teasin' Brown Blues/ HAMBONE WILLIE NEWBERN: Hambone Willie's Dreamy Eyed Woman's Blues/ Nobody Knows (What The Good Deacon Does)/ Roll And Tumble Blues/ She Could Toodle-Oo/ Shelby County Workhouse/ Way Down In Arkansas/ LONG 'CLEVE' REED: I Believe I'll Go Back Home/ Original Stack O' Lee Blues/ WILLIAM & VERSEY SMITH: Everybody Help The Boys Come Home/ I Believe I'll Go Back Home/ Sinner, You'll Need King Jesus/ When That Great Ship Went Down

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Document 32-20 10 Broadcasting The Blues - Black Blues In The Segregation ● CD $35.98
Three CD set with 77 tracks chosen by Paul Oliver to complement his recently published book of the same name. Mostly country blues from the 20s and 30s it features sides by Big Joe Williams,  Austin Coleman,  Alec Johnson,  Joe Calicott, McKinley Morganfield, Jesse James, Tommy McClennan, Cow Cow Davenport, Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie, Bukka White, Mattie Delaney,  Speckled Red, Tommy Johnson and many more. It also includes brief interview segments with Gus Cannon, Henry Townsend, Wade walton, Will Shade and others. Includes 20 page booklet with notes by Paul and full discographical info.
TEXAS ALEXANDER: Penitentiary Moan/ KOKOMO ARNOLD: Milk Cow Blues/ BARBECUE BOB: Chocolate To The Bone/ THE BEALE STREET SHEIKS: You Shall/ GLADYS BENTLEY: Ground Hog Blues/ BLACK ACE: Interview/ BLIND BLAKE: Dry Bone Shuffle/ LUCILLE BOGAN: They Ain‘t Walkin‘ No More/ BIG BILL BROONZY: Black, Brown And White/ BUMBLE BEE SLIM: Policy Dream Blues/ JOE CALICOT: Fare Thee Well Blues/ GUS CANNON: Interview/ Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home/ LEROY CARR: Blues Before Sunrise/ AUSTIN COLEMAN: My Soul Is A Witness/ BIG BOY CRUDUP: Give Me A 32-20/ COW COW DAVENPORT: Jim Crow Blues/ MATTIE DELANEY: Tallahatchie River Blues/ SLEEPY JOHN ESTES: Fire Department Blues/ BLIND BOY FULLER: Three Ball Blues/ BERTHA "CHIPPIE" HILL: Pratt City Blues/ CLYDE HILL AND GROUP: Long Hot Summer Days/ JOHN LEE HOOKER: Interview/ Wednesday Evening She Left Me/ SON HOUSE: My Black Mama, Part 1/ PEG LEG HOWELL: Broke And Hungry Blues/ MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT: Spike Driver Blues/ CHARLIE JACKSON: Long Gone Lost John/ JIM JACKSON: I Heard The Voice Of A Porkchop/ JESSE JAMES: Lonesome Day Blues/ BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON: Match Box Blues/ ALEC JOHNSON: Mysterious Coon/ LONNIE JOHNSON: St. Louis Cyclone Blues/ ROBERT JOHNSON: Walkin‘ Blues/ STUMP JOHNSON: Interview/ Interview/ TOMMY JOHNSON: Cool Drink Of Water Blues/ KANSAS JOE: North Memphis Blues/ BOBBIE LEECAN'S NEED-MORE BAND: Washboard Cut-out/ ED LEWIS: Lucky Holler/ FURRY LEWIS: Kassie Jones, Part 1/ MEADE ’LUX’ LEWIS: Spirit Of The Boogie Woogie/ PROF. RAYFORN LOGAN: Interview/ MAMPRUSI TRIBESMEN: Ring Dance/ CARL MARTIN: Let‘s Have A New Deal/ TOMMY MCCLENNAN: Blues Trip Me Up This Morning/ REV. F.W. MCGHEE: Fifty Miles Of Elbow Room/ BLIND WILLIE MCTELL: Travelin‘ Blues/ THE MEMPHIS JUG BAND: Aunt Caroline Dyer Blues/ WHISTLIN’ ALEX MOORE: Ice Pick Blues/ WILLIAM MOORE: Ragtime Millionaire/ MCKINLEY MORGANFIELD: Country Blues/ MR. HONEY: Build A Cave/ RED NELSON: Crying Mother Blues/ HAMBONE WILLIE NEWBERN: Shelby County Workhouse Blues/ NORFOLK JAZZ QUARTETTE: Sad Blues/ CHARLEY PATTON: Some Summer Day/ ROBERT PETWAY: Cotton Pickin‘ Blues/ MA RAINY: Yonder Come The Blues/ WILL SHADE: Interview/ BESSIE SMITH: Yellow Dog Blues/ SPECKLED RED: Interview/ The Dirty Dozen/ JIMMY STROTHERS: Tennessee Dog/ SONNY TERRY AND BROWNIE MCGHEE: Fox Hunt/ HENRY THOMAS: Old Country Stomp/ HENRY TOWNSEND: Interview/ Poor Man Blues/ WESLEY WALLACE: Number 29/ WADE WALTON: Interview/ WASHBOARD SAM: Flying Crow Blues/ PEETIE WHEATSTRAW: Working On The Project/ BUKKA WHITE: Parchman Farm Blues/ JOE WILLIAMS: Baby Please Don‘t Go/ SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON: Win The War Blues/ EDITH WILSON: Rules & Regulations 'Signed Razor Jim'/ MAMA YANCEY: Make Me A Pallet On The Floor

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Document 32-20 11 Mighty Day - 25 Gospel Greats ● CD $16.98
25 tracks, highly recommended
An exciting and varied selection of gospel music drawn from previously issued Document CDs (some not currently in print) ranging from 1928 to 1955. The title song - a beautiful quartet performance from 1928 by the Bessemer was used in the recent Jim Carrey movie "Fun With Dick & Jane." I'm not sure if that should be considered a recommendation but it's a beautiful performance and there are other fine quartet performances from The Golden Gate Quartet, The Wright BRothers Gospel Singers, The Cornfed Four, Brother Miller & The Milleraires and others. There are also fine female solo vocalists like Sister Goldia Haynes, Sister Ernestine Ernestine Washington, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and others. There are early examples of the sacred steel tradition from the great Rev. A. Johnson and Rev. Lonnie Farris and more. An excellent set with fine sound and full discographical info. The notes are mostly about other Document CDs. (FS)
REV. ROBERT BALLINGER: This Train/ ELDER CHARLES BECK: Didn‘t It Rain/ THE BESSEMER SUNSET FOUR: Mighty Day/ THE BLUE CHIPS: Stay On The Right Side Of The Road/ ANTHONY BUTLER: Judgement‘s Coming Soon/ My God Is A Mighty Man/ THE CORNFED FOUR: Let The Church Roll On/ MARY DELOATCH: The Lord‘s Gospel Train/ THOMAS A. DORSEY: If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again/ REV. LONNIE FARRIS: I‘m So Happy And Free The Lord Saved Me/ THE GOLDEN GATE QUARTET: Blind Barnabas/ THE GOLDEN GATE JUBILEE QUARTET: My Time Done Come/ SISTER GOLDIA HAYNES: I‘m Going To Hold On/ The Truth In The Gospel/ THE HEAVENLY GOSPEL SINGERS: Lead Me To The Rock/ REV. A. JOHNSON: God Don‘t Like It/ REV. KELSEY: I‘m A Witness For The Lord/ BROTHER MILLER & THE MILLERAIRES: J-e-s-u-s Spells Jesus/ SISTER LOTTIE PEAVEY: Nobody‘s Fault But Mine/ REV. UTAH SMITH: Two Wings/ SISTER O.M. TERRELL: I‘m Going To That City/ SISTER ROSETTA THARPE: My Journey To The Sky/ SISTER ERNESTINE WASHINGTON: I‘m His Child/ THE WRIGHT BROTHERS AND GOSPEL SINGERS: After A While/ THE WRIGHT BROTHERS GOSPEL SINGERS: Gospel Train

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Documents 222622 Rhythm 'n' Blues - Shouters ● CD $24.98
Another of those fine budget priced four CD set in a book format from Documents. This one contains jumping urban blues from the 40s and early 50s featuring big voiced male singers - a mix of familiar names along with some obscurities.  Excellent sound and 40 page illustrated booklet has notes on all the artists in English and German.
JESSE ALLEN: Let's Party/ MR. 'GOOGLE EYES' AUGUST: Oh Ho Doodle/ DAVE BARTHOLOMEW: My Ding-a-ling/ OSCAR BLACK: Love, Love/ CALVIN BOZE: Safronia B./ Slippin' & Slidin'/ TINY BRADSHAW: Breakin' Up The House/ Mailman's Sack/ The Train Kept A-rollin'/ Walk That Mess/ JACKIE BRENSTON: In My Real Gone Rocket/ Rocket 88/ Juiced/ BIG BILL BROONZY: You've Been Mistreating Me/ ROY BROWN: Butcher Pete/ Caldonia's Wedding Day/ Good Rockin' Tonight/ Lolly Pop Mama/ Mr. Hound Dog's In Town/ WAYMON BROWN: Barefoot Susie/ GOREE CARTER: Sh'e Just Old Fashioned/ HARRY CRAFTON: It's Been A Long Time Baby/ EDDIE 'LOCKJAW' DAVIS: Mountain Oyster/ CHAMPION JACK DUPREE: Ain't No Meat On De Bone/ Shim Sham Shimmy/ H-BOMB FERGUSON: I Love My Baby/ Rock H-bomb, Rock/ STOMP GORDON: Damp Rag/ Dragnet/ Oooh Yes/ BIG JOHN GREER: Bottle It Up & Go/ I'm The Fat Man/ If I Told You Once/ TINY GRIMES: Hey Now/ Ho Ho Ho/ LIONEL HAMPTON: Hey! Ba-ba-re-bop/ PEPPERMINT HARRIS: Come On, Let's Ride/ WYNONIE HARRIS: All She Wants To Do Is Rock/ Drinkin' The Wine Spoo-dee-o-dee/ I Like My Baby's Puddin'/ I Want My Fanny Brown/ Sittin' On It All The Time/ JAY HAWKINS: Baptize Me In Wine/ BULLMOOSE JACKSON: Big Ten Inch Record/ Nosey Joe/ WILLIE JOHNSON: Say Baby/ LOUIS JORDAN: All For The Love Of Lil/ Caldonia/ Don't Worry 'bout The Mule/ Fat Back & Corn Liquor/ B.B. KING: Shake It Up & Go/She's Dynamite/ FREDDIE KOHLMAN ORCH.: Hole In The Ground/ SMILEY LEWIS: Big Mamou/ REDD LYTE & THE JOHNNY OTIS ORCHESTRA: Little Red Hen/ MANHATTAN PAUL: Mumbles Blues/ MEMPHIS SLIM: Rockin' The House/ WALLY MERCER: Rock Around The Clock/ AMOS MILBURN: Real Pretty Mama/ ROY MILTON: Little Boy Blue/ WILD BILL MOORE: Hey Spoo-dee-o-dee/ FRANK MOTLEY: New Hound Dog/ When The Saints/ MR. SAD HEAD: Sad Head Blues/ ELMORE NIXON: If You'll Be My Love/ FATS NOEL: Ride Daddy, Ride/ HOT LIPS PAGE: Jungle King/ SONNY PARKER: She Sets My Soul On Fire/ GENE PARRISH: Screamin' In My Sleep/ KING PERRY ORCH.: Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket/ GENE PHILLIPS: Rock Bottom/ CHRIS POWELL: Rock The Joint/ JIMMY PRESTON: Oh Babe/ Rock The Joint/ MR. RAIN: Who Dat?/ TODD RHODES: Rocket 69/ TOMMY RIDGLEY: Looped/ Monkey Man/ JIMMY RUSHING: Hi-ho Sylvester/ Lotsa Poppa/ HAL SINGER: Rock Around The Clock/ THE SLY FOX: I'm Tired Of Beggin'/ MELVIN SMITH: California Baby/ I'm Out Of My Mind/ DOC STARKES & THE NITERIDERS: Women & Cadillacs/ J.B. SUMMERS: Stranger In Town/ MILT TRENIER: Flip Our Wings/ BIG JOE TURNER: Jumpin' Tonight/ Low Down Dog/ My Gal's A Jockey/ Shake, Rattle & Roll/ Well All Right/ Battle Of The Blues, Parts 1 & 2/ T-BONE WALKER: The Hustle Is On/ BOB WILLIAMS: Talk To Me/ COOTIE WILLIAMS: Mercenary Papa/ ERNIE WILLIAMS: My Pretty Baby/ CHUCK WILLIS: Let's Jump Tonight/ JIMMY WILSON: Jumpin' From Six To Six

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Documents 222623 Rhythm 'N' Blues - Fine Brown Sugar ● CD $24.98
Another fine collection of blues and R&B from Documents - this one devoted to female vocalists. Four CDs in a book format with 100 tracks recorded between 1939 and 1954 including familiar names like LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, Little Esther, Faye Adams, Helen Humes, JUlia Lee, Big Mama Thornton, Big Maybelles, Lula Reed and others along with a whole heap of obscure artists like Myra Johnson, Albinia Jones, Erline Harris, Dorothy Ellis, Bertice Reading, Dolores Gibson, Vivian Verson, Rosemary McCoy, Honey Brown and more. Sound quality is excellent and 32 page illustrated booklet has notes on the artists and songs.
FAYE ADAMS: Anything For A Friend/ I'll Be True To You/ It Hurts Me To My Heart/ MARIA ADAMS: I'm Gonna Play The Honky Tonks/ MARIE ADAMS: I'm Gonna Latch On/ ANISTEEN ALLEN: Lies, Lies, Lies/ ANNISTEEN ALLEN: Baby, I'm Doing It/ Down By The River/ I've Got Big Bulgin' Eyes For/ My Baby Keeps Rollin'/ JEWEL ATKINS: 3x7=21/ LAVERN BAKER: How Can You Leave A Man Like This/ LAVERNE BAKER: Pig Latin/ LU BAKER: Here's A Little Girl/ BIG MAYBELLE: Jinny Mule/ My Country Man/ One Monkey Don't Stop No Show/ Rain Down Rain/ HADDA BROOKS: Jump Back, Honey/ HONEY BROWN: Rockin' And Jumpin'/ RUTH BROWN: 5-10-15 Hours/ He Treats Your Daughter Mean/ Hello Little Boy/ I Would If I Could/ I'll Wait For You/ Shine On/ Wild Wild Young Men/ MARGIE DAY: Sadie Green/ Stubborn As A Mule/ Take Out Your False Teeth, Daddy/ TINA DIXON: Blow Mr Be Bop/ DOROTHY ELLIS: Drill, Daddy, Drill/ DOLORES GIBSON: Call Me, Call Me, Call Me/ LIL GREEN: How Come You Do Me Like You Do/ VIVIAN GREENE: He's The Man/ LIL GREENWOOD: Granpa Can Boogie Too/ ERLINE HARIS: I Never Missed My Baby/ ERLINE HARRIS: Jump And Shout/ Long Tall Papa/ DONNA HIGHTOWER: I Ain't In The Mood/ GLADYS HILL: Please Don't Touch My Bowl/ CAMILLE HOWARD: Try Try Again/ ROSETTA HOWARD: Men Are Like Streetcars/ HELEN HUMES: Be-baba-le-ba/ FLUFFY HUNTER: Teh Walkin' Blues/ ELLA JOHNSON: Ain't Cha Got Me Where You Want M/ Till My Baby Comes Back/ MYRA JOHNSON: Silent George/ ALBINIA JONES: Hey Little Boy/ Hole In The Wall/ What's The Matter With Me/ ANNIE LAURIE: It's Been A Long Time/ My Rough And Ready Man/ Stop Talkin' And Start Walkin'/ JULIA LEE: A Parter's Lovesong To A Chamber Mai/ Gotta Gimme What'cha Got/ LITTLE ESTHER: Better Beware/ Flesh, Blood And Bones/ Lookin' For A Man/ Ring-a-ding-doo/ Sit Back Down/ The Deacon Moves In/ CHERRI LYNN: Your Money Ain't Long Enough/ MITZI MARS: I'm Glad/ MADONNA MARTIN: Rattlesnake Papa/ BIG MAYBELLE: So Good To My Baby/ ZILLA MAYS: Nightshift Blues/ Tripple Eight/ ROSEMARY MCCOY: Dippin' Is My Business/ ALMA MONDY: Baby, Get Wise/ CHUBBY NEWSOME: New Orleans Man/ BERTICE READING: I'll Never Do It Again/ BERTRICE READING: I Gotta Know/ LULA REED: I'll Upset You, Baby/ Rock Love/ Sick And Tired/ MABEL SCOTT: Baseball Boogie/ Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train/ Catch'em Young, Treat'em Rough/ Disgusted/ Good Lookin' Fella/ Googie Woogie/ That Ain't The Way To Love/ KITTY STEVENSON: Good Man/ LAURIE TATE & JOE MORRIS ORCH: Rock Me, Daddy/ SISTER ROSETTA THARPE: That's All/ BIG MAMA THORNTON: Hound Dog/ I Smell A Raat/ Rock A Bye, Baby/ They Call Me Big Mama/ TERRY TIMMONS: Got Nobody To Love/ He's The Best In The Business/ Mr Low Love/ The Same Old Thrill/ LITTLE SYLVIA VANDERPOOL: Fine Love/ Speedy Life/ SYLVIA VANDERPOOL: A Little Boy/ VIVIAN VERSON: I Want To Know/ DINAH WASHINGTON: A Slick Chick/ Short John

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Eddie's 1002 Hard Lovin' Daddy - Texas-Style Blues & Boogie,1947-56 ● CD $16.98
24 tracks, 64 mins, highly recommended
A second fine collection of Texas blues from Eddie's. This time it's not all urban blues with down home sides from singer/ guitarist The Sugarman (his classic She's Gone With The Wind), Ivory Joe Hunter's brother Lee with two superb piano blues and three from the ubiquitous Smokey Hogg. On the urban side we have all four sides recorded by fine singer/ guitarist Earl Gilliam. There two sides originally issued as Bill Hayes & His Band which featured Henry Hayes on alto sax, Ed Wiley on tenor and Buster Pickens on piano with mournful vocals by Perry Cain on the ballad My Baby Loves Me So and vocals and great guitar from Goree Carter on I'm Just Another Fool. Carter also appears here under the pseudonym Rocky Thompson and is probably behind the pseudonym Little T-Bone on two sides with an uncanny resemblance to the work of big T-Bone. Singer/ piano player Robert Smith is featured on the tough Freeway Boogie and L.C. Williams who is usually featured in a country blues role is here on the urban blues Don't Want No Woman with ubiquitous Houston session men Henry Hayes, Ed Wiley, Willie Johnson and Donald Cooks. Also featured are Hubert Robinson, Ed Wiley, Little Willie Littlefield (his fabulous rendition of Swanee River), Bea Johnson, Roy Brown (his first recording for Gold Star in 1947) and Teddy Reynolds. About a third of the tracks have been on CD before. Sound quality is excellent and there are brief notes on most of the artists. (FS)
ROY BROWN: Deep Sea Diver/ EARL GILLIAM: Don't Make Me Late Baby/ Nobody's Blues/ Petite Baby/ Wrong Doing Woman/ BILL HAYES: I'm Just Another Fool/ I've Done Everything For You/ My Baby Loves Me So/ SMOKEY HOGG: Go Home With Me/ I Love You Baby, Part 1/ Back To The Country/ LEE HUNTER: Back To Santa Fe/ Lee's Boogie/ BEA JOHNSON: No Letter Blues/ LITTLE T-BONE: Christmas Blues/ Love's A Gamble/ LITTLE WILLIE LITTLEFIELD: Swanee River/ TEDDY REYNOLDS: Right Will Always Win/ HUBERT ROBINSON: Hard Lovin' Daddy/ ROBERT SMITH: Freeway Boogie/ THE SUGARMAN: She's Gone With The Wind/ ROCKY THOMPSON & HIS GUITAR: Bull Corn Blues/ ED WILEY: Where Are You Baby/ L.C. WILLIAMS: Don't Want No Woman

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Empire Musicwerks 450 810-2 Atlas Blues Explosion ● CD $12.98
Fine collection of New York blues recorded for trumpeter Thomas Robinson's Atlas & Angletone labels between 1951 and 1964 with many tracks making their first appearance on CD. The most well known names here are H-Bomb Ferguson who has four tracks and Louisiana Red whose two sides are the most down home here. Other artists include Mojo Watson, James Wayne (not "the" James Wayne who wrote Junco Partner), Charlie Walker, Jimmy "Chickie" Horne, Hattie Green (the weakest performer here though her Pawn Shop Blues) is nice), Piney Brown, Mae Mercer, Emmet Davis and the Johnny Perry Orch. with vocals by Ida Haymes. Excellent sound and deailed notes by Bill Dahl.
PINEY BROWN: You Made Me This Way/ EMMET DAVIS: Woke Up This Morning/ You Know You Didn't Want Me/ H-BOMB FERGUSON: Good Time Gal/ I Love My Baby/ On My Way/ Rock H-Bomb Rock/ HATTIE GREEN: Green Light Baby/ Over Twenty One/ Pawn Shop Blues/ JIMMY CHICKIE HORNE: Hello Little Girl/ LOUISIANA RED: I Done Woke Up/ I Had A Feeling/ MAE MERCER: Great Googa Mooga/ Sweet Little Angel/ JOHNNY PERRY ORCHESTRA: I Left My Baby/ Lonely Heart Blues/ CHARLIE WALKER: Down Hearted Blues/ Louise/ Nervous Wreck/ Wrong Kind Of Woman/ MOJO WATSON: All Alone/ You Know You Don't Want Me/ JAMES WAYNE: The Trust/ This Little Letter

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Frog DGF 60 Sunshine Special - Texas, 1927-29 ● CD $16.98
Fine collection of Texas blues and small group jazz - mostly recorded in Dallas - between 1927 and 1929. Blues are courtesy of Lillian Glinn, Hattie Hudson, Hattie Burleson, ben Norsingle and Frenchy's String Band (not actually a string band) and jazz from Leroy's Dallas Band, Leroy Williams and J.C. Johnson & His Five Hot Sparks. Includes a previously unissued test from Johnson. Remastered by Ted Kendall - the heir to John R.T. davies's legacy.

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS JSP JSPCD 7759 The Guitar Evangelists,Vol 2 -Featuring Rev. Gary Davis ● CD $28.98
4 CDs, 101 tracks, recommended
Volume one, Blind Willie Johnson and the Guitar Evangelists (JSP7737), was an impressive and imaginatively compiled set, so how does this second installment measure up? It starts well: Blind Joe Taggart is a more interesting performer than the Rev Edward Clayborn, his opposite number on the first volume. Taggart added variety to his recordings by using family members for vocal support on some songs, as well as the young Josh White. Highlights such as The Storm is Passing Over and Religion Is Something Within You, both sung with real passion, are among the finest gospel recordings. Four alternate takes on Document DOCD 5153/4 are omitted, as are five of the six secular recordings which appear on the Document reissues as likely to be by Taggart. Only the most likely, C &O Blues by Blind Joe Amos, is included, and provides an incongruous interruption to the gospel recordings. Sound quality shows a worthwhile improvement on the Document reissues and is good apart from a few badly worn sides.
Taggart accounts for the whole of the first disc and four titles on Disc B, after which the scene shifts to 1946 and the Two Gospel Keys. Despite the time lapse the musically transition is fairly smooth, with the two ladies - one playing rudimentary guitar - presenting undemanding material in a consistent not to say uniform manner. (An alternate take and two titles on Document's Too Late, Too Late Vol 3, DOCD 5276, are omitted.) Much more interesting are the two wonderfully portentous performances by Henry Green which close the disc, combining interesting lyrics, brooding guitar and heavy vocals to great effect.
Disc C is consistently good, with the strong rhythm and slide of Blind Willie Davis giving way to some very nicely presented songs from Eddie Head and family, including Down On Me, later recorded by Janis Joplin. The middle section then features some strong post war work, including two memorable titles from the obscure Brother Willie Eason. The final sides jump back to 1930 and Blind Gussie Nesbitt, who had some of the power and style of Blind Willie Johnson. Despite the non chronological format this disc works well, helped by the generally very good sound quality. The final disc features the complete 1935-49 work of Reverend Gary Davis as previously released on DOCD 5060. The sleeve notes by Keith Briggs announce that Davis was "probably the greatest guitarist to emerge from the lower strata of Black American life". In fact Davis' 1935 recordings did not sell well, perhaps because he was not a particularly engaging vocalist. Taken as a whole his eighteen sides here have a certain coldness about them (the maestro also had a tendency to over elaborate some accompaniments) which make them easier to admire than enjoy. By contrast the Mother McCollum titles which follow are simple, artless and charming: When I Take My Vacation In Heaven and Jesus Is My Air-O-Plane have always been among my favorite gospel sides. Coming after the more sophisticated Davis recordings though this running order doesn't work very well - and the closing track from 1948 with Sister Matthews shouting Stand By Me adds to the disjointed feeling. Sound quality of the Davis tracks is less noisy than on the remastered Document version, but a couple of tracks sound a little over processed to my ears. The Mother McCollum titles sound much better than on Document DOCD 5101. Aside from sequencing issues, packaging of this set could have been better and would have benefited from fuller discographical information. That said it does bring together some outstanding performances in very decent sound, and for that reason is well worth having. (DPR)
BLIND JOE AMOS: C&O Blues/ BULL CITY RED (GEORGE WASHINGTON): I Saw The Light/ BLIND GARY DAVIS: Civil War March/ Cross And Evil Woman Blues/ Have More Faith In Jesus/ I Am The Light Of The World/ I Am The True Vine/ BLIND WILLIE DAVIS: I Believe I’ll Go Back Home/ BLIND GARY DAVIS: I Belong To The Band - Hallelujah!/ I Cannot Bear My Burden By Myself/ I’m Gonna Meet You At The Station/ I’m Throwin’ Up My Hands/ BLIND WILLIE DAVIS: I’ve Got A Key To The Kingdom/ BLIND GARY DAVIS: Lord Stand By Me/ Lord, l Wish I Could See/ O Lord Search My Heart/ BLIND WILLIE DAVIS: Rock Of Ages Chicago/ BLIND GARY DAVIS: The Angel’s Message To Me New York/ The Great Change In Me/ BLIND WILLIE DAVIS: Trust In God And Do The Right/ BLIND GARY DAVIS: Twelve Gates To The City/ BLIND WILLIE DAVIS: When The Saints Go Marching In/ BLIND GARY DAVIS: You Can Go Home/ You Got To Go Down/ BLIND WILLIE DAVIS: Your Enemy Cannot Harm You/ BROTHER WILLIE EASON: I Want To Live (So God Can Use Me)/ There’ll Be No Grumblers There/ HENRY GREEN: Storm Thru Mississippi/ Strange Things/ EDDIE HEAD AND HIS FAMILY: Down On Me/ Lord, l’m The True Vine/ Trying To Get Home/ Within My Mind/ SISTER MATTHEWS: Stand By Me/ MOTHER McCOLLUM: Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!/ I Want To See Him/ Jesus Is My Air-O-Plane/ Oh Lord l’m Your Child/ When I Take My Vacation In Heaven/ You Can’t Hide/ BLIND GUSSIE NESBIT: Canaan Land New York/ I’ll Just Stand And Wring My Hands And Cry/ Motherless Children/ Pure Religion/ ELIZABETH PHILLIPS: A Little Old Fashioned/ There Is Nothing Like The Holy Spirit/ BLIND JOE TAGGART: Been Listening All The Day/ Everybody’s Got To Be Tried/ God’s Gonna Separate The Wheat From The Tares/ Goin’ To Rest Where Jesus Is/ He Done What The World Couldn’t Do/ I Ain’t No Sinner Now/ I Ain’t No Sinner Now/ I Will Not Be Removed/ I Wish My Mother Was On That Train/ In That Pearly White City Above/ I’ll Be Satisfied/ I’ve Crossed The Separation Line/ Just Beyond Jordan/ Keep On The Firing Line/ Lord Don’t Drive Me Away/ Mother’s Love/ Pressin’ Up That Shiny Way/ Religion Is Something Within You/ Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down/ Scandalous And A Shame/ Separate The Wheat From The Tares/ Strange Things Happening In The Land/ Take Your Burden To The Lord/ The Half Ain’t Never Been Told/ The Storm Is Passing Over/ There’s A Hand Writing On The Wall/ Waded In The Water Trying To Get Home/ When I Stand Before The King/ Will My Mother Be On That Train?/ Wonder Will My Troubles Then Be Over/ SISTER O.M. TERRELL: God’s Little Birds/ How Long/ I’m Going To That City/ Life Is A Problem/ Lord I Want You To Lead Me/ Swing Low Sweet Chariot/ The Bible’s Right/ The Gambling Man/ THE TWO GOSPEL KEYS: Can't No Grave Hold My Body Down/ Charity/ Every Man Got To Lay Down And Die/ Got To Move (When The Lord Gets Ready/ I Can’t Tarry/ I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore/ I Don’t Want To Go Down There Part 1/ I Don’t Want To Go Down There Part 2/ I LoveTraveling/ I Want My Crown/ Jesus Met The Woman At The Well/ Precious Lord/ Precious Lord/ This Heart Of Mine/ We’re Gonna Have A Good Time/ You’ve Got To Move/ REV. CHARLES WHITE (JAMES BUTLER): How Long

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Regal 3302 New Orleans Rarities, Volume 2: 1950-1956 ● CD $16.98
Another fine selection of 25 fine sides from the Crescent City - not all of them that rare but all fine. Includes Archibald, Little Sonny, Pee Wee Crayton, Willie Johnson, Joe & Ursula, Rudy Jackson, Blazer Boy, Sylvester Saunders, Fats Matthews, Bobby Marchan and others.
ARCHIBALD: Ballin' With Archie/ Shake Shake Baby/ She's Scattered Everywhere/ BLAZER BOY: Surprise Blues/ Waiting For My Baby/ BOO BREEDING: Country Woman/ PEE WEE CRAYTON: Do Unto Others/ Every Dog Has A Day/ RUDY JACKSON: Teasing Me/ JOE & URSULA: Let's Face It/ The Good Book/ WILLIE JOHNSON: Love Me Till Dawn/ Sometimes I Wonder Why/ LITTLE SONNY JONES: I Got Booted/ Tend To Your Business/ JEWEL KING: Keep Your Big Mouth Shut/ LITTLE SONNY: Do You Really Love Me/ Is Everything All Right/ BOBBY MARCHAN: Just A Little Ol Wine/ FATS MATTHEWS: Down The Line/ You Know It/ KENZIE MOORE: I Don't Know Why/ Let It Lay/ SYLVESTER SAUNDERS: I Want You/ My Dreams Are All In Vain

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Wolf 120.874 Chicago's Finest Blues Ladies ● CD $16.98
15 tracks, very Good. Features a mix of mostly newer tracks from the finest ladies singing the blues currently in the Chicago area. At least two tracks each by Deitra Farr, Zora Young, Mary Lane, Melvina Allen, Karen Carrol and Bonnie Lee (Godmother of Karen Carrol). It's a bare bones offering, but worth picking up for blues vocalist diehards. (JM)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Yazoo 2202 The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of ● CD $25.98
Two CDs, 46 tracks, 138 mins, utterly essential
Now in stock. Even if this two CD set didn't have the never before reissued Son House tracks from 1930 this would still be an essential release with an incredible selection of some of the rarest and finest pre war country blues and old time music recordings with superb sound but the presence of the Son House tracks elevates this to the supreme release of the last few years. Copies of House's first three 78s for Paramounts are exceedingly rare but have ben in the hands of collectors since the late 50s and have been reissued numerous times and now someone has found the fourth 78 and it's every bit as good as the other three. Mississippi County Farm Blues is a bit different in feel to his other recordings with a melody based on Blind Lemon Jefferson's See That My Grave Is Kept Clean only with a secular theme. It features stunning vocals and lyrical slide guitar work - a true masterpiece. The flipside Clarksdale Moan is almost as good - a rhythmic paean to that important Mississippi city. Although all the other blues and black gospel tracks have been reissued before the sound quality here is improved substantially - the Document reissue of Jaybird Coleman's magnificent Boll Weevil is almost unlistenable - here the full strength of Coleman's singing and harmonica playing come through. There are other blues gems from John Byrd, Ollis Martin, The Memphis Jug Band (their gorgeous Jim Strainer Blues), Jesse "Babyface" Thomas, Blind Roosevelt Graves & Uaroy Graves, Lottie Kimbrough and others. Since old time country music is less well represented on CD than blues and black gospel many of those tracks are making their appearance here for the first time and several tracks are from previously unissued acetates. The Georgia Pot Lickers Brunswick 78 of Up Jumped A Rabbit/ Chicken Don't Roost Too High featuring the magnificent twin fiddle work of Lowe Stokes and A.A. Gray is as mythically rare as the Son House. Other old timey highlights includes the gorgeous Fightin' The War With Spain by Wilmer Watts & the Lonely Eagles, the beautiful, previously unissued, We All Love Mother by The Crowder Brothers with lovely fiddle and slide guitar, the remarkable Smith & Irvine performing Lonesome Road Blues as a piano duet and more from Freeny's Barn dance band, Ernest Phipps & His Holiness Singers, The Grayson County Railsplitters, Asa martin & Roy Hobbs, Osey Helton and others. There's just one musical treasure after another. The two CD set comes packaged in a DVD size case with specially commissioned cover by R. Crumb and comes with a booklet with a humorous essay by Rich Nevin on the craziness of record collecting and gorgeous full color label shots of a dozen of the included titles. My only criticism is the complete absence of any discographical information or notes on the performances. Still the music is so good this still counts as THE release of the last few years. (FS)
AMEDIE ARDOIN & DENNIS MCGEE: Two Step De La Prairie Soileau/ ASHLEY & FOSTER: Bull Dog Sal (unissued)/ ANDREW & JIM BAXTER: Operator Blues/ DOCK BOGGS: Old Rub Alcohol Blues/ JOHN BYRD: Old Timbrook Blues/ JAYBIRD COLEMAN: Boll Weevil/ Mistreatin' Mama/ THE CROWDER BROTHERS: We All Love Mother (unissued)/ FREENY'S BARN DANCE BAND: Croquet Habits/ THE GEORGIA POT LICKERS: Chicken Don't Roost Too High/ Up Jumped The Rabbit/ JACK GOWDLOCK: Rollin Dough Blues/ BLIND ROOSEVELT GRAVES & VAROY GRAVES: I Shall Not Be Moved/ GRAYSON & WHITTER: My Mind Is To Marry (unissued)/ THE GRAYSON COUNTY RAILSPLITTERS: Ain't That Trouble In Mind (unissued)/ J.D. HARRIS: The Grey Eagle/ WILLIAM HARRIS: I'm Leavin' Town (but I Sho' Don't Wanna Go)/ ROY HARVEY & JESS JOHNSTON AND THE WEST VIRG: John Hardy Blues/ OSEY HELTON: Green River/ KING SOLOMON HILL: Whoopee Blues (alternate Take)/ SON HOUSE: Clarksdale Moan/ Mississippi County Farm Blues/ TOMMY JOHNSON: Slidin' Delta/ LUKE JORDON: If I Call You Mama/ THE KENTUCKY RAMBLERS: Ginseng Blues/ LOTTIE KIMBROUGH: Don't Speak To Me/ OLLIS MARTIN: Police And High Sheriff Come Ridin' Down/ ASA MARTIN & ROY HOBBS: Wild Cat Rag/ KEN MAYNARD: Sweet Betsey From Pike (unissued)/ THE MEMPHIS JUG BAND: Jim Strainer Blues/ MEMPHIS MINNIE & JOE MCCOY: I'm Going Back Home/ MIDDLE GEORGIA SINGING CONVENTION NO. 1: Bells Of Love/ CHUBBY PARKER: Davey Crockett/ ERNEST PHIPPS AND HIS HOLINESS SINGERS: A Little Talk With Jesus/ YANK RACHEL WITH SLEEPY JOHN ESTES & JAB JONE: Sweet Mama/ LONG "CLEEVE" REED & LITTLE HARVEY HULL - THE DOWN HOM: Original Stack O' Lee Blues/ BILL SHEPHERD WITH HAYES SHEPHERD & ED WEBB: Bound Steel Blues/ SMITH & IRVINE: Lonesome Road Blues/ THE SWEET BROTHERS: I'm Gonna Marry That Pretty Little Girl/ JESSE "BABYFACE" THOMAS: Down In Texas Blues/ THE THREE STRIPED GEARS: Alabama Blues/ WADE WARD: Married Man's Blues (unissued)/ WILMER WATTS & THE LONELY EAGLES: Fightin' In The War With Spain/ HENRY WHITTER: It's A Rough Road To Georgia (unissued)/ REV. B.L. WIGHTMAN WITH LOTTIE KIMBROUGH & CONGREG: Live The Life/ GEESHIE WILEY: Skinny Leg Blues

 

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