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Joe's Blues Blog February 2021

1/28/2021

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Some February Blues Births:
  • February 3rd.,1935-- Joseph Leon "Jody","Joe","Sugarboy" Williams,aka Little Papa Joe, Little Joe Lee, but best-known as Jody Williams
  • February 14th.,1950-- Otis Grand​
  • February 27th.,1943-- Jimmy Burns

Answer To The January 2021 Blues Question: The group we were looking for was/is The Dixie Blues Boys. As I said in the Question, their name would suggest a Southern heritage or starting point, but they recorded in Los Angeles, on June 6,1955. They recorded 5 sides, with only 2 being released, on the Flair Records label, a subsidiary of Modern Records, which was founded in 1946 by the 4 Bihari brothers. The 2 sides that were released were "Monte Carlo" and "My Baby Left Town". One or the other can be found now on different compilations, on quite a few labels. You can get both on 1 c.d., P-Vine Records (out of Japan), #PCD-3038, which is now out of print, so expect to pay the long dollar for it. A CD that has all 5 of those sides on it is ACE Records U.K., #CDCHD-1003, which is also out of print. Since it's got all 5 sides on it, it's even more expensive. There's 1 currently advertised on Amazon for $902.81 plus $3.99 freight, with tax on top of that. I contacted ACE in England, and they told me that due to slow sales of that disc, they were not planning to re-issue it. I have located and ordered 3 of them, from different sources, 2 from France, and 1, from, of all places, Russia, and NO, they weren't cheap, but they are definitely ordered. Just for your info, the P-Vine disc title  is "Blues From The Deep South", and the ACE title is "The Modern Downhome Blues Sessions, Volume 3". Now, about the group itself, about which not much is known. When John Broven of ACE Records was researching for the liner booklet in that disc, he found the original contract that the group had signed with Modern Records. There were 4 signatures: Charles S .Johnson, Ozie (or O.Z.) Saxton (most likely the "Dee Dee" credited on the releases as the vocalist), Dan Winston, and Clarence Wilkins. The odd thing on this disc is that there were 2 harp players, 1 being Saxton, the other only known as "Leonard". Supposedly the two worked together on gigs in Los Angeles. Those sides featured the 2 harps, guitar, upright bass, and drums, and not sure (other than the harps) who played what instrument. The debate is ongoing about from where the group originated and/ or where their base of operations was. Some of the suggestions are: Itta Bena, Mississippi; Helena, Arkansas; Monroe, Louisiana; St.Louis and Kansas City, Missouri. Some of the players were born in Mississippi or Louisiana. Maybe someday more info will be found about the group's founding and travels.

Blues Question For February 2021: This bluesman is another you've never heard of, but you should. He was a great vocalist who also played guitar and/ or drums. An early example of post-war electric blues, but he didn't record that much of his own work, most of his many recordings are with him as a sideman for many of the big names, both in the studio and on tours with them. Any ideas on this one ??

Blues Song(s) and Artist(s) For February 2021: The song is "The Devil's Shoestring", and the artist is Jimmy Reed. To understand why I picked this song, see the "Blues Trivia" section.

Blues Trivia For February 2021: As promised last month, it's about Hoodooists (and more). First off, gotta' clear something up:  Hoodoo is NOT Voodoo ! Both have their basis in religions, and in some cases, similar practices. Voodoo is a combination of different African tribal religions and some from Haiti, and sometimes requires animal sacrifices (unless you believe what Hollywood seems bent on supplying). Haiti was a French territory until a war between the 2 led to Haiti becoming it's own country. New Orleans was a port city, so immigrants (and some who had been slaves) settled there, after the end of the civil war. One of those was a woman named Marie LaVeau, who was a Haitian Voodoo priestess. She didn't as yet, have a church there, and a Catholic priest allowed her to use his church for her followers to have their services. She would eventually be known as "the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans". The French language was spoken in Haiti, since it had been a French-controlled territory for years, so that's what most immigrants from there spoke. When in New Orleans, it was combined with the Creole (Indians) language, and became known as Cajun. That's why when you hear Cajun music (and sometimes Zydeco) it's usually done with French vocals. The immigrants from Haiti and West Africa countries who settled in Memphis, spoke in English, then throw in a little bit of European folklore, Christianity, and Judaism and --presto-- you have Hoodoo. In it, spells are cast in the hope that good fortune, in all aspects of an individual's desires or needs, are met. The Hoodooist often uses roots, animal body parts, or an article of a person's personal property, to work a mojo (cast a spell). Enter Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett Rainey (the original Ma Rainey) with the recording "Louisiana Hoodoo Blues" in 1925. She was rumoured to be a caster of Hoodoo spells. Then came Lillie Mae Glover, known, after Ma Rainey's death in '39, as Ma Rainey II, or Big Memphis Ma Rainey, in later years. Besides her music, she was also recognized as a highly-skilled Beale Street Hoodooist. Not always easy to find, she was sought out by other musicians, to help with their difficulties in writing songs, matters of the heart, or getting work, or to get a mojo hand (a charm bag) from her. She only worked with items that were inexpensive and easily found, such as sugar, flour, lumps of coal, or something small from the person being helped. Then came Elizabeth "Kid" Douglas, who you should know as "Memphis Minnie", recording a song called "Hoodoo Lady", on February 18,1936. All 3 of them were considered to be "Hoodoo Ladies". Sonny Boy Williamson and  Amos "Junior"wells also sang about Hoodoo. Some of the items used in the practice of Hoodoo are: White Snakeroot--a branched herb; Aspan Seed-- an herbal seed; and here's the one referred to in the Blues Song Of The Month, Devil's Shoe String-- a member of the honeysuckle family of plants, it's long,white roots (like shoe strings) are used in Hoodoo. A man-made item, 1 of 2, used is red flannel, to make small bags in which to put spell ingredients or a gris-gris. A Gris-Gris is the other man-made item-- an amulet (a good luck charm) used in both Hoodoo and Voodoo. The early ones had Islamic scripture engraved on them. If you're going to go to Memphis' Beale Street for the first time or you've been there before, you should go into the A.Schwab store. it's the last original business on Beale (it was founded in 1876), and it's in the oldest original building on Beale (built before 1870's). When it first opened, it was a haberdashery, and now it's a tourist's delight, as far as souvenirs, and hard-to-find items too. It now has an original old-time soda fountain, and they also serve sandwiches. The real attraction there, though, is, or was, on the second floor. It was a museum on the history of the store and of Beale Street, and had Hoodoo potions, lotions, and other items used in Hoodoo. There was also a large selection of blues vinyl. I've heard that, since the new owners bought it in 2011, the second floor is now reserved for large gatherings or luncheons, and that what was up there is now downstairs, on the first floor. Unfortunately, it's called "progress". I hope you've taken time to read all of this, and understand what I keep saying-- the blues is so much bigger than most realize. We need to always keep seeking knowledge and learning more about what makes the blues what it really is !  'Nuff said !

(Editors note: In January 2020 we stopped at A. Schwab and while there is now a meeting area much of the 2nd floor is as Joe describes)


Some February Blues Passings:
  • February 1st.,1958-- John Grayton Dolphin--murdered--but that's another story
  • February 13th.,1989-- Hip Linkchain, born as Willie Richard​
  • February 27th.,1994-- Roosevelt Holts
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Joe's Blues Blog January 2021

1/5/2021

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Some January Blues Births:
  • January 3rd.,1904-- Joel "Squatty" Hopkins (yes, Lightning's brother)
  • January 15th.,1980-- Christoffer "Kid" Anderson​
  • January 27.,1930-- Robert Calvin "Bobby"/"Bobby Blue" Bland
Answer to the December 2020 Blues Question: The blueswoman we were looking for was/is Lillie Mae Glover, born September 9, 1907, in Columbia, Tennessee. When she was 13, the family was living in Nashville. Her father was a preacher, but she wanted to sing blues, so she ran away from home. She would later say that she ran away , since her father was a preacher, and she believed that to sing blues, which was considered to be "dirty music", would bring shame to the family. In the early to mid-'20's, she travelled and performed as either/or a blues singer or comedian, with such groups as the Tom Simpson Traveling Medicine Show, Rabbit Foot Minstrels, The Bronze Mannequins, The Vampin' Baby Show, The Georgia Minstrels, Harlem In Havana, and Nina Banson's Medicine Show. Some of these shows were on the road, and some were at venues in Memphis, which is where she settled. She performed all over Beale Street, and downtown Memphis, in the '20's. In April of '27, she recorded 6 sides under the name May Armstrong, for a Chicago record company. Around August of '27, she recorded 6 sides as Side Wheel Sally Duffie, and 2 of those sides have not been found. In Richmond, Indiana, on July 29, 1929, she recorded 4 sides as Mae Glover. On February 24, 1931, she recorded 10 sides, again as Mae Glover, and 2 of those have not been found. I have the titles and numbers for them, and, hopefully, some day, maybe they'll be found. By the way, 1 title from that last session was "Forty Four Blues", when it was released under her name. Another release of that song was titled "Big Gun Blues", when it was released on the Varsity label, under the name of Mae Muff. Under it's original name, it was released on the Supertone and Champion labels. One source lists her birth name as being Lillie Mary Hardison, born September 9, 1906, but that date doesn't work with any of the confirmed info I could find. I went back and tried to research the Hardison family. Turns out, it was a fairly common name in both Carolinas and in Maury County Tennessee, from th 1600's through the early 1850's, but record-keeping after that is sketchy, at best. Back to the person in this, Mae. In '28, she married Willie Glover, shown in some sources as a preacher, and in others, a cook. From the mid-'20's on, she performed at venues up and down Beale Street, and downtown Memphis, such as the Midnight Rambles, The Coca-Cola Club, The Citizen's Club, The Manhattan Club, Hotel Improvement, and a venue that's still popular today, The Peabody Hotel. Early in her career, her then manager had told her that she could make more money as a hoodooist than as a performer. She had taken that to heart, and practiced that craft, along with her singing career, and became a sought-after hoodooist on Beale Street. Her inspiration in her singing was Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett "Ma" Rainey, and after the original Ma Rainey's death in '39, Glover started to go by the name Ma Rainey II. She would not record again until '53, when she recorded under the name "Big Memphis Ma Rainey". Some sources  say "she recorded several sides for Sun Records", while some others say "she recorded a few sides for Sun Records". Well, she recorded TWO only, get it right, people. Now, some of the recordings she made earlier were with a Mississippi guitarist, named John Byrd, backing her (with others also). There's a cd, now out of print, on the da Story Blues label, #3517-2, titled John Byrd & Walter Taylor (1920-1931). That label and brand is a spin-off of Document Records, out of Austria at that time. Included on that cd are 2 tracks , basically sermons, by the Reverend George Jones and Congregation, titled "That White Mule of Sin" and "The Heavenly Airplane", featuring guitar accompaniment by Byrd, along with vocals by Byrd and Sister Jones, which is believed to be Mae Glover. I have a new copy of all of Glover's recordings, along with an excellent pre-owned copy of the Byrd/Taylor cd, in the store. A man named Paul Savarin, who owned a blues and barbecue restaurant in downtown Memphis, around 1970, hired her to sing with the Blues Alley All Stars. She performed there, even after requiring help to walk, until her health declined enough that she went to the hospital. When she checked out of the hospital, she went to Iuka, Mississippi, to live with a friend, in December of '84. Most sources show her passing away on March 25, 1985, but, after some serious digging, I believe the correct date to be April 3rd. She had said, in one interview, that "I was the Mother of Beale Street, and I ruled that street between Fourth and Hernando". A UPI press story about her death said that former owner of Blues Alley, Paul Savarin, said she would be buried near her longtime Memphis political boss E.H.Crump, and that her gravestone's inscription will read " I don't care  what Mr.Crump don't allow, I'm gonna barrelhouse anyhow". If your'e a true blues fan, you might know that the Mr. Crump being referred to here was a Democratic candidate for the mayor of Memphis, in 1909.  There was a campaign song written for him titled "Mr. Crump", by a mister W.C.Handy (ever heard of him ?) Handy re-wrote the song later and changed it's title to "Memphis Blues". Though she was a hard worker all her life, there was never enough money to live on, and the actual epitaph on her pink granite headstone says " I'm Ma Rainey #2, the Mother of Beale Street / I'm 78 years old / I never had enough of nothing and it's too damn late now ! ". Some other names she used at different times were Sister Jones, Big Sister, Flossie Brown, Sally Sad, and Bessie Jones.

Blues Question For January 2021: This blues group only recorded four songs, with a fifth one being a different take on one of those four. The group's name throws off where their actually from. Any ideas on this one ??

Blues Song(s) And Artist(s) For January 2021: The song is "Sputterin' Blues", and the artist is Walter Robertson, a west coast harmonica player. Yes, I know -- in today's "culture" (I use that term loosely), that this recording is not "politically correct". Robertson only recorded 2 songs, one's a sad blues, the other--this one-- was, when recorded, was as a laugh-getter in the clubs of the day. So, incorrect as it is, get over it, live with it, and, most of all, enjoy it!

Blues Trivia For January 2021: Due to the length of the answer above, the amount of research that it required, and a concern about the reader being overwhelmed by info, I'm going to forego the hoodooist and related info till February's Blog. I hope I got the above info on Mae Glover clear enough for you. If not, call me and I'll cover more ground.

Some Blues Passings In January:
  • January 8th.,2012-- Dave Alexander
  • January 17th.,1961-- "Blind" Simmie Dooley​
  • January 29th.,1993-- "Big" Willie James Dixon
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    Joe Vassel

    Proprietor of The Sound of Blue record shop in Kent, Ohio. 

    You are probably familiar with the current crop of blues performers, so the next time you’re at a performance or listening to some sort of broadcast of them, you should wonder and find out what “old-timer” they were/ are influenced by!         


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