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Joe's Blues Blog June 2021

5/25/2021

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Some Blues Births For June 2021:
  • June 1st. 1948-- Robert Paul Montgomery, aka "Rockin' Robin"
  • June 17th. 1985-- Matt Hill​
  • June 30th. 1961-- Michael Lewis "Mike" Wheeler

Answer To The May 2021 Blues Question: The bluesman we were looking for was/is Cornelius Green III, aka "Lonesome Sundown", born on the Dugas Plantation (near Donaldsonville) Louisiana, on December 12, 1928. Growing up there, while in gradeschool, he taught himself how to play piano.  When he was 18, in '46 or '47, he moved to New Orleans, to work outside the music field, as a porter. He returned to Donaldsonville in '48, where, after listening to records by Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, he decided to get serious about his music career, and took guitar lessons from a cousin. In '52, he moved to Jeanerette, where he took a job as a truck driver. In '53, he moved to Port Arthur, Texas, where he worked at the Gulf Oil refinery. While living there, he took some gigs playing in some local clubs and bars. In '55, he was listening to a band at the Blue Moon Club. He was asked, by the band's leader, if he'd like to sit in with them. That was Clifton Chenier, with his new band, The Zydeco Ramblers. He ended up touring with Chenier and the band, as the second guitarist, next to the first guitarist-- one Phillip Walker. They toured/performed throughout the South, then up to Chicago. From there, across the country, to play the West Coast. He recorded with Chenier, in '55, in Los Angeles, on the Specialty label. He also got married that year. Later in '55, he moved to Opelousas, Louisiana. He put together a demo tape, and took it to Jay Miller, in Crowley. Miller, after hearing the tape, gave him the "Lonesome Sundown" name, because of the melancholy tone in Green's vocals, tempered with the strongly-influenced Chicago style of his guitar work. Another strong influence to the sound of swamp blues recordings that Miller made, and then leased to Excello Records, which was based in Nashville.Sundown wrote most all of his own songs, which he recorded with Miller, over an 8 year period. By 1965, he was "disillusioned" with the music business and his lack of success in it. About this same time, he was going through a rough divorce, and missing his seven children. He joined The Apostolic Faith Fellowship Church, where he would eventually become a minister. In '77, he was persuaded to go back into the recording studio, where he recorded an album, titled "Been Gone Too Long", on the Joliet label. It would be released a second time on the Alligator Records label, but the sales of either/both of these releases were never that great. My own copy is on the Hightone label, released 1n 1991. In '79, he played at the New Orleans Jazz Heritage Festival, and also toured and performed with Phillip Walker, in Sweden and Japan, then walked away, completely, from the music business. In '94, he suffered a stroke, and could no longer speak. He died April 23,1995, from the effects of that stroke.

Blues Question For June 2021: This bluesman, like Leadbelly, knew and played hundreds of songs in the blues, folk, country, and gospel genres. Though he travelled and performed extensively, one of his earliest "gigs" was a residency at a famous spot. Any idea who this bluesman might be ??

Blues Song(s) And Artist(s) For June 2021: The song is "It Hurts Me Too", and the artist is Jimmy Nolen, recorded May 4, 1956, in Los Angeles, on the Federal label (a subsidiary of King Records), #12278, in both 78 and 45 rpm versions. The musicians on this recording are: Jimmy Nolen on vocals and guitar; Eldee Williams on tenor sax; Kenny Battle on baritone sax; Devonia "Dee" Williams on piano; Johnny Parker on bass, and Earl Hyde on drums. I'm guessing, but I think that these people were "borrowed" from Johnny Otis' band, since he was bandleader, talent scout, etc, for King Records. We have a c.d. in stock titled Jimmy Nolen "Before The Funk", which has all his Federal sides, from the time, before he joined the James Brown band. Incidentally, this song was originally written and recorded in 1940, by Hudson Whittaker, aka "Tampa Red", even though the writing credit on the record's label shows Nolen as the writer.

Blues Trivia For June 2021: How do you feel about paying restitution to whomever, for things that our forefathers may or may not have done 300 or so, years ago? Where does this "political correctness" stop, so we can get back to reality? We have it "right here in River City" (Cleveland Oh.), with the Cleveland Indians, "The Tribe". The images and name are "demeaning to Native Americans". O.K., so you want to do away with the "Tribe" name, pictures, portraits, or anything else that might be offensive. Think about this: how long will it be before one of these morons wants to get rid of the memories of "Bo "Big Chief" Dollis and The Wild Magnolias", a New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian tribe. There are currently 38 Mardi Gras Indian tribes, where, at one time, there were 61. They are 1 of 2 Tribes who recorded their music, the other being "The Wild Tchoupitoulas", formed by George "Big Chief Jolly" Landry, and that album was self-titled. It wasn't a commercial success, but it was a critical one, and, as such, it's in the Library of Congress National Registry, with a designation of "cultural, artistic, and historic importance in the nation's aural legacy". You might be wondering how this particular recording relates to the blues, well, here's your answer: the musicians on this were put together by Big Chief Jolly, and 4 of them were his nephews, all musicians, but who had never before worked together. You know them as The Neville Brothers-- Art, Charles, Aaron (Tell It Like It Is), and Cyril. This album was done in '76, and the discography of the Neville Brothers recordings as starting in '78. All blues fans know that much of the blues was born in the Delta, with slaves working the fields. The part that they don't know, because you have to do some serious digging into the history of slavery, is that that "trade" was started by the Danes, with African people who they "purchased" from tribal chiefs. Now, when they arrived here, they were put into "slave camps", along with native (American) Indians, so, no, all slaves were not black. The mingling of the Africans and native indians is where the Mardi Gras Indians got their start. All of our history is not good, but we'd better start teaching the coming generations that because it's bad or reflects bad people, times, events, it should not be removed, but should be studied to keep from repeating the past. Stop removing monuments, places, memorials of our past, as it's what made us who we are, and right now, that's not a pretty picture. Now, Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias started to make recordings in '70, and made many singles and albums from that time forward. They got enough recognition and praise that they performed at Carnegie Hall, and the Capital Centre in Washington, D.C., at the height of their popularity. They have 1 c.d. titled "1313 Hoodoo Street", which showcases their talents in the blues, R&B, soul, funk, and the New Orleans sound. I don't stock either of these group's recordings, but I do have my own copies, which I'll be happy to show you if you stop in. I can still get these, new, if you want. You want to learn about the blues ? It's a lot of work, Bubba.

Some Blues Passings For June 2021:

  • June 6th.,2010-- Calvin James Leavy
  • June 13th.,2015-- Sarah Streeter, aka "Big Time Sarah"
  • June 29.,1979-- Lowell Thomas George
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Joe's Blues Blog May 2021

5/3/2021

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First-off, I want to let you know that on June 18th., Alligator Records 50th Anniversary 3CD set should be here, in stock. It has 58 tracks, or you can opt for the 2 LP gatefold set, with 24 tracks, but that will be special order only.

Some Blues Births For May 2021:
  • May 1st.,1936-- Lacy Gibson
  • May 14th.,1943-- John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce
  • May 24th.,1941-- Robert Allen Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan

Answer To The April 2021 Blues Question: The bluesman we were looking for was/is Frank Stokes, born January 1,1877 or 1888, in Whitehaven (known earlier as White Haven), Tennessee, a couple of miles from the Mississippi state line. One source shows that his daughter gave the year as 1888, while another source says that his WW I draft card shows the 1877 year. His parents died when he was young, and he was raised by his stepfather, Fred Corbin, in Tutwiler, Mississippi, which is where he learned to play the guitar. He worked on a farm, but did some performing at local parties and suppers, in and around the Memphis area. He settled in Hernando, MS, around 1900, which is where he met local residents and bluesmen Dan Sane (born Daniel Sains), Elijah Avery, Robert Wilkins, and Jim Jackson. He partnered up with Sane, and they travelled, on weekends, to busk in and around Memphis. His "day job" at that time was as a blacksmith. He then met Garfield Akers, then performed with him as a buck dancer, comedian, and as a "blackface Songster", in the Doc Watts Medicine Show, from around the mid-'10's to the mid-'20's. Stokes and Sane worked with Jack Kelly's Jug Busters (aka Jack Kelly's South Memphis Jug Band). The two of them did some recordings for the Paramount label, in Chicago, in 1927, as "The Beale Street Sheiks". They then did some recordings for the Victor label, in Memphis, under that same name. Some of those recordings are credited to Stokes, rather than the Sheiks, but Sane was on them. Some of the last Victor recordings have him accompanied by Will Batts, rather than Sane. The Sheiks recorded in ,27,'28, and '29, on both labels. One oddball here is a song titled "Unnamed Blues", recorded by Stokes in March of '29, on the Paramount label, #21246-1, which was never released. The other song on that session, however, "Jumpin' On The Hill", was released. The only place you can find that previously un-released song is on Yazoo Records LP-1056, issued in 1977, or on CD #1056, released in 1990. That album was put together with the assistance of Frank's daughter, Mrs.Helen Kent. The mastering on that LP was done by Nick Perls, and the jacket(cover) notes were done by Steve Calt. Through the '30's and early '40's, Stokes sometimes travelled alone, and at other times with others, such as Sane, Willie Borum, or Roosevelt Stokes (son), and performed in and around Memphis, at parties, suppers, some clubs, and in Church's Park (now known as W.C.Handy Park). He also did some tent and medicine shows, including working with the Ringling Brothers outfit. Around '49 he moved to Clarksdale,MS, and settled there, occasionally performing with Bukka White, in local "tonks". He retired from musical work in '51, as he was having trouble with his blood pressure, according to his daughter. He passed away in Memphis, on September 12, 1955, from the effects of a stroke. By the way, for you country music fans, when Stokes was performing at tent and/or medicine shows, there was a young man who copied his guitar style, and even performed some of his songs, and later, patterned his style after him. That person you should know-- one Jimmie Rodgers.

Blues Question For May 2021: This bluesman played piano and guitar. In his early days he worked as a porter, then, later on, as a truck driver, and still later, in an oil refinery. His first playing gigs were on an offer for him to sit in with a Zydeco band. He, like many others of his quality blues work, is mostly overlooked. Any idea who this bluesman might be ??

Blues Song(s) And Artist(s) For May 2021: The song is "I Had A Dream", and the artist is Lafayette Jerl "Thing" Thomas on vocals and guitar, recorded September 9, 1968, in Berkely, CA. Others on this recording were L.C."Good Rockin" Robinson on steel guitar and guitar, Charles Thomas on guitar, Dave Alexander on piano, Malachi "Big Daddy" Spencer on bass, And Garwell Barfield on drums. It wasn't released until 1969, and I'll get to that in the following Trivia section.

Blues Trivia For May 2021: As stated above, this is about 1 LP, but the idea pertains to others, in all genres of music, as well. When you go looking for an older recording of a particular artist or song, you have to be careful. A lot of the early recordings, and I'm talking about shellac records, then vinyl, both LP's and 45's, cassette tapes (yes, even 8-tracks), and some of the early CD's, sometimes have incorrect info on them. On the above-listed song, I gave you the recording date for it. The album that that song is on is World Pacific Records, #WPS-21893, which was released sometime in late April 1969 or shortly thereafter, in the U.S.. It was also released in the U.K., on Liberty Records, #LBS-83234. Side 1 shows 5 songs, side 2 shows 6. The song's listings on the jacket (cover) and on the LP's labels match, but the actual vinyl record has a different order in which the songs are listed. I could give you all the wrong and correct listings, but that'd be a lot if typing and space. The 5 songs on side 1 and the first 3 on side 2, show the writer as being "Beulah Lacyson". I could find no record of this person. The person who arranged and directed those 8 songs was Jimmy McCracklin. I believe that the writing credit was to honor his wife (and possibly get the royalties), whose maiden name was Beulah Fayson. The last three songs on side 2 were recorded on March 7, 1969, in Los Angeles, rather than in Berkely, and with totally different backing band. The rear cover shows that the notes were done by Pete Welding in April of 1969. At this date, I can find no other place where that song can be found. You never know, it might show up on a compilation some day. All I'm saying is that when you find something you like, do some research so that you know that it's right, then get it, because it may never be again.

Some Blues Passings For May 2021:
  • May 6th.,2012-- Michael "Iron Man"Burks
  • May 17th.,1989-- Henry Lee Bester (went by Charles Edwards later), aka "Good Rockin' Charles
  • May  29th.,2005-- Percy Lee Strother
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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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