ARTIST SONG ALBUM
Jesse Thomas Blue Goose Blues Ramblin' Thomas & Dallas Blues Singers
Jesse Thomas Same Old Stuff Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas D. Double Due Love You Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas Zetter Blues Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas Mountain Key Blues Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas Another Friend Like Me Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas Let's Have Some Fun Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas It's You I'm Thinking Of Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas Long Time Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas Cool Kind Lover Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas I Can’t Stay Here Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas Another Fool Like Me Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Jesse Thomas Gonna Move To California Jesse Thomas 1948-1958
Lafayette Thomas Standing In The Back Door... Modern Recordings, Vol. 2
Lafayette Thomas Jumpin' In The Heart Of Town Modern Recordings, Vol. 2
Lafayette Thomas The Thing West Coast Guitar Killers
Jimmy Wilson Blues At Sundown Oakland Blues (Arhoolie)
Jimmy Wilson Tin Pan Alley Oakland Blues (Arhoolie)
Juke Boy Bonner Rock With Me Baby Oakland Blues (Arhoolie)
Little Brother Montgomery Santa Fe Tasty Blues
Little Brother Montgomery Cry, Cry Baby Tasty Blues
Memphis Slim Baby Doll Raining The Blues
Sugar Pie Desanto Hello San Francisco Pt. 1 Putumayo Presents - American Blues
Lafayette Thomas Deep South Guitar Blues Jook Joint Blues: Good Time Rhythm...
Lafayette Thomas Old Memories West Coast Guitar Killers
Lafayette Thomas Claim On You West Coast Guitar Killers
Lafayette Thomas Lafayette A-Coming West Coast Guitar Killers
Jimmy McCracklin Too Late To Change West Coast Guitar Killers
Jimmy McCracklin You Look So Fine Blast 'em Dead!
Jimmy McCracklin Reelin' & Rockin' Modern Recordings, Vol. 1
Jimmy McCracklin Blues Blasters Boogie Modern Recordings, Vol. 2
Lafayette Thomas I Had A Dream Oakland Blues (World Pacific)
Lafayette Thomas A Fool’s Way of Doin’ Things Oakland Blues (World Pacific)
Lafayette Thomas Party With Me Oakland Blues (World Pacific)
Jesse Thomas Jack of Diamonds Jesse Thomas 1948-1958

Show Notes:

Let's Have Some Fun 78Jesse Thomas was the brother of Texas bluesman Willard “Ramblin’” Thomas and uncle of Lafayette Thomas. Jesse Thomas recorded sporadically from the late 1920’s through the early 1990’s and despite his longevity didn’t achieve much in the way of success or recognition. In 1929, at 18, Thomas cut four excellent sides for Victor most notably, ”Blues Goose Blues.” By the post-war era Thomas had developed a brilliant, highly individual style unlike anyone else. Document’s “Jesse Thomas 1948-1958” collects 28 tracks Thomas cut for nine different West Coast labels over the course of a decade (”Gold Mine Blues” cut in 1948 is not included for some reason). Jesse Thomas died in 1995 and continued cutting material intermittently on his own Red River imprint, Ace and Delmark. However, he never quite matched the sheer brilliance of these late 40’s and 50’s sides.

Lafayette Thomas Photo

Lafayette Thomas

Lafayette Thomas was a brilliant and influential guitarist, and fine singer, whose primary reputation resides on the stinging fretwork he laid down as a session guitarist. In his 1977 obituary Tom Mazzolini wrote: “Unquestionably the finest guitarist to emerge from the San Francisco-Oakland blues scene, there is hardly a guitarist around here today who doesn’t owe a little something to Lafayette Thomas…”

He was nicknamed “The Thing” due to his acrobatic style of playing. The bulk of his recordings were with Jimmy McCracklin’s combo in the 50′s and 60′s. During his lifetime only a scant fifteen sides were issued under his own name (a number were left unissued). His own records were made for small labels such as Jumping, Hollywood and Trilyte, but more often he cut odd titles at McCracklin’s 50′s sessions for Modern, Peacock (unissued) and Chess and three songs for King which were never issued.

Tin Pan Alley 78Thomas was born June 13, 1928 in Shreveport, Louisiana and encouraged musically by his uncle, Jesse “Babyface” Thomas. The family moved to San Francisco soon after his birth and there he learned to play both piano and guitar. He started working club dates with Jimmy McCracklin’s band in 1948, eventually replacing guitarist Robert Kelton. He would remain intermittently with McCracklin for the rest of his career. Thomas worked with producer Bob Geddins during this period playing on many Jimmy Wilson sessions including numbers like “Blues At Sundown”, “Frisco Bay” and the popular “Tin Pan Alley.” Thomas also played on the first sides by Juke Boy Bonner plus on records by Roy Hawkins, James Reed and Big Mama Thornton during this period. He moved briefly to New York in 1959 to work for pianist Sammy Price. He made “Please Come Back To Me/Lafayette’s A-Comin’” the same year for Savoy with pianist Price, before returning to the West Coast. While in New York he also did session work for the Prestige label appearing on records by Little Brother Montgomery and Memphis Slim.

Thomas worked outside music for most of the 60′s, sharing one album session with pianist Dave Alexander and L.C. “Good Rockin’” Robinson in September 1968 for World Pacific. He remained semi active in the early 70′s working with Sugar Pie Desanto and again with Candyman McGuirt’s band. The comeback was brief and he spent his last years working as a hose assembler. He died on May 20, 1977 in Brisbane, California of a heart attack

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