Big Road Blues

When I mention Shirley Griffith to anyone I invariably get the same two questions - he’s a man and his name is Shirley? and Shirley Griffith who? Yes to the first question and I’ll spend the rest of this post explaining the latter. In short Shirley Griffith was a deeply expressive singer and guitarist who learned first hand from Tommy Johnson as a teenager in Mississippi. Griffith missed his opportunity to record as a young man but recorded three superb albums: Indiana Ave. Blues (1964, with partner J.T. Adams), Saturday Blues (1965) and Mississippi Blues (1973). The fact that all three albums are out of print goes a ways in understanding why Griffith remains so little known. He also didn’t benefit all that much from the renewed blues interest of the 1960’s; he never achieving the acclaim of late discovered artists like Mississippi Fred McDowell, the critical appreciation of a Robert Pete Williams or the excitement surrounding rediscovered legends like Son House, Skip James or Mississippi John Hurt. He did achieve modest notice touring clubs with Yank Rachell in 1968, performed at the first Ann Arbor Blues Festival in 1969 and appeared at the Notre Dame Blues Festival in South Bend, Indiana in 1971. Griffith passed away in 1974

Born in 1907 near Brandon, Mississippi Griffith was certainly old enough to have made records in the 1920’s and 30’s and in fact had at least two opportunities to do so. In 1928 his friend and mentor, Tommy Johnson, offered to help him get started but, by his own account, he was too “wild and reckless” in those days. In 1928 he moved to Indianapolis where he became friendly with Scrapper Blackwell and Leroy Carr. In 1935 Carr offered to take Griffith to New York for a recording session but Carr died suddenly and the trip was never made. It was Art Rosenbaum who was responsible for getting Griffith on record and who also precipitated the comeback of Scrapper Blackwell. Rosenbaum produced Griffith’s Bluesville albums. “I recall one August afternoon”, he wrote in the notes to Saturday Blues, “shortly after these recordings were made; Shirley sat in Scrapper Blackwell’s furnished room singing the Bye Bye Blues with such intensity that everyone present was deeply moved, though they had all heard him sing it many times before. Scrapper was playing , too, and the little room swelled with sound. When they finished there was a moment of awkward silence. Finally Shirley smiled and said: ‘The blues’ll kill you. And make you live, too.’”

Writing about another older musician who only recorded late in life, Tony Russell had this to say: “Through this streaked glass one can discern the outlines of a younger, quicker musician who unfortunately never recorded.” It would have been interesting to hear how Griffith sounded when he was younger but it’s hard to imagine him sounding much better than on these late recordings. His singing is superb on these recordings; warm, controlled and expressive, often drawing out his phrases in a relaxed, easy manner. His guitar playing is subtle, melodic and gently propulsive and contains hidden depths upon repeated listening. His guitar work stands on it’s own as evidenced on a pair of instrumentals: the bouncy “Shirley’s Jump” from Saturday Blues and the gently driving “Delta Haze” from Mississippi Blues. Griffith clearly absorbed elements from both Tommy Johnson and Scrapper Blackwell and his synthesis of their styles makes for compelling listening.

Both Saturday Blues and Mississippi Blues are absorbing recordings and there’s little discernible difference in quality even though they were recorded eight years apart. On the latter record his singing, still superb, has lost perhaps a bit of the smoothness of the earlier record. Tommy Johnson obviously made an indelible impression on the young Griffith one that is clearly evident on marvelous renditions of Johnson signature pieces “Maggie Campbell”, “Bye Bye Blues” and “Big Road Blues” that glow with the power of the originals. Griffith was also inspired by Johnson’s long time friend and partner Ishman Bracey where he learned “Left Alone Blues” and the ironic “Saturday Blues (both recorded at Bracey’s first 1928 Victor session) with it’s classic couplet derived from Johnson’s “Cool Drink of Water Blues:” “She’s the meanest woman that I ever seen/I ask for water, she gives me gasoline.” Much of Griffith’s repertoire is traditional or based on standards from the 1930’s such as “Meet Me In The Bottom” recorded by Bumble Bee Slim and others, a lovely version of “Mean Mistreater Mama” also recorded by Bumble Bee Slim as well as Tampa Red, Peetie Wheatstraw’s “King of Spades”, “Shaggy Hound Blues” which shares some lines with “Saturday Blues” and blues of more recent vintage in Mercy Dee Walton’s “One Room Country Shack.” Other notable songs, likely traditionally based, include the strutting “Cool Kind Papa From New Orleans”, “Flying Eagle Blues” and “River Line Jump” (versions appear on both albums) a number he put together with some Jackson pals containing the haunting lines: “I’m goin’ some place I ain’t never been before/Over In France, on the killin’ floor.”

Given his low profile I’m not sure how likely it is any of Griffith’s albums will be reissued on CD any time soon. Bluesville has reissued many of their albums on CD and doesn’t seem to putting out any new reissues and no one has picked up the Blue Goose catalog, a sister label to Yazoo, which issued some fine records in the early 1970’s. As a side note I don’t own a copy of Indiana Ave. Blues although not for lack of trying. I’ve been outbid twice on ebay and judging by what the winners paid they obviously wanted this record much more then I did!

Shirley Griffith - Saturday Blues [From Saturday Blues] (MP3)

Shirley Griffith - River Line Blues [From Saturday Blues] (MP3)

Shirley Griffith - Mean Mistreater Mama [From Mississippi Blues] (MP3)

Shirley Griffith - Delta Haze [From Mississippi Blues] (MP3)