Big Road Blues

Johnnie & Letha Jones

The group cut two exceptional sessions in March and November of 1950 once again prominently featuring Jones’ vocal abilities. “195o Blues” opens with a watery, flowing slide solo and settles into a a marvelous sing along vocal, with both men wonderfully complimenting each other in an easy, playful manner. Tampa’s slide is particularly incisive as the two sing: “I’ve been you’re dog baby, since 1934, (spoken: And that’s a mighty long time)/But this is 1950 and I won’t be you’re dog no more.” Harking back to Tampa’s early days is the rollicking “It’s Good Like That” a boogie update of his big hit “It’s Tight Like That” while “Love Her with a Feelin’” is an inspired remake of 1938′s ” Love With A Feeling” and ‘Sweet Little Angel” was cut in 1934 as “Black Angel Blues” and originally waxed by Lucille Bogan in 1930, although Tampa claimed the composition for his own. The latter song was a hit for Robert Nighthawk who cut it in 1949 as “Sweet Black Angel” (the flip “Anna Lou” was another Tampa song) and later covered by B.B. King as “Sweet Little Angel” in 1956. “New Deal Blues” was another notable number from these sessions prominently spotlighting Tampa’s ringing slide as Jones urges him on with spoken asides.

1951 followed a similar pattern with two four song sessions in March and July. There was plenty of high energy, good time music including the rocking “She’s Dynamite”, “Boogie Woogie Woman”, “She’s A Cool Operator” which put the focus less on Tampa’s guitar, but not his kazoo, all featuring Jones’ ample, rock ribbed piano playing. For the first time Jones takes the lead vocal on the insinuating “Early in the Morning” and takes a fair share of the humorous “I Won’t Let Her Do It” which harks back to 1942′s “She Want to Sell My Monkey” where Big Maceo played the role that Jones does. Tampa’s slide resurfaces on the marvelous “Green And Lucky Blues” another song B.B. King would later record.

Around this time, Letha Jones (Johnnie’s wife), recalled: “Tampa stopped having a band. I think he got sick or he got tired, he kept saying he was gonna retire. He quit playing out in the clubs.” While Jones and Payne continued to play on Tampa’s records they had since teamed with guitarist L.C. McKinley and later with Elmore James. Playing with Tampa also got Jones noticed by rising star Muddy Waters who employed Jones on a 1949 session that produced “Screamin’ And Cryin.” Through Muddy he also recorded two seminal numbers for Aristocrat in 1949, “Big Town Play Boy” and “Shelby County Blues.” By 1952 Jones, Payne and Knowling became Elmore’s backing band, The Broom Dusters, appearing on dozens of classic sides.

Two more sessions followed in April and November of 1952 with the addition of Bill Casimir on tenor sax. These are not up to the standards of Tampa’s previous earlier sessions. “I’m Gonna Put You Down” is a driving number with Jones stretching out liberally but is otherwise unexceptional with “Look A There Look A There” in a similar mold. “True Love” has a rhumba beat but is rather tepid with the same being said for sing along numbers like”But I Forgive You” which sound a bit tired by this point. The highlight is “Got A Mind To Leave This Town” featuring a particularly sensitive vocal from Tampa.

Tampa cut his final three sessions in 1953. On January 29th 1953 Tampa Red briefly stepped away from Victor, cutting four sides for the independent Sabre label. Using the pseudonym Jimmy Eager, he was accompanied on guitar by L. C. McKinley (who was making his recording debut) and an unknown pianist and drummer (possibly Bob Call and Odie Payne). His final two sessions found Tampa in much more contemporary company. The September session featured Tampa’s regular band of Jones, Payne and Knowling beefed up with RCA session guitarist Willie Lacey and harmonica player, Sonny Boy Williamson. It was a solid outing with a fairly typical Jones/Tampa duet on “So Crazy About You Baby” and “If She Don’t Come Back”, perhaps the best of the bunch, with some wailing harmonica from Sonny Boy. Better was Tampa’s final Victor session in December with Walter Horton taking over for Sonny Boy. “Big Stars Falling Blues” with it’s fine group vocal and fleet fingered guitar from Lacey is a winner although Horton is a bit submerged in the mix while the romping “Evalena” showcases Horton and Lacey at their best. “Rambler’s Blues” is by far the highlight, a stunning, up-to-date blues with a rhumba lilt showcasing a terrific vocal from Tampa and a shattering harmonica solo from Horton. It’s a shame the group didn’t record more but it put a fine exclamation point on a long and illustrious career.

All of the Tampa/Jones sides can be found on volumes 14 and 15 of Document’s complete recordings of Tampa Red. Unfortunately these may be out of print.

Love Her With A Feelin’ (MP3)

1950 Blues (MP3)

She’s Dynamite (MP3)

Rambler’s Blues (MP3)