Big Road Blues

Charlie McCoy’s primary output in Chicago was that of a very busy session musician working with the top blues artists of the day. Among those he backed include: Big Bill Broonzy, Bumble Bee Slim, Jimmie Gordon, Frankie Jaxon, Curtis Jones, Memphis Minnie, Monkey Joe, Johnnie Temple, Casey Bill Weldon, Peetie Wheatstraw, Sonny Boy Williamson, Harlem Hamfats and many others. I’m not going to go through all of these sessions but it’s worth spotlighting a few notable ones. Pianist Curtis Jones was well into a successful career when he teamed up with McCoy on sessions in May and June 1938; McCoy’s mandolin is hard to hear on a remake of Jones’ hit “Lonesome Bedroom Blues No. 2″ but heard in fine fashion on “Palace Blues” and the hokum feel of “Who You’re Hunchin’.” Also in June 1938 he played mandolin on on an eight song session with former sister-in-law Memphis Minnie; His mandolin is featured prominently on the pop number “As Long As I Can See You Smile”, “I’ve Been Treated Wrong”, “Keep On Eating” and “I’d Rather See Him Dead.” Monkey Joe (Jesse Coleman) was a Jackson pianist/vocalist who McCoy likely knew prior to these recordings and in fact his pal Walter Vincson plays guitar on Monkey Joe’s first session. McCoy plays guitar and mandolin on his second session from 1938; Joe is an expressive, if not overly original singer and pianist, who benefits from McCoy’s talents particularly on “Some Sweet Day” where he steals the show with some dazzling mandolin work and also shines on “O.K. With Me Baby” and the raucous “Hair Parted In The Middle.” McCoy played on a number of sides between 1935-1937 with another Jackson artist, Johnnie Temple, who moved to Chicago around the same time as McCoy. McCoy plays second guitar behind Temple much in the way he accompanied Tommy Johnson. The two make a good team on numbers like “Lead Pencil Blues (It Just Won’t Write)”, “Louise Louise Blues” and “Snapping Cat.” McCoy shows up on guitar playing on a 1941 session for Sonny Boy Williamson; McCoy is rather subdued on these sides but contributes some imaginative playing to “Black Panther Blues” and “I Have Got To Go.”

Between 1936-1939 McCoy recorded extensively with the Harlem Hamfats appearing on all their records sans the very last session in September 1939. Tony Russell describes the band this way: “The Hamfats can be described as the first group to promote a successful synthesis of jazz and urban blues - if ‘jazz’ is shorthand for the presence of trumpet and clarinet as lead voices, and ‘urban blues’ for the voice/piano/guitar blend pioneered by Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell. Herb Moran’s trumpet is the dominant horn, and the effect is of a youngish Louis Armstrong, flanked, in Odell Rand, by a vaudeville clarinetist of more than average ability, fronting a conventional Chicago blues band the 30’s. The main singer - for the first year of the band’s life virtually the only singer - is the gravelly voiced Joe McCoy.” The band also moonlighted as the Palooka Washboard Band as well as backing Johnnie Temple and Frankie Jaxon. McCoy plays primarily mandolin and is featured prominently on numerous tracks: the bouncy hit “Oh! Red”, “What You Gonna Do?”, “Move Your Hand”, “Sales Tax On It (But It’s the Same Thing)”, “Southern Blues”, “Bad Luck Man”, “My Daddy Was a Lovin’ Man”, “Growling Dog”, “Keep It Swinging Round and Round”, “I Love That”, “What’s On Your Mind?” and “Little Girl” among others.

Charlie McCoy was an exceptionally versatile musician whether playing mandolin, guitar or banjo and sounded at home performing blues, hokum, swing, in a string band setting or just about any other style you could throw at him. His sides under his own name prove he could hold his own as a lead artist but he seemed most at home enhancing other artists’ records - in that he was the perfect session musician making every record he appears on sound that much better. The war cut short McCoy’s career, and he made no more recordings after 1942, dying in Chicago on July 26, 1950. A good chunk of McCoy’s recordings can be found on the following Document CD’s: Charlie McCoy (1928-1932), Mississippi String Band & Associates (1928-1931), The McCoy Brothers - Vol. 1 (1934-1936) and The McCoy Brothers - Vol. 2 (1936-1944).

Monkey Joe - Some Sweet Day (MP3)

Harlem Hamfats - Growling Dog (MP3)

Harlem Hamfats - Bad Luck Man (MP3)

Between 1929-1936 Charlie McCoy cut scattered sides under his own name or as lead in various bands. By the early 1930’s the many of the Jackson musicians began to disperse, either heading to the delta or like Johnnie Temple and Charlie McCoy to Chicago. By 1932 all of McCoy’s recordings were waxed up North. He did cut several sessions between 1929-1930 in Memphis and Jackson. The bulk of the recordings again feature McCoy’s pals Walter Vincson and Bo Carter on material that ranges from hokum, blues and string band. Billed as Charlie McCoy with Chatman’s Mississippi Hot Footers they cut hokum sides in the vein of the immensely popular “It’s Tight Like That” such as “It Ain’t No Good - Part 1 & II” and “It Is So Good - Part 1 & II” the latter sporting prominent mandolin from McCoy. When not sharing the vocals with his partners, McCoy proves himself a fine reedy singer on straight blues numbers such as “You Gonna Need Me” and the superb “Last Time Blues” where he lays down some watery slide playing. With Carter on violin McCoy delivers “Your Valves Need Grinding”managing to sound wistful and racy at the same time, the string band blues of “Blue Heaven Blues” and takes it solo on the low down “Gland Hand Blues” framed by some imaginative guitar figures. The highlight from a December 15, 1930 session is “That Lonesome Train Took My Baby Away” a rippling mandolin showcase based on the theme of “Cow Cow Blues” and wonderfully sung by McCoy. Four days later, on a duet with Bo Carter, he cut a pair of interesting topical numbers; “The Northern Starvers Are Returning Home” and “Mississippi I’m Longing For You” both with a strong country feel.

By the early 1930’s McCoy was in Chicago where he settled in as a much in demand session musician although he managed a few sides under his own name. In February 1930, As Papa Charlie McCoy, he cut the excellent “Times Ain’t What They Used To Be” playing terrific banjo with guitar from either his brother Joe or Tampa Red. The following day, with Georgia Tom on piano, he cut “Too Long” an insinuating, bluesy pop song that proved to be a sizable hit. In 1934 under the pseudonym Mississippi Mudder he waxed the bouncy “Candy Man Blues”, the wonderful hard time blues of “Charity Blues” featuring some strong piano from Chuck Segar, “Baltimore Blues” a variation on the “Sweet Old Kokomo/Sweet Home Chicago” theme with brother Joe on guitar and the moody slide driven “Motherless & Fatherless Blues.” In 1936 he led a group listed as Papa Charlie’s Boys (Papa Charlie); McCoy is in superb form on vocal and jazzy mandolin on a sparkling remake of “Too Long”, “Let My Peaches Be” and “You Can’t Play Me Cheap” laying down some acrobatic mandolin solos, and the heartfelt “Gypsy Woman Blues.”

Joe McCoy was well known for his association with his wife Memphis Minnie where he played the part of Kansas Joe. The two made many popular recordings between 1929-1932 and after they separated he occupied himself in small bands, singing with the Harlem Hamfats, working as a songwriter and working with his brother Charlie. The two recorded, with Joe as lead bill, for Decca in 1934 as The Mississippi Mudder (Mud Dauber Joe) on notable numbers like “Evil Devil Woman Blues” a smoother version of Skip James’ “Devil Got My Woman” with mandolin like guitar from Charlie and “Going Back Home Blues” strongly influenced by Tommy Johnson. Three sessions in 1941-1942 are listed as Big Joe And His Rhythm a group containing, at times, Robert Lee McCoy, Washboard Sam, Ransom Knowling, Alfred Elkins, Amanda Sortier and Harman Ray. The music is hard to define with Tony Russell dubbing it “skiffle Blues” and describing it this way: “the blend of perky harmonica, stolid rhythm guitar and washboard produces an unusual but shallow ensemble sound and, although it is somewhat freshened by the addition of Charlie McCoy’s mandolin…the half dozen examples…may for some listeners be all the late Joe McCoy they need.” Overall the music is entertaining particularity a follow-up to the Hamfat’s popular “Oh! Red” in “Oh Red’s Twin Brother”, the prominent mandolin of “I’ll Get You Off My Mind” and “It Ain’t No Lie” once again featuring the “Cow Cow Blues” motif and “Bessie Lee Blues.”

Papa Charlie’s Boys - Let My Peaches Be (MP3)

Charlie McCoy - That Lonesome Train Took My Baby Away (MP3)

Big Joe And His Rhythm - It Ain’t No Lie (MP3)

Charlie McCoy ranked among the great blues accompanists of his era and his accomplished mandolin and guitar work can be heard on numerous recordings in a wide variety of settings from the late 1920’s through the early 40’s. Jackson, Mississippi in the 1920’s was a city with a vibrant blues scene including artists such as Tommy Johnson, Walter Vincson, Ishman Bracey, Johnnie Temple, The Chatmon Brothers (Bo, Lonnie and Sam were the most prominent) Skip James and Rube Lacey. Lacey recalled McCoy being among the best of this talented group: “But I really believe Charlie got to be a better musician than I was. He was young, but he got to be about the best musician there was in our band, Charlie McCoy. He was wonderful. He could play anything pretty well you sing. …He was good as I ever want to see.”

The years 1927-31 saw the first commercial recordings of many of the Jackson musicians. Most extensively recorded were the Chatmons, Walter Vincson and Joe and Charlie McCoy. McCoy first recorded in 1928, strictly as an accompanist, backing singer Rosie Mae Moore, Tommy Johnson and Ishman Bracey. Moore was a powerful, rough voiced singer who receives excellent guitar support from McCoy who gets to stretch out quite a bit on “School Girl Blues”, “Staggering Blues”and who’s playing owes a strong debt to Rube Lacey. Better yet were the four magnificent songs he backed Tommy Johnson on over a two day period: “Cool Drink of Water Blues”, “Big Road Blues”, “Bye, Bye Blues” and “Maggie Campbell Blues.” McCoy’s second guitar is superb, not only duplicating Johnson’s guitar part but as, David Evans notes, uses “a flat pick and often strums the strings like a mandolin on his bass part, occasionally doing the same on the treble strings as a beautiful contrast.” McCoy also backed Bracey in very similar fashion on his two numbers, “Saturday Blues” and “Left Alone Blues.” Johnson, Bracey and McCoy returned on Friday, August 31, 1928 for another session for Victor. For whatever reason McCoy didn’t back Johnson but did play mandolin on Bracey’s “Trouble Hearted Blues” and “Brown Mama Blues.” McCoy’s playing is subdued on the beautiful, somber “Trouble Hearted Blues” but his bold, rippling mandolin is heard loud and clear on the equally fine “Brown Mama Blues.”

Between 1928-1931 he played on a variety of sides, many string band related, in the company of Walter Vincson and Bo Carter. In November 1928 Carter, McCoy and an unknown pianist backed singer Alec Johnson on four of six sides. Johnson’s music harks back to an earlier pre-blues era. As Tony Russell notes they “form a lively and expressive pit orchestra to accompany a set of antique minstrel songs and a couple of blues.”McCoy’s playing is superb on the blues”Miss Meal Cramp Blues” and older sounding material like “Sister Maud Mule”, and he rather discomforting “Mysterious Coon.” Also in November of the same year Carter, Vincson and McCoy backed singer Mary Butler on four numbers. Butler may in fact be Rosie Mae Moore who McCoy backed in February of the same year. McCoy plays mandolin on three of the four tracks including the tough minded “Electrocuted Blues (Electric Chair Blues)”, “Bungalow Blues” and “Mary Blues.” The session isn’t quite as strong as the earlier session.

With Walter Vincson he cut sides as the Mississippi Mud Steppers, with the addition of guitarist Sam Hill (plus Bo Carter and Sam Chatmon on one track) as the Mississippi Blacksnakes and with Carter and Vincson as the Jackson Blue boys. With the Mississippi Mud Steppers he cut the remarkable instrumental “Jackson Stomp”, based on the seminal “Cow Cow Blues”, (the song was modified as “The Lonesome Train That Took My Baby Away” at a Charlie McCoy session with Bo Carter on guitar). The song is a dazzling, virtuoso mandolin performance. McCoy further showcases his versatility on a trio of waltzes, playing mandolin on “Alma Waltz (Ruby Waltz)” and plays banjo on two numbers. With the Mississippi Blacksnakes his robust mandolin is heard on the bawdy “Grind So Fine” and the country tinged “Blue Sky Blues” both boasting terrific vocals from Vincson. Two days after the first Blacksnakes session the group recorded again with Bo Carter as the vocalist and either McCoy or Sam Hill on guitar. This is a bluesier session with McCoy again on mandolin/banjo with his mandolin heard in fine form on “It Still Ain’t No Good (New It Ain’t No Good)” and “Easy Going Woman Blues.” One more song by the group, “Bye Bye Baby Blues”, was cut the following day featuring fine slide from McCoy. The two tracks cut as the Jackson Blue Boys are interesting for featuring singing from Carter, Vincson and McCoy in unison and taking solo turns with McCoy playing mandolin.

Ishman Bracey - Brown Mama Blues (MP3)

Mississippi Mud Steppers - Jackson Stomp (MP3)

I’ve been listening to quite a bit of country blues recorded in the 1960’s and 1970’s. There of course are the big names, the fabled blues rediscoveries of Son House, Skip James, Furry Lewis, Mississippi John Hurt, Bukka White among others. A parallel to this was a large body of recordings, in many case field recordings, of less famous artists who never had the opportunity to record before. Again there were acclaimed discoveries like Mississippi Fred McDowell and Robert Pete Williams but also a slew of lesser known worthy performers like Roosevelt Holts, Shirley Griffith, Houston Stackhouse, Jack Owens and many others. Unfortunately many of these recordings haven’t fared well in the reissue market which is the case with the recordings on Storyville’s Blues Scene USA Vol. 4 also issued as Blues Roots: The Mississippi Blues Vol. 1.

The recordings were made by noted writer, researcher and Testament label owner Pete Welding who had this to say about these performances: “…The music has been revealed as a living continuum, thanks to recordings - such as this album - made in the Sixties which have introduced the music of a large number of carriers of the state’s characteristic musical traditions. The most notable new performer of this blues renaissance was the gifted, exciting Fred McDowell, who sang and played as though time stood still, so fully had his powerful music been shaped by the old precepts. And after him comes a large body of singers, guitarists, harmonica players, violinists, etc., all of whose music is firmly allied to the oldest strains of the Mississippi blues. …For them, music was largely something to be self-generated in the family circle or for friends and neighbors; moreover, the music they created was by and large still shaped by the older traditions.”

These recordings were made circa 1964-1965 mainly in St. Louis and Chicago where many of these performers had migrated. The big names here are Johnny Young, Big Boy Spires, who made a batch of highly regarded sides in the 1950’s, and the prodigiously recorded Big Joe Williams who had a recording career stretching back to 1935. The rest will only be known to the most seasoned collector: Bert Logan, Russ Logan, Roosevelt Charles, Coot Venson, Avery Brady, Willie Lee Harris, Jimmy Brewer, Ruby McCoy, Jimmy Brown, Big John Henry Miller, Jimmy Lee Miller

Big Joe Williams appears on six of the cuts taking vocals on the sturdy “Long Road Blues” a loose variation of “Big Road Blues” with Coot Venson on harmonica. Backed by Big Joe, Venson takes the vocal on “Sugar Mama”(Big Joe played on the original by Sonny Boy Williamson I in 1937) laying down some fine down home harp. “Goin’ Back Home” and”I Can See My Baby In My Dreams” are wonderful numbers that hark back to the old string band sound with Big Joe supported by violinist Jimmy Brown and harmonica blower Willie Lee Harris who both take vocal chores. Big Joe also backs the wonderful, raw voice Ruby McCoy on “Rising Sun Blues” who’s singing, Welding accurately notes, “conjures up the ghost of Bessie Tucker.” Big Joe’s Uncles, Bert and Russ Logan, are featured on the ancient sounding, ramshackle, yet compelling “Four O’Clock in the Morning.”

Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Spires cut a handful of brilliant down home sides for Checker and Chance in the 1950’s and unissued sides in the 1960’s for Testament before arthritis cut his career short. His burnished voice sounds marvelous on the gently propulsive “21 Below Zero” backed by Johnny Young on guitar. His Testament sides were cut at the same session and it’s a shame they haven’t been released. Johnny Young turns in a superb solo version of “Pony Blues” showing off his deep roots.

Chicago residents Avery Brady and Jimmy Brewer both hailed from Mississippi and still retained strong roots to their home state. The sadly under recorded Brady waxed only a handful of sides and sounds terrific playing throbbing, rhythmic guitar on “I Don’t Want You No More” featuring his strong, plaintive vocals. Brewer delivers the albums’ tour-de-force, a surging, powerhouse version of Tommy Johnson’s “Big Road Blues.” It’s a beautifully sung number as Brewer plays percussive, intricate guitar, snapping the strings for added intensity. It also underscores just how influential Tommy Johnson was, something that became especially evident with the field recording of the 1960’s, in particular the recordings made by David Evans. Brewer cut two full length albums both unfortunately out of print.

Big John Henry Miller was another Mississippi performer who’s sole recording, “Down Here by Myself”, is a hypnotic, powerfully sung number that makes one wish he had recorded more. Perhaps the finest singer in the collection is Roosevelt Charles. This track appears to be an anomaly having been recorded by Harry Oster in 1960 at Angola Prison. Charles was prolifically recorded in 1959-1960 by Oster although many sides were never issued. Charles was a modest guitar player but a magnificent vocalist with a deep, burnished voice employed to gorgeous effect on “Bye Bye Baby Blues.” Charles is featured on several prison anthologies and on the long out of print Vanguard album “Blues, Prayer, Work & Trouble Songs.”

Jimmy Brewer - Big Road Blues (MP3)

Roosevelt Charles - Bye Bye Baby Blues (MP3)