| Mix Show | SONG | ALBUM |
|---|---|---|
| Spider Carter | Dry Spell Blues | St. Louis 1927-1933 |
| Ell-Zee Floyd | Snow Bound and Blue | Down On The Levee |
| Charles Avery | Dearborn Street Breakdown | Shake Your Wicked Knees |
| Muddy Waters | Strange Woman | Hollywood Blues Summit 1971 |
| Muddy Waters | Walkin' Through the Park | Hollywood Blues Summit 1971 |
| Memphis Jug Band | Going Back To Memphis | Best Of |
| Peg Leg Howell | Monkey Man Blues | Peg Leg Howell Vol. 2 1928-1930 |
| Sleepy John Estes | Drop Down Mama | Blues At Newport 1964 |
| Louis Armstrong | Long Long Journey | Satchmo In The Forties |
| Big Joe Turner & Pete Johnson | Kansas City Blues | Hollywood Rock And Roll Record |
| Arbee Stidham | Standin' In My Window | A Time For Blues |
| Ivy Smith & Cow Cow Davenport | Southern High Waters Blues | Ivy Smith & Cow Cow Davenport 1927-1930 |
| Annie Turner & Little Brother Montgomery | Hard on You | Little Bother Montgomery: Vocal Accompaniments & Early Post-War Recordings 1930-1954 |
| Lucille Bogan | My Georgia Grind | Lucille Bogan Vol. 1 1923-1929 |
| Walter Horton | Now Tell me, Baby | Lowdown Memphis Harmonica Jam |
| Big John Wrencher | I'm A Root Man | American Blues Legends 1974 |
| Easy Baby | Good Morning Mr Blues | Barrelhousin' Around Chicago The Legendary George Paulus 1970s Recordings |
| Kid Wiggins | Lonesome Road | Playing For The Man At The Door |
| James Tisdom | Steel Guitar Rag | Playing For The Man At The Door |
| Lightnin’ Hopkins | Blues Jumped a Rabbit | Playing For The Man At The Door |
| Frank Evans | Red River Blues | Field Recordings Vol. 13 1933-1943 |
| Josh White | Lazy Black Snake Blues | Blues Singer 1932-1936 |
| Poor Bill | Way Up on the Mountain | East Coast Blues In The Thirties 1934-1939 |
| Robert Petway | Bertha Lee Blues | Catfish Blues |
| Jealous James Stanchell | Anything from a Foot Race to a Resting Place | Playing For The Man At The Door |
| Lightnin’ Hopkins | The Foot Race Is On | Autobiography in Blues |
| Big Moose Walker & Jump Jackson´s Combo | Footrace To A Resting Place | Blues Complete |
| Tom Bell | Storm in Arkansas | I Can Eagle Rock: Jook Joint Blues Library of Congress Recordings 1940-1941 |
| Sam Chatmon | God Don't Like Ugly | I Have to Paint My Face |
| Lum Guffin | Johnny Wilson | On The Road Again |
| Joe Cooper | She Run Me Out On The Road | Living Country Blues USA Vol. 2: Blues On Highway 61 |
| Sippie Wallace | You Gonna Need My Help | Sippie Wallace Vol. 2 1925-1945 |
| Sara Martin | Hole In The Wall | Sara Martin Vol. 4 1925-1928 |
| Billie (Willie Mae) McKenzie | Woke Up With The Rising Sun | Female Chicago Blues 1936-1947 |
| Lizzie Miles | Lizzie's Blues | Jazzin' The Blues 1943-1952 |
Show Notes:
We tackle a wide gamut of blues from the 20s through the 70s today. On deck today is a set revolving around superb pianists Charles Avery, two live recordings by Muddy Waters, we hear from some excellent women singers and some blues shouters and crooners. In addition we spin some great field recordings captured by Mack McCormick, John Lomax and others, a strong set of harmonica blues, trace the history of an obscure song and much more.
Active in Chicago in the 20’s and 30’s, Charles Avery worked as a session musician backing artists such as Lil Johnson, Freddie ‘Red” Nicholson, Red Nelson, Victoria Spivey and others. He cut one record under his own name, 1929’s “Dearborn Street Breakdown” (the other side of the 78 was Meade Lux Lewis’ “Honky Tonk Train Blues”). It’s been suggested that Avery plays behind Ell-Zee Floyd and Spider Carter who we hear today. Carter cut three sides in 1930 for Brunswick and Floyd cut two sides on Sept. 19, 1930 at the same session Carter recorded.
The eight-song set Hollywood Blues Summit 1971, was recorded at the legendary Ash Grove club in Los Angeles on the Blue Summit weekend (which also featured Freddie King and Lightnin’ Hopkins) from July 27 to Aug. 1, 1971. The band includes: Calvin Fuzz Jones on bass, Pee Wee Madison & Sammy Lawson on guitars, Paul Oscher & Shakey Horton on harmonica and Pinetop Perkins on piano.
We spotlight several fine blues ladies today including Ivy Smith, Sippie Wallace, Sara Martin, Lizzie Miles and others. Cow Cow Davenport’s early career revolved around carnivals and vaudeville. Davenport didn’t cut a 78 record until 1927 (two 1925 sides for Gennett were unissued) although prior to that he made a number of piano rolls. Davenport briefly teamed up with singer Ivy Smith in 1927, backing her on some two-dozen sides as well as waxing around thirty sides under his own name through 1938. we hear the duo on the fine flood blues “Southern High Waters Blues.”
Sara Martin was singing on the Vaudeville circuit by 1915 and made her debut for Okeh Records in 1922. She cut close to one hundred sides through 1928. She recorded four sides with Clarence Williams that included King Oliver on cornet in 1928 of which we spin “Hole In The Wall.”
Last week we delved into the box set, Playing for the Man at the Door: Field Recordings from the Collection of Mack McCormick, 1958–1971, produced by the Smithsonian which collects Mack’s, mostly unreleased, field recordings captured between 1958 and 1971. There were several tracks we didn’t get to on that show and today we hear from pianist Kid Wiggins, James Tisdom and Lightnin’ Hopkins who Mack recorded extensively.
In addition we hear a track from Jealous James Stanchell cut in 1959 titled “Anything from a Foot Race to a Resting Place” which always fascinated me for it’s unique title and lyrics. This track first appeared on the album Treasury Of Field Recordings Vol. 2. These albums were compiled by McCormick and issued on the British 77 label in 1960. Regarding the song and it’s performer he wrote: “Evenings he goes from bar to bar along Dowling St. Singing for tips, some songs like “Jambalaya” derive from the jukeboxes, but mostly his own personal observations. The song is Jealous James’ own composition, well known around Houston and Kansas City from his own singing, but not previously recorded or published. The recording came about one afternoon when Lightnin’ Hopkins was scheduled to make some tapes but, as usual, found himself without an acoustical guitar. He went out and found Jealous James inviting him and his guitar to come along. After finishing ‘Corrine, Corrina’ – in Volume I of this set – Lightnin’ turned things over to Jealous James who sang several of his own songs including this. Lightnin’ was so delighted with it that he promptly recorded a boogie which he dubbed ‘The Footrace is On’ which takes its inspiration from Jealous James his song. Lightnin’s song, elaborating on the foot-race idea, is in his Autobiography in Blues, Tradition LP 1040.” In 1960 Big Moose Walker with Jump Jackson’s Combo cut two takes of “Footrace To A Resting Place” for End Records which is essentially the same song. He recorded the song again which appeared on and Elmore James album titled To Know A Man (Blue Horizon, 1969) and credited to an unidentified singer possibly “Bushy Head!” He cut the song several times over the years including a fine version simply titled “Footrace” on the album Rambling Woman for Bluesway in 1969. I wonder where he heard this song? I don’t know of any other versions.
As usual we spin some interesting field recordings, this time out by Tom Bell, Joe Cooper, Lum Guffin, Frank Evans and others. In 1940, recording for the Library of Congress, John Lomax captured some fine recordings in his travels, first in Texas in October then Louisiana, Mississippi, and finally Georgia by November. Many of these tracks can be found on the excellent Travelin’ Man album, I Can Eagle Rock: Jook Joint Blues from Alabama and Louisiana. One of these artists was a fine dance and blues artists named Tom Bell who we hear on his “Storm in Arkansas.” Frank Evans was recorded by Lomax in 1936 in Parchman Farm.
The title of today’s show is taken from a song by Joe Cooper. Cooper was discovered in the late ‘60s by researcher Bill Ferris and was the uncle of Son Thomas. both are featured in Ferris’s book Blues from The Delta. Cooper played with Henry Stuckey, considered one of the founders of the Bentonia blues style and played at local house parties. He was recorded by Gianni Marcucci in the 70s and by my friends Axel Küstner in 1980 and Michael Hortig in 1981.
We hear some fine blues singing today from Louis Armstrong, Big Joe Turner and Arbee Stidham. Louis Armstrong sings on “Long Long Journey” from 1946 in an all-star band featuring Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges. Next week I’ll be devoting a show to Big Joe Turner and chatting with Derek Coller who is the author of the new book, Feel So Fine, which is a biography and discography. As the blurb states: “Big Joe Turner was the greatest of the blues shouters. For more than five decades, from Kansas City saloons to Carnegie Hall, through the swing era, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul music, Joe Turner sang, never wavering. Small bands, big bands, trios, pianists, rock groups, choirs, all styles of accompaniment rocked to his rhythm. Joe Turner was like a force of nature, making everyone feel fine.” Today we feature a live track with Big Joe back by his pal Pete Johnson.
We spin a set of tough post-war harmonica today by Walter Horton, Big John Wrencher and Easy Baby. From his first recording session we hear from Walter Horton going under the name Mumbles on “Now Tell Me Baby” waxed in 1951. I first heard this on the great Nighthawk album Lowdown Memphis Harmonica Jam.
Several years back I found myself in the segregated black section of Shufordville Cemetery (outside of Clarksdale) which contains the graves of blues fiddler Henry “Son” Simms, who recorded with Muddy Waters and Charley Patton and harmonica man Big John Wrencher. A marker was erected in 2014 for Wrencher. We hear a fine live number by him today when he was touring Europe as part of the 1974 American Blues Legends tour.
Fame and fortune never found Easy Baby who worked as a mechanic by day and the Chicago clubs at nights. We play a track from Sweet Home Chicago Blues, a real gem released on the small Barrelhouse imprint (released on CD on the Japanese P-Vine label). A large part of the record’s success goes to the band: Eddie Taylor’s fleet fingered playing is every bit as inventive as his band leader while Kansas City Red’s drumming is so crisp and in-the-pocket it should be used as a clinic for up and coming blues drummers. Easy cut another good one in for Wolf in 2000 titled If It Ain’t One Thing, It’s Another.
From what we can gather, Lewis must have been something of a character. One anecdote, related in the book 
“Raggedy Blues b/w Harmonica Boogie”, “The Blast b/w Chocolate Porkchop Man” and” Ooh, It’s Midnight b/w Scratchin’.” Peacock recorded him a year later and issued one single– “Goin’ Crazy b/w Back Door Troubles.” Otis also recorded Lewis for his own Dig label with” Get Away From Here”, a track that was un-issued until the 90’s. He appears on other Johnny Otis Dig recordings like “Midnight Creeper”, “Ali Baba’s Boogie”, “Groove Juice” and “Country Boogie”, released under Preston Love’s name.
rom what we can gather, Lewis must have been something of a character. One anecdote, related in the book 
“Raggedy Blues b/w Harmonica Boogie”, “The Blast b/w Chocolate Porkchop Man” and” Ooh, It’s Midnight b/w Scratchin’.” Peacock recorded him a year later and issued one single– “Goin’ Crazy b/w Back Door Troubles.” Otis also recorded Lewis for his own Dig label with” Get Away From Here”, a track that was un-issued until the 90’s. He appears on other Johnny Otis Dig recordings like “Midnight Creeper”, “Ali Baba’s Boogie”, “Groove Juice” and “Country Boogie”, released under Preston Love’s name.
