Topic: Trix is walkin? some more?

[doctorpep]

Hopefully I'm posting this in the correct place. After reading this, I bought the Trice and Johnson discs on Amazon, both brand new for a total of 5 dollars. It's amazing what some people will give away. I'm trying to find out where to buy the Slim disc; Amazon has it used for almost 100 dollars! When I searched for "Pernell Charity", I got some pseudo-Jazz-looking album cover. I finally found the Charity disc here: http://www.bluebeatmusic.com/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&products_id=4769 Unfortunately, there are no audio clips. Does anyone have any idea where I should be looking for the Slim disc and Charity audio samples? Thanks!

[uncle bud]

doctorpep - if you like Blind Boy Fuller, I think you'll enjoy Pernell Charity. I'm not going to reimburse you if you don't, but I'd say you can't go wrong. 

[mr mando]

doctorpep - whenever you're looking for records (CDs or whatever), to to www.gemm.com. Here are the hits for "The Virginian" by Pernell Charity (hell, my vinyl is worth 30 bucks!!! If only the dollar woudn't be so low, I'd be rich I guess)
http://www1.gemm.com/ddc/search.pl?&disp_ad_format_mode=0&artist=PERNELL+CHARITY&price_above=%2E001&&title=VIRGINIAN&price_above=%2E001&

[NotRevGDavis]

I'll probably be bin diving in San Jose and San Francisco this weekend I'll pick up any (and all) Trix CD's I find.

[oddenda]

Hi, there, folks -

          Better late than never, as the saying goes. As the perpetrator of Trix Records' recordings (plus way more unreleased stuff), I must confess to have been a lucky individual. The folks I met were generally wonderful (the Buddy Moss episode was the exception) and I did the best I could for them with what I had at the time. Trix never made money, overall; I had a profit the year I sold the LP master tapes to Joe Fields (Muse Records) and that was the sole "plus" year! As has been mentioned, most of the people I recorded came from the South East - NC, SC, GA, VA - with a few major exceptions: Robert Lockwood, Eddie Kirkland, Homesick James, Honeyboy Edwards (those two at the suggestion of Jim O'Neal), plus the Detroit pianists. It was a long and wonderful trip, but I burned out by 1980 and stopped travelling. Worked with Alan Lomax on what became the "Deep River of Song' portion of the Lomax material on Rounder, then went to Folklore school at The University of Pennsylvania working on an unrealized PhD. Now living in Australia (and NOT on my ill-gotten gains from recording!), I can look back with pleasure and wonderment on what the hell I did for a decade. Not bad for a solitary White guy in the 70s, eh?!

          If there are any questions, fire away. I'll get to them eventually. And may the farce be with you.

yrs,
     Peter B. Lowry (f/k/a Pete Lowry)

[oddenda]

Hey, there, Folks -

          As the perpetrator of Trix Records (and its sexist logo, which my partner abhors!), I am pleased to see that my efforts haven't completely fallen off the face of the earth. There were, I think, eighteen LPs originally with all but the Homesick James re-issued by Muse Records on CD [using the Trix name]. I spent a decade (1970 - 1980) in the SE chasing after older Blacks for their stories and songs, mainly secular in nature. I met some wonderful people in that time of solo travel (Bruce Bastin and I cracked the Piedmont in '69/'70, and Kip Lornell joined me for part of one long trip) in my van with guitars and recording equipment, eventually a good camera. Travelling from VA to GA on I-95 became the norm for me and my dog(s) for about a decade, before I burned out. Later on, I ran out of ready money to release stuff and so there's probably enough unreleased stuff for 40-50 additional releases. Would that I had been able to put out more material, but, ever the master of good timing, I started the label when the second-to-last blues boomlet was fading, and gave up before the last one took off! I was one very successful White guy, though, during that decade! Any questions?

          May the farce be with you.

yrs,
     Peter B.

[uncle bud]

Don't have a question at the moment but wanted to say thanks for working those 10 years making those records! Many are among my favorites since I discovered them not too long ago...

[NotRevGDavis]

Great job Peter. Funny I just picked up Big Chief Ellis today.

[oddenda]

Bud -

          Better late than never! Where were you back in the day? Probably in kindergarten!!

NotRev -

          There are some interesting guitar players on it, too. Later I'll put up how Brownie was there.

yrs,
     Peter B.

[uncle bud]

Bud -

          Better late than never! Where were you back in the day? Probably in kindergarten!!

Pretty close. But as they say, third time's the charm...

[dj]

Gary, where'd you get the Big Chief Ellis CD?  It's one of the few Trix discs I'm missing.  I thought that was long out of print.

Peter, I'd like to add my thanks for all you've done in recording these artists and making their music available.  Over the years I've gotten most of the Trix releases, even the Danny DelSanto LP!  (I used to catch the Arm Brothers regularly at a bar in Verbank NY across from Sprout Lake, and I'd run into Eddie Kirkland in the laundromat in New Paltz, which should give you some idea of where I was back in the day.) 

[oddenda]

dj -

          Eddie at the laundromat... those WERE the days! At certain points in time, Eddie stayed with me at my house outside of Rosendale, but slept in his car. Eventually, when he was with Shirley as manager, they stayed in my guest room. I saw Eddie in Melbourne a couple of years ago - he was brought out for a week-end of gigs (I kid you not!) by a radio dj known as Mohair Slim. With little proper rehearsal, it was mainly 12-bar stuff, but he went over fantastically, in spite of it all. That's Eddie! We essentially picked up where we left off six years before! A good friend. I took the train down from Sydney so that I could bring along my National (1939 vintage) for him to play on the radio - ABC-Melbourne, and a public station. Gives you an idea how far I'VE gotten from the Shawangunks. Once upon a time I was on the faculty of the New Paltz college in biology - traded that in for field work and recording.

          I recorded most of the Ellis album at my house in Cottekill... Joe Wilson and Dick Spottswood did the sides with Cephas. It ain't in catalogue, but one might get lucky on a remaindered copy, or used. Good luck. Have some with all my stuff, but that's in storage in NJ and I ain't!

          Are you aware that Dan DelSanto died some years back in Mexico where he had fled to avoid prosecution for a serious marijuana case - he refused to roll over, or go to jail, and headed south. Unfortunately, he developed a kidney problem that could have been taken care of in the States, but, in Mexico... on the lam... nope. Terry Lickona has advised me that Timmy Duran is also deceased... don't know the details, only that he went hermit late in his life and had emotional problems. I think I went to that bar, but saw them mostly at Smitty's.

          May the farce be with you... it's the only thing to keep us whole.

yrs,
     Peter B.

[dj]

Pete,

I'd heard about Dan's death from a friend who's kept in touch with Terry.  Sad and seemingly unnecessary.

I've been thinking about Trix Records for the last few days, and have a few questions.  Feel free not to answer if you don't feel they're appropriate...

What was the average pressing of a Trix record?  Did any of them sell enough that you had to repress?  Did anything stand out as a bestseller? 

And about the CDs that came out in the early 90s - were you involved at all with those?

[oddenda]

dj -

          No worries! I have to work from my sometimes shaky memory, but I think that I pressed maybe 2000 of most LPs, with the Lockwoods as high as 5000... the first got re-pressed to get there, the second started at that. Sales were underwhelming, so I don't think that I re-pressed any others... maybe the second Kirkland w. a band. One of my favorites, Frank Edwards, sold pitifully and he ended up with most of what was left before I departed the US. I gave outright 10% of each pressing to the artists and NEVER had "charge-backs" in our contracts; Lockwood and Kirkland got them as needed so that they could sell them off their stage at gigs. Trix lost money every year but one, the one where I sold the LP masters to Joe Fields of Muse Records: overall, the label was a money-looser for me. If there was a best-seller, it would have been Lockwood's "Does 12" album which was VERY favorably reviewed in both the jazz, rock, and blues press... two reviews in the San Francisco Examiner, one rock, one jazz!!

          As for the CDs that Joe released on Trix in the 90s - I had a small hand in it all, writing updates for the inserts on all artists. He issued them all SAVE 3315/Homesick James "Goin' Back Home". I had planned on feeding him more albums, but things got in the way - Joe hooked up with Chris Millar and issued three CDs of stuff he'd recorded (Willie Willis, Homesick, Harmonica Slim). Since he had a new album by Homesick, he put off issuing "my" solo album until later (which never came)... 32 Blues, on the other hand, did re-release "my" Homesick James album, probably the best thing that he ever did. Joe sold all his issued master to 32 Jazz and started new labels, including Fedora w. Chris for blues... now on hold due to poor sales. 32 went belly-up and Savoy Jazz picked up "my" masters, but have issued little. And so it goes.

          As for the six 45s, I think that I pressed up 500 of each... there was a re-press of the first two, I think.  Did that at first w. Baby Tate, and Eddie Kirkland in order to show the "world" what goodies I had stumbled upon. The world was not impressed, yet I continued on into LPs... what a masochistic act! Such is life, and may the farce be with you. ANY QUESTIONS? Fire Away!

yrs,
     Peter B.
   

[uncle bud]

I notice that the last issue of Blues and Rhythm (#254) has an article on Trix Records by someone who would know: BLUES IN THE SOUTH EAST USA - More Travellin' & Recording The Blues: Trix Records by Peter B. Lowry.