Topic: The Guitar Stylists--G Position, standard tuning

[Johnm]

Hi all,
You know the drill:
   * Sam Chatmon
   * Robert Petway

All best,
Johnm

[waxwing]

I think Blind Boy Fuller was pretty accomplished in G standard, as he was in several different positions.

Wax

[waxwing]

I would also put William Brown on this list. Even though he really recorded only 2 songs for Lomax and Work, Ragged a Dirty shows a strong musicianship in G position and I often point out that he manages to incorporate the entire chromatic scale, save the flat II note, in his arrangement. I imagine Mississippi Blues will get him on the A standard position list, too.

Wax

[Prof Scratchy]

Tommy Maclennan
Little Hat Jones

[GhostRider]

Memphis Minnie, especially during her "inter-marriage" period.

Alex

[eric]

I'd nominate Jesse Thomas for Blue Goose Blues.

[Old Man Ned]

Rev Gary Davis
Blind Blake

[Forgetful Jones]

Mississippi John Hurt has a few gems in G, especially the two songs played on Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest show.

[rein]

Blind Lemon Jefferson

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Yank Rachell did some sensational playing in G position in standard tuning. It was probably the playing position he excelled in the most.
All best,
Johnm

[rein]

Ishman Bracey on Brown Mama Blues and a similar arrangement is used by Charlie mc Coy backing Rosie May Moore on guitar, according to David Evans it is similar to Rubin Lacy s lost Long Lonesome Blues. Of course that is an unissued record but probably he heard it from Lacy himself. So I dont know if we can call Rube Lacy a stylist in G when all we know of him was recorded in E or cross note, but we can name Ishmon Bracy and Charlie mc Coy.

[Johnm]

Hi rein,
I agree about Ishmon Bracey and Charlie McCoy. Rubin Lacy's two releases were both played in E position, standard tuning, for what it's worth.
All best,
John

[daddystovepipe]

Smokey Hogg, a lot in G (maybe everything).

[rein]

I did not mean the two surviving records by Rube Lacey which are in E position indeed (although Evans transcribes Mississippi Jailhouse Groan in cross note inthe Big Road Blues book, it might work either way, but it feels weird for me to make a definite claim in your presence, as I am very much in awe of your skill in decifering and playing this material) but I was referring to an intriguing quote in David Evans book on Tommy Johnson where he said that the guitar arrangements of Charlie mc Coy had licks from Lacey s Long Lonesome Blues. This song is on a record that has nt been found or may not even have been released from Lacey s first sesson, so I wondered if it was Rube Lacey himself who was the source of this information, since Lacey was one of Evans' sources for this book. Of course if I really wanted to know I should ask David Evans himself, all. Off course I left the little book on my desk somewhere just a short while ago but off course cant find it it right now to find where this quote was.
All best and thanks so much for this great site !
Rein

[rein]

''His playing reveals a large debt to Rubin Lacy, whose Long Lonesome blues used most of the guitar figures which McCoy plays in all four accompaniments'' -David Evans-Tommy Johnson ,1971 p.47.