Topic: Gabriel Brown

[jpeters609]

I hadn't noticed the photographer credits, Bunker Hill. Interesting, too, is the fact that four of the photos are dated June, 1935, and attributed to Lomax. Two others (including the one posted above) are dated November, 1935, some five months later, and attributed to Carl Van Vechten. Brown may have been in New York at the time of these later photos -- perhaps due to his recordings for Lomax? Just a thought. For the curious, I'm posting one of the earlier photos that Lomax took during his field recording of Brown.

[Bunker Hill]

You can usually identify a Van Vechten by the background. I've got a series of postcards I bought 20 years ago which featured some of his photos. Here's two Lizzie Miles (1947) and vaudeville act, Bubbles (1935)

[jpeters609]

Very interesting, Bunker Hill. I like that photographer's style. And his choice of wallpaper.

Lomax seemed to know his way around a camera, too, as evidenced by his snapshots of Gabriel Brown. But for the photographically-oriented among us, we are left to wonder: where did Lomax leave his camera when he recorded Son House, Willie Brown, et al.? Anyway, back to the regularly scheduled thread...

[Bunker Hill]

In Robert Hemenway's exhaustive 1977 biography of Zora Neale Hurston there's a photograph showing her with Brown and Rochelle French and bears the caption "Zora Neale Hurston collecting from Rochelle French and Gabriel Brown". Hemenway writes, "Alan Lomax was well aware of how crucial Zora was to his 1935 expedition. He wrote Oliver Strunk of the Library of Congress that she was 'probably the best informed person today on Western Negro folklore'". Speaking of Brown Lomax commented "Miss Hurston introduced us there to the finest Negro guitarist I have heard so far, better ever than Leadbelly, although of a slightly different breed".

As usual  I seem to have gone off on a tangent.... apologies.

[jpeters609]

Tangentially speaking, Bunker Hill, I believe this is the photo of which you speak...

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Since there was already a topic devoted to Gabriel Brown in the general sense, I thought to put the photos there.
All best,
Johnm

[onewent]

..thanks for the photo and the link.  Gabriel Brown is the first blues/guitarist from those days playing a Dobro..looks like a Model 27..that I'm aware of.  Good stuff..Tom

[Gumbo]

Found this blog entry which links Brown to Orson Welles via a theatre project in Harlem

http://1f2frfbf.blogspot.ie/2009/02/gabriel-brown-is-one-of-those-great.html