Topic: Fiddle Blues

[Pan]

FWIW, this thread resurrected just as I was listening to some Mabel Robinson recordings from 1941. She was backed by a group called "The Four Blackamoors". The personnel is unknown, but their violinist is terrific.
The music is perhaps closer to jazz than blues, though, but their "You Don't Know My Mind", at least,  is a 12-bar blues tune.
The Blackamoors recorded their own tunes with harmony vocals as well, but I personally much prefere their work backing Robinson.

They can be found on the document CD "Jazzin' the Blues vol. 2.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/jazzin-the-blues-vol-2-1939-1946-mw0000078533

Cheers

Pan

[TallahatchieTrot]

Thanks Cleoma and Gumbo. At least I got some interest in those cuts. Nettles cut is western swing as you noted, but fine fiddling. Helen Hunt?  Makes one side and is gone. The connection to me is that the composer credits on the label are to Harold Holiday who was Black Boy Shine who cut sides for Vocalion for about 3 years. So why would a  white woman singer record a blues written by a  black piano player and cut only one song in a long session?  Just thinking out loud but now some people will show some interest. Thanks again for finding those cuts, fellows.  Helen Hunt? what happened to you and where did you  go to after your one song?
 Oh--Buddy Jones was from Shreveport and did early white blues and western swing titles. He was a sergeant  on the Shreveport police department and Jimmie Davis hired him and also recorded at same sessions for Decca with Buddy.

[David Kaatz]

I agree with Cleoma in that I don't think Helen sounds particularly 'black'. But as the song goes, it makes no difference after dark. Gayle, you make good points/rationale that would suggest that she is black.
Many of us who love this old music and R&B and such like to think we can identify the race of a singer. Myself included. But sometimes you just can't tell.
I have nothing further to offer.

Dave

[Johnm]

Hi all
I just found this Mississippi Sheiks instrumental, "Fingering With Your Fingers", and wondered if any of you fiddlers play it.  Those double stops Lonnie Chatmon plays on this are so pretty!  Have you figured this one out, Suzy?



All best,
Johnm

[Lastfirstface]

I mess around with that one on mandolin. It's a fun tune. Tuba Skinny plays a cool brass band arrangement of it that you can find on youtube.

[Suzy T]

Thanks for reminding me about this tune!  I think I'll try to learn it.

[evan]

I'm not sure if this is blues, but I love it

[evan]

I've also always enjoyed "Railroad Blues" by the Nations Brothers as well

[P D Grant]

A 'little' more recent, but one of the most fiddle blues I ever heard was by Gatemouth Brown at an in-store performance at the Louisiana Music Factory during JazzFest 2004.  I had tears running down my cheeks by the end, and once the music finished I felt a little embarrassed. Until I looked around the room. Everyone else had tears running down their cheeks too. Love all the fiddle on the early Big Joe Williams tracks. Can't wait to search out some of the tracks on this thread.

[Suzy T]

I'd love to hear that!  I haven't listened very much to Gatemouth Brown in a long time.  If anyone has any that they could post here, that would be great.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I was really fortunate in all the music that I was exposed to and got to hear growing up.  In 1964, I believe, my brother  took me to a concert in Philadelphia put together by Mike Seeger that was a split bill, featuring Maybelle Carter in the first half of the show and the McGee Brothers and Fiddling' Arthur Smith in the second half.  Even though I was just a kid I knew it was kind of amazing that I was getting to see those musicians.
I'll never forget that Arthur Smith played and sang the "House of David Blues".  It was so great, and I've always loved that song and have tried to find it on youtube for several years.  Well, I just looked now and it has been put up there, so here it is.  I apologize if Weenies outside the U.S. can not view the video, which also features Sam McGee on guitar and Kirk McGee on banjo.



All best,
John

[Lastfirstface]

There's another version of "House of David Blues" on Sam and Kirk's "Outstanding In Their Field" that Springfed records put out a couple years ago. I think Kirk is fiddling on it.

[Johnm]

Arthur Smith's original version with the Dixieliners is on the JSP set, "Appalachian Stomp Down", too.
All best,
John

[David Kaatz]

Re-reading this thread, as John pulled it up again, and I have been playing a lot of fiddle lately.
Pan mentioned this tune by Mabel Robinson. Now available on YouTube (at least in the US). I agree, the fiddle is great on this, and not just the solos. Cool stuff behind the vocals.

[David Kaatz]

Reading JohnM's Weeniepedia entry on this subject brought me here to comment on Sugar Cane Harris.

Probably of the first fiddle blues I ever heard was Sugar Cane Harris with Zappa, Directly From My Heart to You, a great performance in electric blues style.


Yes, Sugar Cane played on the Hot Rats album, but there isn't really blues on that album. The song Gumbo Variations features a long solo by Sugar Cane. It is surely a blues influenced solo.

Dave