Title | Position/Tuning | Pitch |
Everybody?s Blues | C | Bb |
Mr. Furry?s Blues | C | A (+) |
Sweet Papa Moan | C | B (-) |
Rock Island Blues | Spanish | G |
Jelly Roll | EAEGBE | Eb |
Billy Lyons and Stack O?Lee | C | B (-) |
Good Looking Girl Blues | Spanish | Ab (+) |
Why Don?t You Come Home Blues | Spanish | Ab (+) |
Falling Down Blues | Vestapol | D |
Big Chief Blues | Vestapol | D |
Mean Old Bed Bug Blues | EAEGBE | D (+) |
Furry?s Blues | Spanish | F# |
I Will Turn Your Money Green [Take 1] | Spanish | F# |
I Will Turn Your Money Green [Take 2] | Spanish | F# |
Mistreatin? Mama | EAEGBE | D |
Dry Land Blues | E | D |
Cannon Ball Blues | Spanish | G |
Kassie Jones, Part 1 | Spanish | G |
Kassie Jones, Part 2 | Spanish | G |
Judge Harsh Blues [Take 1] | Vestapol | D |
Judge Harsh Blues [Take 2] | Vestapol | D |
John Henry (The Steel Driving Man), Part 1 | Vestapol | Eb |
John Henry (The Steel Driving Man), Part 2 | Vestapol | Eb |
Black Gypsy Blues | Spanish | Ab (+) |
Creeper?s Blues | EAEGBE | Eb |
The thing to do to explore this further (should anyone choose to) would be, I think, to investigate his postwar recordings. Those Prestige/Bluesville sessions seem to feature a significant amount of material in E that might yield more clues.
Song | Position/Tuning | Pitch | Slide? |
John Henry | Vestapol | C(-) | Slide |
When My Baby Left Me | Vestapol | C(-) | Slide |
Shake 'Em On Down | EAEGBE | C(+) | No slide |
Big Chief Blues | Spanish | F | Slide |
Old Blue | Spanish | E(-) | No slide |
I'm Going To Brownsville | Spanish | E(+) | Slide |
Back On My Feet Again | Spanish | F(+) | Slide |
White Lightnin' | EAEGBE | C | No slide |
Roberta | Spanish | F(-) | Slide |
St. Louis Blues | Spanish | E(+) | Slide |
Baby You Don't Want Me | Spanish | E(+) | Slide |
Done Changed My Mind | E, standard tuning | C | No slide |
Goin' To Kansas City | EAEGBE | C(+) | No slide |
Judge Boushay Blues | Vestapol | C(+) | Slide |
Casey Jones | Spanish | E(+) | No slide |
This Time Tomorrow | Spanish | E(+) | No slide |
I Will Turn Your Money Green | EAEGBE | C(+) | No slide |
Frankie And Johnnie | G, standard tuning | D(+) | No slide |
Longing Blues | Spanish | E(-) | Slide on intro only |
Long Tall Gal Blues | EAEGBE | C(+) | No slide |
Thanks, Uncle Bud, for the info on the reverb from Charters' post-rediscovery recordings of him that came out on Bluesville. I don't have those...
and the reverb on those is just godawful, really a shame. It could so easily have been avoided.
The music seems to emanate out of some supra-normal oracular Blues Dephi
..or a rather large bathroom.
Quoteand the reverb on those is just godawful, really a shame. It could so easily have been avoided.
Well maybe I ain't gots no couth but I LOVE THE FREAKIN' REVERB ON MEMPHIS WILLIE B & FURRY"S RECORDS!
As a mater of fact I'm starting my own reissue company whose goal it will be to put reverb on every single blues 78 ever recorded! It will be a subsidiary of my Muck-O-Phone label called "Reverb'll Fix It" records
I keep waiting for WW and the Dixie Dance Kings to show on late night television, so I can see it. My expectations are not high. ;D
Song | Position/Tuning | Pitch | Slide? |
Longing Blues | Spanish | F# | Slide |
John Henry | Vestapol | C# | Slide |
I Will Turn Your Money Green | EAEGBE | C# | No slide |
Pearlee Blues | Spanish | F# | Slide |
Judge Boushay Blues | Vestapol | D | Slide |
I'm Going To Brownsville | Spanish | F | Side |
Casey Jones | Spanish | F# | No slide |
East St. Louis Blues | E, standard tuning | D | No slide |
Song | Position/Tuning | Pitch | Slide? |
Good Morning Judge | Vestapol | D- | Slide |
Worried Blues | Spanish | E | No slide |
Blues Around My Bed | EAEGBE | D- | No slide |
Why Don't You Come Home Blues | Spanish | G | Slide |
Don't You Wish Your Mama | Spanish | Ab | Slide |
Furry Lewis Rag | C, standard | C- | No slide |
Roll And Tumble Blues | Spanish | Ab+ | Slide |
Old Hobo | G, standard | Eb- | No slide |
Farewell I'm Growing Old | Spanish | F | Slide |
Furry Lewis Careless Love | Vestapol | C- | Slide |
Song | Position/Tuning | Pitch | Slide? |
Judge Harsh Blues | Vestapol | Eb- | Slide |
Let's Shake Hand In Hand | G, standard | F#- | No slide |
Waiting For A Train | G, standard | G | No slide |
Let Me Call You Sweetheart | Spanish | G+ | Slide |
Big Chief Blues | Spanish | Ab-- | Slide |
Casey Jones | Spanish | Ab-- | No slide |
Take Your Time Rag | C, standard | C | No slide |
John Henry | Vestapol | C#- | Slide |
Skinny Woman | Spanish | Ab-- | No slide |
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean | Vestapol | Eb | Slide |
Glory Hallelujah, When I Lay My Burden Down | Spanish | G+ | Slide |
Furry's Monday Woman Blues | E, standard | E | No slide |
Furry Lewis Blues | E, standard | Eb | No slide |
Song | Position/Tuning | Pitch | Slide? |
Going Away Blues | Vestapol | C- | Yes |
John Henry | Vestapol | C- | Yes |
Skinny Woman | Spanish | F#- | Yes |
Old Dog Blues | Spanish | F#- | No |
Let Me Call You Sweetheart | Spanish | F#- | Yes |
Farewell To Thee | Spanish | F#- | Yes |
Mama's Fish | Spanish | Ab | No |
When I Lay My Burden Down | Spanish | Ab | Yes |
Kassie Jones | Spanish | Ab+ | No |
Witness the two prestige Memphis Willie B records, one with, one without, both good but the one with reverb attains the gravity of the eternal mythic.