WeenieCampbell.com
Country Blues => Weenie Campbell Main Forum => Topic started by: SpikeDriver on November 29, 2007, 04:38:56 PM
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It may be hard for some newer/younger fans to believe, but at one point in the not so distant past, blues listeners had no idea what Robert Johnson looked like. The two now famous photos were first published in the 1980s. If you're a country/pre-war blues fan you've seen many familiar photos (Blake, Lemon, etc.) over and over again. Over the years, new discoveries have shown up (the Luke Jordan photo in 78 Quarterly, the pre-war photo of Skip James with the 20's auto, the 1950 shot of Washington Phillips on his farm, and of course Tefteller's find of the full Patton photo with guitar).
My question is, who would make up a top list of blues artists who we've heard...but have never seen?
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Weenie Campbell of course. He was scheduled for several shoots over the years but never turned up.
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anyone ever seen rabbit brown or julius daniels?
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Willie Brown, and a young Son House. And I'd like to see good pictures of Texas Alexander, Ed Bell, and Sam Collins.
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Hi all,
I'd like very much to see photos of Joe Holmes (King Solomon Hill), Smith Casey, Marshall Owens, Edward Thompson, Geeshie Wiley, Elvie Thomas, Poochie Chatmon (youngest brother of Sam and Bo) and a many more. Great topic idea, Spike Driver.
All best,
Johnm
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A few minor figures I'd like to see pictures of: Lane Hardin and Henry Spaulding from the St. Louis scene, and Eddie Mapp, the Atlanta harmonica player who was murdered after making only a few recordings.
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Willie Brown, and a young Son House.
Both Willie Browns. Or is it all three Willie Browns?
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Spike:
That's an interesting topic, made me think. Here's my top 5 (in order):
1. Funny Papa Smith (album photo isn't him)
2. Willie Brown (any of them :-\ ) (to help resolve ID problems)
3. A young ('20's-'30's) Little Hat Jones
4. Marshall Owens (Such a voice)
5. Gene Campbell (most prolific Texas pre-war Bluesman outside BLJ)
I feel a "list" comin' on.
Alex
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There is a splendid recently discovered photo of Buddy Boy Hawkins in the liner notes to one of the Yazoo Times Ain't Like They Used to Be CD's -- I'm pretty sure volumes 5 and 6, which I'll double check when I get home.
Amusingly (at least amusingly for a former copy editor), the notes say "how pleasant it is to finally see his continence." Glad to know he had no problems in that area.
Chris
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Kid Prince Moore and Willie Walker. And a personal favorite of mine, the Cincinnati pianist Jesse James.
Actually, there are dozens of fairly minor figures that intrigue me partly because they came and went so quickly: One song wonders like Freezone and Kid Brown, people who recorded a bit more, like "Blue Coat" Tom Nelson and Tommy Settlers (with his kazoo, please!). I'd love to know what these people looked like.
And if it's not asking too much, every string band that ever recorded.
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Garfield Akers, Henry Thomas, Kid Prince Moore, Geeshie Wiley... I'd love to know what they looked like.
Had anybody seen the photo of Tommie Bradley and James Cole? I've seen it somewhere on the internet and LOST IT. Can't find it anymore.
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Had anybody seen the photo of Tommie Bradley and James Cole? I've seen it somewhere on the internet and LOST IT. Can't find it anymore.
1. If you find a picture of Bradley or Cole, I'll buy you a fish sandwich and a beer.
2. Forget the picture. I would just like to know something about Gene Campbell, about whom "enigmatic" is not sufficiently descriptive.
3. Just to further my flip-flopping between the analytic and the not:
From a historical/academic standpoint, would a picture make any difference in terms of our enjoyment? I think not. But I still want them too.
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Buddy Boy Hawkins in a high defenition photo? Does anyone have this? I am willing to contribute scans of the photos of jaybird coleman and bo weavil jackson that are in the "times aint like..." vol. 7 liner notes to this tread.
Any takers? I'd really like to see a scan of that one, as all the previous examples of buddy boy that i've seen are pretty lo-fi.
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Pine Top Smith
Beans Hambone with his cigar box guitar
A young Pink Anderson with Simmie Dooley
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Spike:
1. Funny Papa Smith (album photo isn't him)
:o Really?? When was that discovered?
Here's My List
1. Hambone Willie Newbern
2. A Young Robert Lockwood (Anywhere from 1930s-1940s)
3. Papa Harvey Hull
4. Cryin' Sam Collins
5. Willie Walker
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That photo (i.e. of Funny Papa) is actually of Black Ace isn't it?
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I don't want to make a whole new topic out of this, so I'll post it here in a picture thread.
Although it certainly is poor quality, I can tell I've never seen this picture of Leroy Carr before. Has anybody else?
(https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wirz.de%2Fmusic%2Fmatchbox%2Fgrafik%2Fmse2104.jpg&hash=3968be755ae2bd507a3322f7f833100623f0f71e)
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That photo (i.e. of Funny Papa) is actually of Black Ace isn't it?
I doubt it, he's definitely not playing that guitar lap-style, or with a slide.
But if it is, that's purty darn cool, I don't know of any photos of a young Black Ace.
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Here's Buddy Boy:
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Thanks, Chris. I hadn't seen that one before.
Alex
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Lonewolf and MTJ3, here is the photo of Tommie Bradley and James Cole. downthedirtroad, I'd love to see that photo of Bo Weavil Jackson.
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Anybody know where these new pictures were found? Were they part of the Paramount promo material that turned up a few years ago?
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Hi geechie, and welcome to Weenie Campbell! Thanks for the photo. Do you know what the source of this photo is, where it came from and the like?
cheers,
andrew
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Here's the picture of Bo Weavil Jackson from the booklet that I promised in return, if this is of help to anyone:
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And jaybird.
Question - are these pictures part of John Tefteller's stash that is being used for the blues images calendars?
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Thanks for the welcome andrew. As for the photo, I saved it to my computer a couple of years ago. I vaguely remember finding it on the Old Hat Records website. They had scanned
a booklet from one of their releases, and put it up on the site. But I can't remember what Album it's from.
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Although it certainly is poor quality, I can tell I've never seen this picture of Leroy Carr before. Has anybody else?
Yep it appeared in a Chicago Defender Columbia advertisment for the release of Aggravating Papa and those who own Story Of The Blues (1969 edition) can view it in its original context on page 94.
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Thanks for the welcome andrew. As for the photo, I saved it to my computer a couple of years ago. I vaguely remember finding it on the Old Hat Records website. They had scanned
a booklet from one of their releases, and put it up on the site. But I can't remember what Album it's from.
Found the photo (easy enough since Old Hat have so few releases - here's hoping for more!). It's in the booklet for Violin, Sing the Blues for Me. Alas, it is not Tommie Bradley and James Cole. The two are identified as Billy Smith (banjo) and Billy Russell (fiddle), circa 1912. Caption says Smith "was a former slave, with whips scars on his back to prove it." From the collection of Jim Bollman.
For dj, while they don't include Simmie Dooley, there are two photos of a young Pink Anderson in the booklet for Old Hat's set Good for What Ails You, both taken while Pink was touring with WR Kerr's medicine show. One of the photos is of Pink in blackface.
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Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings' entry on J. T. 'Funny Papa' Smith mentions the photo on the Yazoo album is in fact of Black Ace. I've read this elsewhere as well.
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Found the photo (easy enough since Old Hat have so few releases - here's hoping for more!). It's in the booklet for Violin, Sing the Blues for Me. Alas, it is not Tommie Bradley and James Cole. The two are identified as Billy Smith (banjo) and Billy Russell (fiddle), circa 1912. Caption says Smith "was a former slave, with whips scars on his back to prove it." From the collection of Jim Bollman.
Thanks for the correction andrew.
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BanjoChris, Down the Dirt Road, & Geechie. Those photos are amazing!! Thanks for posting them.
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Neil Slaven mentioned Big Bill Broonzy took a photo of Elmore James, Rice Miller, Little Walter & Tommy McClennan walking down the street . . . anyone ever see this or know where I could catch a glimpse?
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Neil Slaven mentioned Big Bill Broonzy took a photo of Elmore James, Rice Miller, Little Walter & Tommy McClennan walking down the street . . . anyone ever see this or know where I could catch a glimpse?
Yes, first published in the French magazine Soul Bag in 1983 and later reproduced in a Living Blues. Probably been reproduced since. A couple of years back I was asked to scan for a similar enquiry on the web. I'll look to see if I still have it.
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LoneWolf has a pretty blurry version of it on his McClennan/Petway Myspace page:
(https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fc.myspace.com%2FGroups%2F00020%2F57%2F65%2F20275675_l.jpg&hash=c4d588e4aaff2561cee8e8a9711ffe5fdabd381a)
BTW, "photos" would be a good Tag on any Topic that has one or more.
All for now.
John C.
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Thanks for that Wax . . . Tommy was a little fella eh?
I wonder if BH has a better resolution version?
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Thanks for that Wax . . . Tommy was a little fella eh?
I wonder if BH has a better resolution version?
I don't think it's a case of resolution more one of severe camera shake by the photographer. :)
However this weekend I'll see what I can do with the Soul Bag photo....
TMC was said to have been a "little fella" by both Frank Edwards and Eddie Taylor.
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Sorry I can't do much better. Increasing the resolution just seems to increase the text "show through" from other side of the page. Click image to zoom in.
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Hey that's a bit better, thanks BH. Looking at this photo has made me realize 2 things: as I've already stated, Tommy was a little fella -
& second: men's fashion has gone way down since the '50s!
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Left to right.
Willie Moore, Willie Brown, Fiddlin Joe Martin.
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Left to right.
Willie Moore, Willie Brown, Fiddlin Joe Martin.
Wow, this is quite special. Is this the Willie Brown of Future Blues? Do you know more of the provenance of this picture?
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It was published in Frog Blues and Jazz Annual #4
And more recently in "Up Jumped the Devil" The Real Life of Robert Johnson " book
By Wardlow and Conforth...
Yes the "Future Blues " musician...
I have my Willie Brown information included in
Living Blues #229...