Topic: Great covers

[oddenda]

John -

          Label copy is to Richard on the Manor and Regis 78s. Bruce Bastin sent me photocopies a while back. Mentioned in my Sep 15 post! Seems logical to make that jump!!

pbl

[Johnm]

Peter B.,
Does it say Richard or Seth Richard on the Skoodle Dum Doo and Sheffield records?  Sorry to be so persistent, but Seth Richard's sound just is not there.
All best,
Johnm

[oddenda]

John -

          My aging mind recalls only a surname (possibly S. Richard) on the label (copy in a box of correspondence somewhere hereabouts), but much can happen to one's playing in nearly twenty years, the time between the two Columbia sides of the 20s (1928 in NYC) and the four Manor/Regis ones from probably Newark ca. 1943! The Blind Boy Fuller (et al) effect? They recorded Boy Green, and Ralph Willis for their labels, a general paucity of Piedmont "country blues" in their catalog compared to, say, Savoy! Listen to his three vocals on the latter session and compare. There is connection of the latter labels and the Coleman family (from which stemmed The Coleman Brothers, and Ann Cole), a name to reckon with in Newark... hotels and lounges among them. Wilbert Harrison used to play one of their spots (as a pianist/singer) in the hotel. They even had their own record label - Coleman Records (natch!).

pbl

[Johnm]

Thanks for that information, Peter B.
All best,
John

[carltonevx59]

I'll second that motion, Bob, and add his version of Rolling Log Blues to the list. Which so far you have to catch live in person. Just splendid.

You've seen him perform live?  I agree also and I have to say that "Dirty Deeds" is his best. 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Larry Johnson's cover of "Charley Jordan's "Keep It Clean" was spectacular and so different from the original that apart from the lyrics, it was practically a completely different song.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I was introduced to the following performance by a student, who requested a lesson on it.  It is Baby Tate, doing a cover of John Lee Hooker's "Hobo Blues", which Tate called "When I First Started Hoboing":



One of the interesting things about Baby Tate's cover is that he played it out of A position in standard tuning, whereas John Lee Hooker did the original in Spanish tuning.  South Carolinians Baby Tate and Pink Anderson did some covers of blues coming out of Mississippi and Texas, as does John Dee Holman, who does great covers of Lightnin' Hopkins songs.  Spanish tuning was pretty much unused by Carolinas players of this generation.  Here is John Lee Hooker doing "Hobo Blues:



All best,
Johnm

[mike scott]

Well,  on a more recent note, I would say that Jerry Garcia and David Grisman?s version of John Hurt?s Casey Jones is a good one as is Chris Thomas King doing Skip James? Hard time Killing Floor Blues. 

Thanks!

[mike scott]

Here I go again. I?m just getting back into this genre so am listening to a lot of this.  I really like Maria Muldaur?s version of Richland Woman?s Blues-accompanied by John Sebastian on guitar.  Bonnie Raitt has one she did at age 22, but I prefer the Muldaur one. YMMV.  Any thing else I should listen to on Mississippi John Hurt covers?

[Johnm]

Hi Mike,
Here is one from Doc Watson's album with Jean Ritchie on Folkways, "Jean and Doc at Folk City".



All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Here is one from Tom Paley, on "New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 4" on Folkways.



All best,
Johnm

[mike scott]

Along the same line, John Oates has imho a great cover of Stack O Lee also on YouTube. Sorry, not sure how to add the link here, but check it out.  Continuing with ?modern? covers.....

Thanks