WeenieCampbell.com
Country Blues => Super Electrical Recordings! => Discographies => Topic started by: Rockdale on January 30, 2009, 02:00:16 PM
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Hey everyone,
It's been awhile since I posted on here (quite a long while, actually) but I have a few questions that I think some of you may be able to answer. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
1. How many recordings did Little Hat Jones make?
2. Is there a CD available anywhere that includes all of them?
I seem to recall seeing a 3cd set of Texas music somewhere online that had a lot of them but I don't remember the name of it.
Kenny.
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Kenny,
The CD that most people refer to when talking about Little Hat recordings is "Texas Blues (1927-1935)" on Document (DOCD-5161).
It has 10 Little Hat tunes. I seem to remember someone saying that there were 4 more that he recorded but were never released, but I *strongly* encourage you to confirm that elsewhere.
Lindy
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Welcome back Kenny.
Since you've been gone we have created a country blues wiki called Weeniepedia. You can find a link in the left menu. You'll find a page under Artists for Little Hat. The page is obviously still under development, but you will be able to find both the Document complete works and the JSP 3 Cd set of Texas blues listed there. You can probably find a list of songs at the Document site, or someone may have the time to post it here for you.
All for now.
John C.
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Worth noting that Little Hat accompanies Texas Alexander on several tracks to be found on Texas Alexander Vol 2, which coincidentally was just added to the Juke. I forget how many, but it's like getting bonus Little Hat numbers.
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Hi Kenny,
The titles on the Document CD and the JSP set match up. They are:
"New Two Sixteen Blues"
"Two String Blues"
"Rolled From Side to Side Blues"
"Hurry Blues"
"Little Hat Blues"
"Corpus Blues"
"Kentucky Blues"
"Bye Bye Baby Blues"
"Cross the Water Blues"
"Cherry Street Blues"
The JSP set gives a little more bang for the buck, since it includes the complete Henry Thomas, Ramblin' Thomas, Willie Reed, and a bunch of Oscar Woods and Smith casey and Jesse Thomas, in addition to the Little Hat Jones cuts. I have the set and it is very strong.
All best,
Johnm
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Posted in the LHJ lyric thead:
Little Hat Jones as accompanist:
Backing Texas Alexander (only LHJ as accompanist session listed BTW):
Sat 15 June 1929, San Antonio TX
Double Crossing Blues, OK 8745
Ninety-Eight Degree Blues, OK 8705
Second take of Ninety-Eight Degree Blues originally unissued, reissued on
CDs: RnB CK47467, RnB(Eu) 468770-2, RnB(J) SRCS5678
Someday Baby Your Troubles Is Gonna Be Like Mine, OK 8771
Water Bound Blues, OK 8785
Awful Moaning Blues - Part 1, OK 8731
Awful Moaning Blues - Part 2, OK 8731
Gold Tooth Blues, OK 8705
Johnny Behren's Blues, OK 8745
Little Hat Jones' sessions as the primary artist:
Sat 15 June 1929, San Antonio, acc. own guitar
New Two Sixteen Blues, OK 8712
Two String Blues, OK8712
Fri 21 June 1929, San Antonio, acc. by unknown female vocal:
Rolled From Side To Side Blues, OK 8794
Hurry Blues, (may be mislabeled, prob should be Worried Blues), OK 8735
Little Hat Blues, OK 8794
Corpus Blues-1, OK 8735
Sat 14 June 1930, San Antonio
Kentucky Blues, OK 8815
Bye Bye Baby Blues, OK 8815
Cross The Water Blues, OK 8829
Cherry St. Blues, OK 8829
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Just one minor correction. The JSP Texas Blues set has been consistently called a "3 CD" set in this discussion. It's actually 4 CDs. As Johnm says, it's a really strong set of music.
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Y'all have talked about Texas Blues: Early Blues Masters from the Lone Star State, JSP7730 on several occasions, so I thought I'd get one. Looks like it's out of print--can anyone confirm that?
Borders has a really efficient website for locating CDs, so I often use it first, then try to find a copy at a locally owned store. Borders said they had a copy "on back order" for $60.99!! I thought JSP usually sold its box sets in the $25-$30 price range. Is that changing?
Lindy
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If this is the case, it's a shame. It is one of JSP's best sets IMO. While the Document will obviously remain the primary reference, the JSP set has most of the artists on it (no Bo Jones, or T-Bone) and is splendid value for those who might not yet have the complete Henry Thomas, and Ramblin' Thomas. It would also be the first case - that I know of - of a JSP set going out of print.
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Hey,
Thanks to everyone for such a quick response. I just checked out the weeniepedia that's on here now; tons of information there. I found the "Texas Blues" Document CD that was mentioned on amazon.com as a digital download today but no such luck on the JSP set. Has it, in fact, gone out of print?
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It looks like it to me, none of the usual suspects have it. None use the phrase "out of print," but a couple say "sign up for notification when product becomes available."
Looks like a half-dozen other JSP sets are indeed out-of-print, though it's a bit confusing because it looks like they market different products (or same products under different names) to US/UK/EU.
Lindy
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Someone just turned me on to a copy at venerablemusic.com. I ordered one, but there's no way to tell if they actually have one in stock, probably find out on Monday.
Lindy
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Looks like a half-dozen other JSP sets are indeed out-of-print...
Interesting. I wonder if they're having the same credit/banking problems that Document went through last year.
If Venerable doesn't have the disc, you might want to give Roots & Rhythm a call, if you haven't already.
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Alex was far too subtle (I know!!) over in the Little Hat Jones lyrics thread. It seems that a 1960s-era recording of Little Hat Jones has been uncovered. Tune is listed as New Dallas Blues. Available here: http://picosong.com/nAkm/ (http://picosong.com/nAkm/)
Anyone know any details about this? Recording is rough, playing is very cool, as is singing. Where's it from? Is there more? Holy cow.
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Wow. Hope there's more out there...
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Unbelievable. That just made my whole day.
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There is more!
Dave Moore at the RBF shared about three of these babies.
The other two are untitled I believe.
There's about 9 in total.
http://picosong.com/nAUc/ (http://picosong.com/nAUc/)
http://picosong.com/nNBn/ (http://picosong.com/nNBn/)
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Hi all,
Thanks very much for posting the links to those other two Little Hat tunes, Mike. The first one is a D tune unlike any of Little Hat's early recordings that I've heard. The second one offers his unique take on a raggy 16-bar blues. Here's his progression, in C where he played it, with his changes shown, and where the most common changes differ from his changes, the common changes shown in parentheses. One interesting thing about Little Hat's substitutions is that the progression as it is more commonly played would fit fine with the melody he sang, but his personal harmonic touches give the whole thing a certain zing that it would not have, had he played those standard changes.
| C | Adim7 (A7) | F (D7) Fm (G7) | C |
| C | Adim7 (A7) | G (D7) | G (G7) |
| C | C7 | F | Fm |
| C | Adim7 (A7) | F (D7) Fm (G7) | C |
The E tune that Alex posted earlier is closer to Little Hat's early pieces in E like "Corpus Blues", though he really has a chance to stretch out on it, which is a treat to hear. At one point he plays five or six consecutive solo passes (shades of some Mance Lipscomb recordings). Hearing these later recordings of Little Hat Jones provide yet another reminder of what a luxury it is to be able to hear the renditions of some of these great musicians who recorded after the 78 era, and whose performances weren't shortened by the limitations of what would fit on one side of a 78.
It's an amazing thing to be able to hear performances like these from a stellar player who lived into the '60s and obviously could still really play, but whom almost no-one, apart from those who found him, got to hear. It makes one feel really hopeful and grateful that surprises like these can still appear from time to time.
All best,
Johnm
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Howdy:
Thanks for the rundown, John. If that's not the coolest 16-bar blues pattern of all time (Tampa Red excluded).
Alex
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it is definitely interesting to hear that D tune.... there's a weird sounding couple of chords he uses - a D7 to a Ddim:
D7 - x (0) 0 5 3 5
Ddim - x (0) 0 4 3 4
I suppose you could think of Doc Watson's accompaniment to Deep River Blues as having the same basic move, but it's more hollow here, and eerie as a result. In retrospect, I think Pete Franklin may have used a nearly identical move... a good excuse to go back and listen!
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Yes, it is a really unusual open or hollow sound, isn't it, Frank? Pete Franklin does get a sound very much akin to it on his tune with the high G string on his guitar. I never can remember the name of that tune, but it's terrific.
EDITED TO ADD: I checked Pete Franklin's high-strung tune, it's called "Guitar Pete's Blues", and I figured out that in playing in E position with the octave G string on, when he fingers 4-3-0 to 3-2-0 on his first three strings (going from third to first string, left to right) he ended up with the same sonority as Little Hat Jones had in his D tune, going from 5-3-5 to 4-3-4. In both instances, you end up with the seventh as the lowest pitched voice (third string for Little Hat, second string for Guitar Pete), the root as the next higher pitched voice (second string for Little Hat, first string for Guitar Pete), and the fifth as the highest voice (first string for Little Hat, third string for Guitar Pete). I believe this discovery entitles you to some kind of prize for timbre recognition and memory, Frank!
All best,
Johnm
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. . . & they keep coming!
Dave Moore has linked to Little Hat's version of 'St. Louis Blues'
http://picosong.com/ntbd/ (http://picosong.com/ntbd/)
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. . . and here's Little Hat struggling through Jimmie Rodgers' 'Waiting For A train'
http://picosong.com/nDL8/ (http://picosong.com/nDL8/)
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Interesting. That makes Furry Lewis, John Hurt, John Jackson, and Little Hat covering this song, off the top of my head. Others?
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Thank you so much for posting this! Fascinating material I have never known of until tonight!