Topic: The Atlanta Blues: Buddy Moss

[JasO]

I've just completed writing an in-depth study of the Atlanta bluesmen that begins with Thomas A. Dorsey remembering the unrecorded barrelhouse piano players of the 1910s and continues to the deaths of Buddy Moss, Curley Weaver, and Peg Leg Howell in the 1960s. Originally intended as a single-article companion piece to my Blind Willie McTell study, this has expanded into five major articles as I've added in new research and interviews:

Part 1: Setting the Stage, 1910s-1924
Part 2: Peg Leg Howell and His Gang
Part 3: Barbecue Bob and Laughing Charley Lincoln
Part 4: Curley Weaver
Part 5: Buddy Moss
Part 6: Blind Willie McTell (already posted)

My webmaster tells me that these new articles should be posted in reverse order, so the last needs to be posted first. Before Christmas, everything will be up there in order, but it's a LOT of words. If you want to see the stand-alone Buddy Moss article, it's here:

http://jasobrecht.com/atlanta-bluesmen-buddy-moss/

[frankie]

this looks really fine - can't wait to sit down with it!

[onewent]

Nice work, Jas..I enjoyed the BW McTell piece, and posted it here for the weenies.  I'm looking forward to the next set of articles..thanks, Tom

[Rivers]

Well that inspired me to sit down with my guitar and flip through my Buddy Moss recordings and I learned a lot in a single sitting. Nothing too radical, just more expressive ways to pick out licks around chords I already use. Gold dust, in other words.

So, what's the best collection of Buddy Moss available on CD(s) at the present time? My current collection is pretty sparse.

[Pan]

Well that inspired me to sit down with my guitar and flip through my Buddy Moss recordings and I learned a lot in a single sitting. Nothing too radical, just more expressive ways to pick out licks around chords I already use. Gold dust, in other words.

So, what's the best collection of Buddy Moss available on CD(s) at the present time? My current collection is pretty sparse.

Here's the illustrated discography by Stefan Wirz:

http://www.wirz.de/music/mossfrm.htm

Im missing the early prewar recordings, so would be interested in any recommendations too. Document has them on 3 Cd's, I think.

I like the Atlanta Blues Legend CD, but the George Mitchell recordings are absolutely great.

Apart from Cd's, The Digital Library of Appalachia has 22 tracks from 1975 -78 on their site, which I'm just about to start to study.

http://www.aca-dla.org/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=all&CISOBOX1=Buddy%20Moss&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOOP2=exact&CISOBOX2=&CISOFIELD2=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOOP3=any&CISOBOX3=&CISOFIELD3=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOOP4=none&CISOBOX4=&CISOFIELD4=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=all&t=a

Cheers

Pan

Edited to correct the recording dates of the The Digital Library of Appalachia tracks.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I think the one to pop for with Buddy is Volume 2 of the complete Pre-War recordings of his on Document.  It has the most solo numbers by him which is where you can hear what he did the best.  18 solo titles in four days in 1934, most of which are spectacular, and with a lot of variety, dropped-D ("New Lovin'"), E position in standard tuning "Unkind Woman" and "Oh Lawdy Mama" among others, C in standard, A in standard and G in standard.  The program opens with some nice duets with Curley Weaver, too.  He was absolutely on top of his game in these recordings.  (In fairness, he was generally on top of his game.)
All best,
Johnm

[oddenda]

The stuff recorded at Berea College 1975 - 1978 are new to me. Must have been during one of his periods of sanity! God knows, I tried! He was THAT good.

pbl

[Pan]

Thanks for the recommendation, Johnm. I'm going to pick up the document vol. 2.

JasO, thanks for the great article. Looking forward to the next one.

Oddenda, I stand corrected, the Berea College recordings were indeed done between 1975 - 1978, not just on 1978. I edited my above post to reflect this.

Cheers

Pan

[jopoke]

I agree with John about Vol. 2.  I would pick up all 3 cds, because they are all excellent.

Joe

[Rivers]

Thanks very much for the recs everybody, much appreciated. I need all three Documents I think.

[oddenda]

Rivers -

          Be forewarned - the sound quality isn't all that great on many of the sides, unless it's been re-mastered since leaving Austria! The stuff is good, just grainy.

pbl

[JasO]

I've just heard from Pete Lowry, who suggested some changes to the Buddy Moss article, which I've made. These include more details on why Buddy went to prison and how J.B. Long got him out (by bribing two parole boards. Pete also mentioned some recordings Buddy made between 1975-1978 at Berea College, as well as three others done for the Atlanta Historical Society in 1977.

[Stuart]

Thanks for all of the articles, Jas. They require a lot of work and are extremely well done. And thanks for giving Pete (Peter B. Lowry) credit for his critical eye and contributions. For those who may not be aware of it, Pete makes frequent contributions to Weenie Campbell, under the name "Oddenda." Keep up the good work.

[Pan]

Pete also mentioned some recordings ...  as well as three others done for the Atlanta Historical Society in 1977.

This caught my attention!

Can you gentlemen tell if these recordings were ever published, or what became of them? I don't see them mentioned on Stefan's discography, and a quick Google search didn't come up with anything either.

Thank you!

Pan

[oddenda]

None of those recordings were ever released. The Berea College stuff is available on line at:

          http://www.aca-dla.org/index.php

You'll need to do some hunting, but there are some 21 songs recorded at festivals there. The three Atlanta Historical Society "sides", hopefully, reside in their archive! Anyone here from Atlanta who could check with them?

Peter B.