Topic: Waltzes played by CB artists?

[Pan]

I'm Alone Because I Love You, Leadbelly's Last Sessions, Smithsonian Folkways

[Bunker Hill]

These would be the same "family" of songs as Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night/ In The Pines/ Black Girl/Black Gal" if I'm not mistaken? They appear to be two different songs originally, but have merged since, if Wikipedia is to be believed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Did_You_Sleep_Last_Night .

FWIW, this topic is discussed in Norn Cohen's Long Steel Rail (Illinois UP, 1981 p.491-517). It was the subject of a 1970 Illinois University Ph.D thesis by Judy Mculloch (In The Pines: The Melodic-Textual Identity of An American Lyric Folk-Song Cluster) in which she examined 150 or so different variants. For the past 35 years Judy has been a commissioning editor at the UP and responsible for many of the excellent music and folklore books that Illinois UP have published over the decades. But as usual I digress into off topic information...

[Stuart]

FWIW, this topic is discussed in Norn Cohen's Long Steel Rail (Illinois UP, 1981 p.491-517). It was the subject of a 1970 Illinois University Ph.D thesis by Judy Mculloch (In The Pines: The Melodic-Textual Identity of An American Lyric Folk-Song Cluster) in which she examined 150 or so different variants. For the past 35 years Judy has been a commissioning editor at the UP and responsible for many of the excellent music and folklore books that Illinois UP have published over the decades. But as usual I digress into off topic information...

Thanks for the info, BH. As usual, you are being too polite re: your extensive knowledge. I checked and found that her diss is listed as follows:

McCulloh, Judith Marie.
In the Pines: The Melodic-Textual Identity of an American Lyric Folksong Cluster.Ph.D., Folklore, Indiana University, 1970. xi, 651 p.

n.b. The spelling of her surname and the university (Indiana).

http://www.chmtl.indiana.edu/cgi-bin/chmtl/isearchddm?DATABASE=ddmall&SEARCH_TYPE=BOOLEAN&ISEARCH_TERM=02foMccK

A quick check of OCLC/WorldCat shows that she has been involved in many interesting projects as you mentioned.

Your humble servant and occasional fact checker.

[Bunker Hill]

n.b. The spelling of her surname and the university (Indiana).
Your humble servant and occasional fact checker.

Thanks. I was on "automatic pilot" re. the UP in question - well they do both start with the initial 'I' - and had I bothered to read what I posted it might have been spotted!

[mr mando]

"Lonesome Road Blues" by Cryin' Sam Collins iis in 3/4 time. I guess you could dance a waltz to it if you'd like to do so.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Did Sam Collins record more than one version of "Lonesome Road Blues"?  The reason I ask is because the one on the old Yazoo anthology, "Lonesome Road Blues", is in cut time, not 3/4.
All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

Lonnie Johnson's enigmatically titled "Nile of Genago" is a waltz. And the Rev. Gary Davis tune from "Angels and Demons" I was trying to remember is "Nobody Cares for Me."
Chris

[Pan]

Lonnie Johnson's enigmatically titled "Nile of Genago" is a waltz. And the Rev. Gary Davis tune from "Angels and Demons" I was trying to remember is "Nobody Cares for Me."
Chris

Thanks Chris, those were good songs to add on the list. I was already thinking that this thread most naturally has some overlap with JohnM's "Blues Singers Singing Pop and Country Songs" thread http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=83&topic=3071.0,
and your mentioning of "Nile of Genago" sort of confirms this to me 

Cheers

Pan

Edit: "Nobody Cares for Me", is this the same waltz Mississippi John Hurt does too?

[Pan]

Harmonica player El Watson recorded a version of "Sweet Bunch of Daisies", which can be found on Great Harp Players (1927-30), Matchbox MSE-209, or V. A.: Fillin' In Blues, Herwin H 205 (thanks to Stefan Wirz ).

There seems to be some controversy whether he was black or white?

Pan

[Bunker Hill]

Harmonica player El Watson recorded a version of "Sweet Bunch of Daisies", which can be found on Great Harp Players (1927-30), Matchbox MSE-209, or V. A.: Fillin' In Blues, Herwin H 205 (thanks to Stefan Wirz ).

There seems to be some controversy whether he was black or white?

As far back as 1970 Tony Russell pointed out that Ralph Peer's Bristol trip included racially integrated sessions one of which was black hamonica player, El Watson, accompanied by old-timey musician Charles Johnson of Johnson Brothers repute.

[Stefan Wirz]

David Evans recorded Babe Stovall doing "Sweet Bunch Of Daisies" -- Rounder 2009 (1970) = Albatros VPA 8392 (1979) (thanks to Stefan Wirz  ).

[banjochris]

Edit: "Nobody Cares for Me", is this the same waltz Mississippi John Hurt does too?

Not quite, the Rev.'s is much bluesier. Also I seem to remember another Rev. Gary Davis tune called "Tempie" or "Tippy" or something like that on one of the Stefan Grossman tapes. I can't remember if that's a waltz, but he sings it in this ridiculous "crying" voice. Also, on the version of "Let Us Get Together" on "Angels and Demons" (Vol. 2 I think), he prefaces the song with a long, comical introduction, sung also in a "crying" voice, making fun of a church sister who's unhappy -- it starts "I'm going to trust in the Lord..." -- anyway, that's in waltz time too.
Chris

[Pan]

Parlor Picker started a thread on the British bluesman, Roger Hubbard on "Performance Corner":

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=114&topic=3466.msg26505#new

Following Prof. Scratchy's advice I post his very beautiful waltz, "No Bed of Roses" on this thread too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!:



Cheers

Pan

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I recently remembered a great tune in 3/4 by the brilliant St. Louis pianist Wesley Wallace.  It is his "No. 29", a train instrumental with spoken narration like Blind Blake's "Seaboard Stomp" or "Southern Rag", and it is included on the JSP set from a couple of years ago, "The Paramount Masters".
Wallace was always spoken of by musicians who knew him with the deepest respect for his musicianship, and I can see why.  On "No. 29" he does something I have never heard done before, walking a boogie bass six-to-the-bar, and occasionally breaking out of the boogie feel for treble runs or programmatic effects.  The song sounds like it was performed completely on the fly, for Wallace doesn't maintain anything like a consistent form or bar structure, and he avoids the V7 chord altogether.  In many ways, I find his brand of improvisatory musicianship, maintaining a constant flowing groove behind a spoken commentary, more impressive and mysterious than a more controlled and worked-out approach would be.  Wallace's commentary is also excellent and quite interesting in its own right.
This one is worth seeking out.  Wesley Wallace was really a piece of work.
All best,
Johnm   

[dj]

This one is worth seeking out.  Wesley Wallace was really a piece of work.

For those interested by Johnm's post, the complete recorded works of Wesley Wallace are on the Juke.