Topic: Lesser known players?

[phhawk]

The other interesting thing about Dreaming Blues, and maybe I'm just misunderstanding the lyric, but it sure sounds like he slips the F word in there twice in the last verse.

[Johnm]

Very nice picks, Hawk.  George Torey falls into the very exclusive "2 titles only" club, I believe, along with Lane Hardin and Henry Spaulding.  And I'm with you, Andrew, on Willie Reed--those Texas A blues are hard to beat.  I'm a big fan of Willie Lofton's "Dark Road Blues", too, one of the best covers ever.
All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

The other interesting thing about Dreaming Blues, and maybe I'm just misunderstanding the lyric, but it sure sounds like he slips the F word in there twice in the last verse.

I listened a bit more carefully to this recently and while I can see how one could hear that, I'm hearing "I fought Corinna..."

[Johnm]

Hi all,
One lesser-known player who recently made it on to the Juke is Kentuckian Bill Williams, who did two albums for Blue Goose in the early '70s.  Bill was a very versatile player who would play pretty much anything, Blues certainly, but also old Pop tunes, Country, patriotic numbers ("The Star-Spangled Banner"!) and other stuff.  Of present-day players, I think in repertoire and approach he might most closely match Warner Williams, who was at Port Townsend last year. 
Some real sleepers on Bill's albums include "Pocahantas", a sensational A minor instrumental which seems like it might be a much groovier precursor of "Windy and Warm", "Chicken", his slippery version in G of the oft-recorded number, and "I'll Follow Her", a harder Blues number.
All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

Hi all,
One lesser-known player who recently made it on to the Juke is Kentuckian Bill Williams, who did two albums for Blue Goose in the early '70s.  Bill was a very versatile player who would play pretty much anything, Blues certainly, but also old Pop tunes, Country, patriotic numbers ("The Star-Spangled Banner"!) and other stuff.  Of present-day players, I think in repertoire and approach he might most closely match Warner Williams, who was at Port Townsend last year. 
Some real sleepers on Bill's albums include "Pocahantas", a sensational A minor instrumental which seems like it might be a much groovier precursor of "Windy and Warm", "Chicken", his slippery version in G of the oft-recorded number, and "I'll Follow Her", a harder Blues number.
All best,
Johnm

There's some good information on Bill Williams in the form of reproduced liner notes and reviews at Stefan Wirz's website, http://www.wirz.de/music/willfrm.htm.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
One musician who would seem to fall into this category is the Texas guitarist Carl Davis.  I heard him for the first time recently as an accompanist for Texas Alexander.  He accompanied Alexander on six songs recorded at a session in San Antonio on November 27, 1929, and returned to the studio with Willie Reed, backing Alexander on September 30, 1934 in Ft. Worth.  Like another Texan, Gene Campbell, Davis sounds as though he may have played with a flat pick.  He was a smooth and expert player who seemed particularly at home in G, but who also was comfortable in C, A, E and Dropped-D.  The only recordings I could find of his in the Document catalog appear on DOCD-5162, "Texas:  Black Country Dance Music", on which he plays four tracks from 1935 as "Carl Davis & Dallas Jamboree Jug Band".  Has anyone heard these tracks?  Based on how Davis sounded behind Texas Alexander, it seems like they might really be good.
All best,
Johnm

[Bunker Hill]

Hi all,
One musician who would seem to fall into this category is the Texas guitarist Carl Davis. 

FWIW our sum knowledge about Davis is based upon Ralph Miller and John Bentley's "Carl Davis: Shoe-Shine Jug Band Man" published in Jazz Report 5, no. 4 1966-67. This was reprinted in Blues World magazine in the 70s. If there's any interest I can unearth, scan and post as a new topic in main forum.

[dj]

f there's any interest I can unearth, scan and post

Yes, there's interest.  Even if it's only me.

[Johnm]

Hi Bunker Hill,
I would like to second dj's interest in the article you mentioned.
All best,
Johnm

[waxwing]

Same here, Bunk. And I have an interest in DOCD-5162 so may head oner to Down Home music this aft and see if I can scare one up.

All for now.
John C.

[Nawahi]

one great lesser kown player is Richard 'Hacksaw" Harney,in the 20`s he recorded with his brother as Pet & Can accompanying Walter Rhodes,and in the early 1970`s recorded a great album of solo guitar stuff,mostly rags in a blake type thing,if anyone has a intrest in ragtime blues guitar i highly recomend this c.d on Genes 9909

[banjochris]

The only recordings I could find of his in the Document catalog appear on DOCD-5162, "Texas:  Black Country Dance Music", on which he plays four tracks from 1935 as "Carl Davis & Dallas Jamboree Jug Band".  Has anyone heard these tracks?  Based on how Davis sounded behind Texas Alexander, it seems like they might really be good.

Those four recordings are nothing special, IMHO. Mindless moderately uptempo blues. It does sound to me like he plays with a flat pick. Of the four, "Flying Crow" is the best, with some jazzy chord changes and a little slower than the other pieces. The band sounds to me like they're just concerned about playing fast for dancing.

Another lesser-known player I've never read hardly anything about who only recorded four sides is Tom Dickson. I've always liked his "Happy Blues" and "Death Bell Blues."
Chris

[Johnm]

Hi all,
There is a thread on Tom Dickson located on page 19 of the Main Forum.
All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

One early piano player I've been listening to a lot lately is Romeo Nelson -- he only recorded 4 pre-war sides, and I don't know if he was recorded later on or not. His "Head Rag Hop" is a cool boogie that never goes to the V chord, and "Dyin' Rider" (which I wish Yazoo would do a cleanup job on) is sort of a piano version of "Goin' to Brownsville," complete with fake crying. Any one have any info on him?
Chris

[Bunker Hill]

One early piano player I've been listening to a lot lately is Romeo Nelson -- he only recorded 4 pre-war sides, and I don't know if he was recorded later on or not. His "Head Rag Hop" is a cool boogie that never goes to the V chord, and "Dyin' Rider" (which I wish Yazoo would do a cleanup job on) is sort of a piano version of "Goin' to Brownsville," complete with fake crying. Any one have any info on him?

Living Blues 36 (Jan/Feb 1978) reprinted something that was written about him in the 50s and in the same issue Jim O'Neal wrote quite an informative obituary. FWIW Tracy Nelson (she of Mother Earth and the "19 year old" in Muddy's blues of that title) interviewed Nelson in the 60s and recounted part of it in the notes to the LP Rugged Piano Classics (Origin OJL15). I can scan and post if required.

Whilst I'm at it Nelson's Gettin' Dirty Just Shaking That Thing was probably the model for Clarence Lofton's hugely popular "I Don't Know".

To be best of my knowledge (which ain't great) he never recorded "post-war".

Apologies for the verbal diarrhoea...