We used to go to different people's houses, you know. In those days I mean they could hear music and - if somebody could play an instrument, man, they would get up at night, from one o'clock; and they'd fix food and they'd have drinks and they'd stay up till five, six o'clock in the morning and give you money. It wasn't a dance but a serenade; we'd go from house to house. In those days there wasn't too much things like juke boxes, high fidelity sound, wasn't nothing like that then; and whenever somebody could play and could play well, he was considered as somebody; he could go anywhere and he had it made, you know? - Baby Doo Caston, on playing music in Natchez in the 1920s, interview with Jeff Todd Titon
I've chosen How Long - How Long Blues for April's Song of the Month. This song was a massive success for Leroy Carr with Scrapper Blackwell. Originally recorded in June 1928 the follow ups of How Long Blues No. 2 (November and December 1928), How Long Blues No. 3 (November 1928) and How Long Blues Part 3 (December 1928) and a version How Long That Evening Train Been Gone (1932) plus the numerous covers that followed and continued to follow for many years, testify to the popularity of this song.
Here's Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell's various versions of How Long - How Long Blues. First the original 1928 version followed by No.2, No.3 and the 1932 version.
Staying with piano players, here's a couple of versions from one of my favorite piano players. First, Jimmy Yancey solo then accompanied by Mama Yancey on vocals.
Staying with piano players, there's versions by Champion Jack Dupreee, Pinetop Perkins and a wonderful version by Skip James
The song wasn't only covered by blues players. Here's a Count Basie version followed by Big Joe Turner.
and Ray Charles with Milt Jackson
Moving on to guitar based blues covers, Frank Stokes recorded his version in August 1928, just a couple of months after Leroy and Scrappers original recording.
and versions by Kokomo Arnold and Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee with Leadbelly.
Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band recorded the tune in Nov 1928
and Blind Lemon also recorded a version in 1928
For those who like their guitars plugged in, here's versions by Jimmy Reed and T-Bone Walker who with his vocals and guitar style, this tune could well have been written for.
To finish off, here's a version by Bertha Chippie Hill
I'm sure there's many more versions out there. It's such a popular number. Please add any others you find and I hope you enjoy the versions linked above.
Thanks very much for your Song of the Month choice, Old Man Ned, and for finding all of the different versions you included in your initial post. I look forward to becoming acquainted with the versions I'd not heard before. Here is one of my favorite versions of the song, from Dan Pickett:
Wow! I really like Dan Pickett's version. Seems I was beaten to the post with Papa Charlie Jackson, So what about Willie Jackson!
I like Bumble Bee Slim's version, it really stomps along with what to me sounds like Jimmie Gordon and Charlie McCoy at the helm. (apologies if the link doesn't work)
I don't know where we stand on song's derived from How Long, but I wanted to post "Daddy Goodbye Blues" as this was this first song I heard Tampa Red playing on and I still think it's the sweetest whilst saddest guitar sound I've ever heard.
Hi all, I think Dan Pickett's version was modeled on George Torey's "Lonesome Man Blues", though George Torey did not use a slide, of course. I think both Pickett (James Founty) and George Torey were Alabama musicians. Torey, by the way, did this song out of the EAEGBE tuning.
Surely the Frank Stokes 1925 (actually 1928, my mistake!) recording is a different song ? possibly the inspiration for the Ida Cox/Papa Charlie Jackson song and the Leroy Carr song.
A vaudeville version was recorded by (among others) Alberta Hunter in 1921 as How Long Sweet Daddy How Long
and by Alberta Brown in 1928
Another non-vaudeville version of the song (with input form Corinna) was recorded by Barbecue Bob as How Long Pretty Mama in 1927
« Last Edit: April 08, 2018, 08:30:14 AM by DavidCrosbie »
I think it's the Ida Cox/Charlie Jackson session that was 1925 - Frank Stokes recorded his song in Aug '28 as Old Man Ned originally stated. And yes, I agree, it sounds to me like he took the idea and did something different with it.
Great selection, Old Man Ned, good call! And easy to hear why the Carr-Blackwell version got so many covers. Beautiful.
I think it's the Ida Cox/Charlie Jackson session that was 1925 - Frank Stokes recorded his song in Aug '28 as Old Man Ned originally stated. And yes, I agree, it sounds to me like he took the idea and did something different with it.
You're completely right. i was looking at details of the two when I posted. With my mind on other particulars I got them confused.
The important date is the Alberta Hunter recording in May 1921 ? for her very first recording session.
It's hard to tell without a time machine. Perhaps the song existed before 1921 much as Frank Stokes sang it. The vaudeville version has obviously been crafted by a songwriter, but the main strain sounds just as 'folky' as the Frank Stokes and Barbecue Bob songs.
To my ear, the Ida Cox/Charlie Jackson is a different song ? inspired by the early song. And (again, to my ear) the Leroy Carr song is his personal improvement on that Cox/Jackson song.
« Last Edit: April 05, 2018, 04:12:40 AM by DavidCrosbie »
Hi all, I would agree with others that the Frank Stokes "How Long" is an altogether different song, its only similarity to the Leroy Carr "How Long-How Long" being the shared title phrase. The Stokes song is an 11-bar blues, the Carr song an 8-bar blues, they have completely different melodies and phrasing, and the rhythmic feel of the Stokes song is different also, in two, with a cut time dance beat--it's jolly, which Leroy Carr's song certainly was not. I feel as though it bears the same relationship to the Carr song as Freddie Spruell's "Milk Cow Blues" does to Kokomo Arnold's version of "Milk Cow Blues": two very different songs which happen to share the same title phrase. I don't think the Frank Stokes song was even influenced by the other "How Long" song. They're both great songs, they're just different songs. All best, Johnm
« Last Edit: April 05, 2018, 06:42:22 AM by Johnm »
Funny Papa Smith did a version of "How Long" in 1931 titled "Before Long", the last song he recorded which survives. If you really hate an out-of-tune guitar, don't listen to this one. A .mp3 of the tune is on the fourth page of this thread.
Funny Papa Smith did a version of "How Long" in 1931 titled "Before Long", the last song he recorded which survives. If you really hate an out-of-tune guitar, don't listen to this one...
Thanks, Alex. I saw that Stefan Wirz has a link to "Before Long" on YouTube:
Jimmy de Berry recorded Before Long in 1953 at a session with Walter Horton. It was issued as by Jimmy & Walter although Horton didn't play on the track.
It doesn't sound a lot like Leroy Carr's song ? until you here the Funny Papa Smith song, which sound like me as a 'missing link'.