Topic: Mandolin Blues

[uncle bud]

Hi All,

Have been giving my mando a spin lately, relearning what little I knew, so am listening to Charlie McCoy and the like.

Anyone heard or have this one from Document?
Rags, Breakdowns, Stomps & Blues: Vintage Mandolin Music 1927-1946

TRACKLIST
Louie Bluie: State Street Rag / Dallas String Band: Hokum Blues / Phebal Wright: Lint Head Stomp / Carolina Peanut Boys: You May Leave, But This Will Bring You Back / The Blue Boys: Easy Winner / John Estes: Milk Cow Blues / Watcha Doin' / Dallas String Band: Dallas Rag / Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers: Flop Eared Mule / Arizona Dranes & Choir: I Shall Wear A Crown / Mississippi Mud Steppers: Jackson Stomp / Ishman Bracey: Brown Mama Blues / The Two Poor Boys: Two White Horses In A Line / Scottdale String Band: Japanese Breakdown / King David's Jug Band: Rising Sun Blues / Johnson Boys: Prater Blues / Carolina Peanut Boys: You Got Me Rollin' / Nashville Wash Board Band: MP3 Arkansas Traveller / Going Away To Make It Lonesome / Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers: Hawkins' Rag / Paul Warmack & His Gully Jumpers: The Little Red Caboose Behind The Train / Al Miller & His Market Street Boys: Somebody's Been Using That Thing / Arthur McClain & Joe Evans: Old Hen Cackle / Blue Ridge Ramblers: Jug Rag.

I don't have much from this selection and it looks mighty appealing.

[uncle bud]

BTW, in hunting down mandolin stuff for inspiration I re-encountered King David's Jug Band in listening to Yazoo's Ruckus Juice and Chittlins Vol. 2.  This is Sam Jones (Stovepipe No. 1) on vocals and stovepipe and David Crockett on guitar with an unknown mandolin player. That unknown mando player smokes. The two tunes on the above Yazoo disc are great, Rising Sun Blues and Sweet Potato Blues.

Their total output, based on cursory googling, seems to consist of What's That Tastes Like Gravy? / Rising Sun Blues / Sweet Potato Blues / Tear It Down / I Can Deal Worry / Georgia Bo Bo. It's available on the Document CD STOVEPIPE NO. 1 & DAVID CROCKETT 1924 - 1930 which is temporarily out of stock according to the Document website. All these tracks are also on the Catfish 2-disc Cincinnati Blues compilation, which is recently out of print as far as I know (Catfish went under, didn't they?), but may still be easier to find leftover in stores and has a good amount of obscure stuff. I, luckily, found it on my shelf and will check out the rest of their output since I can't remember listening to this disc much (!)

Any other buried mando treasures out there?

uncle bud

[M.Vidrine]

Hey Uncle Bud -

You may want to check out Yank Rachel's complete works on Wolf. Yank was my favorite blues mandolinist. In fact, he's one of the only blues mandolin players that stands out in my mind. He did a lot of work with Sleepy John Estes & prior to that did some recording with Cannon's Jug Stompers (or Gus Cannon & Noah Lewis anyway).

Here are the links to the Wolf Recordings -
Complete Works V.1 1934-1938 - http://www.venerablemusic.com/catalog/TitleDetails.asp?TitleID=615
Complete Works V.2 1934-1941 - http://www.venerablemusic.com/catalog/TitleDetails.asp?TitleID=616

Malcolm

[uncle bud]

Hi Malcolm,

I do have the Wolf vol 1 of Yank. Yank is indeed great. I've been listening to the Testament CD Mandolin Blues as well, featuring Yank, Johnny Young and others.

I'm looking also for non-Yank material though, more along the lines of Charlie McCoy, so probably leaning more towards rags and stomps, hokum etc.

UB

[Johnm]

Uncle Bud,
You may want to check out the Allen Bros., whose complete recordings have been issued on, I think, 2 Document CDs.  They may have actually had banjo-mandolin rather than mandolin, but the basic sound and fingering are exactly the same, and they did the kind of material you're looking for.
All best,
John

[uncle bud]

Thanks John. I've got a couple Allen Bros cuts on the White Country Blues set from Columbia's Roots 'n' Blues. I suspect these are not the Bros at their best, judging from some samples out there in mp3 format. That excellent set has a few other mando tunes, a couple from the Prairie Ramblers including nice mando on Deep Elem Blues.

I'm working on a list of mandolin listening which I'll post when I've sorted out more.

[Johnm]

Hi Uncle Bud,
Another mandolinist who is often forgotten in Blues circles when blues mandolin is discussed is Bill Monroe, who I think was the best of the bunch.  As Louis Armstrong said of Bobby Hackett, "He has more ingredients.".
All best,
John

[uncle bud]

OK, here's the first take on the blues mandolin listening list, compiled from suggestions here and from Deacon, FrontPage and others on the old weenie list. Will edit it and update as required.

CHARLIE MCCOY
Charlie McCoy - Complete Recorded Works 1928 - 1932 Document BDCD-6018

Charlie & Joe McCoy
Charlie & Joe McCoy - Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 1 (1934-1936) Document BDCD-6019
Charlie & Joe McCoy - Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 2 (1936-1944) Document BDCD-6020

Mississippi String Bands & Associates 1928 - 1931 Document BDCD-6013 - Mississippi Mud Steppers (McCoy and Bo Carter), Mississippi Blacksnakes

w/ Bo Carter
Bo Carter - Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1928-1931) Document DOCD-5078
Bo Carter - Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5 (1938-1940) Document DOCD-5082

w/ Walter Vinscon
Walter Vinscon - Complete Recorded Works (1928-1941) Document DOCD-6017 Chatman's Mississippi Hot Footers

w/ Ishman Bracey
Ishman Bracey/Charley Taylor - Complete Recorded Works (1928-1929) Document DOCD-5049

w/ Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe
Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe - Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 4 (1933-1934) Document DOCD-5031

w/ Memphis Minnie
Memphis Minnie - Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 4 (1938-1939) Document DOCD-6011
Memphis Minnie - Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5 (1940-1941) Document DOCD-6012

w/ The Harlem Hamfats
Harlem Hamfats - Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 1 (1936) Document DOCD-5271
Harlem Hamfats - Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 2 (1936-1937) Document DOCD-5272
Harlem Hamfats - Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 3 (1937-1938) Document DOCD-5273
Harlem Hamfats - Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 4 (1938-1939) Document DOCD-5274
Harlem Hamfats - Hamfat Swing 1936-1938 EPM Musique BC158932

w/ Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy - Complete Recorded Works, Vol.5 (1936-1937) Document DOCD-5127

w/ Mattie Hardy
Swingin' The Blues 1931 - 1939

w/ Monkey Joe (Jessie Coleman)
Monkey Joe Complete Recorded Works Vol. 1 1935-39 DOCD-5412

w/ Curtis Jones
Curtis Jones - Complete Recorded Works Vol 1 1937 - 1938 DOCD-5296
Curtis Jones - Complete Recorded Works Vol 2 1938 - 1939 DOCD-5297

YANK RACHELL
Complete Works V.1 1934-1938 Wolf Records
Complete Works V.2 1934-1941 Wolf Records
Sleepy John Estes Complete Recorded Works Vol 1 1929-1937 Document DOCD-5015
Chicago Style (on Delmark)
Tennesee Jug Busters (on Delmark)
Too Hot for the Devil (on Flat Rock)
"Yank Rachell" (the Blue Goose album - released on CD by Random Chance)
"Yank Rachell: Blues Mandolin Man" (Blind Pig - also released on CD by Random Chance)
w/ John Sebastian and the J-Band - Chasin' Gus' Ghost and I Want My Roots
Henry Townsend - Mule, Nighthawk Records

MEMPHIS JUG BAND
Vol Stevens on banjo-mand; Charlie Burse, mand.; Will Weldon, mand.
Memphis Jug Band Complete Recorded Works Vol 1 1927 - 1928 Document DOCD-5021
Memphis Jug Band Complete Recorded Works Vol 2 1928 - 1929 Document DOCD-5022
Memphis Jug Band Complete Recorded Works Vol 3 1930 Document DOCD-5023
Memphis Jug Band - The Story 1927-34 Blues Collection EPM
Best of the Memphis Jug Band  Yazoo 2059

KING DAVID'S JUG BAND
Sam Jones (Stovepipe No. 1) vocals and stovepipe, David Crockett guitar, with unknown mandolin player
Stovepipe No. 1 & David Crockett 1924 - 1930 Document DOCD-5269
Cincinnati Blues. Catfish Records
2 tracks also on Ruckus Juice and Chittlins Vol. 2. Yazoo

BIRMINGHAM JUG BAND
Band listed as possibly Jaybird Coleman (hca), Joe Williams, One-Armed Dave Miles, Dr. Scott, and Bogus Ben Covington gtr/mand., Honeycup (jug), New Orleans Slide (washboard). It doesn't sound like Coleman at all.
Jaybird Coleman and the Birmingham Jug Band DOCD 5140

DALLAS STRING BAND
Coley Jones, mandolin
Texas Black Country Dance Music Document 1927-35 DOCD-5162

THREE STRIPPED GEARS
RW Durden on mandolin
"Hokum Blues & Rags" Document DOCD-5392
Rounder's "Early Mandolin Classics"
Too Late Too Late Vol 6 1924 - 1946 Document DOCD-5461

MATTHEW PRATER
String Bands 1926-29 DOCD-5167 Matthew Prater & Nap Hayes
Violin Sing the Blues for Me. Old Hat Records. Violin Blues, Johnson Boys with Lonnie Johnson

AL MILLER
Al Miller, mandolin
Al Miller Complete Recorded Works 1927-1936 Document DOCD 5306

MEMPHIS MINNIE
Minnie plays mandolin on one song, After While Blues.
Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe Vol. 3 1931-32 DOCD-5030

BOBBY LEECAN'S NEED MORE BAND
Alfred Martin - mandolin
Leecan & Cooksey Vol. 2 1927-28 (DOCD-5279)

HOWARD ARMSTRONG
Carl Martin / Willie '61' Blackwell 1930 - 1941 Document DOCD-5229
Louie Bluie - Arhoolie 470 Soundtrack from Terry Zwigoff 1985 documentary
Martin Bogan and Armstrong / That Old Gang of Mine (Martin, Bogan and the Armstrongs)  Flying Fish 70003, 1992; a re-release of two LPs combined on one CD
Louie Bluie (Howard Armstrong and friends)  Blue Suit Records, 1995

w/ Paul Geremia - Self Portrait in Blues. Red House. Howard plays mandolin on Charlie Patton's Shake It and Break It.

CARL MARTIN
Carl Martin - Crow Jane Blues. Testament. with Johnny Young.

LONNIE COLEMAN
banjo-mandolin
Sinners and Saints 1926 - 1931 Document DOCD-5106
(Two tracks from 1929 Old Rock Island Blues / Wild About My Loving)

ALLEN BROTHERS
Austin Allen on tenor banjo/banjo mandolin
The Chattanooga Boys Allen Brothers Vol 1 1927 - 1930 Document DOCD-8033
The Chattanooga Boys Allen Brothers Vol 2 1930 - 1932 Document DOCD-8034
The Chattanooga Boys Allen Brothers Vol 3 1932 - 1934 Document DOCD-8035

WALTER TAYLOR
unknown mandolin player
John Byrd and Walter Taylor Complete Recorded Works 1929- 1931 Story of Blues 3517-2

CLARA BURSTON
Barrelhouse Women 1925-30 Vol 1 - Document DOCD-5378

unknown mandolin on "Weak and Nervous Blues" and "Georgia Man Blues"

COMPILATIONS AND MISCELLANEOUS
Rags, Breakdowns, Stomps & Blues: Vintage Mandolin Music 1927-1946 Document DOCD-32-20-3

Mandolin Blues - Testament CD - Yank Rachell, Johnny Young, Willie Hatcher, Ted Bogan, Carl Martin.

Early Mandolin Classics, Vol. 1 Rounder  

Violin, Sing the Blues for Me. Old Hat Records - has numerous tunes with mandolin including Johnson Boys (Prater), Mississippi Mud Steppers (McCoy), Tommie Bradley (Eddie Dimmett, mand.), Bo Chatman/Carter/Mississippi Sheiks (McCoy), Mobile Strugglers (Lee Warren).

Earliest Black String Bands Vol 1 (DOCD-5622) - 14 songs by Ciro's Club Coon Orchestra feature mandolin banjo in a string band setting.

White Country Blues 1926-1938 A Lighter Shade of Blue - Columbia Legacy
Prairie Ramblers - Jug Rag / Deep Elem Blues with Chick Hurt on mand.
Callahan Brothers - Somebody's Been Using That Thing, Roy Hobbs on mand.
Allen Brothers - Drunk and Nutty Blues / Chattanooga Mama, with Austin Allen on tenor banjo/banjo mandolin

Contemporary Players
Steve James - Boom Chang, Art and Grit, Fast Texas, Tonight (w/ Del Rey)
Alvin Youngblood Hart - Down in the Alley
Tim Williams - Riverboat Rendezvous, Indigo Incident, Evenings Among Friends
Ry Cooder - Boomer's Story
Rich Del Grosso - Get Your Nose Outta My Bizness

Instructional Material
Learn to Play Blues Mandolin - Steve James [Homespun Tapes DVD]
Mandolin Blues: From Memphis to Maxwell Street - Rich Del Grosso, Book w/ CD, Hal Leonard ISBN 978-0-634-07249-9

Other Mandolin styles
Recommended by FrontPage:
BILL MONROE
The Music of Bill Monroe from 1936 to 1994 (Bill Monroe and various bands)  MCA 11048, 1994
The Essential Bill Monroe & the Monroe Brothers (Bill Monroe and various bands)  RCS 67450-2; 1997 (a BMG release).

David Grisman
Tone Poems  The Sounds of the Great Vintage Guitars and Mandolins (David Grisman and Tony Rice)  Acoustic Disc ACD-10, 1994.
Tone Poems II  The Sounds of the Great Jazz Guitars, Mandolins, Mandolas & Mandocellos (David Grisman and Martin Taylor)  Acoustic Disc ACD-18, 1995.
Tone Poems III  The Sounds of the Great Slide and Resophonic Instruments (Mike Auldridge, Bob Brozman and David Grisman)  Acoustic Disc ACD-42, 2000.
Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza (Sam Bush, David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Ricky Skaggs, and many others) 2 CD set, Acoustic Disc ACD-35, 1999.

Tim O'Brien
Hard Year Blues (Flying Fish FF 70319, 1984), includes Twelve Gates to the City.
Real Time (Howdy Skies HS-1003, 2000). Includes Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning.
Red on Blonde (Sugar Hill SHCD-3853, 1996).

John Reischman
John Reischman & John Miller - The Singing Moon CORVUS-CD004
John Reischman and John Miller - Bumpy Road

Mike Compton and David Long
Stomp

Craig Ventresco
Craig Ventresco and Meredith Axelrod

[Richard]

If of any interest I know have an LP by Johnny Young entitled "Fat Mandolin" which I cannot find at present!

[waxwing]

Great list UB. Just as an aside, I got Steve James' Blues Mandolin Video, from Homespun, and I think it's a worthwhile first step for a rank beginner such as myself (I didn't know how to use a pick). I can't put my hand on it at the moment to give you a song list, but I remember Yank's Divin' Duck Blues, Steve's version of Juanita Stomp and his own Saturday Night in Jail. He gives good ideas for stringing, tuning, picks, blues scales and licks and comping chords. Shows off some different style mandos and at one point he plays Yank's mando. He is backed by John Sebastion when he performs each piece. On one tune John plays a banjo-guit while Steve plays a banjo-lin. Cool.
All for now.
John C.

[uncle bud]

Hi JohnC,

Yes, I should add Steve's video to the list. I have it as well and am working on it. The banjo-mando tune is Charlie McCoy's "That Lonesome Train Took My Baby Away," and is the one I'm working on currently. Great tune! Steve does it a little different, playing in D instead of C (pitched at B), and just teaches the opening chorus. I'm working on it in both keys and listening to the record. Also downloaded a tabbed/midi version of Vicksburg Stomp which I'll tackle next.

I'm no mando ace so the video is just my speed...though I think it should have had more material, clocking in at only 60 min.

cheers,
uncle bud

[frankie]

Nice list, UB - there's a couple of cool tunes by a guy named Lonnie Coleman, playing banjo-mandolin:

Old Rock Island Blues
Wild About My Loving

They both basically smoke, plus LC has a really interesting (to me) voice.  They're both on SINNERS & SAINTS 1926 - 1931 (DOCD-5106), although I have them on a Story of Blues CD:  Georgia String Bands.

[uncle bud]

Thanks frankie, I'll add Coleman to the list, sounds intriguing, more CDs to sneak into the house. 

Another person I've forgotten is Howard Armstrong. I only have him playing mandolin on Paul Geremia's Self Portrait in Blues, so am not familiar with most of his non-fiddle work.

[frankie]

Howard Armstrong

I forgot about him too - the soundtrack to Louie Bluie has some good stuff on it - a mix of his fiddling and mandolin.  There's another CD called Louie Bluie that's not the soundtrack....  don't have that one, though.

[Slack]

UB,

You might include Carl Martin's "Crow Jane Blues" on Testament - it has 6 cuts with Carl playing mandoilin and 2 wtih Johnny Young.

Johnny Young's guitar back up is a little distracting (to me anyway) on some of the cuts - but Carl Martin is a fine mandolin player.  And as Frank pointed out, this CD is currently in Testaments bargain bin at $11.  Not sure what overlap their would be with Testaments "Mandoilin Blues" CD....?

cheers,