Topic: Name That...CB Artist

[Bunker Hill]

..and Leadbelly's 'Silver City Bound' is about Lemon ..

So it is. Leadbelly's Last Session Pt2 (Folkways FP2941) recorded NYC Oct 1948 by Charles Edward Smith.

[Bunker Hill]

Leadbelly "Blind Lemon Memorial Record" recorded by Moe Asch, NYC, 25 April 1944 and released on Stinson LP48 (10").

[Bunker Hill]

Rev. Emmett Dickinson   "Death of Blind Lemon" (Paramount 12945) is listed but the reverse of the 78 by Washboard Walter, "Wasn't It Sad About Lemon", seems to have escaped. A record, if memory serves correct, the singnificance of which was examined by Sam Charters in his book "The Country Blues".

[Bunker Hill]

Dr Clayton:

"Toot your horn Mister Ransom" (to Ransom Knowling in "My Own Blues" 1942). Other usage is "blow your horn Mister Ransom"

and on "Ain't Gonna Drink No More"

"Come here Mister Lacey. Yeah, let that E string sing a while! Hold it. That's what I'm talkin' about! Listen at ya. Yes, yes, yes! Well that was ALL right.

Exalting of guitarist Willie Lacey during his guitar solo. There are such in other songs but imho this the most memorable, though in one he does tell Lacey to "blow his wig and let his hair rise"!

[Rivers]

Thanks Bunker, I will add/update.

Washboard Walter is there, listed as by John Byrd & Walter Taylor. Since it was released as 'Washboard Walter' I will amend.

OK all up to date. Click on 'Bed Slats & All' (previously was called 'Miscellania') in the left menu, or click here

[Bunker Hill]

Sonny Terry 1957 - "Best Of Friends" from the Verve-Folkways LP Guitar Highway (VLP5010) is Sonny singing about his time playing and recording with Huddie Ledbetter. I couldn't resist scanning part of the cover of this 1966 LP. It may cause many of you to wince at what's been done to the instrument in the name of art! (you may have to click to enlarge)

[RobBob]

I remember being on the road in some small college town and finding that LP in a record store.  The cover art made quite an impression, as I bought the LP and carried throughout the rest of the trip.  It was a pretty good LP as I remember.  I thnkit has been re-issued on CD with a less inciting (exciting) cover.

Rob

[Rivers]

I've collected a few more and updated the list, now at 99 entries. These are in the rare category of references to other artists who were not present.

Sonny Boy Williamson -  You can Lead Me - refers Walter Davis (who was not present)
Sonny Boy Williamson - Ground Hog Blues - refers to Fats Waller, and calls out to Blind John Davis

Click on 'Bed Slats & All' in the left menu, or click here

[Bricktown Bob]

Hi, Rivers.

Seems to me we've got two separate things classed together as "Artist refs self." 

There's the true third-person self-reference, as in Blind Willie McTell, "Lord, Send Me an Angel" and "Ticket Agent Blues":

That new way of loving, swear to god it must be best
these Georgia women won't let Willie McTell rest

Then there's the direct quotation of a third party addressing the singer, as in Blind Willie McTell, "Lord, Send Me an Angel" and "Ticket Agent Blues":

I went down to the shed with my suitcase in my hand
crowd of women run crying, 'Mr McTell, be my man'

Now maybe I'm like an old hound dog, barking up the wrong tree, but it seems to me these are very different things.  Just saying.

[Rivers]

You have a point there. I'll see if I can find a concise way to differentiate.

BTW y'all there are some missing lyrics in the list, maybe year and location. All the stuff up to '43 is documented since it's in B&GR.

Otherwise it could be because I don't have the recording, could be because I haven't gotten around to it yet. Please feel free to fill in the blanks here.

[Bricktown Bob]

Big Joe Williams in his 1941 recording of "Highway 49" has third-person self-reference ("Melvina my sweet woman, ooh well well, she don't pay Joe Williams no mind") and a call-out ("Play it a while, Sonny Boy.  Play it for me.  Me and you ain't played together in a long time, boy.  Play it for Melvina"). 

He also says "I mean Jackson, Tennessee," when he clearly doesn't, since Highway 49 doesn't go anywhere near Jackson, Tennessee -- but I think Sonny Boy was from there or close by so this is something of a shout-out.

Question: Is that Peetie Wheatstraw's "Ooh well well" he does here?

[Rivers]

These two showed up in the Brands & Prods topic but they also belong here:

Artist refs self, Pegleg Howell, Papa Stobb Blues, 1927, Anybody ask you who composed this song, tell 'em Pegleg Howell, I've been here and gone

Artist refs self, Lemon, DB Blues, 1928, Grafton, Paramount, I say who is that comin', hey with his motor so strong? // That's Lemon and his DB, people thinks he's got his [cutout? colors? cutters? good hat?] on

OK, the list is up to date except I still need to split out Bob's 'ventriloquist' category, where the singer quotes somebody else talking about themselves or somebody else.

[Rivers]

Brownie McGhee, Key To My Door, 1941, Chicago, Okeh. I think it's a callout to himself before a break, "Play it again Brownie", and a ref to himself in the lyric, "Got something in my hand, you can get it if you understand // it's the key that unlocks Brownie's door"

List is up to date. Click on 'Bed Slats & All' in the left menu, or click here

[Johnm]

Hi all,
In his "The Girl I Left Behind", from 1937, Teddy Darby has a line,
   I heard Roosevelt Sykes say, "Darby, you are Chicago bound."
Sykes may or may not be playing on the track--it doesn't really sound like his playing.
Likewise, in his "Heart Trouble Blues", from the same year, Teddy Darby has a line,
   And they says, "Darby, we'll carry you to hospital #2."
Really, I think there are so many of these kinds of references out there you could fill an encyclopedia with them.
All best,
Johnm

[Rivers]

Really, I think there are so many of these kinds of references out there you could fill an encyclopedia with them.

John,to quote a phrase, this is the stuff that dreams are made of!   

FYI good call, B&GR has 'unknown' on piano and bass on both those tracks, recorded back-to-back on the same session.