Been listening & working with the four tunes of his on Yazoo's Alabama Blues, conveniently loaded on the juke as well. Each of them is in a different key:
Seven Sister Blues: A
Florida Bound: E
West Virginia Blues: D (poss. Drop D, although he seems to suffer from pathological sixth string avoidance on this one)
Showers of Rain Blues: G
Only one of them (Showers of Rain) adheres to what one might think of as a "standard" structure. The others elongate the form by repeating the change to the IV chord, which gives those songs an archaic sound. He's got a great ear for interesting sounds and varies the tone of his attack during the course of the song. Maybe my favorite moment is the end of the break on Florida Bound (over the A chord), where it sounds like he's picking right next to the bridge - a sharp, shimmery sound in the treble combined with a crunchy bass... excellent!
There's another tune by him on the juke (from the Paramount Masters set) - an eight bar blues in E called Up On The Hill Blues. Haven't been able to check that one out closely, yet.
The tunes: Here is "Seven Sister Blues":
Seven Sister Blues
Coal black woman, fry no meat for me
A coal black woman can't fry no meat for me
You know black is evil, that gal may poison me
I got a new way of spelling sweet old Tennessee
New way of spelling sweet old Tennessee
New way of spelling sweet old Tennessee
Double T, double N, double T, double S you see
Well she rolled and tumbled and cried the whole night long
Rolled and tumbled, cried the whole night long
Rolled and tumbled, cried the whole night long
She received the message that the man she loved was gone
How'd she cry?
Said my love like water, it turns off and on
Love like water, it turns off and on
Love like water, it turns off and on
When you think I'm lovin' I done turned off and gone
When the dead wagon rolled up with the rumblin' sound
Dead wagon rolled up with the rumblin' sound
Dead wagon rolled up with the rumblin' sound
Said I know by that my gal were graveyard bound
Florida Bound Here is "Florida Bound":
I'm going to Florida, where I can have my fun
I'm going to Florida, where I can have my fun
Lay down in the green grass, look up at the sun
Said "Mr. Redcap porter, help me with my load."
"Redcap porter, help me with my load."
"Redcap porter, help me with my load."
"Told your steamboat captain, Let me get on board."
Got a letter from my daddy, bought me a piece of ground
Letter from my daddy, bought me a piece of ground
Letter from my daddy, bought me a piece of ground
You can't blame me for leaving, Lord I'm Florida bound
If your home in Florida, what in the world you doing up here?
Home in Florida, what you doing up here?
Home in Florida, what you doing up here?
Oh where will you be this time another year?
My mama told me, papa told me, too
Mama told me, papa told me, too
Mama told me, papa told me, too
Don't you let them bell-bottoms make no fool of you
West Virginia Blues Here is "West Virginia Blues":
Going to West Virginia
Going to West Virginia
Going to West Virginia where the brown I love, Lord
Going to West Virginia where the brown I love
Going to West Virginia where the brown I love
Ain't nobody stop me but the Lord above
I hate to see, Lord
I hate to see, Lord
I hate to see the evening sun go down, Lord
I hate to see the evening sun go down
I hate to see, Lord, the evening sun go down
Lord, it make me think I'm on my last go-round
My brown done caught me
My brown done caught me
My brown caught me this morning soon, Lord
My brown caught me this morning soon
My brown done caught me this morning soon
Lord, I go so far to get my loving done
She used to love me
She used to love me
She used to love me, she love me no more, Lord
She used to love me, she don't love me no more
She used to love me, she don't love me no more
Got another man, she don't love me no more
She used to rock me
She used to rock me
Used to rock me in the morning soon, Lord
Used to rock me in the morning soon
She used to rock me in the morning soon
Got another man, she don't rock me no more
Old black dog
Old black dog
Old black dog, baby, when I'm gone, Lord
Old black dog, baby, when I'm gone
Old black dog, baby, when I'm gone
Come with my money, "Baby, where you been so long?"
See them peaches
See them peaches
See them peaches hanging in that tree, Lord
See them peaches hanging in that tree
See them peaches hanging in that tree
Say you know that brown gonna be the death of me
Showers of Rain Blues Here is "Showers of Rain Blues":
Don't mistreat me, mama, because I'm young and wild
Don't mistreat me, mama, because I'm young and wild
Say you must remember you once have been a child
Mama, don't ever drive a stranger from your door
Mama, don't ever drive a stranger from your door
He may be your best friend, baby, you don't know
Now I love my brownie, don't care what she do
I love my brownie, don't care what she do
Some one of these days, she gonna love me too
I went to the station in a shower rain
I went to the station in a shower rain
I seen the brown I love when she caught the northbound train
Going up on the mountain, look down in the sea
Going up on the mountain, look down in the sea
Must be the whales and fishes doing the shivaree
-- edited to add tenderfoot's suggestion for Seven Sister Blues
Seven Sister Blues: A
Florida Bound: E
West Virginia Blues: D (poss. Drop D, although he seems to suffer from pathological sixth string avoidance on this one)
Showers of Rain Blues: G
Only one of them (Showers of Rain) adheres to what one might think of as a "standard" structure. The others elongate the form by repeating the change to the IV chord, which gives those songs an archaic sound. He's got a great ear for interesting sounds and varies the tone of his attack during the course of the song. Maybe my favorite moment is the end of the break on Florida Bound (over the A chord), where it sounds like he's picking right next to the bridge - a sharp, shimmery sound in the treble combined with a crunchy bass... excellent!
There's another tune by him on the juke (from the Paramount Masters set) - an eight bar blues in E called Up On The Hill Blues. Haven't been able to check that one out closely, yet.
The tunes: Here is "Seven Sister Blues":
Seven Sister Blues
Coal black woman, fry no meat for me
A coal black woman can't fry no meat for me
You know black is evil, that gal may poison me
I got a new way of spelling sweet old Tennessee
New way of spelling sweet old Tennessee
New way of spelling sweet old Tennessee
Double T, double N, double T, double S you see
Well she rolled and tumbled and cried the whole night long
Rolled and tumbled, cried the whole night long
Rolled and tumbled, cried the whole night long
She received the message that the man she loved was gone
How'd she cry?
Said my love like water, it turns off and on
Love like water, it turns off and on
Love like water, it turns off and on
When you think I'm lovin' I done turned off and gone
When the dead wagon rolled up with the rumblin' sound
Dead wagon rolled up with the rumblin' sound
Dead wagon rolled up with the rumblin' sound
Said I know by that my gal were graveyard bound
Florida Bound Here is "Florida Bound":
I'm going to Florida, where I can have my fun
I'm going to Florida, where I can have my fun
Lay down in the green grass, look up at the sun
Said "Mr. Redcap porter, help me with my load."
"Redcap porter, help me with my load."
"Redcap porter, help me with my load."
"Told your steamboat captain, Let me get on board."
Got a letter from my daddy, bought me a piece of ground
Letter from my daddy, bought me a piece of ground
Letter from my daddy, bought me a piece of ground
You can't blame me for leaving, Lord I'm Florida bound
If your home in Florida, what in the world you doing up here?
Home in Florida, what you doing up here?
Home in Florida, what you doing up here?
Oh where will you be this time another year?
My mama told me, papa told me, too
Mama told me, papa told me, too
Mama told me, papa told me, too
Don't you let them bell-bottoms make no fool of you
West Virginia Blues Here is "West Virginia Blues":
Going to West Virginia
Going to West Virginia
Going to West Virginia where the brown I love, Lord
Going to West Virginia where the brown I love
Going to West Virginia where the brown I love
Ain't nobody stop me but the Lord above
I hate to see, Lord
I hate to see, Lord
I hate to see the evening sun go down, Lord
I hate to see the evening sun go down
I hate to see, Lord, the evening sun go down
Lord, it make me think I'm on my last go-round
My brown done caught me
My brown done caught me
My brown caught me this morning soon, Lord
My brown caught me this morning soon
My brown done caught me this morning soon
Lord, I go so far to get my loving done
She used to love me
She used to love me
She used to love me, she love me no more, Lord
She used to love me, she don't love me no more
She used to love me, she don't love me no more
Got another man, she don't love me no more
She used to rock me
She used to rock me
Used to rock me in the morning soon, Lord
Used to rock me in the morning soon
She used to rock me in the morning soon
Got another man, she don't rock me no more
Old black dog
Old black dog
Old black dog, baby, when I'm gone, Lord
Old black dog, baby, when I'm gone
Old black dog, baby, when I'm gone
Come with my money, "Baby, where you been so long?"
See them peaches
See them peaches
See them peaches hanging in that tree, Lord
See them peaches hanging in that tree
See them peaches hanging in that tree
Say you know that brown gonna be the death of me
Showers of Rain Blues Here is "Showers of Rain Blues":
Don't mistreat me, mama, because I'm young and wild
Don't mistreat me, mama, because I'm young and wild
Say you must remember you once have been a child
Mama, don't ever drive a stranger from your door
Mama, don't ever drive a stranger from your door
He may be your best friend, baby, you don't know
Now I love my brownie, don't care what she do
I love my brownie, don't care what she do
Some one of these days, she gonna love me too
I went to the station in a shower rain
I went to the station in a shower rain
I seen the brown I love when she caught the northbound train
Going up on the mountain, look down in the sea
Going up on the mountain, look down in the sea
Must be the whales and fishes doing the shivaree
-- edited to add tenderfoot's suggestion for Seven Sister Blues