PROGRAM: Gone With The Wind; Lonesome Road Blues; Digging My Potatoes/Who's Been Fooling You; 90 Going North; Nobody's Darling But Mine; Got No Lovin' Baby Now; John Henry; Mean Old Frisco; Railroad Bill; Trouble In Mind; Where Could I Go But To The Lord; This Heart Of Mine; Blood Red River; Sing Sing Blues; I'm Talking 'Bout You; C. C. Blues; You Rascal You; Old Blue; Who's Been Fooling You
I recently picked up this CD of Delaware Country Bluesman Frank Hovington. It is a Flyright release (manufactured in the Czech Republic!), and was recorded by Blues researcher Bruce Bastin and Dick Spottswood on two days at Frank's home in 1975. I have an earlier release of most of the material on a Rounder album which I believe never survived into the CD era.
Frank presents an odd case of a Country Bluesman who people knew about, but who none the less almost went without being recorded at all. He was discovered by John Fahey, who saw him playing on his porch when driving by, and drove back to hear what he sounded like. This was several years prior to Frank being recorded. In fairness to the people who knew about him but did not record him, Frank seems to have been a kind of diffident guy who didn't seek out the limelight.
The program is very generous here, with 19 tunes, in a nice combination of East Coast standards and complete surprises. Standards include "Digging My Potatoes" "Trouble In Mind", "Railroad Bill", "John Henry", "Old Blue", and "Blood Red River". Frank has a nice quality of always bringing something new to the evergreens he performs. His version of "John Henry", in open D with a slide, has an epic quality and many verses I have never heard elsewhere. Similarly, he plays a bridge on "Railroad Bill" that was new to me. He does a great version of "Lonesome Road Blues" that I used for the C and E lesson that was recently posted. Like many Blues singers, he particularly shines vocally on non-Blues material, and he does great versions of the old country tune "Nobody's Darling But Mine" and the hymn "Where Could I go But To The Lord". He shows a lot of key variety, with tunes in A, C, G, and E standard, dropped D (an instrumental, "90 going North") and open D. Moreover, he does two tunes on 5-string banjo, showing a predilection for that instrument shared by John Jackson, Elizabeth Cotten and Etta Baker.
Frank's musical individuality shines throughout the program, particularly with regard to his phrasing, which while not necessarily conforming to the common Blues forms, manages to keep a strong rhythmic flow going at all times. The music sounds home-made in the best possible way. I'm enjoying the CD a lot, and I like the idea of a musician like Frank Hovington coming from so near where I grew up. I wish I had gotten a chance to see him sing and play.
All best,
Johnm
I recently picked up this CD of Delaware Country Bluesman Frank Hovington. It is a Flyright release (manufactured in the Czech Republic!), and was recorded by Blues researcher Bruce Bastin and Dick Spottswood on two days at Frank's home in 1975. I have an earlier release of most of the material on a Rounder album which I believe never survived into the CD era.
Frank presents an odd case of a Country Bluesman who people knew about, but who none the less almost went without being recorded at all. He was discovered by John Fahey, who saw him playing on his porch when driving by, and drove back to hear what he sounded like. This was several years prior to Frank being recorded. In fairness to the people who knew about him but did not record him, Frank seems to have been a kind of diffident guy who didn't seek out the limelight.
The program is very generous here, with 19 tunes, in a nice combination of East Coast standards and complete surprises. Standards include "Digging My Potatoes" "Trouble In Mind", "Railroad Bill", "John Henry", "Old Blue", and "Blood Red River". Frank has a nice quality of always bringing something new to the evergreens he performs. His version of "John Henry", in open D with a slide, has an epic quality and many verses I have never heard elsewhere. Similarly, he plays a bridge on "Railroad Bill" that was new to me. He does a great version of "Lonesome Road Blues" that I used for the C and E lesson that was recently posted. Like many Blues singers, he particularly shines vocally on non-Blues material, and he does great versions of the old country tune "Nobody's Darling But Mine" and the hymn "Where Could I go But To The Lord". He shows a lot of key variety, with tunes in A, C, G, and E standard, dropped D (an instrumental, "90 going North") and open D. Moreover, he does two tunes on 5-string banjo, showing a predilection for that instrument shared by John Jackson, Elizabeth Cotten and Etta Baker.
Frank's musical individuality shines throughout the program, particularly with regard to his phrasing, which while not necessarily conforming to the common Blues forms, manages to keep a strong rhythmic flow going at all times. The music sounds home-made in the best possible way. I'm enjoying the CD a lot, and I like the idea of a musician like Frank Hovington coming from so near where I grew up. I wish I had gotten a chance to see him sing and play.
All best,
Johnm