Topic: What is the most obscure song/artist you're into?

[arg6442]

Just wondering what the most forgotten and obscure artists everyone is into.

[Rivers]

Hard to say, what's obscure to me may be in daily rotation elsewhere. You can find a raft of interesting characters though in the 'We should have heard more from them' thread, http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=245.0;nowap although it focuses on players that lived into the LP era.

I'll throw in Kid Bailey, certainly obscure, hard to hear on the surviving recordings, very interesting music.

[jpeters609]

They don't get much more obscure than Jim Thompkins ("Bedside Blues") and Freezone ("Indian Squaw Blues"), both of whom didn't merely have one record issued -- they only had one SIDE of one record issued! And both tunes happen to be pretty great. They are also complete biographical unknowns, as far as I know:

[Lastfirstface]

He's got four times the recorded output of Freezone, but I'm pretty fond of George Carter and I'd say he's fairly obscure.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
My nominees in this category would be Ollie Rupert--she sang on two titles only, Amelia Johnson, who was accompanied by Big Joe Williams and Shortstuff Macon on three tracks on the Arhoolie CD, "Going Back to Crawford", Papa Eggshell, and Arthur Weston.
All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

They don't get much more obscure than Jim Thompkins ("Bedside Blues") and Freezone ("Indian Squaw Blues"), both of whom didn't merely have one record issued -- they only had one SIDE of one record issued! And both tunes happen to be pretty great. They are also complete biographical unknowns, as far as I know:

Forgive me for hijacking the thread for a moment, but how many one SIDE artists are there in pre-war blues? Those two and Jim Clarke, "Fat Fanny Stomp" come to mind. Any others?
Chris

[Lastfirstface]

Did Ollis Martin just record the one side? I've only heard Police and High Sheriff Come Ridin' Down.

[Stuart]

Not CB, but William Namahoe's "Music For Dreaming."



And he's obscure, but not obscure--only made one record in 1955, but it seems that anybody who knows Hawaiian Slack key, knows about the song.

The album it's on is packed full of top shelf stuff:

http://www.dancingcat.com/recordings/HistoryCord.php

http://www.cordinternational.com/history-slack-key.htm

[Johnm]

I don't know of any other solo recordings by Ollis Martin, but he paired with Jaybird Colman for "I'm Gonna Cross That River of Jordan".

[CF]

Isn't 'Cairo Blues' by Henry Spaulding his sole recording?

[banjochris]

Isn't 'Cairo Blues' by Henry Spaulding his sole recording?

It's his only record, but he plays "Biddle Street Blues" on the flip. It's a good one, too, but no "Cairo" (what is?).

[Mr.OMuck]

Well one must include Willie Walker, but the Prestige /Bluesville stable are all pretty obscure and mostly great, Shirley Griffith, Smoky Babe, Guitar Pete Franklin to name three. I do songs by all three

I guess only having two extant recorded songs qualifies as obscure. The fact that both Josh White and Gary Davis fingered Walker as the greatest guitar player of the era makes his obscurity all the more mysterious.

Willie Walker- South Carolina Rag


Shirley Griffith- River Line Blues


Guitar Pete Franklin- Got to find my Baby


Smoky Babe - Locomotive Blues

[uncle bud]

Belton Reese - The Mackenzie Case

[jrn]

Belton Sutherland.

[StoogeKebab]

Amelia Johnson, who was accompanied by Big Joe Williams and Shortstuff Macon on three tracks on the Arhoolie CD, "Going Back to Crawford"

Agree completely with this. Something about "Don't Stay Long" just hits me and the vocal delivery, whilst not the voice of the greatest blues singer ever (as if I could talk), is still intense, powerful and full of emotion.