Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[Old Man Ned]

Thanks John. I was quite lost on the 7.3 line and with transom in 2.3. I had no idea what that was. Just googled it and it makes sense now. Every day's a school day :-)
All the best,
Ned

[Johnm]

Hi Ned,
I agree, 7.3 was particularly tough. If I had not already known that Kid Cole was from Cincinnati, I very much doubt I would ever have gotten it. Place names in lyrics can be really hard to get. In the early days of the Weenie site, Rivers got a notoriously difficult one, Horn Lake Road, in Furry Lewis' "Dryland Blues"--I'm still amazed at that one.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi Ned,
In the course of re-listening to "Niagara Fall Blues" when entering it in Weeniepedia, I realized that in 7.3 Kid Cole sang

   You ain't the onliest woman in Cincinnati that sells your lovin' jelly roll

which makes much more sense.

All best,
Johnm

[Old Man Ned]

Hi John,
Yeah, makes a lot more sense.
Thanks,
Ned

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It's been a little while since we've had some new puzzlers, so I thought I'd post the first ones for 2021. The first song is Walter Coleman's "I'm Going To Cincinnati". The track was recorded in Chicago on February 8, 1936, and Coleman was joined on the track by an unknown seconding guitarist who confines himself to syncopated bass lines. Here is  "I'm Going To Cincinnati":



INTRO

Now I'm going to Cincinnati, I'm gonna spread the news, the fanfoots in Chicago sure don't wear no shoes
REFRAIN: Because I'm goin' to Cincinnati, the times is good, I'm goin' to Cincinnati where they eat fried food
And I'm goin' to Cincinnati, boys, where a whiskey bottle is good

Now when you come to Cincinnati, don't get too full, you're liable to meet the cop that they call Stargel Bull
REFRAIN: Because I'm goin' to Cincinnati, the times is good, I'm goin' to Cincinnati where they eat fried food
And I'm goin' to Cincinnati, where a whiskey bottle is good

Now when you come to Cincinnati, stop on 310 Main, that's where the good hustlin' women get their good cocaine
REFRAIN: Because I'm goin' to Cincinnati, the times is good, I'm goin' to Cincinnati where they eat fried food
And I'm goin' to Cincinnati, boys, where a whiskey bottle is good

SOLO (Spoken: Aw, pick that thing! Aw, [shake your ass, Peetie!])

Now when you come to Cincinnati, stop at Hoghead Joe, where you get your turnip greens and your good hog jowl
REFRAIN: Because I'm goin' to Cincinnati, the times is good, I'm goin' to Cincinnati where they eat fried food
And I'm goin' to Cincinnati, boys, where a whiskey bottle is good

Now I'm goin' uptown, buy my baby soap and towel, to wash under her arms, to keep her right odor down
REFRAIN: Because I'm goin' to Cincinnati, the times is good, I'm goin' to Cincinnati where they eat fried food
And I'm goin' to Cincinnati, boys, where a whiskey bottle is good

Now the meanest man, that I ever saw, a judge in Cincinnati called Judge Les Shaw
REFRAIN: Because I'm goin' to Cincinnati, the times is good, I'm goin' to Cincinnati where they eat fried food
And I'm goin' to Cincinnati, boys, where a whiskey bottle is good

I got a bone in my throat, I can't hardly swallow, there's place in Cincinnati called Locklander Hollow
REFRAIN: Because I'm goin' to Cincinnati, the times is good, I'm goin' to Cincinnati where they eat fried food
And I'm goin' to Cincinnati, boys, where a whiskey bottle is good

SOLO (Spoken: Aw, stomp it!)

Edited 1/17 to pick up corrections from Harry
Edited 1/18 to pick up corrections from dj

The questions on "I'm Going To Cincinnati" are:
   * What playing position/tuning did Walter Coleman use to play the song?
   * Where did Walter Coleman fret the introduction he played in the treble, from the start of the track to the first verse?

The second puzzler is Tommie Bradley's "Pack Up Her Trunk Blues", recorded in Richmond, Indiana on October 27, 1930. As on "I'm Going To Cincinnati", Bradley is joined by an unknown seconding guitarist. Here is "Pack Up Her Trunk Blues":



INTRO

Everybody here, baby, seem to have a [childish] time
Everybody here, baby, seem to have a [childish] time
Lord, there ain't nobody know, what's on my troublin' mind

Lord, but I may be the young 'un, Lord, take my advice
May be the young 'un, Lord, take my advice
And don't never let the, same woman quit you twice

Don't let your woman know you love her, you do, you have done wrong
Don't let her know you love her, you do, you have done wrong
She'll come in from her work, she'll be done, packed up her clothes and gone

Then you'll catch you a freight train, baby, goin' leave for [Santas Fe?]
Catch you a freight train, goin' leave for [Santas Fe?]
Lord, but I done found out, baby, this ain't no place for me

Because I did everything, mama, tried to make you mine
Done everything, baby, I was tryin' to make you mine
Now it seem that everything you do, it is to worry my mind

SOLO

Edited 1/17 to pick up correction from Harry
 
The questions on "Pack Up Her Trunk Blues" are:
   * What playing position did Tommie Bradley use to play his lead guitar part?
   * Where did Tommie Bradley fret the first four bars of his solo, from 2:29--2:39?
   * Tommie Bradley's playing on the song is reminiscent in some ways of the playing of what other guitarist?

Please use only your ears and your guitars to arrive at your answers and please don't post any answers until 8:00 AM your time on Tuesday, January 5. Thanks for your participation, and I hope you enjoy the songs.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any takers for the Walter Coleman and Tommie Bradley puzzlers? Answer one question or all of them. Come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[blueshome]

Tommy Bradley I’ll go for D standard, straight out of the Scrapper Blackwell play book.
I need to come back on the other piece.

[joe paul]

I agree on D standard for the Tommy Bradley, sounding a lot like Scrapper Blackwell.
He's taking the D shape at the 5th fret (from the capo), up two frets, back, down to D, up to the 4th and then 5th fret, then my ears lose track....
I think Walter Coleman is playing in C standard capoed or tuned up a fret. I think in the intro he slides to the 5th fret on the B string, 3rd, 5th, 3rd, 6th, 5th, 3rd and open on the top string, 1fret on the B string and 3rd on the top string.
Both cool songs !

[Prof Scratchy]

Agree with blueshome and joe Paul on both these - D standard in the style of Scrapper Blackwell for the Tommy Bradley one, and C standard for Walter Coleman.

[blueshome]

Agree with C standard for Walter

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It's been a while since there have been any new responses to the Walter Coleman and Tommie Bradley puzzlers, so I will post the answers.

For Walter Coleman's "I'm Going To Cincinnati":
   * His playing position was C position in standard tuning, as all who responded had it--well done!
   * He fretted the introduction in the treble pretty much exactly as joe paul described it. He picked the third fret of the second string on the + of beat four in a pick-up measure, sliding into the downbeat of the first measure of the intro at the fifth fret of the second string, going from there to the third fret of the first string on the + of beat one. On beat 2 +, he played the fifth fret of the first string and returned to the third fret of the first string. On beat three, he played a triplet going from the the sixth fret of the first string to the fifth fret to  and then the third fret there. On beat four + he went from the open first string to the open second string. In the second measure, he hit the third fret of the first string on 1 +, tying the + of that beat into beat two, and on the + of beat two playing the first fret of the second string and the third fret of the first string together, tying them into beat three. On the + of beat four, he begins a literal repetition of the opening treble run, which repeats intact through measure three, with the difference in the fourth bar being that he concludes it hitting the open second string and the third fret of the first string together, suggesting the V chord, G. It's a pretty spiffy intro, and all of the duets that Coleman and the unnamed seconding guitarist played at this session really sparkled. In the six years that had elapsed since Coleman had recorded as Kid Cole or Sweet Papa Tadpole, his voice had roughened up considerably, and to my taste, the change was all to the good, for singing blues.

For Tommie Bradley's "Pack Up Her Trunk Blues":
   * His playing position was D position in standard tuning, as all who responded had it, and his playing bore a strong resemblance to that of Scrapper Blackwell, as all who responded noted, too. Interestingly, despite his treatment of the time in a manner very much like Scrapper's and using some of the same licks, he is clearly a different guitarist, lacking Scrapper's intense attack and occasional vibrato and over-all finish .
   * Tommie Bradley plays the entire opening passage of his solo, from 2:29--2:39 fretting the first string one fret lower than he is fretting the bent second string, in a partial D shape. He starts at the fifth fret of the first string and the sixth fret of the second string, taking that position up two frets and unbending the second string for a momentary G chord at 2:33, returns back down two frets to where he started, dropping from there down three frets to a D chord 2:34, ascending from there into a kind musical "Twilight Zone" where the wheels really come off for a while and moving the shape to places that speak a different musical language before ending up down at the open first string and the first fret of the second string, in a D9. Gabriel Brown had a similar effect on his song "Going My Way", but in a much more controlled and musically effective way.

Thanks to all who participated, and I hope folks enjoyed the songs. I'll look for some other puzzlers to post soon.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I have attempted to transcribe the lyrics to the two most recent puzzlers, Walter Coleman's "I'm Going To Cincinnati" and Tommie Bradley's "Pack Up Her Trunk Blues", in the post where they were originally presented, at: https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=10188.msg109902#msg109902 . There are places in both transcriptions that I'm not at all sure about, and I would very much appreciate help with them. Thanks for any assistance with them.
All best,
Johnm

[Blues Vintage]

I'm going to Cincinnati

1.1 Now I'm going to Cincinnati, I'm going to gonna spread the news, the sandfoot in Chicago sure don't bear wear no shoes


Pack Up Her Trunk Blues

1.1Everybody here, baby, seem to have a [childish] time
1.2Everybody here, baby, seem to have a [childish] time

"Childish" is right I think. I thought I heard "jollly's time" a one point.

3.3 she'll be a,  she'll be done ?

[Johnm]

Thanks very much for your help, Harry. I've made the changes you suggested--thanks!

[dj]

I think the first verse of I'm Going to Cincinnati is "...the fanfoots in Chicago..."

Stephen Calt (Barrelhouse Words, p.88) defines fanfoot as "an indescriminately promiscuous woman" distinguished from other promiscuous women "by virtue of their physical dirtiness".

And the cop's name in verse 2 is Stargel Bull - Willard R. Stargel, a Cincinnati policeman for 23 years before entering the construction business in 1949.  (Steven Tracy, Going to Cincinnati, p. 62).

The place name in the final verse is Locklander Hollow.  Lockland was an industrial suburb of Cincinnati where the heavily Black workforce was housed in "grubby shacks". (Tracy, p.64)

Unfortunately, Steven Tracy was unable to find any record of a judge Shaw in or around Cincinnati during the 1930s.