Hi all,
I have been listening a lot lately to Bobby Leecan & Robert Cooksey lately. Their complete recordings, done from September 1926 to October 1927, have been collected on two Document CDs, Volume 1 is DOCD-5279, and Volume 2 is DOCD-5280. They were enormously skilled musicians working in a very Jazzy style of Blues, with lots of Ragtime influence. Robert Cooksey was a remarkable harmonica player, equally comfortable playing straight or cross harp, and a lovely bird-like tone in his upper register. Bobby Leecan worked primarily as an accompanist, using a flat-pick to great effect. His harmonic sophistication puts him in the class of Papa Charlie Jackson, or perhaps even beyond him, and that is really saying something. A lot of Leecan's playing is startlingly modern sounding.
Despite being popular enough to record close to fifty sides either under their own names or backing a variety of singers, evidently almost next to nothing is known about Leecan & Cooksey in the biographical sense--not even where they came from, though some people have hypothesized Philadelphia or New York. Anyone have the time and inclination to do some digging through birth/death records in those cities?
I am omitting the first four songs from the Document Volume 1 disc in this listing because Leecan was not included in the sessions, and he is such an integral part of the combo's sound that these four cuts really seemed as though they came from somewhere else. I should say that I am dubious of some of the personnel listings on these recordings. On several tracks Leecan is shown playing tenor banjo, with Alfred Martin on guitar, yet Martin played mandolin, which is tuned to the same intervals as tenor banjo on several tracks, and his supposed guitar-playing sounds just like Leecan, even to the extent of using some of Leecan's pet (and very difficult) licks. Here goes:
Vol. 1
SONG TITLE SESSION DATE KEY/POSITION
Black Cat Bone Blues 9/27/26 G standard
Dirty Guitar Blues 9/27/26 C standard
When My Wants Run Out 10/18/26 Verse: F, C and G, Chorus: Bflat
Talk 'Bout Somethin' That's 10/18/26 Bflat standard
Gwine To Happen
Need More Blues, Take 1 11/22/26 F standard
Need More Blues, Take 2 " "
Whiskey and Gin Blues, Take 1 " D standard
Whiskey and Gin Blues, Take 2 " "
Big Four " D minor/F standard
South Street Stomp, Take 1 " F standard, B flat standard
South Street Stomp, Take 2 " "
I Wants A Real Man 12/26--1/27 A minor/C standard
Scrubbin' Blues " G standard
Good Woman Blues 2/14/27 C standard
Second Handed Blues " "
Dead Drunk Blues " G standard
Dollar Blues 3/22/27 C Standard
Maxwell And Peoria Blues " G Standard
South Street Blues " C Standard
Hock My Shoes " G Standard
A few notes on the music:
* The next time I see Steve James, I will have to ask him if he was influenced by Robert Cooksey's singing. Cooksey sounds more like Steve, even to the extent of similar pronunciations, than any singer I have ever heard.
* "When My Wants Run Out" and "Talk 'Bout Somethin' That's Gwine To Happen" are duets pairing the vocalists Elizabeth Smith and Sidney Easton, operating in a bantering manner somewhat akin to Sally Dotson with Smoky Babe, though much less "country".
* The multiple take tunes from the 11/22/26 session are all sensational, with "South Street Stomp" perhaps taking the honors. The session was recorded in Camden, New Jersey, right across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, where South Street is a famous street. Maybe Leecan & Cooksey were close to home there.
* The personnel listed for the 3/22/27 session shows Robert Cooksey paired with Alfred Martin on guitar, and apparently the sides were issued under the name "Martin and Robert". If that was Alfred Martin on those sessions, he sure sounded like Bobby Leecan, though he might not be as clean in his playing and touch as Leecan.
I will list the keys for Vol. 2 on the next post.
All best,
Johnm
I have been listening a lot lately to Bobby Leecan & Robert Cooksey lately. Their complete recordings, done from September 1926 to October 1927, have been collected on two Document CDs, Volume 1 is DOCD-5279, and Volume 2 is DOCD-5280. They were enormously skilled musicians working in a very Jazzy style of Blues, with lots of Ragtime influence. Robert Cooksey was a remarkable harmonica player, equally comfortable playing straight or cross harp, and a lovely bird-like tone in his upper register. Bobby Leecan worked primarily as an accompanist, using a flat-pick to great effect. His harmonic sophistication puts him in the class of Papa Charlie Jackson, or perhaps even beyond him, and that is really saying something. A lot of Leecan's playing is startlingly modern sounding.
Despite being popular enough to record close to fifty sides either under their own names or backing a variety of singers, evidently almost next to nothing is known about Leecan & Cooksey in the biographical sense--not even where they came from, though some people have hypothesized Philadelphia or New York. Anyone have the time and inclination to do some digging through birth/death records in those cities?
I am omitting the first four songs from the Document Volume 1 disc in this listing because Leecan was not included in the sessions, and he is such an integral part of the combo's sound that these four cuts really seemed as though they came from somewhere else. I should say that I am dubious of some of the personnel listings on these recordings. On several tracks Leecan is shown playing tenor banjo, with Alfred Martin on guitar, yet Martin played mandolin, which is tuned to the same intervals as tenor banjo on several tracks, and his supposed guitar-playing sounds just like Leecan, even to the extent of using some of Leecan's pet (and very difficult) licks. Here goes:
Vol. 1
SONG TITLE SESSION DATE KEY/POSITION
Black Cat Bone Blues 9/27/26 G standard
Dirty Guitar Blues 9/27/26 C standard
When My Wants Run Out 10/18/26 Verse: F, C and G, Chorus: Bflat
Talk 'Bout Somethin' That's 10/18/26 Bflat standard
Gwine To Happen
Need More Blues, Take 1 11/22/26 F standard
Need More Blues, Take 2 " "
Whiskey and Gin Blues, Take 1 " D standard
Whiskey and Gin Blues, Take 2 " "
Big Four " D minor/F standard
South Street Stomp, Take 1 " F standard, B flat standard
South Street Stomp, Take 2 " "
I Wants A Real Man 12/26--1/27 A minor/C standard
Scrubbin' Blues " G standard
Good Woman Blues 2/14/27 C standard
Second Handed Blues " "
Dead Drunk Blues " G standard
Dollar Blues 3/22/27 C Standard
Maxwell And Peoria Blues " G Standard
South Street Blues " C Standard
Hock My Shoes " G Standard
A few notes on the music:
* The next time I see Steve James, I will have to ask him if he was influenced by Robert Cooksey's singing. Cooksey sounds more like Steve, even to the extent of similar pronunciations, than any singer I have ever heard.
* "When My Wants Run Out" and "Talk 'Bout Somethin' That's Gwine To Happen" are duets pairing the vocalists Elizabeth Smith and Sidney Easton, operating in a bantering manner somewhat akin to Sally Dotson with Smoky Babe, though much less "country".
* The multiple take tunes from the 11/22/26 session are all sensational, with "South Street Stomp" perhaps taking the honors. The session was recorded in Camden, New Jersey, right across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, where South Street is a famous street. Maybe Leecan & Cooksey were close to home there.
* The personnel listed for the 3/22/27 session shows Robert Cooksey paired with Alfred Martin on guitar, and apparently the sides were issued under the name "Martin and Robert". If that was Alfred Martin on those sessions, he sure sounded like Bobby Leecan, though he might not be as clean in his playing and touch as Leecan.
I will list the keys for Vol. 2 on the next post.
All best,
Johnm