Topic: Country Blues road trip... in Texas!

[TX_Songster]

Howdy all,
I stayed at a Motel 6 last weekend while traveling to see family for Thanksgiving.  Near the front desk there was a poster promoting a Jazz loop.  Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis and several other cities were included.  Of course since this was promoting Motel 6, each city with a Motel 6 was highlighted.  This gave me the idea to develop a pre-war blues loop or tour.  I thought it would be cool to make a road trip out of visiting several towns that have a living pre-war blues scene or venue and places that have historical significance.  If you're willing please share some of your ideas.  To qualify the place should have either a venue that features old blues or a historically significant site such as a building or grave marker.

I'll get the ball rolling-
Crockett, Texas: Camp Street Cafe features live country blues and folk
Navasota, Texas: Mance Lipscomb's grave marker

[markm]

Well of course you are going to have to get to Clarksdale and when you do you have to stay here http://shackupinn.com/home.html

Mark

[Pan]

TX, I believe forum member "Chezztone" has written a book that might interest you:

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=128&topic=5146.msg39473#msg39473

http://www.amazon.com/Blues-Traveling-Holy-Sites-Delta/dp/1578066506

Let's hope he'll chime in.

[TX_Songster]

Pan, thanks for pointing out the book.  It looks like someone beat me to it!  I should have known this subject had been covered.  OK, I'm going to change the request.  That book covered the delta blues scene very thoroughly.  Since I'm in Texas, and the two sites I mentioned are in Texas, I'll change my list to country blues sites that are located in Texas.  If anyone would like to contribute please add a post. 

'Dave in Tejas' posted some pics of the site of Blind Willie Johnson's home in Beaumont, TX a little while back so I'll add that to the list.

Here's a couple more:
Deep Ellum in Dallas: performance place of Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bessie Smith and others
Fort Worth (stop 6 neighborhood): home of Babe Karo Lemon Turner aka The Black Ace (don't have an address)

[Pan]

Can we have a cool map in Weenipedia, with little flags at the appropriate locations, like with the members map?

Pleeease Santa?

[Rivers]

Lemon's memorial marker and home town, Wortham

As well as Beaumont Willie Johnson is associated with Marlin and Temple.

Lightnin' Hopkins, statue in Crockett, lived in Houston

Seguin, Little Hat Jones immortalized it in Kentucky Blues

Leadbelly was in stir at Sugarland Prison and lived near Dallas for a while.

Glyn Alyn's notes, photos, tapes etc for I Say Me For A Parable are lodged at the UT Library in Austin, I hear they are not averse to showing them on request, can check.

The Lomaxes had strong connections to UT so I'd speculate there might be some interesting stuff in the archives.

Jimmie Rodgers (Blue Yodeller JR) pretty little mansion in Kerrville is worth a drive-by.

Not sure what there'd be to see in those towns, probably disappointing ultimately. But you could get the T-shirt. And we could bring our guitars... yes, I'm liking this idea, I've wanted to do this since I got to Austin.

Pan, re blues maps, we experimented with an add-on to weeniepedia that would have allowed us to present Google maps with custom markers that we could link to/embed wherever the context presented itself. The idea was we'd progressively mark-up the whole USA and be able to zoom to, say, Shreveport, on Leadbelly's artist page and show Fannin St, Blue Goose etc. Or from the regional Texas page present the whole marked-up state. If I recall correctly it slowed the site down during testing so we scratched it. I still like the idea very much, maybe we can revisit it. The software may have improved since then.

[waxwing]

Well, I guess you'd have to end up in El Paso, home of..... Weenie Campbell!

All for now.
John C.

[Rivers]

The (now Sheraton) Gunter Hotel where Robert Johnson recorded in San Antonio, plaque in the lobby. I think(?) you can visit the very room but I dunno if that's true. Might be good to hook up with local blues societies, see http://www.sanantonioblues.com/?page_id=23

Texas Alexander's grave is in Grimes County, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alger_%22Texas%22_Alexander. Navasota is also in Grimes County. Tex Alex did jail time for murder in Paris.

[TX_Songster]

Rivers, thanks for all the great places.  Didn't the Mississippi Sheiks also record in San Antonio?  Was there a recording studio there?

How could I have forgotten about the L. Hopkins statue in Crockett?!

[Rivers]

B&GR says the Mississippi Sheiks recorded at the Texas Hotel San Antonio, and lists other sessions in San Antonio with no specific location mentioned.

[GhostRider]

Well, I guess you'd have to end up in El Paso, home of..... Weenie Campbell!

All for now.
John C.

And a fine location it is. Congenial folks too.. Bit of a hum in the guestroom though...

Alex

[Slack]

Just a little Weenie Juke white noise Alex.   

I'm glad you came when you did - not sure I'd be up for venturing over to Juarez these days, even in the daytime.

[VSOP]

B&GR says the Mississippi Sheiks recorded at the Texas Hotel San Antonio, and lists other sessions in San Antonio with no specific location mentioned.

You can rule out visiting the Texas Hotel. It was demolished in 1940. In its place stands a shiny new Bank of America skyscraper. That should evoke a feeling of...nothingness.

But yes, the Gunter is still there, looking a lot like it did in 1936. Worth the trip. You can even ride the freight elevator to the sixth floor just like Robert Johnson did!

[TX_Songster]

Rivers, what's B&GR?

[Bunker Hill]

Rivers, what's B&GR?

I hope Rivers won't mind me jumping in. The initials stand for Blues And Gospel Records 1890-1943, the standard pre-war blues and gospel session discography. It is now in its 4th edition and 44th year!