Topic: Unknown blues photo

[Blues Vintage]

This photo was posted by Document Records on their Facebook page last year. Supposedly originally posted on The Martin guitar forum. Neither Document or Martin could identify him.

[David Kaatz]

Entertaining the troops!
Could be the guitarist is blind, and the young boys are his 'leaders'. Although I don't know why there would be two of them.

Dave

[nobocaster]

This photo was also published in the 1993 book "Nothing But The Blues" by Lawrence Cohn.  It's in the opening pages and credited "Unidentified singer in Atlanta"

[Alexei McDonald]

Figures it would be Atlanta with him having that 12-string.

[TonyGilroy]

The subject has come up on here before.

I thought there was a resemblance to Willie McTell. No one agreed.

[harriet]

Perhaps the two young boys are dancers?

[One-Eyed Ross]

Based on uniforms worn by the GIs in the background, I would think this picture must have been taken after 1916 but before 1935.  Regretfully, the GI wearing the Browne type belt is right behind the guitar neck, making it hard to get a real good look at his accoutrements.  You also can't tell if they are wearing breeches or trousers.  I suspect that it is before 1926 (or at least before the change of jacket style made it to the troops).

[banjochris]

There are a series of pictures of this scene. In one of them a newspaper headline refers to Petrograd, which narrows it to before 1924. I've never seen the pics in high enough resolution to be able to tell what paper it is, though.

[Blues Vintage]

The subject has come up on here before.

Could you point me to that thread? I can't find it.

[TonyGilroy]

I can't find it either. It may have been on Blindman's Blues.

[banjochris]

I believe there was a discussion on Facebook about it a while back, but I'm damned if I can find it. I thought it was the Real Blues Forum but I couldn't see it on there. But someone posted 6 or 7 shots from the same time and place.
Chris

[Stuart]

I've also had problem with WC searches for things that I knew were posted--because I posted them. It was only by rattling the cage that holds my little gray cells and trying different combinations and permutations that I was able to locate what I was looking for. And even then when I tried a search using text in the original post that I did my original search for, there still were no results. So don't doubt yourself, Chris.

[banjochris]

I kept searching for "Petrograd," since I knew I contributed that to the original discussion, and it's not a likely word to pop up in conversation!
Chris

[Blues Vintage]

The Facebook discussion is right here Chris,

https://www.facebook.com/160984497304624/photos/pb.160984497304624.-2207520000.1464034875./762455800490821/?type=3&theater

The name Blind Blake entered the discussion. The very first time I saw the photo I thought of Blake although it's probably not him. His age is about right (born 1896) but I think Blake played the 6 string exclusively and he lived and played in the Jacksonville area although had relatives in Patterson, Georgia.

Sorry Tony but it's obviously not Blind Willie McTell.

Too bad we can't see the other photos from the scene too compare.

[banjochris]

That was one of the discussions, and great job finding it, but I remember seeing several of the photographs.