I dont think I can see Paul Geremia- who plays a mean rack harp with guitar.
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She runs a weenie stand, way out in no man's land, oh boy, that's where my money goes - Riley Puckett, Nobody's Business
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. daveharrisonemanband
I dont think I can see Paul Geremia- who plays a mean rack harp with guitar.You're right and I'll add him for a mention. I've got to draw the line somewhere on the guitar / rack harp guys. I let them in because the early old time country guys were often referred to as OMBs. But at some point I've got to stop, so my idea was to draw the line at the post Dylan era. I mentioned Neil Young and Doc Watson. I'll maybe add Geremia, Guy Davis and a few more but they will strictly be mentioned, no added info. I'm thinking I'll do a couple of paragraphs on the washboard guys too. The book looks to be enormous, at the rate I'm going. I could probably pull a blues / old time book out of it. Almost thinking of two books but for now I'm just trying to stay the course. Thanks for the food for thought! He's not CB, but I noticed that Keller Williams was conspicuously absent from your present-day performers list. He uses digital loops to make his sound, and I'm trying to remember if he actually ever plays two instruments at once. Whatever the case, he is a one-man-band for sure. There's also an Australian guy in this vein, who loops guitar/didgeridoo live.
daveharrisonemanband
He's not CB, but I noticed that Keller Williams was conspicuously absent from your present-day performers list. He uses digital loops to make his sound, and I'm trying to remember if he actually ever plays two instruments at once. Whatever the case, he is a one-man-band for sure. There's also an Australian guy in this vein, who loops guitar/didgeridoo live.Okay, maybe I never laid this out. The OMBs in this book will be ones that play their instruments with "heads, hands and feet". I may mention the looping OMBs but they won't get more than a paragraph. There are enough guys doing it manually to fill a large book easily. Still, a worthy point. Speaking of which, does anyone know whether Xavier Rudd ever plays solo? Everything I've found so far (I haven't been detailed about it) seems to show him with other musicians. Also trying to find Blind Joe Hill - First Chance L+R LP, doesn't seem to be on CD. Anyone know? Thanks! I just caught a bad Gene Autry movie called The Old Corral, and in one scene, Gene's sidekick, Smiley Burnette, plays accordion, rack harp, tambourine, and glockenspiel with the mallets strapped to the tops of his boots. Impressive. From 1936. Not on YouTube as far as I can tell. Sons of the Pioneers also feature in the movie, as did Frankie Marvin. It's still bad. Smiley is definitely the best thing the movie has going for it.
There are claims Smiley could play 100 instruments. Not all at the same time. daveharrisonemanband
That's great! I'll add Smiley Burnette to my list with mention of the movie. Thanks.
Tony's Russell's book Blacks, Whites and Blues, republished now as part of Yonder Come the Blues, describes a fellow named Sammy Brown of Lexington, Ky., as a "black one-man band." The white singer Welby Toomey "recalled travelling up to the Gennett Studios in Richmond, Ind." with him. Brown "had six fingers on each hand and played guitar, drums and so forth. Toomey's November 1927 recordings had guitar accompaniment with occasional harmonica and 'jazzbow', and it sounds likely that Brown saw to all of this." Which would make this another early integrated recording session if so.
I'm not familiar with these recordings, perhaps others here are. Alexei McDonald
Apparently all four of these sides with Welby Toomey were rejected. The two issued sides by Sammy Brown are on DOCD-5169 : Barrel House Blues (vcl w/gtr acc.) and Jockey Blues (vcl w/piano acc.). If he was a one-man band, you'd never know it from these cuts.
daveharrisonemanband
Thanks folks, I guess I missed him! Anyway, I'll add this in with the thought that his OMB status is unclear.
Mr. O'Muck posted this Phil Wickenden video on facebook, and as I shared it, Parlor Picker suggested that I'd post it here too. Somewhat frustrating for a guitarist, maybe? Anyway, here you go:
Cheers Pan Not sure it is an interest, but some wild pictures. Would love to hear some of these guys.
http://www.polarityrecords.com/one-man-band-vintage-photos.html Perhaps these super photos should be moved to an earlier OMB topic. Just a thought.
http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=8450.msg70917;topicseen#msg70917 Lastfirstface
In his Perfect Sound Forever interview Peter Stampfel of the Holy Modal Rounders talks about how his five string Paramount banjo came from a one-man-band musician who called himself Herman the Hermit. I was intrigued enough to google around for a picture of him and found this Google Books archive copy of the May 1945 issue of Popular Mechanics where he shows up in an article:
http://tinyurl.com/hermanhermit
Tags: one man bands
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