Topic: Robert Wilkins

[tenderfoot84]

hi all,
i'm kind of bombarding the site just now like a kid in a candy store but i'd like to ask whether anyone else is having trouble getting "that's no way to get along" to sound like the same song wilkin's is playing. i can't get into it. the sound seems far too elusive. i feel ok playing i'll go with her (personal favourite), i do, jailhouse, rolling stone and police sergeant thanks to john's excellent video, and alabama blues and to a lesser extent new stockyard blues (i blame that on not having anyone to strum behind me or play spoons  )
but that's no way to get along is a whole different sackful of badgers...

[uncle bud]

Hi Tenderfoot - I've fooled around with That's No Way to Get Along on and off, and I know what you mean about the sound. That's a problem for me with Wilkins in general though. He's got a great sound that can be elusive. You don't mention what your problem with it is exactly. But one of the things that moved me closer to getting the song sounding right was to make sure I was brushing those strings on 2 and 4. The natural impulse, for me anyway, is to simply alternate the bass between the 6th and 4th strings, but really the 4th string strokes are brushes. They seem to have little pick-up strokes in front of them occasionally as well, giving that chucka-chucka-chucka groove that I associate more often with Furry Lewis. Minor details that makes quite a difference in the sound, IMO.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It has been noted here before how original Robert Wilkins was, both as a composer and lyricist.  I was reminded of this as I went to transcribe "Long Train Blues", one of his raggy numbers in C position, standard tuning, and found that it was a 15-bar blues, phrased in three five-bar phrases, consistent from beginning to end.  After the intro, the song never returns to the IV chord.  The verses are phrased like so:

   |    C    |    C    |    C    |  C  G  |  C  G  |

   |    C    |    C    |    C    |  C  G  |  C  G  |

   |    G7  |    G    |    C    |  C  G  |  C  G  |

I am sure I would never have noticed the song's unusual structure had I not been transcribing it, for it sounds perfectly natural in its phrasing, not stilted or high-concept sounding at all.  It's a great tune.
Apropos of Robert Wilkins musical singularity, I met his son, John, at Port Townsend, and introduced myself to him, telling him that I had done an instructional video on his father's guitar playing.  Rev. John Wilkins said, "My father had a very strange guitar style."
All best,
Johnm 

[uncle bud]

I didn't get as much of an opportunity to hear Rev. John Wilkins play as I'd hoped, though did catch him playing with Rick Franklin and others at the Public House pub on Saturday night. It seemed to me that he had incorporated some aspects of his father's guitar style. He also sat in on some sinner tunes  . He seemed to be having a great time whenever I saw him (leading a singalong of gospel material in 204, for instance). It was a little funny to see at the faculty introduction session in the Theatre how, when Jarron Paxton or someone (can't recall) played a Wilkins tune and introduced it by saying "No one really knows him much anymore" Rev. Wilkins wife shouted out "Here's his son!" I felt like people should have been cheering wildly but it got missed in the commotion, I think.

[Doc Brainerd]

This past weekend I set about learning RW's 'Prodigal Son' from Fred Sokolow's 'Roots of Country Blues' instructional booklet/cd. I also spent some time working with John Miller's DVD and tabs, and between the two, I'm making some modest progress. Since Sokolow's lesson is based on RW's Piedmont LP version of 'Prodigal Son' I've been on the lookout for the CD version of that LP. It looks from this thread that, as of yet, it still has never been released on CD. A few earlier posts suggested that the Piedmont LP was 'soon to be released' on CD, but if it has been I haven't found it on Amazon or through Riverlark Music's website. Anybody have an recent news on the subject?

[Bunker Hill]

A few earlier posts suggested that the Piedmont LP was 'soon to be released' on CD, but if it has been I haven't found it on Amazon or through Riverlark Music's website. Anybody have an recent news on the subject?

See towards end of this discussion http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=128&topic=4735.0;all at which Andy Cohen states that it's "all but done". However that was 5 months back. I suspect he's fed up of me asking so maybe somebody else would like to raise the subject with him.  

[Doc Brainerd]

Thanks BH for directing me to that thread  - I dont know how I missed it! Looks like it's been much discussed. I guess I'll have to be patient like all the other wilkinophiles. 

[jostber]

I won't be patient no more. I need it now!