Topic: Arthur Pettis' Last Session

[waxwing]

I'm currently working on Good Boy Blues and was listening to Pettis' other 5 sides I thought I heard, in addition to the harp, some piano on one tune, Quarrelin' Mama Blues, and piano and maybe a muted trumpet on another, Revenue Man Blues, both of which comprise his last session, in Chicago on Oct. 7, 1930. Checking the disco on DOCD-5158 I only found the harp credited to prob. Jed Davenport, and no mention of the other pler or players. I was wondering if one of you holders of a B&GR could clear this up for me? Also wondering what label as I'm not familiar with the recording # codes.

Just for the record, he apparently had three sessions with two songs each. The first was in Memphis on Feb. 14, 1928, waxing Two Time Blues and Out On Santa Fe Blues. The record code has a Vi (Victor?). The second session was in Chicago on July 25, 1930, when he cut That Won't Do and the well known Good Boy Blues. This code has a Br as does the last session. All info from the Document liner notes.

Thanks for the help.

All for now.
John C.

[dj]

The fourth edition of B&GR lists the personnel on Pettis' last session as Pettis on vocals and guitar accompanied by unknown piano and probably Jed Davenport on harmonica.

Br stands for Brunswick, a sister label of Vocalion.  It would later be bought by the American Record Company (ARC) Which would eventually turn into Columbia Records. 

[Prof Scratchy]

B&GR must've been reading the Document liner notes. In my (first) edition it just says "Unknown piano, harmonica, added"

[bobo]

Bone Blues by Al Miller is thought to be Petties on Vocal and guitar. Millers mandolin really ruins the tune.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
This is another topic that hasn't been posted to in years, but thinking back, I remember, upon hearing a number of the late Pettis recordings, that the ensemble tuning, or lack thereof, was some of the most dire I've ever heard.  "Out On the Santa Fe" is almost unlistenable in that regard.
All best,
Johnm

[Rivers]

Darn, I don't have that one 

[JohnLeePimp]

I genuinely love Petties' sound - especially revenue man blues - doesn't sound disharmonious to me except for one bit in the middle

it's like when I draw a concept car and show it to some engineer and he loses his shti... a technical approach ruins what would otherwise pass for a song design

[Johnm]

Don't get me wrong, John Lee, Arthur Pettis was a tremendous player and singer, but at that session he was playing with two instruments you have to tune to, piano and harmonica, and they weren't in tune with each other.  You have a problem then.
All best,
Johnm

[frailer24]

Kinda reminds me of Kelly Harrell's "Wild Bill Jones" where Henry Whitter plays in Bb, and Harrell sings in a solid F. Wrong, yet sounds strangely right.