Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[Prof Scratchy]

Agree with blueshome and joe Paul on both these - D standard in the style of Scrapper Blackwell for the Tommy Bradley one, and C standard for Walter Coleman.

[blueshome]

Agree with C standard for Walter

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It's been a while since there have been any new responses to the Walter Coleman and Tommie Bradley puzzlers, so I will post the answers.

For Walter Coleman's "I'm Going To Cincinnati":
   * His playing position was C position in standard tuning, as all who responded had it--well done!
   * He fretted the introduction in the treble pretty much exactly as joe paul described it. He picked the third fret of the second string on the + of beat four in a pick-up measure, sliding into the downbeat of the first measure of the intro at the fifth fret of the second string, going from there to the third fret of the first string on the + of beat one. On beat 2 +, he played the fifth fret of the first string and returned to the third fret of the first string. On beat three, he played a triplet going from the the sixth fret of the first string to the fifth fret to  and then the third fret there. On beat four + he went from the open first string to the open second string. In the second measure, he hit the third fret of the first string on 1 +, tying the + of that beat into beat two, and on the + of beat two playing the first fret of the second string and the third fret of the first string together, tying them into beat three. On the + of beat four, he begins a literal repetition of the opening treble run, which repeats intact through measure three, with the difference in the fourth bar being that he concludes it hitting the open second string and the third fret of the first string together, suggesting the V chord, G. It's a pretty spiffy intro, and all of the duets that Coleman and the unnamed seconding guitarist played at this session really sparkled. In the six years that had elapsed since Coleman had recorded as Kid Cole or Sweet Papa Tadpole, his voice had roughened up considerably, and to my taste, the change was all to the good, for singing blues.

For Tommie Bradley's "Pack Up Her Trunk Blues":
   * His playing position was D position in standard tuning, as all who responded had it, and his playing bore a strong resemblance to that of Scrapper Blackwell, as all who responded noted, too. Interestingly, despite his treatment of the time in a manner very much like Scrapper's and using some of the same licks, he is clearly a different guitarist, lacking Scrapper's intense attack and occasional vibrato and over-all finish .
   * Tommie Bradley plays the entire opening passage of his solo, from 2:29--2:39 fretting the first string one fret lower than he is fretting the bent second string, in a partial D shape. He starts at the fifth fret of the first string and the sixth fret of the second string, taking that position up two frets and unbending the second string for a momentary G chord at 2:33, returns back down two frets to where he started, dropping from there down three frets to a D chord 2:34, ascending from there into a kind musical "Twilight Zone" where the wheels really come off for a while and moving the shape to places that speak a different musical language before ending up down at the open first string and the first fret of the second string, in a D9. Gabriel Brown had a similar effect on his song "Going My Way", but in a much more controlled and musically effective way.

Thanks to all who participated, and I hope folks enjoyed the songs. I'll look for some other puzzlers to post soon.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I have attempted to transcribe the lyrics to the two most recent puzzlers, Walter Coleman's "I'm Going To Cincinnati" and Tommie Bradley's "Pack Up Her Trunk Blues", in the post where they were originally presented, at: https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=10188.msg109902#msg109902 . There are places in both transcriptions that I'm not at all sure about, and I would very much appreciate help with them. Thanks for any assistance with them.
All best,
Johnm

[Harry]

I'm going to Cincinnati

1.1 Now I'm going to Cincinnati, I'm going to gonna spread the news, the sandfoot in Chicago sure don't bear wear no shoes


Pack Up Her Trunk Blues

1.1Everybody here, baby, seem to have a [childish] time
1.2Everybody here, baby, seem to have a [childish] time

"Childish" is right I think. I thought I heard "jollly's time" a one point.

3.3 she'll be a,  she'll be done ?

[Johnm]

Thanks very much for your help, Harry. I've made the changes you suggested--thanks!

[dj]

I think the first verse of I'm Going to Cincinnati is "...the fanfoots in Chicago..."

Stephen Calt (Barrelhouse Words, p.88) defines fanfoot as "an indescriminately promiscuous woman" distinguished from other promiscuous women "by virtue of their physical dirtiness".

And the cop's name in verse 2 is Stargel Bull - Willard R. Stargel, a Cincinnati policeman for 23 years before entering the construction business in 1949.  (Steven Tracy, Going to Cincinnati, p. 62).

The place name in the final verse is Locklander Hollow.  Lockland was an industrial suburb of Cincinnati where the heavily Black workforce was housed in "grubby shacks". (Tracy, p.64)

Unfortunately, Steven Tracy was unable to find any record of a judge Shaw in or around Cincinnati during the 1930s. 

[Johnm]

Thanks very much for those catches, dj. I'd heard the term "sandfoot" before, but not "fanfoot", and it does match the phonetics better. With the proper names I was just doing phonetic guesswork, and it's really nice to have them nailed down. Thanks! I will make the changes.

[Harry]

Blind Willie McTell mentions a "fanfoot clown"  in "Your Time To Worry".