Well now you know my mother told me when I was only six weeks old "You'd best find one o' your six weeks old women now then, Mama's goin' set your clothes outdoors." - John Henry Barbee, Six Weeks Old Blues
Hi JohnD, I think this could be good from an educational viewpoint, but also just because it is fun to think about such things. I'm willing to get the ball rolling. I'm going to choose arbitrarily not to double up on any artist, though I could probably come up with about ten tunes by Lemon I would put in this category. I'm going to dash them off without thinking about it too much. 1. Cairo Blues-Henry Spaulding 2. Green River Blues-Charley Patton 3. Right Of Way Blues-Blind Lemon Jefferson 4. Motherless Chile Blues-Elvie Thomas 5. Sloppy Drunk Again-Walter Davis w/Joe Williams and Henry Townsend 6. Cottonfields, pt. 2- Garfield Akers 7. Jailhouse Blues-Robert Wilkins 8. Maggie Campbell Blues-Tommy Johnson 9. Woman, Woman-Ishmon Bracey 10. My Black Mama-Son House These seem like pretty good records to me. All best, Johnm
OK Guys and Gals, I need your in help building a list of 'The Essential', 'The Classic', 'The Greatest Hits of Country Blues'.? I will then put this list of tunes in their own category on Weenie Juke and play a couple of hour slots each week of "The Greatest" in Country Blues according to the collective wisdom of the Weenie forum.? So think of a list of Country Blues that you would first want a beginning Country Blues afficiando to hear.? The essential songs to know if one was to say they are familiar with the genre, that they know Country Blues.?
Johnm has got the ball rolling above (thanks John!)
Cheers! Slack
« Last Edit: September 24, 2004, 09:18:53 AM by Slack »
OK, here are a few off the top - without thinking about it too much:
Police Dog Blues - Blind Blake One Dime Blues - BLJ Devil Got My Woman - Skip James Frankie and Albert? - MJH Statesboro Blues - BW McTell Mississippi Blues - Willie Brown Down the Dirt Road Blues - Charlie Patton Dark was the night... BWJ Chauffer Blues - Memphis Minnie
(Good precident, if you do a list, make all the artists different )
Seems like you'd *have* to hear more than one song from the following:
Blind Lemon Jefferson Charlie Patton Blind Blake Rev. Gary Davis Mississippi John Hurt
It'd be easy to pick a dozen tunes from each of them that could be considered 'essential'. With that in mind:
Crow Jane - Carl Martin South Carolina Rag - Willie Walker Bamalong Blues - Andrew & Jim Baxter Stop and Listen - Mississippi Sheiks Good Gal - Josh White Little Girl in Rome - Otto Virgial Hambone - Ed Bell Sweet to Mama - Frank Stokes & Dane Sane Poor Boy Long Ways From Home - Gus Cannon Poor Boy Blues - Ramblin' Thomas Two Time Blues - Arthur Pettis
I notice that there's no piano stuff in my list... pity...
Fun! First some dead obvious ones, if aliens landed and were inquiring about country blues. Also trying not to repeat what others have posted:
1. Pony Blues - Charlie Patton 2. Canned Heat Blues - Tommy Johnson 3. I Belong to the Band - Rev. Gary Davis 4. Funny Feeling Blues - Blind Boy Fuller 5. God Moves on the Water - Blind Willie Johnson 6. Devil Got My Woman - Skip James taken 7. Matchbox Blues - BLind Lemon Jefferson 8. Ain't No Tellin' - Mississippi John Hurt 9. Shake 'Em On Down - Bo Carter 10. Stealin' - Memphis Jug Band
Will think more about the less obvious...
« Last Edit: September 24, 2004, 09:15:14 AM by Slack »
This is too difficult.? Quite arbitrarily: 1. Pony Blues - Patton taken 2. 22-20 - Skip James 3. Mama 'Taint Long 'Fore Day - McTell 4. Last Kind Word- Geechie Wiley taken 5. I Do - Wilkins 6. Frisco Town - Memphis Minnie 7. Downtown Blues - Frank Stokes 8. Lonesome Cell - Blind Lemon 9. Cottonfield Blues - Akers and Callicott taken
I can think of at least 68 choices for #10, so I won't commit...
« Last Edit: September 24, 2004, 09:16:40 AM by Slack »
Looks like a very good start fellars.? Please try not to Repeat a selection already made.? We are compiling a list, not taking a vote.? Again, you are not limited to 10 songs or 1 submission.? We want to get enough great songs to pick from Randomly and have a different hour of music each time.?
I'm going through and crossing out the repeats.
Thanks, slack
« Last Edit: September 24, 2004, 09:20:26 AM by Slack »
1. Train That Carried My Girl From Town - Frank Hutchison 2. France Blues (Hey Lawdy Mama) - Papa Harvey Hull & Long Cleve Reed 3. Frankie - MJH 4. Churchbell Blues - Luke Jordan 5. Black Rat Swing - Memphis Minnie 6. Kentucky Blues - Little Hat Jones 7. That'll Never Happen No More - Blind Blake 8. Chock House Blues - BLJ 9. Bo Weevil Blues - Charlie Patton 10. God Don't Ever Change - Blind Willie Johnson 11. Keep Your Hands Off Her - Lead Belly 12. Little Laura Blues - Sleepy John Estes 13. Ham Hound Crave /or Mississippi Jailhouse Groan - Rube Lacey 14. Rag Mama Rag - Blind Boy Fuller / RGD 15. Bottle It Up and Go - Tommy McLennan (if you're feeling brave) 16. You Shouldn't Do That - Casey Bill Weldon 17. Depot Blues - Son House 18. Railroad Blues - Sam McGee 19. Mama T'ain't Long Before Day - Blind Willie McTell 20. Illinois Blues - Skip James
...stop me somebody... ...I'll stop at 20.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2004, 03:38:43 PM by Rivers »
1. Train That Carried My Girl From Town - Frank Hutchison
Hot damn - that's a good'un!
I'm starting to think that there are certain guys that it doesn't matter what you pick, but you should hear lots from them. The guys I'm thinking of generally have large, fairly varied repertoires:
Blind Lemon Jefferson Charlie Patton Leadbelly Blind Blake Rev. Gary Davis Mississippi John Hurt Blind Willie McTell Bo Carter
Each of these guys is almost a whole world of music in and of themselves!
Just a quick few,I hope there are no repeats and I'll think of more tomorrow-
How Long, how long - Carr\Blackwell Seminole blues - Tampa Red Pick Poor Robin Clean - Blind Willie McTell Big Bill's Blues - Big Bill Broonzy Sittin' on top of the world - Mississippi Shieks Roll and tumble - Hambone Willie Newburn West Texas Woman - Alex Moore M & O - Walter Davis