Topic: wardlow answers to some past questions

[TallahatchieTrot]

Just dropped by after too many years and noticed questions about Bo Weevil Jackson from Alabama and Sam Butler who were the same man and Blind Joe Reynolds. Harry CHARLES, the Birmingham PM talent scout found James (Bo Weevil) Jackson on the streets in B'Ham and took him to PM in 1927 and gave him his nickname to avoid "anyone from jumping my talent by using a false name."  He told PM Jackson was from down in Carollina thus the Pm ad saying Jackson was from Carolinas. He soon moved there to Charlotte also to scout and open a record store/distribution center for PM but it failed.
   He then took him across town in Chicago to Vocalion and recorded him as Sam Butler since he had no contract with PM.  Jackson who definitely played a Delta type style on Pistol Blues/You Can't Keep No Brown was in B'ham when found.  Where he learned his Mississippi bottleneck style is unknown.  He is fast, furious and choppy but Booker Miller listened to the sides and said of course it was Delta style guitar.
    There is no and I have never said or written anywhere of any association of Jackson/Butler with Blind Joe Rynolds from the Lousiana Delta.   They are completely different singers and stylists. Ber checking in on a regular basis. Thanks for the kinds words and my interview tapes are on line to clairify/add to what I and both Calt wrote in our books.
    Bracey indeed sang Stavin' Chain on Woman Woman. I asked him about it and he said he got ther expression in New Orleans when he visited his baby sister there. He heard the expression ued in that city and said it was slang  for a poswerful lover or stud man.
     Mattie Delaney was one of the hardest of all singers to track anything on. I found two people Henry Austin and Lillie Berry who knew of her personally and that was it.
 

[Harry]

Got to see you back Mr. Wardlow. I read "Chasin' that devil's music" last year. I enjoyed it very much.

[Johnm]

Hello Gayle Dean Wardlow,
Thanks very much for the information and clarifications you supplied.  There's certainly no substitute for having asked the artist in question, Ishmon Bracey, what he was singing and how he came to sing it.  Thanks for all the energy and time you have put in over the years to find out more about this music and the people who made it.  Those of us who love this music have greatly benefitted from your work and persistence.  I hope you soon get an opportunity to put out another book.
All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

I'm really glad those interviews are available online now. It's great to hear some more of Ishmon Bracey speaking. Did you ever get a photo of him from this period when you interviewed him?

[TallahatchieTrot]

uNCLE BUD--BRACEY WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO TAKE ANY PHOTOS OF HIM. hE ALWAYS WAS SUSPICIOUS i WOULD USE THEM TO PROMOTE HIS BLUES PLAYING Days AND WANTED TO BE KNOWN AS A PREACHER. He also hit me up for a few dollars evertime I visited him. He still had a mentality of a hustler in him from his music days.
     I did loan him my Kay resonator guitar to practice on but he would only record about a minute of 2 songs I sent to Dick Spottswoood and wanted $500 to record a gospel album which no one would do as Robert Wilkins had just been discovered.  I finally paid him $10 to let me get a friend of mine from the Jackson newspaper to make a copy negative of the two photos of him from the 1920s.  But he never wanted a photo made of him in the '60s unless he was preaching.
   Even when  Fahey visited him and paid him $30 for information on Skip James' hometown he wouldn't let him take a photo nor did Evans get one when he visited him later.  I had to pay him later to sit down and let me record his comments about musicians we talked about while I played recordings of musicians to him but I was glad to do that.

[JohnLeePimp]

I'm really glad those interviews are available online now. It's great to hear some more of Ishmon Bracey speaking. Did you ever get a photo of him from this period when you interviewed him?

Cool, where online?

[Stumblin]

Cool, where online?

Here!