MetaFilter posts tagged with DeltaBlues

Johnny Temple

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:29:06 -0800

Those familiar with the plaintive falsetto of Delta blues great Skip James will surely hear Skip's influence in the much lesser-known Johnny Temple's Evil Devil Blues, recorded in 1935, which features some delightfully unexpected melodic twists. And though Johnny Temple "never achieved stardom", he does have a Wikipedia page. The Johnny Temple YT clip is from PreWarMusic, who's posted several clips well worth your time and attention from early American music figures who aren't exactly household names. I really like this one, for example: Bed Spring Poker. Skip James, of course, has been featured in a number of previous MeFi posts.

The mysterious Kid Bailey

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:34:33 -0800

Kid Bailey was a Mississippi Delta bluesman blessed with the kind of slightly gravel-tinged voice that emanates authority. His recording career was a very short one, however, consisting of precisely one day, and yielding precisely two songs. Very little is known about Bailey himself, and the identity of the 2nd accompanying guitarist on his only known recording remains a mystery, though there has been some some speculation. I've been doing a little speculating myself, regarding some of Bailey's lyrics, and any of you blues linguists who might want to help fill in the blanks, please see the [more inside]. Can you help to fill in the blanks? Or suggest any corrections for words I might be hearing wrong? Mississippi Bottom Blues Way down in Mississippi, where I was bred and born _____________ be my native home _________ and my hair is turning gray _________ hair is turning gray I know it would break her heart to find I was barrelhoused in this way I'm going where the water drinks like wine I'm going where the water drinks like wine Where I can be drunk down and staggering all the time Ain't but the one thing lordy worries my mind Ain't but the one thing lordy worries my mind That's a house full of women _________ (lord and none of 'em mine)? My baby passed me and she never said a word And my baby passed me and she never said a word Nothing I had did but ______ she had heard (something?) Rowdy Blues Ain't gonna marry, (no) need to settle down I'm gonna stay right here til I tear this barrelhouse down I love you baby, and I tell the world I do And I love you baby, and I tell the world I do I don't love nobody in this whole round world but you Ain't no use of weeping, ain't no need to cry Ain't no use of weeping, ain't no need to cry You've got a home just long as I've got mine Is you ever been lucky now woke up cold and ______ I was _______ nothing but a monkey man And I love you baby, you so nice and brown And I love you baby, you so nice and brown Cause you put up _______ so it won't come down Did you get that letter now, mailed in your back yard Did you get that letter now, mailed in your back yard Said what it said but you ______friend have to part

Woke up this mornin', had those MySpace blues...

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 05:59:57 -0800

Each of the following MySpace Music pages features bios and/or photos and/or videos and/or miscellaneous related materials and/or up to four songs by each of the following Delta Blues (and related) artists: Ishmon Bracey, Mance Lipscomb, Son House, Blind Willie Johnson, Charley Patton, Blind Boy Fuller, Skip James, Bukka White, Blind Willie McTell, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Robert Johnson, Babe Turner, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Howling Wolf, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Tommy Johnson, Reverend Gary Davis, Big Joe Williams, Mississippi John Hurt, Ramblin' Willard Thomas, John Lee Hooker and Oscar Buddy Woods. And here's some general Blues pages, featuring various artists: Delta Blues, Pre-War Blues and Blind Blues. You see, Delta Blues lovers, I comb MySpace so you don't have to! There'll certainly be some new names to be found among this FPP to all but the most tireless and thorough Delta Blues specialist. If I might make some personal recommendations on names that are perhaps unfamiliar: Ishmon Bracey (the first link) is a big favorite of mine, and thanks to MySpace I only recently discovered the wonderful Oscar Buddy Woods (the last link of the individual musician's pages): check 'em out!

Tommy Johnson - Cool Drink of Water

y2karl — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 23:21:57 -0800

Tommy Johnson - Cool Drink of Water From the accompanying entry on Mr. Dan Kelly's Blog:

Tommy Johnson was the original claimant to the legend of the bluesman who went down to the crossroads to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for the ability to play the blues. Perhaps the appellation stuck more to Robert Johnson (who, apparently, never made such a claim himself) because, despite Tommy Johnson's unearthly falsetto and occasionally alien-sounding guitar work, his subject matter had less to do with Satan, hellhounds, and Judgment Day, and more to do with the usual tropes of bad hootch, life on the road, loose women, and so on. Little matter: Tommy Johnson was a bluesmen of the first stripe. Also, unlike growling, shouting, and hollering bluesmen like Charley Patton and Son House (whose power was one of their great strengths, of course), Johnson had a sweet voice.

Here are many more links regarding Tommy Johnson.

Cool Drink Of Water is one of the masterpieces of 1920s Delta blues. The song is unearthly, the blend of his voice, his and Charlie McCoy's guitars is just sublime. This is the first time I have seen the song offered gratis online.

In terms of songs covered by the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Houston Stackhouse, Robert Nighhawk and other postwar Mississippi born bluesmen, Tommy was by far the Johnson who counted the most to them. Howlin' Wolf, for instance, recorded Cool Drink of Water in two variations--Smokestack Lightning and I Asked For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline), both of which are about the most downhome songs he ever cut.

Now if one were to get a free password for the Blues and Gospel from the 1920s and 1930s section of the Roots Music Listening Room, which the noble crunchland brought to our attention years ago, one could download a whole lot more of Tommy Johnson and Charlie McCoy.

McCoy's Last Time Blues, for instance, is a wonderful bit of slide guitar...

Bukka White

sleepy pete — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:53:50 -0800

Poor Boy Long Way From Home. Momma Don't Allow. Aberdeen, Mississippi (look at him beat that National). Special Streamline (one of my favorite songs set to a compilation of old films). Plus some John Fahey, who decided to write Booker "Bukka" White a letter once, bringing him to prominence in the 60s blues/folk world. It's a YT Bukka White fest! There's some previous going on here as well.