fingerstyleblues.com » Guitarist Profiles

Bob Log III

Smike — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:59:38 +0000

Purists, beware.

This jump suited, one man force of nature plays the drums with his feet, sings through a telephone taped to the visor of a motorcycle helmet, and plays an incredibly original, warped form of blues on his old Silvertone. It might be tempting to dismiss him as some sort of punk/rock/blues sideshow, but his music is borne from a deep love and understanding of Delta blues, scotch, breasts, and a little insanity.

Born in Tuscon, Arizona, Bog Log got his first guitar at 11. By the time he was 16 he was deeply immersed in Delta Blues. Raised on the music of Screaming Jay Hawkins and Lightnin’ Hopkins, his sound is inspired in equal parts by Mississippi Fred McDowell and AC/DC. He’s a formidable guitarist who’s forged his own unique style. Utilizing super low tunings his slide playing sounds monstrous, the loose strings combined with his powerful finger picking let him snap and pluck and slide his dirty electric blues in a way that probably shouldn’t be possible.

He began his career playing with a metal/blues band named Mondo Guano, which he left to form the blues rock duo Doo Rag. While on tour his percussionist suddenly quit, leaving Log scrambling for a way to finish the booked dates. Donning a recently aquired thrift store helmet he miked his guitar case and kicked it to keep the beat. Eventually he replaced the case with a kick drum and cymbal, augmenting his one man rhythm even further by adding a drum machine he triggers with his feet.

If you can get past the lyrics, your in for something great. Whatever you do, don’t miss the opportunity to see him love.

Bob Log’s official site
http://www.myspace.com/boblog111/>Myspace

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Lightnin’ Hopkins

Smike — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:31:40 +0000

Lightnin’ Hopkins, Texas Blues

March 15, 1912 — January 30, 1982

“People have learned how to strum a guitar, but they don’t have the soul. They don’t feel it from the heart. It hurts me. I’m killin’ myself to tell them how it is.”
-Lightnin’ Hopkins, 1968 Interview

Sam ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins was a very influential Texas Blues musician whose songs have inspired everyone from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many points in between. Hopkins began his career in the 1920’s and for the next sixty years barely altered inimitable his style.

Sam’s father died while he was still a young child. He was taught how to play guitar by his older brother Joel, his first instrument a cigar box guitar with chicken wire strings. When he was eight years old he met and befriended Blind Lemon Jefferson, who encouraged him and gave him some playing tips. He shadowed Jefferson, following him to church socials where he would play along with his cigar box guitar. He was soon playing with his older cousin, the formidable Texas Alexander. When Hopkins hit his teens he became a traveling bluesman, hopping trains, gambling and busking on street corners throughout the state. This rough and tumble lifestyle landed him in jail in the mid 30’s.

Upon his release he began playing with his cousin Alexander once again, but money was tight all around and they were both forced to take a series of day jobs. The pair finally had their first big break in 1946 when they were offered a recording contract with Aladdin Records. On the day of the session, only Sam showed up at the studio where he accompanied the pianist Wilson ‘Thunder’ Smith on the song ‘Katie Mae.’ The duo were billed as ‘Thunder and Lightnin,’ a moniker which stuck with Hopkins for the rest of his career. He eventually cut nearly 50 sides for Aladdin Records, while at the same time moonlighting with other record companies on the side.

Lightnin’ Hopkins toured and recorded prolifically until the mid 50’s when the new Chicago electric blues began to make his acoustic style appear old fashioned. In 1959, a young blues enthusiast named Sam Charters managed to track him down, and together they recorded ‘The Roots of Lightning Hopkins’ in his apartment, using a guitar he had to borrow. Hopkins had lost none of his intensity, and when the album was released it launched him to legendary status alongside such blues heroes as Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. He began to record again and became incredible prolific, cutting roughly 35 albums in the 60’s for any label that would pay him cash up front. Many of his songs were improvised on the spot, they were what he called ‘air songs,’ composed about whatever was on his mind when he entered the studio.

He finally began to slow down after a car crash in 1970, and died of cancer in 1982 at the age of 79.

Recommended Listening:

All links open in a new window

The Complete Aladdin Recordings

This double album contains 43 incredible late 40′s sides including his recording of Katie Mae.

Gold Star Sessions Volumes 1 & 2

Scorching Texas blues from Hopkins days in Houston in the 50′s.

The Roots of Lightnin’ Hopkins

The 1959 recordings that put Lightnin’ back on the map, includes Penitentiary Blues, Bad Luck and Remembrances of Blind Lemon. This album crackles with energy and emotion, one of my favorites.

Mojo Hand

This Rhino compilation is a great overview of Lightning Hopkins career, the recordings date between 1947 to 1969. The emphasis here is on his earlier work and treads very lightly on the music recorded after his ‘rediscovery.’

Texas Blues

Stunning songs and guitar work from this awesome album composed of sides recorded throughout the sixties.

For Further Study:

Lightnin’ Hopkins: His Life and Blues by Alan B. Govenar

By the time of his death in 1982, Sam ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins was likely the most recorded blues artist in history. This brilliant new biography–the first book ever written about him–illuminates the many contradictions of the man and his myth.

The Guitar Of Lightnin’ Hopkins DVD

by Ernie Hawkins

Offered here are all the basics, many of the secrets and tricks of Lightnin’s deeply accomplished, deceptively simple acoustic Texas boogie guitar style. This lesson features rare video footage of Lightnin from the 1950′s and 1960′s. Lightnin plays the tune and then Ernie analyzes it lick by lick. This video presents a wonderful opportunity to go the source of Texas blues and learn from the master who inspired generations of guitar heroes. Titles include: Pull A Party, Goin Down Slow, Shining Moon, Baby Please Don t Go and Take Me Back.

Lightnin’ Hopkins: Rare Performances 1960-1979 DVD

In 1960, German filmmaker Dietrich Wavzyn captured Lightnin’ on his Houston home turf, and the clips here of him perfoming on the street and in a Houston bar are rare glimpses into his milieu (and the earliest known footage of Hopkins). Seven years later, a relaxed Lightnin’ delivered engaging folk-blues performances for Seattle folklorists, five of which appear here. In 1970 he painted a masterful and entertaining musical self-portrait in eight songs from the Los Angeles PBS shows Boboquivari. Finally, Lightnin’s “lion-in-winter” appearance on Austin City Limits in 1979 shows a still powerful country bluesman disproving the old dog/new tricks adage with a Stratocaster and a wah-wah pedal!

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Stefan Grossman’s Country Blues Guitar Radio Show

Smike — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:30:41 +0000

The encyclopedia of the blues Stefan Grossman has once again given a great gift to the world of fingerstyle blues and made available some radio shows which he recorded in the 70′s and early 80′s. These are available for free on his site Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop.

The story of fingerpicking guitar styles and techniques was born in the southern states of America. Black musicians shaped and developed this approach. The sounds and ideas varied greatly from the rough rhythmic approach of the Mississippi Delta to the piano sounding guitar of Blind Blake. It is very important for guitar students to have a good understanding of blues guitar in order to develop their fingerpicking abilities. Country Blues Guitar Workshop was put together to give the guitar student a panorama of the techniques and styles that were developed, explored and recorded during the 1920’s – 1940’s.
-Stefan Grossman

For anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of the history of the blues, learn about the techniques of the most innovative and important players of the era, or just listen to some great music performed by the masters, this series cannot be missed.

Direct Links to the artists covered:

Show #1: Charley Patton

Show #2: Son House

Show #3: Skip James

Show #4: Tommy Johnson

Show #5: Robert Johnson

Show #6: Bukka White

Show #7: Mississippi John Hurt

Show #8: Muddy Waters

Show #9: Lonnie Johnson

Show #10: Blind Lemon Jefferson

Show #11: Blind Willie Johnson

Show #12: Lightnin’ Hopkins

Show #13: Barbecue Bob/Charlie Lincoln/Willie Baker

Show #14: Blind Willie McTell

Show #15: Blind Blake

Show #16: Big Bill Broonzy

Show #17: Blind Boy Fuller/Reverend Gary Davis

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Charlie Patton

Smike — Sat, 15 May 2010 16:49:21 +0000

Charlie Patton

May 1, 1891 – April 28, 1934

“The Voice of the Delta – The Foremost Performer of Early Mississippi Blues Whose Songs Became Cornerstones of American Music”

This powerful tribute adorns Charlie Patton’s tombstone in Holly Ridge, Mississippi and is the first stop of the historic Mississippi Blues Trail(link). He is considered by many to be the Father of Delta Blues and is one of the earliest recorded blues artists whose work has inspired nearly every musician to come out of the Delta. Only the poor quality of his surviving recordings has kept him from enjoying the same idolatry as his successor Robert Johnson. Its truly unfortunate that the 56 masters he recorded were sold off as scrap after his record company went out of business. Some of it was used to line chicken coops. All of the existing recordings available today were copied from the scratched and worn 78’s. He is arguable one of the most import musicians of the twentieth century.

Patton was born in Hinds County, Mississippi in 1891. In 1900 his family moved 100 miles north to the Dockery Plantation, near Ruleville. It was here the young Patton discovered Henry Sloan, a guitarist whose unusual style was a form of early blues which effected Patton immensely. According to Son House and Willie Brown, Patton ‘dogged every step’ of Sloan and followed him from gig to gig. By his late teens he was already a dynamic performer and a prolific songwriter, having already composed the incredibly ‘Pony Blues.’

He would straddle the guitar, play it behind his head

In 1910 he teamed up with the talented Willie Brown and was soon in high demand not only for his musicianship and powerful vocals (it was rumored his voice was so strong it could travel for 500 yards without amplification), but also for his showmanship. He would straddle the guitar, play it behind his head, behind his back, roll on the floor and never stop playing. Patton traveled and rambled across not only the Delta playing his blues, but went as far as Louisiana, Memphis and Arkansas. He teamed up with members of the Chatmon family, who later became the Mississippi Shieks. By 1926 a young Robert Johnson was following Patton and Brown to shows, trying to absorb anything he could. Other notable fans included Howlin’ Wolf, Tommy Johnson, Son House, John Lee Hooker, Honeyboy Edwards, Bukka White and Big Bill Broonzy.

The first Blues Star

Charlie Patton became the epitome of the rough and tumble bluesman, his heavy drinking, smoking, womanizing and hell-raising became almost as legendary as his music. As the first blues star he would be booked in advance to play instead of rambling from town to town looking for gigs, and because of his reputation he’d always pack them in.

He first recorded in 1929 for the Paramount label. That single session produced 14 sides and earned him $700. He was invited back to record again three months later where he lay down 22 more sides. As a result of these recordings Patton became the best selling blues singer of his time and the biggest celebrity in the Delta.

Here is Patton performing Spoonful Blues, recorded in 1929.

Recommended Listening:

As with most of the musicians we discuss here, its hard to identify any one album as ‘definitive,’ they all have something to offer, even if it’s alternate versions of songs you already know. Here are a few recommendations which highlight different aspects of his style, and some of our favorite performances.

___________________________________________

The Best of Charlie Patton

I have to admit, this reviewer said it best:

If you’re not up for one of the numerous Charlie Patton box sets, this is a really excellent alternative.
Yazoo’s “The Best Of Charley Patton” gathers 23 cuts, 70 minutes of music, including “Down The Dirt Road Blues”, “Pony Blues”, “Shake It And Break It”, “Banty Rooster Blues”, and numerous others. The sound quality is a good as any disc you’ll ever come across, and while these sides certainly aren’t as clean as Robert Johnson’s or Blind Willie McTell’s prewar singles, Yazoo has done a really fine job remastering the songs.

There are other excellent Charlie Patton discs, like Wolf Records’ “Pony Blues: His 23 Greatest Songs”, Recall’s very reasonably priced double-disc overview “Screamin’ & Hollerin’ The Blues”, and Snapper’s brand new “Hang It On The Wall”, but as far as single disc compilations go, none are better than this one, and few are quite as good.

Friends of Charlie Patton

This album has been heralded on these pages before. It’s a fantastic compilation put together by Yazoo Records containing two of his three solo performances and showcasing many friends and contemporaries including; Son House, Bukka White, the infamous aforementioned Kid Bailey, Tommy Johnson, Louise Johnson, Ishman Bracey and Bertha Lee. Yazoo puts out some of the best compilations going, unfortunately a lot of their earlier releases sound like they were taken straight from the old 78’s and plopped on CD with very little remastering. This means hisses, pops, and noisy recordings. On the other hand, where else are you going to hear this stuff?

Complete Recordings 1929-34 [Original recording remastered]

When you’re ready to go all out, for less than $30 this 5 disc JSP collection is an unbeatable value. It contains everything on the much more expensive Revenant Box set except for interviews and a bonus disc of music by Patton’s contemporaries. The restoration is decent enough to listen to without gritting your teeth. Every recorded song is included here.

Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton [Box set]

If your a completest, if the quality of the JSP set doesn’t quite meet your standards, or if you happen to have an extra $150 lying around to spend on a box set – this is the pinnacle to aspire. From all reports, this is the greatest Patton re-issue existing today. If only I had $150 lying around…
I ain’t gonna tell nobody, ’34 have done for me
I ain’t gonna tell nobody what, ’34 have done for me
Took my roller, I was broke as I could be

Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton is the musical equivalent of a limited-edition, fine-press book, and it’s easily one of the most beautiful collections of recorded music ever assembled. Exquisitely designed, this 78-album-inspired, seven-CD package contains a wealth of information and music, featuring not only the Delta blues pioneer’s complete recorded works, but the music of peripheral players (including Son House, Howlin’ Wolf, and Henry “Son” Sims), a disc of fascinating audio interviews with Patton associates, and hours of reading material on the enigmatic songster.

For Further Study:

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Floyd Council

Smike — Wed, 05 May 2010 11:46:36 +0000

September 2, 1911 – May 9, 1976

Probably more famous these days for being the actual Floyd from Pink Floyd (the other half being Pink Anderson),
Floyd Council was a blues singer and guitar slinger who played in the East Coast / Piedmont style. It’s unfortunate he didn’t record solo often, but he’s still said to have recorded 27 songs, many backing up the legendary Blind Boy Fuller. Many of these tunes can be found on the Fuller collection: Complete Recorded Works – Vol. 1 (1935-1936)

No full albums are available of Floyd Council’s work, but the compilation Carolina Blues, 1937-1947 features six of his performances: “I’m Grievin’ and I’m Worryin’”, “I Don’t Want No Hungry Woman”, “Lookin’ For My Baby”, “I’m Broke and I Ain’t Got a Dime”, “Runaway Man Blues” and “Working Man Blues”.

Born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina to Harrie and Lizzie Council, Floyd began his musical career on the streets of Chapel Hill in the 1920s, performing with two brothers, Leo and Thomas Strowd as “The Chapel Hillbillies”. He recorded twice for ARC at sessions with Blind Boy Fuller in the mid-thirties, all examples of the Piedmont style. He was sometimes promoted as ‘Dipper Boy Council’, and ‘The Devil’s Daddy-in-Law’; but these were likely the invention of record companies, not genuine nicknames.

Council suffered a stroke in the late 1960s which partially paralyzed his throat muscles and slowed his motor skills, but did not significantly damage his cognitive abilities. Folklorist Peter B. Lowry attempted to record him one afternoon in 1970, but he never regained his singing or playing abilities. Accounts say that he remained “quite sharp in mind”.

Council died in 1976 of a heart attack, after moving to Sanford, North Carolina.

Here’s Floyd Council performing Runaway Man Blues:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Elizabeth Cotten

Smike — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:04:52 +0000

Elizabeth Cotten
1895-1987

Elizabeth Cotten was born Elizabeth Nevills in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Born into a musical family, she began playing her brothers banjo at the age of eight, and soon moved on to the guitar. She taught herself how to play the instrument, but with no conventional knowledge of tunings or techniques she developed her own unique style known as ‘Cotton Style.’ She played the guitar left-handed, using her fingers to play alternating bass patterns and her thumb to pick out the melody. It’s basically Travis picking upside-down. She composed the timeless ‘Freight Train’ at age twelve when she saw a train pass her house, but it wasn’t recorded until 50 years later when she was working as a housekeeper for Pete Seeger who rediscovered her. She performed her first show at the age of 68.

“While working for a brief stint in a department store, Cotten helped a child wandering through the aisles find her mother. The child was Peggy Seeger, and the mother was Ruth Crawford Seeger of the Charles Seeger Family. Soon after this, Elizabeth again began working as a maid, caring for the Seeger’s children Mike, Pete, and Peggy. While working with the Seegers (a voraciously musical family) she remembered her own guitar playing from 40 years prior and picked up the instrument again to start from scratch.”(1)

During the later half of the 1950s, Mike Seeger began making bedroom reel to reel recordings of Cotten’s songs in her house. The culmination of these recordings would later go on the album Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar, which was released on Folkways Records. Since its release, her songs, especially her signature track, “Freight Train,” written when she was 11, have been covered by Peter, Paul, and Mary, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, Matt Valentine, Laura Veirs, and Taj Mahal. Shortly afterwards, she began playing selected joint shows with Mike Seeger, the first of which was in 1960 at Swarthmore College. One of her songs, “Ain’t Got No Honey Baby Now,” was a Blind Boy Fuller song recorded under the title of “Lost Lover Blues” in 1940.”(2)

Click here to read our article Freight Train Derailed

Recommended Listening:

As with a lot of the musicians discussed here, its hard to identify any one album as ‘definitive,’ they all have something to offer, even if it’s alternate versions of songs you already know. Elizabeth Cotten’s case is no different, but to cut straight to the heart of her playing we feel these two albums cover everything you need. Completists need not worry, there is a plethora of material to collect.

Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk Songs and Tunes

Recorded in her bedroom in 1957 by the Seeger’s, this album truly captures the spirit and feel of Elizabeth’s music and technique. A must have.

Shake Sugaree

This 26 track compilation of recordings from ’65-’66 contains 10 previously unreleased tracks and captures Elizabeth in her glory.

For Further Study:

The Guitar of Elizabeth Cotten

Sources:
(1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cotten
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cotten#Later_career_and_recordings

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Willie Brown

Smike — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:19:07 +0000

Willie Brown
August 6, 1900 – December 30, 1952

[No known photograph exists]

Born in Clarkdale, Mississippi, Willie Brown (not to be confused with the blues guitarist William Brown from Arkansas) was among the earliest blues musicians, a talented guitarist and singer whose playing had a tremendous influence on the development of Delta Blues. His heavy driving, passionate and powerful yet intricate playing style helped lay the foundation for later generations of players like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.

Brown wasn’t the most prolific writer; he’s thought to have written very few songs. Only three solo recordings are known to exist, M&O Blues, Future Blues, and Make Me up a Pallet on your Floor. Its been debated that Rowdy Blues by Kid Bailey is Brown playing under a pseudonym, while others maintain he was on the recording but playing accompaniment. He much preferred playing as a sideman for other musicians and was in high demand as an accompanist. Some of his more notable partners were Charlie Patton and Son House.

Very little is known of his later years. He continued playing with Son House until his death at age 52 in Tunica, Mississippi. It was at this time Son House stopped playing completely until he was rediscovered years later.

His name was immortalized in the Robert Johnson song ‘Crossroads.’

You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
I got the crossroad blues this mornin’ Lord,
babe, I’m sinkin down

Recommended Listening:

Friends of Charlie Patton

This is a fantastic compilation put together by Yazoo Records containing two of his three solo performances and showcasing many friends and contemporaries including; Son House, Bukka White, the infamous aforementioned Kid Bailey, Tommy Johnson, Louise Johnson, Ishman Bracey and Bertha Lee. Yazoo puts out some of the best compilations going, unfortunately a lot of their earlier releases sound like they were taken straight from the old 78’s and plopped on CD with very little remastering. This means hisses, pops, and noisy recordings. On the other hand, where else are you going to hear this stuff?

As an Accompanist:

Primeval Blues, Rags and Gospel Songs, Charlie Patton

King of the Delta Blues, Son House

For Further Study:

Delta Blues, Book by Stefan Grossman

Delta Blues Guitar, Book and CD by Stefan Grossman

101 Mississippi Delta Blues Fingerpicking Licks, by Larry McCabe

Blues From The Delta, by William Ferris

Trivia:

In the 1986 movie Crossroads, Ralph Macchio’s search for a missing Robert Johnson song turns up an aged Willie Johnson played by Joe Seneca. Together they embark on an adventure down to the delta. A goofy but enjoyable movie.

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Mississippi Fred McDowell

Smike — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:03:41 +0000

Mississippi Fred McDowell
1904-1972

Mississippi Fred McDowell’s music is urgent and commanding. His playing is hugely rhythmic and dynamic, sparse and overflowing, passionate and heartfelt. He was born in Rossville, Tennessee where his parents died while he was very young. He was then sent to live with a sister who lived in Mississippi. At age 14 he learned how to play guitar after seeing Charlie Patton and Eli Green performing, and moved to Memphis while he was still a young man. There he worked as a farmer and field hand, playing music for tips wherever and whenever he had the chance.

He soon moved back to Como, Mississippi and continued this lifestyle, largely overlooked and unrecorded for the next thirty years. He was first recorded in 1959 by Alan Lomax, who visited his farm and recorded 14 of his songs for what became the legendary ‘First Recordings’ album. He then went back to his previous routine, and likely would have lived out his life following the same pattern had Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie records not tracked him down in 1964 and recorded two classic albums, Fred McDowell Volumes 1 & 2. It was also Strachwitz who convinced him to become a professional musician. McDowell’s appearance on the music scene during the folk revival shocked the community as this completely unknown, passionate and totally authentic Delta blues musician electrified the scene with his powerful performances.

He soon switched to playing electric guitar for the extra clarity it brought, yet kept to his roots, shunning the modern electric blues pioneered by the likes of Muddy Waters. He didn’t make his feelings about this music secret, and in 1969 released the album, “I don’t play no Rock’n’Roll. He became a huge influence on many modern players, the Rolling Stones went so far as to record a cover of his song ‘You gotta move’ for their album ‘Sticky Fingers.’

Fred McDowell is also considered to be one of the first bluesmen from the North Mississippi region to achieve fame. The North Mississippi, or Hill Country style remains rooted closer to its African roots. This music is characterized by utilizing repeating bass lines, melodies and using with single chords or very sparse chord changes to create a droning, hypnotic effect. Other Hill Country musicians include R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough and T-Model Ford, among others. Fat Possum Records has done an amazing job of finding and recording a lot of these previously unknown artists.

He died of cancer in 1972.

Video
This is a great clip of the song My Babe recorded sometime in the ’60′s, MFM just killing it on the electric.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Recommended Listening:

As with a lot of the musicians we discuss here, its hard to identify any one album as ‘definitive,’ they all have something to offer, even if it’s alternate versions of songs you already know. Here are a few recommendations which highlight different aspects of his style, and some of our favorite performances.

Portraits: The First Recordings

The original 14 songs recorded by Alan Lomax in 1959, mandatory listening.

The Best of Mississippi Fred McDowell

Great Compilation from the early days of Arhoolie, recorded by Chris Strachwitz. Even better is the unfortunately OOP album Fred McDowell: Mississippi Delta Blues which contains the last two songs ever recorded by his early mentor Eli Green.

I Do Not Play No Rock ‘N’ Roll: The Complete Sessions

A rough and tumble collection of great songs, stories and playing from his electric days.

Masters of the Country Blues – Fred McDowell and Big Joe Williams (DVD)

This release by Yazoo captured great sets by both McDowell and Big Joe Williams. Its fantastic to watch, but unfortunately the entire DVD is under an hour. Is it worth it? Depends how badly you want to see the man live. Look for it in the library first.

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Blind Blake

Smike — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:16:59 +0000

Blind Blake
Between 1890 and 1895 – Between 1933-1940

Arthur Blake, a.k.a. Blind Blake, was a prolific and talented guitarist who is often referred to as ‘King of the Ragtime Guitar.’ His complex and intricate fingerstyle techniques and diverse repertoire have influenced and inspired generations of players, including
Reverend Gary Davis and Blind Willie McTell. His style is very distinctive and difficult to imitate, owing to his original ‘rolling thumb’ technique that basically doubles his accompaniment rhythms. He probably owes more to the piano than to any of his guitar contemporaries. Very little is known of his life, and there is only one known photograph in existence.

His birthplace is listed as Jacksonville, Florida by Paramount records, but even this can’t be substantiated, others argue he was born on the Georgia Sea Islands. Nothing is known of his death, and even his name has been disputed, some claim his real name was Arthur Phelps.

Blake reportedly moved to Georgia in his late teens and made a living as a street performer, also traveling between Florida and Ohio playing parties, picnics, fish fries and suppers. He began his recording career in 1926, cutting two sides for Paramount Records, West Coast Blues and early Morning Blues, both sold well. He became so popular that Paramount would sometimes release numerous records under his name every month and he eventually went on to record some 80 sides, his best known piece today is arguably Diddy Wah Diddy. When sales began to dwindle in 1929 he began touring with a vaudeville show owned by his friend George Williams called Happy-Go-Lucky, he continued doing this until the early 30’s. He recorded his final songs for Paramount in 1932, when the company went bankrupt.

Details of his death are sketchy, even the year and place can’t be confirmed. There are many different first hand accounts of his demise, ranging from alcoholism, to getting hit by a streetcar, to murder. All that is certain of this mysterious and incredible talent is that he died way too young.

Recommended Listening

As with a lot of the musicians we discuss here, its hard to identify any one album as ‘definitive,’ they all have something unique to offer, and as you know Blind Blake didn’t release albums per se, these are all collections of sides. Here are a few recommendations which highlight some of the highlights, and contain great combinations of his recordings.

The Best of Blind Blake

There are really only two routes to go when embarking on a Blind Blake collection, the ‘best of’ way or the ‘completist’ way. There are various collections available; we feel that this is one of the better best of compilations because it contains some of his best known material, as well as a good selection of lesser known songs. This is the perfect album for discovering this one-of-a-kind talent.

All the Published Sides (Box Set)

For your money, you can’t do any better than this collection from JSP Records. Five CDs containing everything he ever recorded, and nearly the same price as the best of compilations. JSP albums have a tendency to disappear quickly, so if this is what you’re looking for order it as soon as you can. The other option is to collect these as single CD’s through the Complete Recorded Works series, but unless you’re looking for a few specific songs not included on the JSP collection, this is way gets a little too expensive.

For Further Study

Blind Blake by Stefan Grossman/Early Masters of American Blues Guitar (Book & CD)

The Guitar Of Blind Blake by Woody Mann (DVD)

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Blind Willie Johnson

Smike — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:40:19 +0000

Blind Willie Johnson
1902-1949 or 1950

Blind Willie Johnson combined the passion of gospel music with the intensity of the blues unlike any other artist. His deep, gravelly vocals soared mightily over his haunted, burning slide guitar, creating a hard-hitting spiritual experience which remains unparalleled. He recorded only 30 sides, mostly adapted from hymns, including Jesus Make up my Dying Bed, Let you Light Shine on Me, Nobody’s Fault but Mine, as well as his masterpiece Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground. It’s impossible to describe this raw, haunted, tortured, ethereal instrumental accompanied by fevered moans, it remains one of the most moving pieces of music ever recorded.

“Blind Willie Johnson was born in 1897 near Brenham, Texas (before the discovery of his death certificate, Temple, Texas had been suggested as his birthplace). When he was five, he told his father he wanted to be a preacher, and then made himself a cigar box guitar. His mother died when he was young and his father remarried soon after her death.
It is thought that Johnson was married twice, first to a woman with the same first name, Willie B Harris, and later to a young singer named Angeline, who was the sister of blues guitarist L.C. Robinson. No marriage certificates have yet been discovered. As Angeline Johnson often sang and performed with him, the first person to attempt to research his biography, Samuel Charters, made the mistake of assuming it was Angeline who had sung on several of Johnson’s records. However, later research showed that it was Johnson’s first wife.

Johnson was not born blind, and, although it is not known how he lost his sight, Angeline Johnson provided the following account to Samuel Charters. She said when Willie was seven his father beat his stepmother after catching her going out with another man. The stepmother then picked up a handful of lye and threw it, not at Willie’s father, but into the face of young Willie.

Johnson remained poor until the end of his life, preaching and singing in the streets of Beaumont, Texas to anyone who would listen. A city directory shows that in 1944, a Rev W J Johnson, undoubtedly Blind Willie, operated the House of Prayer at 1440 Forrest Street, Beaumont, Texas. This is the same address listed on Blind Willie’s death certificate. In 1945, his home burned to the ground. With nowhere else to go, Johnson lived in the burned ruins of his home, sleeping on a wet bed. He lived like this until he contracted pneumonia two weeks later, and died. (The death certificate reports the cause of death as malarial fever, with syphilis as a contributing factor.) In a later interview his wife said she tried to take him to a hospital but they refused to admit him because he was black, while other sources report that, according to Johnson’s wife, his refusal was due to his blindness. Although there is some dispute as to where his grave is, members of the Beaumont community have committed to finding the site and preserving it.” (1)

Video:

No actually footage exists of a BWJ performance. This clip comes from the Wim Wenders’ film “The Soul of a Man” created for the PBS TV series Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues – A Musical Journey produced by Martin Scorcese. The music is performed by Blind Willie Johnson, portrayed by Chris Thomas King ( a formidable blues musician in his own right, he also played Tommy Johnson in the film O’ Brother Where Art Thou?

Recommended Listening:

The Complete Blind Willie Johnson

Honestly, this is all you need. Don’t waste your time with a best of, this contains every track he recorded, and you need to hear them all.

For Further Study:

Revelation, Blind Willie Johnson the Biography by D., N. Blakey

Sources:
(1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Willie_Johnson
(2)The Rough Guide to Blues