Southern Casey Jones and other great Blues piano

Today I present five great examples of blues piano. Here is five classic recordings.

First up is Jesse James who recorded four sides in 1936. Not much is known about him, but Southern Casey Jones is a terrific piano stomp.  Great vocal too. It is available on a compilation of folk and blues train songs, Black Diamond Express to Hell

Here is Charlie Spand with Blind Blake celebrating Detroit's Hasting Street. Spand was on my list of 10 great blues pianists and I recommend the Yazoo reissue "Dreaming The Blues: The Best of Charlie Spand.

Hersal Thomas, brother of Sippie Wallace, was a blues piano pioneer. Here is his classic instrumental Suitcase Blues from 1925. This is a song that Sippie would perform later.

Despite having participated in the recording of about 200 songs in the 1930s, Black Bob is biographical enigma. While his identity may not be known, his piano playing remains memorable as this selection displays. Here he is heard with Memphis Minnie and Casey Bill Weldon on New Orleans Stop Time.

Finally, the wonderful Cripple Clarence Lofton. Here on Brown Skin Girls, Big Bill Broonzy is on guitar as Lofton lays down some tough boogie woogie, whistles and shouts the blues before instructing Broonzy to "Beat it out Bill."

There, five examples of great blues piano.