Take 5 With Leroy Carr

Leroy Carr was one of the most influential blues artists who ever lived.  A singer-pianist and songwriter, he had some of the biggest-selling blues records of his time and many of his songs became blues standards. his duets with guitarist Scrapper Blackwell also were highly influential as well.

Our initial recording on our playlist is probably his most famous song, "How Long, How Long Blues." It is true other songs anticipate his recording. Still, the impact of this recording was felt decades later in recordings and performances by so many including Tampa Red, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Big Joe Turner, Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, Lou Rawls, and B.B. King.

It should be known that Carr's melodies would be adapted by Robert Johnson. One such song was "Midnight Hour Blues" that Johnson used for "Four Until Late."

Elmore James was a fan of Carr, having recorded renditions of several Carr songs. One song that Elmore performed was "Blues Before Sunrise."

Unusual is this bouncy song relating to the circus, "Carried Water For the Elephants."

Little Johnnie Jones was one of a number of blues artists who have recorded "Prison Bound Blues" with its haunting lyrics.

That is the fifth and final song for this Take 5. I previously did a blog post on Carr's classic, "In The Evening," which is linked here and includes a number of interpretations of that song.