Classic Piedmont Blues From Smithsonian Folkways

Various
Classic Piedmont Blues From Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways

A new acoustic blues compilation from Smithsonian Folkways delves in the archives for the selections on this. Piedmont blues has an easy flow played in a finger-picking style where the guitarist, according to the late John Cephas, uses "thumb and fingers with an alternating thumb and finger style. I keep a constant bass line going with my thumb, and on the treble strings I pick out the melody or the words of the song I'm singing." Cephas is quoted in the cogent booklet with liner notes on the Piedmont blues, and the specific songs included (along with artist biographies), by Barry Lee Pearson.

From the opening John Jackson performance of "Truckin' Little Woman," the delightful Warner Williams performance, "Hey Bartender There's a Big Bug in My Beer" with Kentucky flatpicker Eddie Pennington, several performances of Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, Baby Tate's wonderful "If I Could Holler Like a Mountain Jack," along with the incomparable Rev. Gary Davis' instrumental "Mountain Jack," John Cephas and Phil Wiggins' rendition of Blind Boy Fuller's "Mamie," Elizabeth Cotton's "Going Down The Road Feeling Bad," Pink Anderson's "Meet Me in the Bottom," to the closing tribute by Archie Edwards to his friend  Mississippi John Hurt, "The Road Is Rough and Rocky," this is marvelously played music by some of the style's  finest artists.

There are also included a few performances by old-time music artists such as Hobart Smith, Doc Watson and Roscoe Holcomb, and as Pearson notes there was plenty of musical interaction between such a artists with Black artists. One of my finest memories of John Jackson was him playing old-time string band music with former musical students of him and it is unfortunate that none of the performances he and Doc Watson performed together at The Smithsonian Folklife Festival have been issued as they would have made this wonderful collection even better.

I do note that the Archie Edwards performance had been previously issued on the similarly theme Smithsonian-Folkways collection "Classic Appalachian Blues" and it is unfortunate another performance by him was not chosen. Still this is a first-rate collection of this blues style.

I purchased this recording. Here is the late John Jackson performing.

Smithsonian Folkways' Classic Appalachian Blues

As Jeff Place, who with Barry Lee Pearson compiled Classic Appalachian Blues (Smithsonian-Folkways) states, the ‘Classic’ series on Smithsonian Folkways aims to draw attention to significant recordings from the Folkways and Smithsonian collections. Classic Appalachian Blues “features musicians from the region known as the Southern Appalachians. It includes musicians from deep in the mountains as well as from the foothills leading up to them.” The Folkways label had a number of fine recordings in its catalog of performers in this tradition by the likes of Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry and Pink Anderson and adding recordings from the Folklife Festival collection by John Jackson, Big Chief Ellis and others makes this a particularly valuable collection.

Tracks by Stick McGhee, whose voice and guitar is joined by the harmonica of Sonny Terry and J.C. Burris, open and close this CD. McGhee is heard on the upbeat My Baby’s Gone, as well as a spirited reprise of his hit recording Wine Blues (Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee). There is a fine performance by Stick’s brother, Brownie McGhee, on a 1945 recording Pawnshop Blues, an adaptation of a Blind Boy Fuller number. At the time of these recordings both had relocated to New York as had Reverend Gary Davis, certainly amongst the greatest acoustic blues guitarists, he is represented here by a stunning 1957 instrumental rendition of Hesitation Blues. Another Piedmont legend who established himself was Josh White who had gone from a singing evangelist and Piedmont Tom to Cafe Society by the time he performed the solid Move to the Outskirts of Town heard here.

Not all of the Appalachian masters moved to New York. Pink Anderson stayed in South Carolina and is heard on a fine You Don’t Know My Mind. Sonny Terry’s nephew, J.C. Burris moved to California . He is heard on Blues Around My Bed, with just his harp (sounding like his uncle) accompanying his strong vocal. Arhoolie issued a full album of his music. The lovely One Dime Blues is from a 1992 Barns of Wolf Trap performance by Etta Baker who charmed so many with her agile guitar picking and warm manner. Baby Tate, who was friends with Pink Anderson, was another artist influenced by Blind Boy Fuller, and his rendition of See What You Done Done, echoes Red River Blues and Crow Jane, in its accompaniment that is part of a first-rate performance.

The Washington DC area was a destination for many folks. Phil Wiggins and the late John Cephas met through Alabama pianist Big Chief Ellis who formed the Barrelhouse Rockers and back backing pianist Big Chief Ellis on Louise Blues, from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1976 with Wiggins driving harp accompaniment contrasting with Ellis’ understated boogie piano. John Jackson was prominent in the Washington DC area for the last four decades of his life and is heard on a fine rendition of the bad-man ballad Railroad Bill. The late Archie Edwards was another Washington DC area treasure, and is represented by a 1978 Folklife Festival rendition of his signature song, My Road Is Rough and Rocky, his tribute to Mississippi John Hurt, his boyhood idol and later good friend. It is a performance with an affable vocal and wonderful rolling guitar.

The Appalachian area was one where there was considerable interaction between Black and White musicians despite the fact of segregation and Doc Watson is heard on a lively Sitting On Top of the World, taken at a bit brisker tempo than usual. I have fond memories of Watson and John Jackson playing at Folklife Festivals. Another performance crossing racial lines is Roscoe Holcomb who brings a mountain guitar approach to Mississippi Heavy Water Blues, originally recorded by Atlanta bluesman Barbecue Bob. Then there is E.C. Ball from Rugby, Virginia and mentor of guitarist (and luthier) Wayne Henderson. Ball is a marvelous player and heard on Blues in the Morning His cited influences include Riley Puckett, Chet Atkins, Sam McGee and Maybelle Carter.

John Jackson was among the greatest of the finger style guitarists along with Blind Blake and Reverend Gary Davis. Another on that level was Bill Williams, born in Richmond, Virginia but who moved to Kentucky and who actually teamed up with Blind Blake in Bristol, Tennessee. Williams was briefly ‘rediscovered’ and made some recordings (some for Yazoo’s Blue Goose subsidiary). His 1971 Folklife Festival, performance Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down, is a song that crossed racial lines, with Williams providing a driving accompaniment here. In contrast to many solo performances here, is a fine string band performance by Martin, Bogan and Armstrong with Carl Martin’s mandolin and vocal and Howard Armstrong’s violin standing out in their string band blues, Hoodoo Blues. 

Others heard on this include Leslie Riddle, who is best known as having been a friend of the Carter Family (Mother Maybelle Carter learned her guitar style from him). He is heard from 1976 on the Appalachian blues standard Red River Blues, with steady guitar and vocal. Also from 1976, was the veteran medicine show performer Peg Leg Jackson with just his vocal and harmonica on a spirited Walking Cane. The Foddrell Brothers, Marvin and Turner, were from Stuart, Virginia and were wonderful traditional blues performers as illustrated by their 1977 Folklife Festival rendition of I Got a Woman. Also from 1977 comes a nice performance from John Tinsley, Girl Dressed in Green. 

With twenty-one performances and about 66 minutes of music, Classic Appalachian Blues offers considerable value as well much excellent music. Inclusion of many artists who made few recordings which are often hard-to-find as well as a generous selection of performances from the Smithsonian’s Folklife Archives adds to the value as does the excellent and informative booklet by compilers Jeff Place and Barry Lee Pearson.

I was provided a download of a review copy from Smithsonian-Folkways from whom one can purchase this (as well as the booklet I refer to).

Franklin & Baytop "Searching For Frank"

while Rick Franklin and Mike Baytop are two of the most accomplished acoustic blues artists in the Washington DC area. Franklin has been a staple of the area’s acoustic scene for over two decades including a lengthy partnership with Neil Harpe. Baytop was mentored by the late Archie Edwards and became President of the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation that still operates out of Archie’s Barbershop, holding the weekly jam sessions that Archie had hosted along with workshops and concerts. He has recorded with DC native Mike Roach on harmonica and recently with projects associated with the Foundation. He has also grown as a guitarist and also plays bones, guitar and mandolin. Franklin & Baytop have partnered for a new disc, Searching For Frank for Patuxent Records, which takes its name from legendary Memphis Bluesman Frank Stokes whose twenties and thirties recordings for Victor and other labels in the company of Dan Sane and others were amongst the finest recordings of the pre-World War 11 era with the intricate interplay between the two and Stokes strongly delivered vocals. The album contains fourteen performances, several directly taken from recordings of Stokes and his associates but transformed so its no simple cover. Their intent was to evoke those classic duo recordings, but not to simply replicate the originals. Furthermore, several tracks have Baytop on harp and/or bones, so while all tracks are duos, not all are guitar duos. They make the music their own as Nobody’s Business transforms the Memphis references of Stokes’ Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do to Washington DC, as well as updates Stokes’ You Shall as You Shall Be Free, a tune that likely came out of the minstrel tradition. Other material includes Blind Blake’s Champagne Charlie, Pink Anderson’s I Got Mine, an adaptation of Furry Lewis’ Judge Harsh Blues (Jail House Blues) and the Mississippi Sheiks’ Stop and Listen Blues. The two play wonderfully and its delightful to hear Memphis in the twenties evoked. While neither are great singers, they both deliver their vocals in unforced, husky, good-natured styles. One can hear in these performances how much they enjoy playing this material and they do not sound like they are too studied or reverent with respect to the material which increases the pleasure of this disc. Also, they avoid over-recorded early blues recordings so thankfully we are spared second rate Robert Johnson covers This release is available from the Patuxent Records website at www.pxrec.com or email Rick Franklin at rick.franklin@onebox.com for information on how to purchase this.