The Delmore Brothers - Classic Cuts Vol. 2: The Later Years 1933-1952

Here's another fine JSP box of vintage American roots music. And really, it couldn't be more different from Blind Lemon Jefferson. Where he was raw, the Delmores were polished. His records were buried under a cloud of surface noise. These are nearly immaculate. He was (or at least sounded) quite crazy and wild, while the Delmores are definitely under control - though not tame by any standards. And yet, as progenitors of American music, their worth is equal. If you listen to the Delmore Brothers and then listen to Doc Watson, you'll hear their influence clear as day. Bluegrass, too, drew heavily upon the style of the Delmore Brothers, evolving from a similar brother-duet, the Monroe Brothers. They were a pivotal transformational group, taking country music from the hills to the city, and picking up a boogie rhythm along the way. Most country, rockabilly, bluegrass, and Americana groups owe some debt to the music of the Delmore Brothers, whether they know it or not.

So they were important. But are they still? Is it worth it to listen to this kind of music, which has been supplanted by so many later developments? In the case of old-time, hillbilly music, and country blues I'd say unquestionably so. In the case of the Delmores, I'm less sure. I certainly don't relate to a lot of the lyrical content, singing about going back to Georgia or when we meet mother again in heaven above. Or perhaps it has to do with the fact that their greatest popularity was in the 40s and 50s, a time when radio was the dominant musical outlet and acts became quite polished, often resorting to lowest-common-denominator tactics to achieve radio-friendly success. But then, set against that backdrop, it becomes clear that while the Delmore's music bears some stylistic handles of that time and culture, the quality of their music stands out quite apart from the bulk of what was produced then. And though much of their music sounds similar, there is no denying the brilliance and jump of tracks like "Brown's Ferry Blues" and "Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar" - both of which survived long in the repertoire of Doc Watson.

Pieces of The Carter Family, Jimmie Rogers, and Bob Wills can all be seen in this music, as well as the premonitions of what would become bluegrass flatpicking. And their singing is so tight, pure, and seamless - in a way that only brothers can be - that it set the standard for every brother act to follow: Louvin Brothers, Everly Brothers, younameit. Anyways, I'll leave it to you to determine if this music is still relevant in your world. If you aren't sure that you'll like this, download disc B, which has both their earlier acoustic duet sound, some tracks with a guest fiddler, and a bit of their later sound which incorporated steel guitar. Needless to say, small doses are probably best for this kind of thing...

The Delmore Brothers
Biography by Richie Unterberger

The Delmore Brothers are not nearly as well-known as such early country giants as the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, and Hank Williams. The reasons for this, upon close inspection of their work, are not readily apparent. They were one of the greatest early country harmonizers, drawing from both gospel and Appalachian folk. They were skilled songwriters, penning literally hundreds of songs, many of which have proven to be durable. Most important, they were among the few early traditional country acts to change with the times, and pioneer some of those changes. Their recordings from the latter half of the 1940s married traditional country to boogie beats and bluesy riffs. In this respect they laid a foundation for rockabilly and early rock & roll, and rate among the most important white progenitors of those forms.

The Delmores were born into poverty in Elkmont, AL, as the sons of tenant farmers. Alton (b. December 25, 1908) would write most of the duo's original material, although his younger brother Rabon (b. December 3, 1916) was also a competent writer. Performing on guitar and vocals from early ages, they were playing as a pair by the time Rabon was ten years old. In the early '30s, they were confident enough to enter professional music, auditioning for Columbia in 1931 and successfully auditioning for Nashville radio station WSM the following year.

Throughout the 1930s, the Delmore Brothers recorded often, as well as performing on several radio stations. They probably gained their most early fame, however, from their long-running stint with the Grand Ole Opry between 1932 and 1938. The music emphasized their beautiful soft harmonies, accomplished guitar picking, and strong original compositions. Unusually for that time (or any other), the Delmores would switch high and low harmony parts from song to song (or even within the same song), although Alton would usually sing lead. Whether performing their own songs, traditional ones, or gospel, they brought a strong bluesy feeling to both their music and their vocals. It's that element, perhaps, that enables the Delmores, more than many other acts of the time, to speak to listeners of subsequent generations. Not to be underestimated either are their down-to-earth lyrical concerns, which address commonplace struggles and lost love with grace and redeeming, good-natured humor, rarely resorting to cornball tears.

In 1944, the Delmores signed with King, inaugurating an era which found them delving into and innovating more modern forms of country. Although their first sides for the label stuck to a traditional mold, in 1946 they expanded from their acoustic two-piece arrangements into full-band backup, with bass, mandolin, steel guitar, fiddle, harmonica, and additional guitars. Some of those additional guitars were supplied by Merle Travis, who credited Alton Delmore as a key influence.

In retrospect, however, the most important backup musician on these sides was Wayne Raney, who played a "choke" style of harmonica that was heavily influenced by the blues. The Delmores were also leaning increasingly toward up-tempo material that reflected the upsurge in Western swing and boogie-woogie. By the end of 1947, they were also using electric guitar and drums. Raney (who also sang) in effect acted as a third member of the Delmores in the late '40s and early '50s, when they plunged full-tilt into hillbilly boogie.

These are the most widely available and, in some ways, best Delmore Brothers sides. They were also the most successful, and in the late '40s the brothers reached their commercial peak, releasing a series of hard-driving boogies with thumping backbeats and bluesy structures. Arguably they milked the cow dry, recording "Hillybilly Boogie," "Steamboat Bill Boogie," "Barnyard Boogie," "Mobile Boogie," "Freight Train Boogie," and even "Pan American Boogie."

These were usually exciting performances, though, featuring extended guitar solos that clearly looked forward to the rock era. Listen, for instance, to the lengthy guitar breaks of "Beale Street Boogies" (unreleased at the time) -- very few, if any, white or black artists were riffing so extensively in 1947. And of course "Beale Street" itself was a tribute to the most famous musical street in Memphis, the city that did so much to cross-fertilize black and white roots music into what became rock & roll.

The Delmores didn't stick entirely to boogies during the King era, also releasing some slower bluesy material. One of these, the original "Blues Stay Away From Me," became their biggest hit, and indeed the most famous Delmore Brothers song of all, often covered by subsequent country and pop artists. Interestingly, the Delmores continued to record gospel on the side, as part of the Brown's Ferry Four, a quartet which also included (at various points) Grandpa Jones, Merle Travis, and Red Foley.

As influential as the Delmores' King sides may have been on the future of American pop, the Delmores themselves would not be able to capitalize on that future. By the early '50s, their commercial success was fading. After the death of his young daughter, Alton drank heavily; worse, Rabon died of lung cancer on December 4, 1952. Alton (like longtime accompanist Wayne Raney) did record some material as a solo act, in both the gospel and rockabilly fields. Alton was way too old to begin a new career as a rockabilly singer, though, and he didn't record much for the last decade of his life. He wrote the autobiography Truth Is Stranger Than Publicity (published posthumously in 1977 by CMF) before dying on June 9, 1964. By that time the Delmore Brothers' work had already proven extremely influential, particularly on the harmonies of fellow sibling acts the Louvin Brothers and the Everly Brothers. They left behind an extraordinary lengthy and consistent body of recorded work -- virtually none of their sides are lousy, at least the ones which have been reissued. Much of the Delmores' early material, unfortunately, can be hard to locate, although many of the King sides have been reissued on CD.

more at http://www.delmorebrothers.net/


The Delmore Brothers
by John Lilly

"There was a big crowd there and everything was decorated and all fixed up like the president of the United States would be there. It was by far the biggest and most important contest in the entire country. People who had never been to a contest before gathered with the contestants at the Old Athens (Alabama) Agricultural School. My mother had made (guitar) cases for us out of cotton sacks we used during the picking season and we had our names on them spelled out in full. I painted them on the cases with pokeberry juice.

"You know how it feels to be a combatant in any kind of contest so we rightly felt proud of the sack cases and we were primed to go for the first in the prizes in each case. I entered the contest for the best guitarist and we also entered the contest for the best band. There were some bands there that would have given Bob Wills some strong competition if Bob had been there. We didn't think we would win that one. By then we had 'Brown's Ferry Blues' down pretty pat-in fact we could play it then just as good as we ever did.

"When it came our time to play we sang just as soft as we could and just as loud as we could but we put the music in there, too -and that counts as much as anything I can think of to help put an act over. You can analyze music and record hits, I mean the legitimate ones, and you will find that there is a synchronization between the voice or voices and the instrumentation.

"We got tied for the first place with three pretty girls. Nothing worse could have happened because we knew the crowd usually takes sides with the singer if it happens to be a girl and those three girls could really sing. The rules were that they were to play two songs and two for us. The girls went out first, and I could tell they had lost something of their quality on their very first song. Their second one was not any better but they still got a tremendous hand from the audience. I knew we had something to beat. Rabon did, too, but it just made us work harder. We could feel the challenge in the air.

"For our first number we used the old song 'Columbus Stockade Blues.' It was written by Tom Darby and Jimmie Tarltor It is a plaintive prison and love song combined and when we got through singing men threw their hats into the top of the house and everybody screamed like the had really never before. We thought had it won then and we did but we still had the 'Brown's Ferry Blues' for them and when we did it the people really went wild and we won that contest without any question or any doubt. And that started us on our way to the Grand Ole Opry and the big record companies. Incidentally, I also won the first place for guitar playing with an instrumental rendition of 'St. Louis Blues.' Our names came out in the paper and it was really swell. Of all the days of triumph in my life, there were none any greater than those."

Alton Delmore, in his autobiography Truth Is Stranger Than Publicity (copyright 1977 by the Country Music Foundation Press, Nashville, TN) points to this February, 1930 triumph at a down-home fiddlers convention in northern Alabama as a great crossroads for himself and his younger brother Rabon. Competing as the Delmore Brothers, they had been bringing home the ham, horse harnesses, or whatever the prizes happened to be at local contests for three or four years by then. But their success at the big contest in Athens was encouragement enough to send them, guitars, cotton sacks, pokeberry juice, and all down the road to becoming the first professional country music duet and one of the most innovative, influential, and enduring acts in country music history.

Born the eighth and tenth children of tenant farmers, Alton on Christmas day, 1908, and Rabon on December 3, 1916, the Delmores grew up on various red dirt farms across Limestone County, Alabama, just south of the Tennessee line. Raised on hard work, hard times, and southern values, the Delmores spent what little spare time they had enjoying the wealth of string-band music and gospel singing that came with that particular territory. Many family members played musical instruments, and everybody sang. One close relative, Uncle Will, was also a hymn writer and music teacher. He taught Alton to sing and read shape notes, and inspired him to try his hand at writing songs. By the time Alton was thirteen years old, he had published his first original song, a gospel number he co-wrote with his mother entitled "Bound For the Shore." (Alton later went on to write over 1000 songs in his lifetime!)

While recuperating from a childhood illness, Alton had the chance to spend many hours listening to music on phonograph records and, like so many others, he fell under the influence of Jimmie Rodgers. Also inspired by the guitar styles of Riley Puckett, Carson Robison, Nick Lucas, and Eddie Lang, Alton taught himself to play. Incorporating the music theory he had learned from his Uncle Will, together with the already established styles of his musical heroes, Alton developed a sophisticated and unique approach to the guitar. He utilized the entire fingerboard to create adventurous chord positions, and emphasized a strong sense of drive and melody in his lead playing. He also taught himself to play banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and-inspired by a traveling vaudeville show-the tenor guitar.

Brother Rabon, eight years younger than Alton, was already learning fiddle and guitar when Alton brought home the small, strange, four-stringed instrument. Tuned like a tenor banjo, but softer and sweeter sounding, the tenor guitar proved to be a natural instrument for Rabon. Not yet ten years old, he adapted well to the size of the instrument and, with his big brother to coach him, he soon became proficient at playing both melodies and imaginative back-up chords and rhythms.

Armed with this unusual combination of 6-string and tenor guitars, and blessed with a soft and subtle vocal blend, the Delmore Brothers took it public for the first time at a rural high school fiddlers convention in 1926. Alton was 18 years old, Rabon was 10, and the competition was stiff. With no amplification the two young boys were virtually drowned out by the reveling festival-goers for the first half of their first song. But as they sang and played, a quiet came over the crowd, the way it does when someone important is speaking. By the time they had finished their second song the crowd roared its approval, they won second prize, and the Delmore Brothers act had been born.

Many high schools and fiddlers conventions followed, leading up to the big contest at Athens in 1930. Buoyed by this success and some advice and encouragement from Victor and Columbia recording artists, the Allen Brothers, Alton and Rabon arranged a November, 1931 audition in Atlanta for Columbia Records. During this visit, they met several famous artists from Columbia's roster including Riley Puckett, Clayton McMichen, and Fiddlin' John Carson, whose acceptance and appreciation of the Delmores' talent gave them much-needed self confidence.

As they stood in the studio to sing, they were bewildered by what Alton thought looked like a little can on the end of a pole.

Not knowing that this "little can" was a microphone, Alton and Rabon sang two original songs into it-"Alabama Lullabye" and "Got the Kansas City Blues." The whole experience seemed unreal to them at the time. Not knowing whether this was a dream or a nightmare, they were brought in to listen to the test pressing, hearing themselves recorded for the very first time. According to Alton, "We sounded. . . much better than our real selves, we thought. There was something divine in that little can, as it looked to us, that helped us immensely and changed us from two country farm boy singers to something 'uptown' and acceptable to listeners who bought records and listened to the radio programs. That was the whole secret of our good luck. Our voices took well to the microphone."

The flip side of their luck was that Columbia soon went (temporarily) out of business and the Delmore Brothers' initial release sold only 500 copies. Barely missing a beat, however, they used this recording to promote themselves, and in 1932 were invited to Nashville's WSM radio to audition for the Grand Ole Opry. Although they got off on a bad foot by arriving a day late and embarrassed themselves further by starting their audition with an unimpressive cover version of an overdone Opry song, Opry manager Harry Stone was keenly interested in their supply of original material. They were hired by the Opry in April, 1932. This combination of awkwardness and success apparent in their Opry audition foreshadowed the love/hate relationship which the Delmore Brothers and the Grand Ole Opry experienced throughout their association from 1932 through 1938.

Alton Delmore's autobiography fills in these years with colorful detail, describing their quick rise in popularity with Opry audiences and their continued butting of heads with Opry management. Meager and frustrating as it may have been, the Delmore Brothers had now achieved their goal of making a living as professional entertainers. To sustain this, they kept up a hectic pace. They played several radio shows over WSM during the week, travelled to as many road dates as possible with such people as Uncle Dave Macon, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, DeFord Bailey, and Roy Acuff, while always making it back to Nashville in time for the Saturday night Opry show.

Just as importantly, during these years the Delmores began recording for Victor on their Bluebird label, waxing over 80 sides and establishing themselves as the most successful recording artists on the Opry at that time. Their first session for Bluebird in 1933 included some of the duo's most enduring numbers including "Brown's Ferry Blues," "Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar," "Blue Railroad Train" (their tribute to Jimmie Rodgers), and "Big River Blues." In addition to their intricate harmonies, stellar guitar work, and songwriting, Victor's A & R man, Eli Oberstein was struck by their lonesome two-part yodeling. A unique twist on Jimmie Rodgers' now-popular vocal signature, the Delmores' pliable harmonies gave the yodel a fresh twist and added another dimension to their inimitable style.

"Divinely innocent," as Alton described himself and his brother, the Delmores were a welcome addition to the Nashville musical community, but were often taken for a ride by unethical business people and occasionally fell victims to the lures and excesses of big city life. By 1938, they were ready for a change.

WPTF radio in Raleigh, North Carolina made them an offer, and together with their newly-formed string band and fast growing families, they packed their cars and headed east on route U.S. 70. The group stayed in Raleigh for a year, marking the first in a dizzying succession of radio stations and new "hometowns." Over the next dozen years, the Delmore Brothers were regular performers on at least 12 more radio stations and made personal appearances in 37 states. Ranging from Baltimore to Del Rio, Texas, they lived a nomadic lifestyle of radio shows, live programs, and long miles.

Alton's son, Lionel, born in 1940, grew up this way. From his earliest memories he was surrounded and inspired by his father's music. Earning the nickname "Tag-a-long, " Lionel was on stage singing at age four, and traveling to town after town as Alton booked and promoted show dates, leaned into microphones to sing with his brother, and wrote song after song. Since Rabon never learned to drive, Alton spent many hours behind the wheel. According to Lionel, this is where many Delmore Brothers songs were written-Alton would develop ideas while he was driving and call them out to Rabon who, after making a few adjustments, would write them down. This method of collaboration yielded many successful songs and doubtlessly helped to propel Lionel into a fruitful career as a songwriter; Lionel Delmore currently lives in Nashville and has had dozens of songs recorded, many of them by country singer, John Anderson, including the huge hit, "Swingin’."

Creatively, the Delmore Brothers seemed to thrive on the freedom of the open road. Not only did they continue to write great songs, but they developed as musicians and entertainers as well. Their show grew to include not only duet vocal numbers, but also comedy, gospel, and instrumental showpieces. Rabon became an excellent 6string jazz style guitarist and would impress audiences with his handling of pop tunes such as "Baby It's Cold Outside" and "Stormy Weather." Alton, having benefited from his earlier years with Fiddlin Arthur Smith, would play tunes like "Devil's Dream," "Fire On the Mountain," or "Hell Amongst the Yearlings" on the fiddle.

Moving to Decca Records in 1940, and then helping to found King Records in 1944, the Delmores continued to have an active and successful recording career. While on WLW radio in Cincinnati in 1945, Alton and Rabon formed a gospel quartet with talented (and soon to be famous) country musicians Merle Travis and Grandpa Jones. The quartet, called the Brown's Ferry Four, performed and recorded many of Alton's original gospel songs.

Moving to Memphis in 1947, the brothers found themselves in the middle of a history-making music scene. The birth of rock-a-billy was just over the horizon and the Delmores helped to lay the groundwork with some pioneering country-boogie recordings with harmonica player Wayne Raney, including "Freight Train Boogie." It was during this period that they wrote and recorded their most successful song and one of the first "crossover" hits in country music, "Blues, Stay Away From Me."

Despite this and other high water marks, the Delmore fortunes were notoriously inconsistent. In an excellent article by graduate student Lynn Pruett, appearing in Alabama Heritage magazine (summer 1987), she states: "On Thanksgiving Day 1951, 42year-old country singer and songwriter Alton Delmore sat down to dinner with his family in their small home in Houston, Texas. At Alton's direction, they bowed their heads and thanked the Lord for their meal of apples and mayonnaise. Two days later, seated at the same table, the Delmores played cards and listened to "The Hit Parade," the nation's top radio show. When the announcer named "Beautiful Brown Eyes" one of the hit songs of the week, Alton laid his cards on the table and wept. 'I've got the number eight song in the nation,' he said, 'and I can't feed my family a Thanksgiving dinner.'

"The popular success of 'Beautiful Brown Eyes' should have guaranteed many Thanksgiving dinners for its composer, but Alton, never an astute businessman, had lost all rights to the song. Someone else had claimed authorship, and Delmore, lacking the financial resources to fight a legal battle, settled out of court. By the time Rosemary Clooney, Jimmy Wakely, and Bing Crosby recorded the song, 'Beautiful Brown Eyes' was worth far more than the $1500 Alton had been paid.

"Although bad luck and hard times seemed to be the chorus that followed Alton and his brother Rabon throughout their joint musical career, the Delmore Brothers. . .profoundly influenced the country music of their day. The first professional country duet, they introduced the boogie beat to country music, set the standard of musicianship in the country music world, and contributed such mainstays to the country canon as 'Midnight Special,' 'Southern Moon,' 'Blues, Stay Away From Me,' 'Brown's Ferry Blues,' and 'There's a Page in the Bible.' But they never did strike it rich."

Rabon Delmore died of lung cancer one day past his thirty-sixth birthday on December 4, 1952.

Alton, shaken by this loss, the loss of his father, the death of his young daughter Susan, and his own heart attack all within a three-year period, lost his "starch," according to son, Lionel. Settling back in Huntsville, Alabama, Alton taught some guitar, did odd jobs, and devoted his creative energies to writing prose, first a series of fictional short stories, then the ambitious work of his autobiography, which is still in print and is highly recommended.

Alton died of heart failure on June 9, 1964. Since that time, much has been made of the Delmore Brothers and their accomplishments. They have been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Alabama Country Music Association Hall of Fame, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Their songs continue to be performed and recorded by a wide array of artists ranging from Doc Watson, to Hank Williams Jr., to Mark Knopfler (of the English rock band Dire Straits), to k.d. lang (who recently recorded "Blues, Stay Away From Me" together with Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee, and Loretta Lynn).

The impact of the Delmore Brothers career is difficult to overestimate. Their smooth, intricate harmonies were strikingly different from the harder-edged mountain vocal styles which preceded them in country music, and had a profound effect on future "brother duets" such as the Blue Sky Boys, Louvin Brothers, Jim and Jesse, and the Everly Brothers. The country-boogie sound which they pioneered, its compelling rhythm and hot guitar solos, opened the door for the honky-tonk and rock-a-billy music of the 1950s which in turn charted the course of popular music for generations to come. Their legacy of over 200 major-label recordings and 1,000 original songs are still in active use today, 40 years after Alton and Rabon played their last note together. During their long and tenacious careers they taught the world of country music many things, among them; how to use vocal microphones to good advantage; how to use sophisticated and unusual chords in country songs; and how to combine the benefits of radio, recording, and live performance to create a profession in country music.

Old-time, bluegrass, folk, country, and rock-a-billy artists all owe a debt to these remarkably eclectic, broad-minded, and creative gentlemen who helped expand the definition of country music for millions of listeners.


The Delmore Brothers - Classic Cuts Vol. 2: The Later Years 1933-1952

Year: 2007
Label: JSP

Review by Mark Deming

The Delmore Brothers were one of the first great hillbilly acts, recording dozens of sides with thrilling Appalachian harmonies and subtle but impressive instrumental work that were to be a clear, crucial influence on such performers as the Stanley Brothers, the Maddox Brothers & Rose, and the Louvin Brothers (in fact, one of the Louvins' finest albums was a 1960 tribute to the Delmore Brothers). At the same time, in the later years of their career, Alton Delmore and Rabon Delmore became among the first and strongest practitioners of hillbilly boogie, making some potent up-tempo swing and country-flavored blues on their recordings for King Records in the late '40s and early '50s. Both sides of the Delmore Brothers' sound are captured on this four-disc set from the British JSP Records label, which cherry picks from two decades' worth of material but puts its strongest focus on the King Records era, which often found the brothers joined by harmonica man Wayne Raney and a variety of guest pickers (including Homer & Jethro on some 1946 sides, and Merle Travis on other sessions cut the same year). While the jump from pure country sides to blues-influenced material may have been a bit dramatic in the eyes of many listeners, Alton and Rabon's harmonies are strong and honest from the first cut to the last, and their tight guitar picking actually improved with the passage of time: "Mobile Boogie" features killer solos from both brothers along with a duet break that's mighty fine, and demonstrates that they needed no prompting from others to make with the boogie. The best moments on this set make clear that the dividing line between country music and the blues was never as wide as most folks like to believe, and whether they were dreaming of the hills or whooping it up at the roadhouse, the Delmore Brothers delivered passionate, essential music that's stood the test of time. Many of these selections were sourced from well-worn shellac discs, but the remastering makes the most of the material's fidelity, and the liner notes by Pat Harrison offer a solid biography of the duo as well as details on when and where the material was recorded, and who accompanied the Delmores. With a list price of less than thirty dollars, Delmore Brothers, Vol. 2: Later Years 1933-1952 is a fine value as well as great music.


Disc A - Chicago • New Orleans • Charlotte • Rock Hill

Tracks:
1. Ramblin' Minded Blues
2. I Ain't Gonna Stay Here Long
3. I'm Going Back To Alabama
4. I'm Leavin' You
5. By The Banks Of The Rio Grande
6. Don't Let Me Be In The Way
7. Hey, Hey I'm Memphis Bound
8. I Guess I've Got To Be Going
9. I Know I'll Be Happy In Heaven
10. I Believe It For My Mother Told Me So
11. Carry Me Back To Alabama
12. I Don't Know Why I Lver Her
13. Don't Forget Me Darling
14. Memories Of My Carolina Girl
15. Wonderful There
16. The Farmer's Girl
17. Look Up. Look Down That Lonesome Road
18. Ain't It Hard To Love
19. Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow
20. Brother Take Warning
21. Alcatraz Island Blues
22. There's A Lonesome Road
23. Leavin' On That Train
24. My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains

Disc A



Disc B - Rock Hill • Atlanta • New York

Tracks:
1. I'm Alabama Bound
2. Nothing But The Blues
3. Some Of These Days You're Gonna Be Sad
4. Heart Of Sorrow
5. Quit Treatin' Me Mean
6. Just The Same Sweet Thing To Me
7. The Only Star
8. Baby You're Throwing Me Down
9. Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar No.2
10. Brown's Ferry Blues No.3
11. I Loved You Better Than You Know
12. Goin' Back To Georgia
13. Home On The River
14. Gamber's Yodel
15. The Wabash Cannonball Blues
16. That's How I Feel So Goodbye
17. The Storms Are On The Ocean
18. She Won't Be My Little Darling
19. Gathering Flowers Form The Hillside
20. Last Night I Was Your Only Darling
21. New False Hearted Girl
22. I Wonder Where My Darling Is Tonight
23. Precious Jewel
24. I'll Nver Fall In Love Again
25. I'm Leavin' You

Disc B



Disc C - Dayton • Cincinnati • Hollywood • Chicago

Tracks:
1. Prisoner's Farewell
2. Sweet, Sweet Thing
3. The Fast Old Shovel
4. Why Did You Leave Me Dear
5. I Found An Angel
6. Lonely Moon
7. Midnight Special
8. Be My Little Pet
9. Remember I Feel Lonesome Too
10. Fast Express
11. I'm Sorry I Caused You To Cry
12. Hillbilly Boogie
13. I'm Lonesome Without You
14. Don't Forget Me
15. She Left Me Standing On The Moutain
16. Somebody Else's Darling
17. Kentucky Mountain
18. Midnight Train
19. Goin' Back To The Blue Ridge Mountains
20. Rounder's Blues
21. The Wrath Of God
22. Calling To That Other Shore
23. Freight Train Googie
24. Shame On Me

Disc C



Disc D - Hollywood • Cincinnati

Tracks:
1. Harmonica Blues
2. Mississippi Shore
3. Waitin' For That Train
4. Brown's Ferry Blues
5. Mobile Boogie
6. Stop The Boogie
7. Used Car Blues
8. Barnyard Boogie
9. Fifty Miles To Travel
10. Now I'm Free
11. Lonesome Day
12. Down Home Boogie
13. Peach Tree Street Boogie
14. Blues Stay Away From Me
15. Trouble Ain't Nothin' But The Blues
16. Everybody Loves Her
17. I Let The Freight Train Carry Me One
18. Please Be My Sunshine
19. Who's Gonna Be Lonesome For Me
20. The Girl By The River
21. There's Sumpin' About Love
22. Tennessee Choo Choo
23. Good Times Saturday Night
24. The Trail Of Time

Disc D

and scans

all mp3 >224kbps vbr | ~400mb total
and made in Europe from copyright-free discs!

"Dakota" Dave Hull & Sean Blackburn - Vol. 1 & Rollin' Along

Porco Rosso just posted a couple of great country-meets-jazz albums over at Guitar and the Wind. He talks about the history of the various attempts to fuse the genres, beginning with Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills. I thought I'd contribute to the musical discussion a bit, so here's an album I've been meaning to post for a while. This album is sorta acoustic western swing, with bits of bluegrass and full on string- or dixieland jazz, and it's all really fantastic music. Dave is one of the best acoustic guitarists around, and the supporting musicians are top-notch too. Pretty much every track is memorable.

Hailed by everyone from Dave Van Ronk to Doc Watson, from the Washington Post to downbeat, Dakota Dave Hull’s guitar style spans a wide musical geography to create an infectious, uniquely personal blend of jazz, ragtime, folk, blues, Western swing, and vintage pop. Dakota Dave is a restlessly curious, adventurous traveler along the broad highway of America’s music. In his playing the masters speak, but in a vocabulary that is Dave’s alone: alternatively mirthful and moving, always melodic.

A gifted composer as well as a strikingly original interpreter of older tunes, Dakota Dave calls what he does "classic American guitar." Folk legend Van Ronk called Dave "one of the best guitarists in the world."

Most of all, Dakota Dave’s music is great fun. As Douglas Greene (Ranger Doug of Riders in the Sky) puts it, "There is an imp within Dave Hull that always expresses itself on the fretboard; a witty, intelligent yet respectful imp who frolics in his music, an imp Dakota Dave neither fights nor lets take control, but simply absorbs into the heart of his style."

On stage or in the recording studio Dave has performed with Utah Phillips, Doc Watson, Robin and Linda Williams, Dave Van Ronk, John Renbourn, Paul Geremia, Spider John Koerner, Cam Waters, Sally Rogers, Butch Thompson, Peter Ostroushko, Garrison Keillor, and Norman Blake, among others. His albums include three with early performing partner Sean Blackburn and five solo efforts (the acclaimed Hull’s Victory and Reunion Rag, both on Flying Fish) with four more, New Shirt, Sheridan Square Rag, The Loyalty Waltz and Time Machine on Arabica Records. Airship, a duo album with singer/guitarist/fiddler Pop Wagner has been raising some eyebrows, too. His three albums with guitar and mandolin ace Kari Larson (also on Arabica) have become legendary.

At the urging of Van Ronk, among others, Dave released his first album of solo fingerstyle guitar tunes in 2002. He followed it up with another two years later and should have a third before too long. Watch for a live album, too.

"Hull is something of a guitar god in his native midwest, where he's been dazzling audiences for over 30 years with his lush finger-picking and quicksilver flat-picking. He is also a sly raconteur with an encyclopedic knowledge of vintage American music."
—Scott Alarik, Boston Globe, March 2004

"There's a million good things I could say about Dave Hull but I'll narrow it down to two: He's an excellent picker, both flatpick and fingerstyle, he collects some fine instruments, and we've been at a lot of good places to eat together."
—Norman Blake

"Dakota Dave brings a modesty and tenderness to the old classics he plays - qualities that are rare among guitarists of his stature and experience."
—Sarah Craig, Manager, Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, NY, March 2004

"Hey Dave, thanks for sending me your Loyalty Waltz album. I just put it on to use as background music for something I was reading. Damn you, I never read a thing. Listened to the whole album straight through. Nice album, my good man. Keep on."
—Geoff Muldaur



"Dakota" Dave Hull & Sean Blackburn - Vol. 1 & Rollin' Along

unfortunately, I can't find any information whatsoever about this album; some tracks look to be overlapping with 1980's River of Swing, but not all (see below)


and based on that album, I'm guessing some of the musicians on this one are:
Dakota Dave Hull, vocals, guitars
Sean Blackburn, vocals, guitars
Butch Thompson, clarinet, piano
Peter Ostroushko, vocals, mandolins, fiddle
Molly Mason, vocals, bass
James Mason, fiddle
Mike Cass, dobro, pedal steel
and some horn players, banjo, harmonica
official websites:
Dakota Dave Hull: http://www.dakotadavehull.com/
Sean Blackburn: http://www.seanblackburn.com/


anyway, tracklist is as follows:
1 Old Fashioned Love
2 Blues for Dixie
3 Hillbilly Swing
4 Jingle in my Jeans
5 When You Go
6 Beaumont Rag
7 Fan It
8 Palomino Pal
9 I'll Keep Lovin' You
10 Dixie Cannonball
11 Miss the Mississippi
12 There'll be Some Changes Made
13 Boomtown
14 Walkin' in the Shadow
15 Ya Gotta Have a Moustache
16 Deep Water
17 What's the Use
18 I Don't Wanna Set the World On Fire
19 The Wicked Wind of Fargo
20 River of Swing
21 Searchin the Desert for the Blues
22 Rollin' Along

part 1 | part 2
mp3 192kbps | w/ images but no cover

* out of print
(but you can buy a bunch of Dave's awesome solo guitar records, on his own label, at his website. and you should. I'm going to!)

edit: Porco Rosso did some sleuthing and came up with this info:
Tracks 1-8 are from the album 'Ace Pickin' And Sweet Harmony' (Train On The Island TI-2, 1977)
Tracks 9-15: 'North By Southwest' (Biscuit City 1324, 1978)
Tracks 16-22: 'River of Swing' (Flying Fish Records FF-236, 1980)
All pretty obscure except for the Flying Fish album.

thanks to the original uploader (kike?), from the blues club

New Riders of the Purple Sage - Before Time Began

Here's the second contribution by loyal blog-reader IncaRoads. More to follow soon.

Biography by Bruce Eder

For most of the early '70s, the New Riders of the Purple Sage™ (yes, the name is trademark-protected) were the successful offshoots of the Grateful Dead. Although they never remotely approached the success or longevity of the Dead, they attracted a considerable audience through their association with Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart, whose fans couldn't be satisfied with only the Dead's releases -- the New Riders never reached much beyond that audience, but the Deadheads loved them as substitutes (along with Garcia's periodic solo projects) for the real article. Their initial sound was a kind of country-acid rock, somewhat twangier than the Dead's usual work and without the Dead's successful forays into experimental jams, but they later acquitted themselves as straight country-rockers.

Essentially, the New Riders of the Purple Sage (their name derives from an old country outfit, Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage, who in turn took the name from an old Western novel) were initially formed as a vehicle for Garcia, Lesh, and Hart to indulge their tastes for country music beyond the albums Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. Their original lineup at early performances consisted of Garcia on pedal steel, Lesh on bass, John Dawson (born 1945) on rhythm guitars and vocals, sometime Dead contributor-member David Nelson on lead guitars, mandolin, and vocals, and Mickey Hart on drums. The New Riders quickly evolved into more of a free-standing unit, with Dave Torbert succeeding Lesh, and ex-Jefferson Airplane member Spencer Dryden on the drums, succeeding Hart. They also developed an identity of their own through Dawson's songwriting, which had an appealing command of melody and beat.

Review by William Ruhlmann
Before Time Began is an album of archival material assembled for Relix Records by New Rider Dave Nelson. It contains: two songs recorded by New Rider John Dawson on July 31, 1968; The New Riders' (Nelson, Dawson, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart) four-song demo tape of November 1969; and an entire LP side of experimental tapes made by Nelson, recording tracks backwards.(amg)

While there's some passing interest (nostalgia?) in the humorous dated backwards tracks, the real reason to get this album is Garcia's pedal-steel playing. It's simply outstanding (considering it wasn't his primary or even secondary instrument). As an amazon reviewer noted, "Like his guitar playing with the Grateful Dead and his banjo picking with Old and In the Way, Jerry shows that he had music in his head that nobody had ever heard before. Buddy Cage and Barry Sless carry on his style with the pedal steel, but here it is, fresh from the source."

New Riders of the Purple Sage - Before Time Began
Year: 1976
Label: Relix
a handful of brains
mp3 320 kbps | 2 parts | 87mb total

thanks IncaRoads!

the last great post this year

Well, this blog has been fun, but I'm going to have to put it on hold for a while. I'm going to be working on organic farms in Ireland and perhaps other parts of Europe through the WWOOF organization, for 6-12 months. As I'll have neither a reliable internet connection nor access to my music horde, I won't really be able to post for some time. But before I go, I thought I'd leave you with a bunch of albums which I've uploaded but never got around to posting with images, reviews, etc.. Some of these links are fairly old, so I apollogize for any expired links, but I won't be able to re-post them. Anyway, this ought to keep you busy for a while:

Fiddle Me This: A Fiddle for your Fancy
one of my longstanding pasttimes has been making mix-cds. this one was for a friend who was learning violin. it includes celtic, folk, bluegrass, cajun, and jazz fiddling, from many of the best.
http://www.shareonall.com/Fiddle_ybmq.zip


Britain to Brittany: A Celtic Feast of Song
another mix-cd, this time full of celtic and folk music from England, Scotland, Ireland, France, French Canada, and Colorado. Many of the tracks on here are from the Acoustic Folk Box, which sparked a revival in my interest in this kind of music.
http://rapidshare.com/files/280147821/BritainToBrittany.zip


Christy Moore - Paddy on the Road
Christy's first album, before the legendary Prosperous which spawned the even more legendary Irish supergroup Planxty. Not a great album, as Christy is backed by some english session musicians who don't really have a feel for the irish music. But a good indication of the greatness to come. Vinyl?
http://rapidshare.com/files/29050280/CM-POTR.rar.html
0ld dead link replaced by older, lower-quality link courtesy of Time Has Told Me


Jethro Burns - Jethro Burns
The best mandolinist in the world before David Grisman got really hot. Some of you may recognize him from the session with Norman Blake, Vassar Clements, Dave Holland, et al. Vinyl.
http://sharebee.com/6f0c66cd


Kinky Friedman - Sold American
The Frank Zappa of country music, with a flair for fearless subject matter and perfect turns of phrase. Later, a successful novelist. Now, a governor-cantidate for the state of Texas. Long-live The Texas Jewboy!
http://sharebee.com/abc11290


Jean Carignan
The best French-Canadian fiddler in recent memory, and conspicuously absent from my fiddle cd.
http://sharebee.com/88b16fdc


Dave Van Ronk - Gambler's Blues
Early-60s session for Folkways. Some of this album was included on The Folkways Years 1959-61. Raw and great. Vinyl.
http://sharebee.com/07c54f84


The Great Clarence White Bootleg Tapes
a while back I promised you more Kentucky Colonels live recordings. Here they are. Taken from recordings at the Ash Grove in LA, mid-60s. Includes a lot of stuff with Scott Stoneman, the Jimi Hendrix of the fiddle. Here's what Jerry Garcia said about 'The Eigth of January', included here (though it's actually about 8.5 minutes, despite Jerry's memory):

I get my improvisational approach from Scotty Stoneman, the fiddle player. [He's] the guy who first set me on fire -- where I just stood there and I don't remember breathing. He was just an incredible fiddler. He was a total alcoholic wreck by the time I heard him, in his early thirties, playing with the Kentucky Colonels... They did a medium-tempo fiddle tune like 'Eighth of January' and it's going along, and pretty soon Scotty starts taking these longer and longer phrases -- ten bars, fourteen bars, seventeen bars -- and the guys in the band are just watching him! They're barely playing -- going ding, ding, ding -- while he's burning. The place was transfixed. They played this tune for like twenty minutes, which is unheard of in bluegrass. I'd never heard anything like it. I asked him later, 'How do you do that?' and he said, 'Man, I just play lonesome.' (Garcia, c. 1985, via Blair Jackson's Garcia: An American Life)
Disc 1: http://sharebee.com/6172bc99
Disc 2: http://sharebee.com/6269010b
Disc 3: http://sharebee.com/4d1cd530
Disc 4: http://sharebee.com/613af688


Fred Sokolow - Bluegrass Banjo Inventions
Brilliant Kicking Mule album includes Jody Stecher on guitar and an amazing pice called Banjo Gamelan or something. Vinyl.
http://sharebee.com/92c293ce
or http://rapidshare.com/files/134319831/Fred_Sokolow_-_Bluegrass_Banjo_Inventions.rar.html (re-posted with cover by Teclas Petras at Uncle Gil's Rockin Archives)



Tanz! with Dave Tarras & The Musiker Brothers
From the Benny Goodman of Jewish music, a wild fusion of klezmer and big band swing.
http://rapidshare.com/files/106722133/TanzWithDTtMB.zip


Rob Wasserman - Solo
Amazing solo bass album by a member of the original David Grisman Quintet. Vinyl.
http://sharebee.com/08a03824


Larry McNeely - Live at McCabes
This Takoma session is more straight-ahead bluegrass than Rhapsody for Banjo, though it includes his version of Beethoven's 5th Symphony for banjo. Vinyl.
http://www.mediafire.com/?gmjmnmnwz5i (re-post Jan-15-09)


Alan Lomax Southern Journey Vol 12 - Georgia Sea Islands
Amazing pre-blues tradition of vocal group singing. Gullah. Great.
http://www.badongo.com/file/11082092 thanks to anonymous for the repost!


Alan Lomax Southern Journey Vol 13 - Earliest Times: Georgia SeaIsland Songs for Everyday Living
More of the Same.
http://www.mediafire.com/?nmzjw4zn3yn


Alan Lomax Collection - Georgia Sea Island Songs
Even more. really excellent.
http://www.shareonall.com/GeorgiaCIsland_sjnh.zip


Bob Brozman - Blue Hula Stomp
Early Kicking Mule album for Brozman, the world master of the steel/slide guitar, and ukelele too. Title says it all: blues, hawaiian, stomp.
http://rapidshare.com/files/134318227/Bob_Brozman_Snapping_The_Strings.rar.html (re-posted with cover by Teclas Petras at Uncle Gil's Rockin Archives)


Tut Taylor - Dobrolic Plectral Society
Down-home bluegrass on Takoma. See also Norman, Vassar, Jethro...
vinyl, cleaned mp3 >192kbps vbr w/ cover 59mb
http://sharebee.com/33864b12 [re-post thanks to Bumkuncha]
see expanded page at Pathways to Unknown Worlds


Snehasish Mozumder - Mandolin Dreams
Indian ragas on mandolin!
http://sharebee.com/11cdea46 [re-post thanks to Bumkuncha]
see expanded page at Pathways to Unknown Worlds


Raphael Rabello & Dino 7 Cordas
two of the greatest guitar masters from Brazil on 7-string guitars. Stunning.
http://lix.in/ee409755
now from Um Que Tenha


Paulo Moura & Raphael Rabello - Dois Irmaos
Guitar and clarinet duets, brazillian, amazing choro music.
http://lix.in/fe40b12b
now from Um Que Tenha

Cornell Lab of Ornithology - An Evening in Sapsucker Woods
The archetypal field recordings of birds. Reissued by popular demand.
http://www.shareonall.com/Cornell_Lab_of_Ornithology_vqji.zip


Sonny Sharock - Black Woman
Free-jazz on electric guitar and voice. Powerful stuff from the late 60s. Sharrock's guitar-skronk is the stuff of legend. His wife's voice is an instrument of expression, not a song-producer.
http://sharebee.com/aa205ec7


Lenny Breau - Five O'Clock Bells-Mo' Breau
a seminal pair of albums from the greatest guitarist to ever live (arguably). He can sound like 3 people at once, playing a walking bass, jazz chords, and a melody simultaneously. Country meets Jazz meets flamenco meets classical meets pure innovation.
http://sharebee.com/38284fd7


The Legendary Lenny Breau... Now
More of the same. Absolutely stunning.
http://sharebee.com/10093576


Tommy Jarrell - Tommy Jarrell Legacy Volume 3: Come And Go With Me
a master of old-time music on this all-banjo record. for ejg.
http://sharebee.com/49b21321


Original Blind Boys of Alabama - Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama
before their crossover days. gospel and guitar; it'll make you believe.
http://sharebee.com/d7178553


Roosevelt Sykes - Chicago Boogie
master of blues/boogie/barrelhouse piano. 'The Honeydripper'
http://sharebee.com/fcfd6d0b


Roosevelt Sykes - Raining in My Heart
more.
http://rapidshare.com/files/102313397/Roosevelt_Sykes_-_Raining_In_My_Heart.zip.html


Mud Acres: Music Among Friends: Music from Woodstock Mountains
a jam featuring Happy & Artie Traum, Bill Keith, Maria Muldaur, & others.
http://sharebee.com/96a03307


Munir Bashir - The Art of the Oud (Ocora-Irak. L'Art du Oud)
oud improvisations from a master.
http://sharebee.com/eaba2552


Munir Bashir & Omar Bashir - Duo de 'ud
more
http://rapidshare.de/files/38926859/MunirBashirOmarBashir.zip.html


Joseph Moskowitz - The Art of the Cymbalom
vintage hammer-dulcimer music. east-europe meets swing. gypsy classical russian new york.
http://rapidshare.com/files/101197655/JMoskowitz-TAotCymbalom.zip


From Spirituals to Swing (Reissue 3-cd box)
arguably the most important single concert in the first half of the twentieth century. Produced by the legendary John Hammond, it brought the genius of black music to white people. Bessie Smith, Charlie Christian, Count Basie, Sonny Terry, Benny Goodman, & more. many booklet scans.
Disc 1: http://sharebee.com/d203a0d8
Disc 2: http://sharebee.com/b9fae446
Disc 3: http://sharebee.com/d0c11848
Reissue Notes: http://sharebee.com/06348cd4 Size: 94.71 MB
Original Notes: http://sharebee.com/9d2c3d0b Size: 54.36 MB


John Kirkpatrick - Jump at the Sun
british accordion-driven folk music
mp3 160k w/ big front & back cover 40mb
http://rapidshare.com/files/100780668/JKirkp-JatS.zip


Genghis Blues soundtrack
Featuring Tuvan master Kongar Ol-Ondar and throat-singing blind bluesman Paul "Earthquake" Pena. Must be heard to be believed. RIP, Paul.
http://sharebee.com/a7c4af9a


Othar Turner & the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band - Everybody Hollerin' Goat
the last living master of the cane fife, and a critical link between african music and the birth of the blues. held a legendary annual barbecue.
http://rapidshare.com/files/249320807/OthTurn-Goat.zip


Othar Turner & The Afrosippi Allstars - Senegal to Senatopia
more of the same, though with more contemporary accompanists
http://massmirror.com/e81d834c30443fd481016525b8315258.html
direct links:
http://www.zshare.net/download/8674580690f718/
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EWB85B4Y


Bob Brozman - Snapping the Strings
more great slide guitar music and wild singing
http://massmirror.com/df2f82135219fb2f95926c7a872b4763.html
Direct Links:
http://www.badongo.com/file/8168279
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BGBEY2S9
http://www.zshare.net/download/8592133567984b/
http://fastuploading.com/download.php?id=B978D0D71
http://rapidshare.com/files/97680082/BBrozman-StS.zip.html
http://4filehosting.com/file/98132/BBrozman-StS-zip.html


Snooks Eaglin - New Orleans Street Singer
Early acoustic Folkways session from 'the living jukebox', a new orleans legend and great guitar player with a Ray Charles-esque singing voice.
http://sharebee.com/7affa56a


Mississippi Fred McDowell - Standing at the Burying Ground
electric show from England, late 60s. Delta blues slide master. "I do not play no rock & roll"
http://sharebee.com/a892a73a


John Fahey - Yes ! Jesus Loves Me: Guitar Hymns
"Christ is not cute."
http://sharebee.com/c433d60e


Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Does Your House Have Lions: The Anthology
brilliant and strange stuff from this sax-innovator. see post in the archives. includes a track that mixes Dvorak's 'Going Home' with an 'old apple pie melody' by Stephen Foster, played simultaneously on different horns coming out of different sides of his mouth. Also a version of "Ain't No Sunshine" where he sings while playing the flute.
http://www.shareonall.com/RRK-DYHHLions_ndph.zip


Vishwa Mohan Bhatt & Musicians of Rajasthan - Desert Slide
Indian slide-guitar master meets desert caravan. kinda east-meets-east.
http://rapidshare.com/files/141343641/VMBhds.rar.html [re-post thanks to Bumkuncha]
see expanded page at Pathways to Unknown Worlds


Booka White, Skip James, Blind Willie McTell - Three Shades of Blue
3 of the greatest masters of acoustic blues. What more could you want?
http://sharebee.com/e08d6131


Reverend Pearly Brown - You're Gonna Need that Pure Religion
slide-guitar-playing religious street-singer carries on the legacy of Blind Willie Johnson. Also posted at Broke Down Engine
http://sharebee.com/2ec06d84


Victoria Spivey & Lonnie Johnson - Idle Hours
from the man who invented the guitar solo and the woman who sang Blake Snake Moan (and taught Maria Muldaur how to sing, and revived the carreer of Sippie Wallace)
http://sharebee.com/75f54cec


Lonnie Johnson - Another Night to Cry
you'll begin to see where Geoff Muldaur learned to sing...
http://sharebee.com/49899407


Lonnie Johnson-Playing with the Strings
and where Charlie Christian got his single-string work...
http://sharebee.com/9f5c7c41


Lonnie Johnson - Blues by Lonnie Johnson
more of the same
http://sharebee.com/45090544


Paul Butterfield's Better Days - Bearsville Anthology
band with Geoff Muldaur and Amos Garrett; this is white chicago blues-rock at its best, from the Woodstock region of New York.
http://sharebee.com/3c84d97b


Memphis Minnie-Queen of the Blues
that's what she was. even beat Big Bill Broonzy in a guitar contest. Led Zeppelin stole 'When The Levee Breaks' from her.
http://sharebee.com/5cf40ed5


Ewan MacColl-Black & White: The Definitive Collection
from the grandfather of british folk. the Scottish Pete Seeger, if you will.
http://sharebee.com/f9251130


Mississippi John Hurt-Best Of (Live at Oberlin College 1965)
The great folk-blues songster with elegant fingerpicking and a gentle demeanor that pervades all his work. all his well-known songs are here.
http://sharebee.com/ce4973ec


Mississippi John Hurt-D.C. Blues: The Library of Congress Recordings Vol.2
not his best performances, but include some cuts not recorded elsewhere
Disc 1: http://sharebee.com/e9324028
Disc 2: http://sharebee.com/77a5cd2b


Frank Stokes-Creator of the Memphis Blues
that's what he was
http://sharebee.com/750234ca


The Blues Project-Live at Town Hall
blues-rock featuring Danny Kalb (see Merlin-In-Rags blog)
http://sharebee.com/fb09ae26


Jo Ann Kelly - Jo Ann Kelly (1969)
there are few artists for whom John Fahey played back-up guitar (though not on these sessions). On par with Maria Muldaur as the best female white blues singer. Better than Janis Joplin, and she could play a pretty mean guitar too. Though British, somehow she ends up channeling Memphis Minnie.
http://sharebee.com/ec8621a0


Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Kurt Schwitters - read their own works
there was some talk a while back about 'poetry'. And while I know lots of people think Leonard Cohen's songs are 'poetry', including Leonard Cohen, I really don't think they hold their own against any real 'poetry'. Here is proof.
http://www.mediafire.com/?kydzdz5kwnr



enjoy! i'll be back eventually, and maybe i'll turn some of these into real posts.