Peg Leg Howell: New Jelly Roll Blues 1927

Henry Williams, Eddie Anthony, and Peg Leg Howell 

Peg Leg Howell was born Joshua Barnes Howell on March 5 1888 in Eaton, Georgia. Just twenty three years after the ending of slavery. His music comes from an era that predates the Blues. He worked as a farm worker until 1916 when he lost his right leg after his brother-in-law shot him with a shotgun during an argument. Hence, his nick name Peg Leg. He was sent to Prison for bootlegging in 1925 and 1930. Bootlegging was his primary source of income at the time. In 1926 he started recording for Columbia Records. New Jelly Roll Blues was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia on April 8, 1927. Beaver Slide Rag was the B-Side. After his friends and band members Henry Williams and Eddie Anthony died (Henry Williams in prison in 1930 and Eddie Anthony in 1934). Howell retired from music saying, “I just didn’t feel like playing anymore. I went back to selling liquor.” In 1952 he lost his other leg to diabetes. During the 1960’s blues revival he was “rediscovered” living on welfare and at 75 years old recorded again for Testament Record. He died in 1966 aged 78.

Peg Leg Howell      Vocals/Guitar
Henry Williams                  Guitar
Eddie Anthony                    Violin

New Jelly Roll Blues.mp3

Beaver Slide Rag.mp3

The Carter Family: Three Songs 1928

 

The Carter Family are Country music royalty. Their influence on Twentieth Century music is well documented. A little less so is influence of Maybelle Carter’s guitar style. She was one of the first to play a bass line with her thumb on the bottom two strings while still keeping the chords playing the rhythm. Her rhythmic style and feel was so widely copied that today it’s considered the ‘Country Feel’. These recording are of the original Carter Family, before June Carter was old enough to join. All three songs were recorded on May 27 1928 in Camden, New Jersey, for the Victor Talking Machine Company.

Produced by Ralph Peer

Sara Carter            Vocals/Autoharp
Maybelle Carter         Vocals/Guitar
A.P. Carter                 Vocals/Guitar

I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow
Can The Circle be Unbroken (Bye And Bye)
John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man

Blind Willie McTell: Three Women Blues 1928

William Samuel McTier was born in Thomson, Georgia, USA in 1898. He recorded under many names including Blind Sammie, Georgia Bill, Hot Shot Willie, Blind Willie, Barrelhouse Sammie and Pig & Whistle Red but is best known as Blind Willie McTell. From the early 1920’s, like many Blues Artist at the time, he made a living as a wandering busker. His recording career began in 1927 for Victor Records. Statesboro Blues from 1928 is his most well known song due to its many cover versions, including The Allman Brothers. It was originally the B-Side to Three Women Blues (Victor V38001). Which was his third release. By his death in 1959 he had recorded 149 songs.

***Warning taken from a 78. Surface Noise***

Three Women Blues

Statesboro Blues

As a bonus here's God Don’t Like It with his then wife Kate McTell.  Released in 1935 on Decca. Curley Weaver played the second guitar on the recording. 

God Don't Like It

Clarence "Tom" Ashley: My Sweet Farm Girl 1931

Clarence "Tom" Ashley was born in Tennessee in 1895. He played guitar and clawhammer style banjo. He learnt to play with his extended family, who ran a boarding house near the Appalachian Mountains. They played the traditional Tennessee Appalachian folk songs and ballads, as well as songs picking up from passing boarders. Though out his career he would regularly join the travelling medicine shows. Early on he played banjo and guitar in a ‘black face’ comedy routine. By the 1920’s Ashley was also being paid to make records by local independent record labels. He even recorded for Columbia Records in 1929. But soon the Great Depression silenced the smaller independent labels and people no longer had money for entertainment. So Clarence "Tom" Ashley became a part-time musician and took other employment. He was always an active musician, he never retired. Then during the late 1950’s Folk and Blues revival Clarence Ashley was re-discovered and started to make a living playing the Folk festive circuit. He even played at Carnegie Hall in New York. He died of cancer in 1967.

My Sweet Farm Girl is a lowbrow song loaded with double meanings. Ashley plays guitar and sings, with Gwen Foster on guitar and harmonica. It’s played in a Country music style but the structure is 12 bar blues. Like Elvis did thirty years later on That’s All Right Mama.

My Sweet Farm Girl

When I Had But Fifty Cents

Blind Blake: In The Jailhouse Now 1927

It is thought that Blind Blake was born around 1893. His record label Paramount Records listed is hometown as Jacksonville, Florida by but no one is sure. It is known that his first name was Arthur, though his last name may have been Phelps not Blake. The date and course of his death are unknown. The most popular guess for the year is 1933, as there are no known recordings from him after 1932. What is known about him is that he was an amazingly talented guitarist. Frequently referred to as "The King of Ragtime Guitar", as his playing style was more like that of Ragtime piano than Country Blues. He also recorded solely for Paramount Records. Between 1926 and 1932 he recorded over 80 songs for them. It was also known that he liked to drink.
The song ‘In the Jailhouse Now’ has its origins in Vaudeville. The earliest copyright for the song is a 1915 version by two African-American theatre performers named Davis and Stafford. Jimmie Rodgers was often been created with writing it but Blind Blake’s 1927 version (with different words) was recorded four months before Jimmie Rodgers’.

In the ad above, the guy in the jailhouse has the longest necked guitar in the world.

***Warning recorded from 78rpm vinyl. Surface Noise.***

In The Jailhouse Now

Southern Rag

As a bonus here's Police Dog from 1929

Police Dog Blues