Before the Blues, Vol. 2: The Early American Black Music Scene

by BEFORE THE BLUES 2 / VARIOUS

Overview

The title of this compilation, Before the Blues, may be a deceiving one, particularly as it comes from Yazoo Records, a label that specializes in the earliest music of the genre. While the performances here date back to the first commercial recordings (made during the mid-'20s), the blues, as a musical form, was probably born a good 20 years earlier, at the turn of the century. Maintaining a looser format than many of their compilations, Before the Blues follows the music from the juke joint on a Saturday night to church the next morning. Included are tracks from some of the most popular musicians of the period (Charlie Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, the Memphis Jug Band, and Frank Stokes), as well as curios from little-known performers. At one end of the spectrum, there is the raw, earthy mountain music of Frank Jenkins' "Roving Cowboy," the violin and vocal performance that closes the collection. At the other is Tommy McClennan's "Deep Sea Blues," the song Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix (among many others) would record as "Catfish Blues." Though his performance is loose, McClennan's guitar sounds ripe for urban electrification. In the process of migrating to the city, the music witnessed the extinction of rural string combos like the Memphis Jug Band. "K.C. Moan" is an example of the type of material they recorded before the pressure to adapt brought jazz influences into their music. By the 1940s, the commercial heyday of this music had come and gone. Never again would companies seek out recordings like "Cold Morning Shout" (an otherworldly blend of fiddle, banjo, and guitar by the Southside Trio) or the deep gospel of slide guitar master Blind Willie Johnson. Thanks to Yazoo, the music has been preserved with the best possible fidelity. As always, songs have been arranged according to listenability. Boundaries of style and chronology are ignored, with the gaps filled in by extensive liner notes. ~ Nathan Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	03/19/1996
Label:	Yazoo
UPC:	0016351201621
Rank:	53834

Tracks

1. Dallas Rag  -  Dallas String Band  -  Unidentified Prisoner
2. How Long  - Frank Stokes
3. Skin Game Blues  - Peg Leg Howell
4. K.C. Moan  - Tewee Blackman  -  Memphis Jug Band
5. Just a Spoonful  - Charley Jordan
6. Doggone My Good Luck Soul  - Hattie Hudson
7. There's a Brown Skin Girl Down the Road Somewhere  - Eck Robertson
8. You're Going to Leave the Old Home, Jim  - Lulu Jackson
9. Deep Blue Sea Blues  - Texas Alexander  - Tommy McClennan
10. Cold Morning Shout  -  South Street Trio
11. Been Listening All the Day  - Blind Joe Taggart
12. Mississippi Boweavil Blues  - Charley Patton
13. I'll Lead a Christian Life  - Golden P. Harris
14. The Old Folks Started It  - Minnie Wallace
15. Vine Street Drag
16. Nobody's Fault But Mine  - Blind Willie Johnson
17. Last Kind Words Blues  - Geeshie Wiley
18. Guitar Stomp  - Walter Roland  - Sonny Scott
19. Jack O'Diamond Blues  - Blind Lemon Jefferson  -  Traditional
20. Reuben Oh Reuben  - Emry Arthur  -  Traditional
21. Memphis Stomp  -  Blue Boys
22. On the Wall  - Louise Johnson
23. Roving Cowboy  - Frank Jenkins

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Blind Willie Johnson   Primary Artist,Guitar
Tennessee Chocolate Drops   Primary Artist
Frank Stokes   Primary Artist
Geeshie Wiley   Primary Artist,Guitar
Roland & Scott   Primary Artist
Peg Leg Howell   Primary Artist
Louise Johnson   Primary Artist
Memphis Jug Band   Primary Artist
Minnie Wallace   Primary Artist,Vocals
Tommy McClennan   Primary Artist,Guitar
Lulu Jackson   Primary Artist,Guitar
Sonny Scott   Primary Artist,Guitar
Blind Lemon Jefferson   Primary Artist,Bottleneck Guitar
Blind Joe Taggart   Primary Artist,Guitar
The Blue Boys   Primary Artist
Charley Patton   Primary Artist,Guitar
Charley Jordan   Primary Artist,Guitar
Frank Jenkins   Primary Artist,Banjo,Fiddle
Golden P. Harris   Primary Artist,Vocals
Eck Robertson   Primary Artist,Fiddle
Emry Arthur   Primary Artist,Guitar
Walter Roland   Primary Artist,Guitar
Hattie Hudson   Primary Artist,Vocals
South Street Trio   Primary Artist
Dallas String Band   Primary Artist
Howard Armstrong   Fiddle
Lonnie Johnson   Fiddle
Matthew Prater   Mandolin,Guitar
Coley Jones   Mandolin
Carl Martin   Guitar
Will Shade   Vocals
Sam Harris   Guitar
Willie Tyson   Piano
Roland Martin   Bass
Marco Washington   Bass
Nap Hayes   Guitar,Mandolin
Alfred Martin   Guitar
Tewee Blackman   Guitar

Technical Credits

Blind Willie Johnson   Composer,Performer
Frank Stokes   Composer,Performer
Charley Patton   Composer,Performer
Don Kent   Producer,Liner Notes
Geeshie Wiley   Composer,Performer
Robert Vosgien   Digital Mastering
Peg Leg Howell   Composer,Performer
Louise Johnson   Composer,Performer
Memphis Jug Band   Composer,Performer
Minnie Wallace   Composer,Performer
Willie Johnson   Composer
Tommy McClennan   Composer,Performer
Golden P. Harris   Composer
Richard Nevins   Producer,Liner Notes,Remastering
Hattie Hudson   Composer,Performer
Unidentified Prisoner   Composer
Sonny Scott   Composer,Performer
Blind Lemon Jefferson   Composer,Performer
Blind Joe Taggart   Composer,Performer
The Blue Boys   Composer,Performer
Dallas String Band   Composer,Performer
Charley Jordan   Composer,Performer
Frank Jenkins   Composer
Eck Robertson   Composer,Performer
Emry Arthur   Composer,Performer
Walter Roland   Composer,Performer
Lulu Jackson   Composer,Performer
Joan Pelosi   Art Direction
South Street Trio   Composer,Performer
Tennessee Chocolate Drops   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Tewee Blackman   Composer
Texas Alexander   Composer