In the immediate post-war era the music was rapidly changing, R&B was on the rise and and older blues styles were falling out of fashion. Yet for awhile at least, there was still a market for rural down home blues as evidenced by the popularity of artists like Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker and Smokey Hogg. Between 1944 and 1964, more than 600 record companies tried their hands at recording blues. Many failed or had limited success while others grew and became major players. This was “the last grand hurrah of local blues recorded for, and often by, local entrepreneurs, neither folkloric nor college oriented, but music for the culture from which it grew." This is the music the Boulevard Vintage label has been tapping into for the last few years with a series of well conceived multi-CD sets each based on a specific geographic region.
Down Home Blues Classics – New York & The East Coast 1948-1954, as the notes state, "emphasizes the contribution to post-war blues made by singers from the Southeast and the Mid Atlantic states where many gravitated to New York. These performers tended to prefer a lighter and more melodic style than those from the Mississippi Delta who subsequently brought the blues to Chicago and Detroit." The bulk of these recordings, in fact, were recorded in New York.
Many of the names here will be familiar to collectors including pre-war heavyweights like Blind Willie McTell, Curley Weaver and Brownie McGhee. McTell is still magnificent on these 1949 sides for Regal and Atlantic revisiting one of his finest numbers,"Love Changing Blues", plus the ragtime flavored "Kill It Kid" and "Talkin' To You Mama." McTell's long time partner Curley Weaver also transitioned into the post-war era in fine form as he demonstrates on a remake of the lovely "Some Rainy Day" and displays some deft ragtime guitar on "Trixie." We're also treated to a half dozen well chosen sides by Brownie McGhee with partner Sonny Terry sounding more spontaneous and livley then some of their later recordings which were geared to the white folk crowd. Indeed it's important again note that the music here was recorded before the folk blues boom; it was music created by and for African-Americans.
One of the pleasures of this series has been the spotlight on lesser known artists and this collection is chock full of fine long forgotten performers who are little known outside of the serious blues collector. We get generous helpings by artists such as Ralph Willis, Leroy Dallas, Carolina Slim, Gabriel Brown, Alex Seward, Dan Pickett among many others. Husky voiced Leroy Dallas cut only eight sides, four of which are included, and sounds exuberant in a jumping small band combo with Brownie McGhee and pianist Wilbert "Big Chief" Ellis on "Jump Little Children" and "I'm Goin Away." Ellis is one of the few piano players included and sounds marvelous on "Dices Dices" sporting his pounding barrelhouse piano. Ellis waxed seven sides between 1945-1947 and it's a shame none of his other numbers are included. He did cut a fine self titled record for Trix in 1977 that's well worth tracking down.
As Paul Garon notes, the influence of the popular Blind Boy Fuller looms large on many of these recordings. There's many raggy, Fuller influenced guitar players such as the wonderful Julius King who's entire four song output is here including the jaunty "I Want A Slice Of Your Pudding" replete with kazoo. The mysterious Boy Green cut only two sides in 1944, both included, and bears a strong Fuller influence particularly on the infectious rag "Play My Juke Box." Carolina Slim seems to draw influence from Fuller and Lightnin' Hopkins while rough voiced singer Robert Lee Westmoreland plays a National Resonator like Fuller on his two recorded sides, covering Hopkins on a slide driven version of "Hello Central, Give Me 209." Other fine guitar players include the shadowy Dennis McMillon who's deft finger picking on "Paper Wooden Daddy" is a standout and the remarkable Dan Pickett, a long time favorite of collectors, who synthesized a number of early guitar styles to create his own, and had an exciting, rapid fire vocal delivery showcased on an update of Buddy Moss' "Ride To A Funeral In A V-8."
As usual with Boulevard Vintage sound is quite good and the notes very informative. It should also be noted that last year JSP issued the 4-CD box Shake That Thing!: East Coast Blues 1935-1953, which can be seen as a companion set, and has the complete recordings of Gabriel Brown, Dan Pickett and Ralph Willis. Boulevard Vintage also has 4-CD sets of Chicago and Texas blues and most recently 2-CD sets focusing on Memphis & The South and California & The West Coast that are equally good. (Sunday Blues) http://sundayblues.org/archives/62
trax CD 1:
1. Tell Me Pretty Baby - Ralph Willis 2. Bad Hangover - Square Walton 3. Woke Up One Morning - Dennis McMillon 4. That's The Stuff (Watch Out) - Brownie McGhee 5. My Baby's Gone - Curley Weaver 6. Number Nine Blues - Champion Jack Dupree 7. Georgia Woman - Carolina Slim 8. Jump Little Children - Leroy Dallas 9. Me And My Baby - Alex Seward 10. One O'Clock Boogie - Julius King 11. Harlem Women - Hank Kilroy 12. Knockout Blues (Carolina Blues) - Brownie McGhee 13. Church Bell Blues - Ralph Willis 14. A & B Blues - Boy Green 15. Love Changing Blues - Blind Willie McTell 16. Hello Central, Give Me 209 - Robert Lee Westmoreland 17. Paper Wooden Daddy - Dennis McMillon 18. Good Boy - Alex Seward 19. Ride To A Funeral In A V-8 - Dan Pickett 20. Some Rainy Day - Curley Weaver 21. Side Walk Boogie - Carolina Slim 22. Greyhound Bus - Brownie McGhee 23. Stick With Me - Gabriel Brown 24. Talkin' To You Mama - Blind Willie McTell 25. Mississippi Boogie - Julius King 26. I'm Down Now, But I Won't Be Down Always - Leroy Dallas 27. Stumbling Block Blues - Champion Jack Dupree
trax CD 2:
1. Highway Blues (Walkin Down The Highway) - Champion Jack Dupree 2. Lazy Woman Blues - Ralph Willis 3. Tell Me Baby - Brownie McGhee 4. Don't Be Funny Baby - Doug Quattlebaum 5. In Love Blues - Alex Seward & Louis Hayes 6. You're Gonna Weep And Moan - Little David 7. Good Morning Blues - Leroy Dallas 8. West Kinney Street Blues - Skoodle-Dum-Doo & Sheffield 9. Goin' Back Home - Dennis McMillon 10. Kill It Kid - Blind Willie McTell 11. Good Looking Woman - Robert Lee Westmoreland 12. Cold Love - Gabriel Brown 13. Let's Do The Boogie Woogie - Marylin Scott 14. If You See My Lover - Julius King 15. Confusin' Blues - Brownie McGhee 16. Goodbye Blues - Ralph Willis 17. One More Drink - Carolina Slim 18. Trixie - Curley Weaver 19. You Got To Do Better - Dan Pickett 20. Drunk Again - Champion Jack Dupree 21. I'm Goin Away - Leroy Dallas 22. I Want A Slice Of Your Pudding - Julius King 23. Play My Juke Box - Boy Green 24. Dices Dices - Big Boy Ellis 25. Bottom Blues - Brownie McGhee 26. Crooked Wife Blues - Alex Seward & Louis Hayes 27. Shim Sham Shimmy - Champion Jack Dupree
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