"TEXAS BLUES 1926-1939" (Catfish Label)

One of the better collections of material recorded prior to the second World War in Texas, the Catfish double-CD Texas Blues challenges the listener to examine many facets of the giant state's sprawling music scene. The presentation of a selection such as this goes a long way to counteract previous divisions that have been made between the country blues of famous players such as Blind Lemon Jefferson and Texas Alexander and the multi-faceted worlds of string bands and jug bands, often the outcome of a kind of racist reordering of musical directions. Cities such as Dallas were full of many types of performers in the '20s and '30s, the influence of both traditional blues and the strains of urban Tin Pan Alley and jazz styles striking far and wide like heat lightning on a summer evening. It is the diversity of the program that inevitably provides its greatest value. Most often choosing a pair of tracks by each artist to provide a generous taste, the producers present the listener with the expected superb blues guitar and barrelhouse piano soloists as well as strikingly unique ensembles such as the Dallas Jamboree Jug Band, led by singer and guitarist Carl Davis, and the equally effective Frenchies' String Band. There is plenty to chew on during tracks by Whistlin' Alex Moore or Billiken Johnson, eccentric performers who utilize vocal effects in order to imitate the sounds of trains and boats. And speaking of chewing, the always entertaining Ramblin' Thomas actually discusses the very subject on his bizarre "Back Gnawing Blues." This set challenges the listener to take on the early Texas scene in all its grandeur, complete with the sort of odd tracks that don't fit into a "neatsy-pinsy" examination of musical history. While driving across Texas can most certainly be boring, this type of journey never is. (Eugene Chadbourne, Allmusic)
INFO
http://www.allmusic.com/album/texas-blues-mw0000001138trax disc 1:

1. Rolled From Side To Side - Little Hat Jones 2. Two String Blues - Little Hat Jones 3. Double Crossing Blues - Texas Alexander 4. Johnny Behren´s Blues - Texas Alexander 5. Rambler Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson 6. Dry Southern Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson 7. Jim Nappy - Hattie Burleson 8. Don´t Sell It - Don´t Give It Away - Oscar Woods 9. Trifling Woman - Black Ace 10. Texas Worried Blues - Henry Thomas 11. Old Country Stomp - Henry Thomas 12. Back Gnawing Blues - Rambling Thomas 13. Down In Texas Blues - Jesse Thomas 14. Dallas Rag - Dallas String Band 15. Sugar Blues - Dallas String Band 16. Texas And Pacific Blues - Frenchies String Band 17. Seven Sisters Blues - Part 1 - J.T. "Funny Paper" Smith 18. Seven Sisters Blues - Part 2 - J.T. "Funny Paper" Smith 19. Monkeying Around - Jake Jones & The Gold Front Boys 20. Texas Blues - Willie Reed 21. Dreaming Blues - Willie Reed 22. Jack Of All Trades - Bernice Edwards 23. T.P. Window Blues - Jack Ranger

trax disc 2:

1. Santa Fe Blues - Smith Casey 2. West Texas Blues - Smith Casey 3. West Texas Woman - Whistling Alex Moore 4. Heart Wrecked Blues - Whistling Alex Moore 5. Sundown Blues - Blind Norris 6. The Katy Blues - Blind Norris 7. Sunbeam Blues - Billiken Johnson 8. Interurban Blues - Billiken Johnson 9. Elm Street Woman Blues - Dallas Jamboree Jug Band 10. Flying Crow Blues - Dallas Jamboree Jug Band 11. Good Morning Blues - Texas Bill Day 12. Going Back To My Baby - Texas Bill Day 13. Wandering Blues - Gene Campbell 14. Robbing And Stealing Blues - Gene Campbell 15. Texas Dream Blues - Teddy Moss 16. Ocean Wave Blues - Teddy Moss 17. Matchbox Blues - Black Ivory King 18. The Flying Crow - Black Ivory King 19. Nok-Em-All - Eddie & Oscar 20. Bad Luck Town Blues - Black Boy Shine 21. Gambling Jinx Blues - Black Boy Shine 22. West Dallas Drag No. 1 - Robert Cooper 23. Black Gal, What Makes Your Head So Hard? - Joe Pullum

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