The Legends of the Rocking Dutchman - episode 247

Legends Mix

This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.

And it's a great day for great music again, and that's what you're gonna get, the best of Rhythm & Blues from the roaring twenties to the rocking fifties, and again great legends will come by and absolute obscurities. And the next one definitely fits in the first category, the only bluesman who met two presidents - Franklin Roosevelt and he was a personal friend to him, and John F. Kennedy, who told him in a TV show that he'd been inspired by his civil rights blues. I'm talking about Josh White, and his life story I told you last week and before, here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman.

The record that I'm gonna play in fact is a leftover from last week's show when I spotlighted the ARC record labels, and Josh White recorded this for them. From 1932, here is the classic Things About Coming My Way.

01 - Josh White - Things About Coming My Way.mp3
02 - Blind Blake & Papa Charlie Jackson - Papa Charlie And Blind Blake Talk About It.mp3

Back from 1929, this double-sider on the Paramount label, that were Papa Charlie Jackson and Blind Blake, two musicians whose influence was big for their music in the early Depression years. Blind Blake at one point seems to have lived in Chicago in summer to record there, and returning to Jacksonville, FL and earning his money playing in front of a local hotel. After his last session just before Paramount closed in '32, he stayed in Grafton, WI where the studio was, and he died there of tuberculosis.

Papa Charlie was one of the originators of the Hokum genre, rowdy, sexually suggestive blues that sold well in the early Depression, that is, for as far as anything sold well.

And the next one is a recording from as far back in 1921 on the Black Swan label - the first label that was owned and operated by African-Americans. On the label credited as the Henderson Dance Orchestra - this was the first band of Fletcher Henderson, and it had greats on board like Coleman Hawkins and Don Redman - both on the clarinet or the saxophone, and Redman was a great arranger as well. Also - in '24 Louis Armstrong joined the band for a year.

Enjoy Fletcher Henderson's band with Baby Girl.

03 - Fletcher Henderson - Baby Girl.mp3
04 - Fowler's Washboard Wonders - Washboard Stomp.mp3

(jingle)

05 - Louis Armstrong And His Hot Five - Knee Drops.mp3
06 - Robert Johnson - Hellhound on My Trail.mp3

Hearing this Hellhound on My Trail, I really can imagine that people believed that the Devil had gone into Robert Johnson - a myth he carefully kept going round. The story that he sold his soul on a Mississippi crossroads, it's been debunked several times, all with different accounts on what must have happened instead, but whatever the source of it is, Johnson very much helped creating and building the legend around him.

There's a huge marker on the crossroads of US highways 61 and 49 claiming this was the place where that encounter with the devil should have taken place, and a dozen more places where it's said that this was the place. There's about as much confusion about the place where Johnson was buried, three places have a marker or headstone for him and probably none of them has his body, cause he may well have been buried somewhere on the plantation where he was found dead, after he was poisoned, another story that has many versions and accounts - and no murderer.

Now it's not unusual for thirties bluesmen to have a poorly documented biography - for Robert Johnson the problem is, that too many people have speculated about him. Even now, rare photos of Johnson seem to show up, most likely to be non-genuine, photoshopped and with people on them who are anyone but Johnson. Specualations are published on manipulation with the recording speed of his records, on descendants of him - trying to get a piece of the royalties - on his date of birth, marriages, and so on.

You got more - before Robert Johnson that was the Hot Five of Louis Armstrong with the Knee Drops, on the Okeh label from 1928 and from 1925 on Columbia the Washboard Stomp of Lem Fowler - one of the earliest electrical recordings for the label.

And for the next one from 1935 on Vocalion Washboard Sam, on the label credited as Ham Gravy, with Mama Don't Allow. The song was popular with vocal groups playing with many variations on what mama don't allow but they're gonna do anyhow. Here is the version of Washboard Sam.

07 - Washboard Sam - Mama Dont Allow.mp3
08 - Five Jinks - Za Zu Swing

The obscure vocal group the Five Jinks with Za Zu Swing, one out of six sides they done for the Bluebird label in a hotel in Charlotte, NC in February of 1937. Now in the South there were hardly any recording opportunities, so in order to get on record you either had to travel to Chicago or New York, or make sure you were scouted by one of these traveling recording crews.

In their only session the Five Jinks primarily showed that they'd listened closely to the Mills Brothers - and much originality beyond that, you won't find it so I guess that's the reason Bluebird didn't pay for a return ticket to Chicago in order to get them at the recording microphone again.

Next the band of Harlan Leonard - one of the top attractions of the Kansas City scene. With his band the Rockets he done a few sessions for the Bluebird label in 1940. Leonard before had been involved with another group named the Skyrockets and he'd led the reed section of Benny Moten's band from 1923 to '31. On this goodie Please Don't Squabble the vocals are done by Myra Taylor.

09 - Harlan Leonard - Please Don't Squabble.mp3
10 - Florida Kid - I Can Drive.mp3

I Can Drive - that was the Florida Kid on a release for the Bluebird label from 1940. The real name of this obscure bluesman was Ernest Blunt and it's not sure whether he indeed was from Florida. His style is close to Peetie Wheatstraw's, and in some of his recordings he did Wheatstraw's typical yell Ooh well well, exactly the same.

Next on the Joe Davis label, the band of pianist Erskine Butterfield. Here is Lighthouse.

11 - Erskine Butterfield - Lighthouse.mp3
12 - Port Of Harlem Seven - Pounding Heart Blues.mp3

The Port of Harlem Seven, a group of musicians brought together in the studio by Alfred Lion, the founder of the Blue Note label. In the session of June 8 of 1939, the group recorded a tribute to trumpeter Tommy Ladnier who just had died, and in that same session this Pounding Heart Blues was recorded, and it was coupled on a record with a great version of Gershwin's Summertime done by Sydney Bechet and his band.

Next the Texas Blues of Charles Brown, that was from 1950 on the Aladdin label.

14 - Charles Brown - Texas Blues.mp3
15 - La Melle Prince & Maxwell Davis - Phone Me Blues.wav

And we stayed with the Aladdin label with a recording of the band of Maxwell Davis fronted by La Melle Prince - that were the Phone Me Blues. I played the flip a few weeks ago on a special on the Aladdin label. This La Melle Prince done one record for Aladdin and popped up in the late sixties with a traditional Nashville-style country song - and I'm afraid that's all there is on this lady.

Next up from 1953 on the Trumpet label from Jackson, MS, the debut single of Jerry 'Boogie'McCain. McCain sings and plays the harmonica on this one. Later he went on to the Nashville-based Excello label.

Here he is with Wine o-Wine.

16 - Jerry 'Boogie' McCain - Wine O Wine.wav

And that marks the end again of this show, that was Jerry 'Boogie' McCain with Wine O Wine on the Trumpet label and that was recorded in 1953. His brother Walter played the drums on this one. For Trumpet McCain did four singles and then he switched to the Excello label.

Well, I promised you some obscurities and some real greats, and what a difference between the two greats Louis Armstrong and Robert Johnson, and I played them just next to each other, just like the swing of Harlan Leonard the blues of the Florida Kid, from the same year. It was, these days, all called race music - music aimed at African-Americans, the term Rhythm & Blues didn't exist until '48. I hope you like this mixed bag of styles, and our journey in time cause today we done tracks from 1953 to as far back as 1921. Well you can let me know and send e-mail to rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com.

And today's story you can find it back on the website of my program, and to get there just type Legends of the Rocking Dutchman in Google or your favorite search engine - they know how to find me. Once in, this was show number 247 and you're gonna need that number to find back this show. Of course you can also take a sneak peek on what will be on for next week.

Cause that's what you'll have to wait for, another week when I'm back with more great Rhythm & Blues, here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!