Wishing you a happy, healthy, productive, prosperous new year!

I missed one. Last Blues Roots appeared on Thursday, December 7. This one took a little longer, but I think you’ll find it was worth the wait…

Peetie Wheatstraw was someone whose music I had wanted to get into at length for some time. This was a very satisfying one to assemble.

If you haven’t heard the Blues Unlimited radio program, there’s a link to it in the Willie Johnson section. It’s my favorite radio broadcast and it’s easily the best part of this post. Don’t miss it.

Thanks for checking this out. The next Blues Roots will appear on Thursday, January 18.

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Peetie Wheatstraw (birth name William Bunch, also known as the Devil’s Son-In-Law, the High Sheriff from Hell because he created those nicknames for himself, just like Peetie Wheatstraw and at least some of the myths about that name). Like Charley Patton and Tampa Red, he was an early innovator who inspired and influenced many of his contemporaries. The only known photograph of him shows him with a resonator guitar, and while guitar was his first instrument, he was primarily a pianist.

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal, other instruments unknown), “Don’t Hang My Clothes On No Barb Wire Line.” This was his very first recording, backed with “Ain’t It a Pity and a Shame?” (directly below), both made in 1930.

“Ain’t It a Pity and a Shame?”

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal, piano), Neckbones (possibly J.D. Short), other musicians unknown, Chicago, Wednesday, August 13, 1930

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal and piano) “Devil’s Son-In-Law” with (possibly) Charley McCoy (guitar, the McCoys were Robert Nighthawk’s family), September 28, 1931

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal and guitar, one of six songs he played guitar on, the rest he played piano), “Police Station Blues,” 1934.

Peetie Wheatstraw “More Good Whiskey Blues” December 1935

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal and piano) “King of Spades,” with (possibly) Charley Jordan (guitar), Chicago, Saturday, July 20, 1935

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal and piano) “When I Get My Bonus (Things Will Be Coming My Way),” with Kokomo Arnold (guitar), 1936

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal and piano) “Kidnapper’s Blues,” with Kokomo Arnold (guitar) February 13, 1936
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yly5wfY0yow

☆ Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal, piano), “Peetie Wheatstraw’s Stomp” (aka “Stomp”), comment says guitar is Charley Jordan, unknown drums, Chicago, Friday, March 26, 1937 ☆

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal, piano) “Working on the Project,” with Kokomo Arnold (guitar), 1937

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal), “A Working Man’s Blues” with Sammy Price (piano), Teddy Bunn (guitar), O’Neill Spencer (drums), New York City, Thursday, March 30, 1939
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-LjAiokTgU

“Possum Den Blues (Take B),” all same as “A Working Man’s Blues” above.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnXdTxfqatU

Peetie Wheatstraw (“Shack Bully Stomp,” with unknown guitar and bass (sounds like drums and bass to me, but that could be someone playing the strings percussively), April 1938

“You Can’t Stop Me from Drinking,” Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal and piano) with Rhythm Willie (birth name Willie Hood, harp), Lonnie Johnson (guitar), Chicago, September 14, 1939.

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal and piano), “I Don’t Feel Sleepy,” March 12, 1941. The title line here provided John Lee Williamson (the first Sonny Boy Williamson) with the lyric for his “Hoodoo Man Blues,” famously covered by Junior Wells.

Peetie Wheatstraw (vocal), “Hearse Man Blues” (with either Jack Dupree, Lil Armstrong or himself on piano), unknown saxophone and bass. This was one of his very last recordings, along with “Bring Me Flowers While I’m Living,” recorded on November 25, 1941.

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I wasn’t aware Peetie Wheatstraw was from St. Louis or I’d have been adding him to this playlist. This gives you a little idea of the musical scene in St. Louis from the late 1930s on. There’s a lot of St. Louis Jimmy Odom here. There would be more Walter Davis and Henry Townsend, but I made a separate list for them.

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The issued take of Little Milton’s “Somebody Told Me” from 1953 uses a catchy riff that’s very similar to Duke Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” But Little Milton’s song skitters along where Duke Ellington’s twists and pulls.

Milton Campbell (vocal, guitar), Ike Turner (piano, producer and recording engineer), C.W. Tate (tenor), Jesse Knight (bass), Willie Sims (drums), July 28, 1953
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTRSPj0l_3U

The first take didn’t use that riff. It sways more. All other info is identical.

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Sammy Lewis and Willie Johnson Combo (playlist from recordings made at Sun Studios, Memphis, TN, Monday, March 28, 1955); Sammy Lewis (vocal, harmonica), Willie Johnson (guitar), L.C. Hubert (probably, piano), Joe Nathan Franklin (drums). Check out all three takes of “I Feel So Worried,” to hear how different each one is (don’t even have to listen carefully to hear that). Take 3 is the one that ended up getting released.

For all of his many contributions to the early Howlin’ Wolf records, and records like this one, there’s far too little known about the great Willie Johnson (his last producer, Michael Frank, reminisces, transcript in the link in his name). Thanks to YouTuber Peter Parcek for this Willie Johnson playlist.

“I Feel So Worried” reminds me of Little Junior Parker’s “Feelin’ Good” (recorded June 18, 1953 with Pat Hare and Floyd Murphy on guitars [Floyd Murphy, Matt Guitar Murphy’s brother, regularly played with Junior Parker—he’s on “Mystery Train”]), recorded in Memphis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiP05S4ecU0

It also bears a resemblance to singer/drummer Willie Nix’s fabulous “Just Can’t Stay” (1953, with Eddie Taylor on guitar).

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Radio host and author Steve Franz (The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James, which includes a comprehensive discography), writes that Willie Johnson is “perhaps one of the most underrated blues guitarists of all time.” It’s true, no perhaps necessary. Episodes #145 and #146 of his Blues Unlimited online radio program feature the master.

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Someone posted this well-written article from Vintage Guitar in a blues discussion group and I thought of someone here who would be interested, but then I figured there might be more than just one person interested.

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New old songs on YouTube.

Birmingham Jones, “Tators and ’Matos,” 1965

Kid Thomas, “Here’s My Story,” 1957
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvvIZ3Kl7bc

Birmingham Jones, “Birmingham Bounce,” 1965

Birmingham Jones, “I’m Glad,” 1965

Lonnie Johnson, “Stompin’ ’Em Along Slow.” I think this was recorded around 1930. At that time, Lonnie Johnson was known more as a singer than an instrumentalist (one of many interesting facts found in the Wikipedia article in the link), although he’d already made the epochal duet recordings with Eddie Lang (who recorded as Blind Willie Dunn).