Our Blues Roots: Homesick James and some lowdown, dirty blues

[Don D.]

There’s a kind of a theme here, blues as an inescapable force—life itself. About halfway through, I lost confidence in my vision but I continued to lay it out.

This morning, I was reminded that today is the 89th anniversary of Koko Taylor’s birthday with this beautiful version of “I’d Rather Go Blind.” The chordal backing is only slightly more complicated than Etta James’ classic version of A7 and B minor 7 (D7 and E7 are also used, but not exactly like a “regular 12-bar blues,” they’re more like IV chords on the main two; Brian covered this recently).

Magic Sam’s version of “That’s Why I’m Crying” is number 102 on the “Dirty Lowdown Blues” playlist below. Here’s Koko Taylor’s version.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::C:E:D:E:L:L:::::D:A:V:I:S::::::1:9:2:7:-:2:0:1:7::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CeDell Davis passed away last night at about 7 pm at age 90. Here are a couple of my favorites of his. I’ll do a more complete write-up at some point soon.

Thanks for checking this out! Next Blues Roots will appear on Thursday, October 12.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::H:O:M:E:S:I:C:K::::J:A:M:E:S:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
You’re invited to listen to some Homesick James. Homesick James Williamson was a most distinctive singer and guitarist who was said to never tell the truth about himself and to never lie about others. So when he said that Elmore James was his cousin and he taught him to play slide, was he talking about himself or Elmore James? I have a feeling his singing is of the kind people either love or hate. “The Woman I Love” will probably be a good way to find out if you want to go any further.

First song on here is Homesick at home in 1980.

Number 11 on the playlist, Ain’t Sick No More, recorded in 1973 with Snooky Pryor (harmonica), Eddie Taylor (guitar), Dave Myers (bass) and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith (drums), has been a longtime favorite, but something I knew only from YouTube. I finally broke down and bought it a couple weeks ago. It arrived just about two weeks ago and it’s been on my turntable since. Just the intro on “12-Year-Old Boy” is so killer I’ve been listening over and over. A lot of his stuff is equally great—check out Blues from the South Side from 1964 (numbers 69 to 80). Another beautiful song below from Homesick James & Snooky Pryor (1973).

Homesick James and Snooky Pryor released two albums with similar names two years apart. Homesick James’ is The Country Blues (from 1971), and Snooky Pryor’s is And the Country Blues (1973).

The Country Blues looks like it might be a solo effort by Homesick James (there aren’t any tracks from it on YouTube, but it wasn’t hard to find on Discogs; I ordered a copy for $11 last week—when it arrives, I’ll let you know), but they collaborated on Snooky Pryor’s And the Country Blues; Snooky Pryor sings and plays harp, Homesick James plays slide while Louis Myers and Mighty Joe Young are the other two guitarists, with David Myers (bass) and Fred Below (drums). What I could find of this album is at numbers 99 to 105 on the playlist, followed by a concert the two of them played in 1973.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::D:I:R:T:Y::::L:O:W:D:O:W:N:::B:L:U:E:S:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In the first video, Louis Myers (vocal, guitar) talks about lowdown, dirty blues before playing “Mean Black Spider” with Luther Tucker (guitar), Honey Piazza (piano), Dave Myers (bass) and Al Duncan (drums) at a 1989 tribute to Little Walter—someone who knew the dirty and the lowdown and he knew how to get it into a song (if you want to hear more of the Spice Club Little Walter tribute, check the bottom for videos featuring Dave Myers and Jimmy Rogers).

Next up is a movie by Harley Cokliss, released in 1972, called Chicago Blues. It covers a lot of lowdown situations. (If you know the title of the bouncing J.B. Hutto instrumental that kicks in at 33:48, please share it.)

There were many people who titled their blues some combination of “dirty” and “lowdown” and I really tried to include them here, but after listening, I discarded more than I kept. Most of the songs here depend on lyrics to tell their story, but there are several instrumentals that I thought were right at home here, Lafayette Thomas’ “Deep South Guitar Blues” (at number 113) and the Aces “Bluesy,” the last song.

I thought finding dirty, lowdown blues would be easy till I tried—then nothing was exactly right. These are some of the songs, albums and performances that I think get at what the lowdown, dirty blues were about in the 1930s through the 1970s (as best I can sort it), mostly Chicago blues, but I’ve included blues from Detroit and Gary, the Delta, the West Coast (including Texas), a little from Memphis (I don’t see any from New Orleans, in general, there’s too much bounce in the music from those places), probably a couple other locations. If T-Bone Walker says it’s a lowdown blues, I’m not going to try second-guessing him.

There’s a lot of Johnny Shines on here (including the only complete album on the playlist, Takin’ the Blues Back South at number 28; I put the rest of the albums under an albums subhead below), he really captures something vital for me.

I’ll continue to add to this list as I remember and find the music that belongs.

I almost crossed over into country music but resisted the temptation because I’m too unfamiliar with most of it, so I’m sure I’d mess it up, but there’s sure a lot of hellish emotions uncovered there. Here’s one I do know.

Curtis Jones, Walter Davis, Henry Townsend (Walter Davis and Henry Townsend frequently collaborated) and Percy Mayfield—something like novelists or filmmakers using sound—whose stories are deep and can be lowdown. Their music is featured in the main playlist, but if you’d like to hear more, here are some extended playlists (capsule bios almost verbatim from Wikipedia [I added a couple song titles to Percy Mayfield’s]; links lead to complete articles).

………………………………………………C…u…r…t…i…s…………J…o…n…e…s………………………………………………
Curtis Jones (August 18, 1906–September 11, 1971) was an American blues pianist. He is the author of so many deep songs, including “Lonesome Bedroom Blues” as sung by Johnny Shines at number 30.

…………………W…a…l…t…e…r………D…a…v…i…s.,……H…e…n…r…y………T…o…w…n…s…e…n…d…………………
Walter Davis (March 1, 1911–October 22, 1963) was an American blues singer, pianist, and songwriter who was one of the most prolific blues recording artists from the early 1930s to the early 1950s.

Henry “Mule” Townsend (October 27, 1909–September 24, 2006) was an American blues singer, guitarist and pianist.

……………………………………………P…e…r…c…y………M…a…y…f…i…e…l…d……………………………………………
Percy Mayfield (August 12, 1920–August 11, 1984) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer with a smooth vocal style. He was also a songwriter, known for the songs “Please Send Me Someone to Love,” “River’s Invitation,” “Hit the Road, Jack” and “Memory Pain” (this last one is his version of “Serves Me Right to Suffer”).

……………………………………………………………a…l…b…u…m…s……………………………………………………………
These albums contain some real lowdown blues, but not through and through, so I put them here instead. The Red Lightning discs are low-quality bootleg reissues with some speed and fidelity issues, but they’re available, and the originals aren’t.

Colossal Blues Vol. 1, Recorded Live Cadillac Baby´s Lounge (1958). This isn’t what the sleeve of the announcer says it is, but it’s just about as good and many of the mentioned artists do appear on the recordings.

Chicago Blues (1964). This is a Spivey record; the company was owned by Victoria Spivey.

Johnny Shines with Big Walter Horton (1969)

The Devil’s Music, Chicago Blues (1976)

The Devil’s Music, Mississippi and Memphis Blues (1976)

Bring Me Another Half a Pint (1976)

Blues Boy Rawlins aka Sweet Lovin’ Daddy Chicago Blues (1978)

Walter “Lightnin’ Bug” Rhodes Giving You the Blues (1989)

Chicago Blues Guitar Killers (1992)

………………………………………………a…n…o…t…h…e…r………l…o…o…k………………………………………………
Here’s YouTube user Randall Chrismon’s “Low Down Dirty Blues” playlist—the overlaps were Willie Brown’s “Ragged and Dirty” and Skip James’ “Devil Got My Woman.”

Many of the people found on the “Crying the lowdown, dirty blues” playlist have dedicated playlists here (my YouTube channel); many of the originators are grouped together in a couple different lists “Old-time country blues” and In addition, record companies have created “Topic” playlists on YouTube. I’ve found almost every artist I’ve looked for by searching for their name and the word “topic” (there are many albums that aren’t there though).

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::A:R:H:O:O:L:I:E::::::R:E:C:O:R:D:S:::::B:R:O:A:D:C:A:S:T::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Just last time , in the Earl Hooker topic, I mentioned Chris Strachwitz and the Arhoolie Foundation Archive . In another part of the Blues Roots, I mentioned Steve Franz and the Blues Unlimited radio show.

Here’s the current Blues Unlimited broadcast (it’s a rebroadcast from their archive) “Bad Luck ’n’ Trouble,” based on the music on Arhoolie Records.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::L:I:T:T:L:E::::W:A:L:T:E:R:::::T:R:I:B:U:T:E:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Little Walter Tribute, Spice Club, Hollywood; produced and video by Randy Chortkoff (1989)

Jimmy Rogers (vocal & guitar), Louis Myers, Luther Tucker (guitars), Dave Myers (bass), Al Duncan (drums), Rod Piazza (harp) and Honey Piazza (piano)

Dave Myers (vocal & bass), Louis Myers, Luther Tucker (guitars), Al Duncan (drums), Rod Piazza (harp) and Honey Piazza (piano)

There’s quite a lot of footage of the Myers brothers on YouTube (both as members of the Aces and as individuals). I’ve started a playlist of them a while back, but it needs work; when I get it in shape, I will have a treat in store for you.

Don D.

[Aussie Rick]

Thanks for another Our Blues Roots post Don. Some great blues tracks and plenty of good information and links. While Etta James’ and Koko Taylor’s versions of I’d Rather Go Blind are classics, Beth Hart’s more recent version with Joe Bonamassa is an absolute blinder (excuse the pun).

I was intrigued by the unique guitar playing style of Cedell Big G Davis. Apparently a case of childhood polio left him with limited use of both hands – so he took to using a butter knife in the fret hand and an unusual plucking technique with the other hand. Sort of makes the difficulties associated with a bit of arthritis in the hands seem like a walk in the park doesn’t it.
Cheers,
Rick

[Barry W]

I agree Rick. This is a good song for Beth Hart. I like her rendition with Jeff Beck at the Kennedy Center, honoring Buddy Guy.

[Don D.]

Hey Rick, CeDell developed a really personal style based on the limits he confronted—his determination is more than admirable, anyone should be proud to turn their perceived weaknesses into something as inventive or productive. His use of dissonant microtones, which could be off-putting, is offset by his certain and likable rhythms. Back in the ’90s when I first heard him, I read somewhere that someone thought they were doing him a favor by retuning his guitar “correctly.” After some initial fumbling, he brought things back to his tonality by the way he twisted the knife (might be in the liner notes to Feel Like Doin’ Something Wrong, 1994).

I received the Homesick James album I mentioned above, The Country Blues, this morning. The liner notes talk about a group playing their best but don’t say who. The usually insightful and accurate American Music website of Stefan Wirz add nothing and credits Homesick James with playing everything (forgot to include link in main article). I’m looking forward to playing it tomorrow—if I can get Ain’t Sick No More off the platter.

Hey Barry, thanks for posting the video. I don’t share your enthusiasm for the remakes, but I’m glad to see people are still singing the old songs.

Don D.

[Don D.]

This Blues Unlimited broadcast by Steve Franz dovetails with the lowdown theme, Number 315, “The Low Down Gut Bucket Blues”

This one doesn’t, but I’m including it anyway, Number 157, “Red Hot Blues Guitar”

The personnel on that Homesick James album, The Country Blues, that I mentioned above are Homesick James (vocals, guitar) and, according to producer Al Smith, Louis Myers (guitar) Dave Myers (bass), Willie Williams (drums). Four songs from that album can be found on this playlist, numbers 67 to 70.

Don D.

[Author]

Posts