“In the late 1950s Kimbrough began playing the guitar in his own style, using mid-tempo rhythms and a steady drone played with his thumb on the bass strings. This style would later be cited as a prime example of hill country blues. His music is characterized by the tricky syncopation between his droning bass strings and his midrange melodies. His soloing style has been described as modal and features languorous runs in the middle and upper registers. The result was described by music critic Robert Palmer as “hypnotic”. In solo and ensemble settings it is often polyrhythmic, which links it to the music of Africa. North Mississippi bluesman and former Kimbrough bassist Eric Deaton suggested similarities between Kimbrough’s music and that of Fulani musicians such as Ali Farka Touré. The music journalist Tony Russell wrote that “his raw, repetitive style suggests an archaic forebear of John Lee Hooker, a character his music shares with that of fellow North Mississippian R. L. Burnside”.”
blues
Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five, feat. Earl Hines: Basin Street Blues, December 4, 1928
“Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five play the Basin St Blues, named after the famous New Orleans French Quarter avenue. The regular group of Johnny St Cyr on banjo, Lil Hardin on piano, Kid Ory on trombone and Johnnie Dodds on clarinet is not heard on this cut. On this recording, we have Mancy Cara on banjo, Jimmy Strong replacing Dodds on clarinet, Fred Robinson takes over on trombone, Earl Hines replaces Lil on piano and with his celesta, and Zutty Singleton is added at drums. Of course, Louis Armstrong leads with his cornet and vocals. This recording was made for Okeh on December 4, 1928 in Chicago.”
“Jungle Lullaby” by CW Stoneking (2008)
Mississippi John Hurt, ‘Stack O’ Lee Blues’ (aka Stagger Lee) 1928
“The historical Stagger Lee was Lee Shelton, an African-American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri in the late 19th century. He was nicknamed Stag Lee or Stack Lee, with a variety of explanations being given: he was given the nickname because he “went stag”, meaning he was without friends; he took the nickname from a well-known riverboat captain called Stack Lee; or, according to John and Alan Lomax, he took the name from a riverboat owned by the Lee family of Memphis called the Stack Lee, which was known for its on-board prostitution. He was well known locally as one of the Macks, a group of pimps who demanded attention through their flashy clothing and appearance. In addition to these activities, he was the captain of a black Four Hundred Club, a social club with a dubious reputation.
On Christmas night in 1895, Shelton and his acquaintance William “Billy” Lyons were drinking in the Bill Curtis Saloon. Lyons was also a member of St. Louis’ underworld, and may have been a political and business rival to Shelton. Eventually, the two men got into a dispute, during which Lyons took Shelton’s Stetson hat. Subsequently, Shelton shot Lyons, recovered his hat, and left. Lyons died of his injuries, and Shelton was charged, tried and convicted of the murder in 1897. He was paroled in 1909, but returned to prison in 1911 for assault and robbery. He died in incarceration in 1912.”
I use to have this track on a clunky old cassette, never knew where it came from.
Paul Greer 