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| From the History Trust of South Australia date and location unknown http://www.history.sa.gov.au/ |
In honor of the nature imposed quarantine, I present the following playlist. It's really heavy on pre WWII recordings (with some that are pre WWI), so the quality on some of these recordings are poor.
All opinions are my own. All notes are sort of my own, with lots of help from Wikipedia, All Music Guide and other websites that I "research" from.
Tall Grass and Tasty Trash
Playlist 13 December 2010
1. Frozen Bill Cakewalk - Arthur Pryor's Band
Recorded on February 10, 1909. Arthur Pryor was a trombonist, bandleader, and soloist with the Sousa Band. In later life, he was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey.
2. Cold Morning Shout - South Street Trio
Best I can tell, the South Street Trio were Bobby Leecan and Robert Cooksey with an unknown other partner. Leecan and Cooksey put out many sides throughout the '20's and '30's.
3. Cold Icy Floor - The Bogtrotters
Recorded on October 24, 1937 by John Lomax in Galax, Virginia. The Bogtrotters were Fields Ward on guitar, Wade Ward on banjo, Davey Crockett Ward on fiddle, along with Davey's neighbor Alec Dunford on fiddle. Dunford, also known as Uncle Eck Dunford, is well known to many old time music lovers.
4. When the Snowflakes Fall Again - Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters
Da Costa Woltz and his band only recorded a few sides during a single session for Gannett in Richmond, Indiana. Woltz eventually disbanded his group and became the mayor of Galax, Virginia.
5. On a Cold Winter Night - J. E. Mainter's Mountaineers
Recorded on June 15, 1936. According to Wikipedia, Joseph Emmett Mainer grew up on a farm in the mountains near Weaverville, North Carolina and learned to play the banjo and fiddle from an early age. His brother, Wade, is world famous and has been called the "Grandfather of Bluegrass" J. E. died in 1971, while Wade turned 103 in 2010.
6. It's Gonna Be a Cold, Cold Winter - Alberta Hunter
Alberta Hunter was born in 1895 in Memphis, Tennessee, but moved to Chicago, on her own, at around the age of eleven. Her father had left the family when she was little more than a child and to support the family Hunter’s mother worked as a servant at a whorehouse in Memphis. After her mother married again in 1906, Hunter was not happy with her new family and soon left for Chicago in the hopes of becoming a paid singer; she had heard that it paid ten dollars an hour. Instead of finding a job as a singer she had to earn money by working at a boardinghouse that paid 6 dollars a week as well as room and board. Hunter began her singing career at the Dreamland Ballroom in 1917 and, in that same year, began touring Europe. Her singing career continued, after a 20 year career in nursing, until shortly before her death in 1984.
7. Cold, Cold Winter Blues - Lucille Hegamin
Lucille Hegamin was born in Macon, Georgia in 1894. She embarked on a career in music by the age of 15, during which time she toured the U.S. South. By 1914, she had made her home in Chicago, Illinois, where she played with such greats as Jelly Roll Morton. It was in Chicago that she got married to pianist Bill Hegamin and in 1918, the couple moved to Los Angeles, California. Her career in music continued until 1934, when, similar to Alberta Hunter, she decided to begin a career in nursing.
8. Ice and Snow Blues - Peetie Wheatstraw
Peetie Wheatstraw, who billed himself as "The Devil's Son-in-Law" and "The High Sheriff of Hell" (among other things), was born William Bunch in 1902. There is dispute to his birthplace, with Ripley, Tennessee and Cotton Plant, Arkansas both claiming his birth, but there is no dispute that Peetie became famous in St. Louis, Missouri in the 1920's and began recording in 1930. Even during the Depression, when recording was curtailed dramatically, Wheatstraw continued recording and selling records. He is one of the most prolific recording artists of the 1930's, surpassed only by a handful of other pre war blues greats.
9. She Stabbed Me with an Ice Pick - Will Shade
Will Shade was a bedrock member of the famous Memphis Jug Band. Shade, with other influential members of the group, including Memphis Minnie, Casey Bill Weldon and Charlie "the Uke Kid" Burse, helped, along with Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, helped make the early Memphis music scene famous around the world. With a revolving line up that lasted over 40 years, the Memphis Jug Band influenced many of the bands involved in the "folk revival" of the '60's, including early configurations of the Grateful Dead. Shade and Cannon were also a big part of the "folk revival" themselves, coming out of retirement to record again in the early '60's.
10. Cold Winter Day - Blind Willie McTell
Born May 5, 1898 in Thomson, Georgia, William Samuel McTier (or McTear), born blind in one eye, was left without a family in the early 1920's. By then, he had completely lost his sight and was busking for survival. He made his first recording in Atlanta in 1927. McTell, in order to skirt contracts binding him to one label, began recording for a variety of labels under a number of pseudonyms (Blind Sammie for Columbia, Georgia Bill for Okeh, Hot Shot Willie for Victor, Blind Willie for Vocalion, Red Hot Willie Glaze for Bluebird, Barrelhouse Sammie for Atlantic and Pig & Whistle Red for Regal).
11. The Coldest (Hottest) Stuff in Town - Whistling Bob Howe
Recorded in 1935, this is one in a long and distinguished line of "hokum" tunes. I can't really find out a lot about Whistling Bob Howe, although I do know that this was recorded with Frankie Griggs in Chicago. The title I have on here reflects the fact that, even though it is labeled "Coldest" in my library, I'm pretty sure it's really the "Hottest". Still, it's a good cold weather tune.
12. Cold Country Blues - Buddy Moss
Buddy Moss was born on January 16, 1914 in Jewell, Georgia. Georgia was a hotbed of blues musicians at the time, including Blind Willie McTell, Curley Weaver and Barbecue Bob Hicks. Moss began recording in 1933, including recording in a group called "the Georgia Browns" which included Curley Weaver, Fred McMullen and Ruth Weaver. Moss also began a working relationship with Josh White. In 1935, Moss was convicted for the murder of his wife, a conviction that is questionable at the very least. In 1941, thanks to good behavior and a couple of bribes to prison officials, Moss was released and almost immediately began recording again, this time with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee as his partners. Due to WWII, this second phase of his career stalled. It wasn't until the "folk revival" of the '60's that Moss began to receive the credit due to him as an influence from the '30's.
13. Snowy Morning Blues - James P. Johnson
Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey on February 1, 1894, Johnson was instrumental in the formation of jazz and blues piano. Johnson was known as "the King of the New York Jazz Pianists" until Art Tatum came to town. Johnson continued his career in music until a stroke (one in a series of strokes to hit the musician) debilitated him and forced his retirement.
14. Snow Surfin' Matador - Jan Davis
According to Amazon, Jan Davis is an "unheralded master of cool ‘60's instrumentals". I won't dispute that, especially since every time this song comes on, the Lady of the Manor begins shimmying. Groovy!
15. Chill Bumps - Jackie Cannon
I don't know (nor can I find) anything about Jackie Cannon. I do know this song is great.
16. Ice Water - Glen Barber
Off the Starday label. Glen Barber was born on February 2, 1935 in Hollis, Oklahoma and began recording in 1952.
17. The Wind Blows Hard - The Pleetas
I don't know (nor can I fine) anything about the Pleetas. Classic-style garage/girl group tune.
18. Winter Snow - Transatlantic Subway
Best I can tell, this band is named after an idea first put forth by Jules Verne. Other than that, I got nothin'.
19. Six Feet of Snow - Little Feat
Lowell George formed Little Feat with Bill Payne in 1969. George had been a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, but was,..., well, let's just say he left the band. Little Feat (during the years George was alive) combined boogie/funk/jam and a little of everything in between. George died on June 29, 1979, but Little Feat continues playing to this day.
20. Mean Ol' Wind Died Down - The North Mississippi All-Stars
Luther and Cody Dickinson, two members of the North Mississippi All-Stars, are the sons of the late, great Jim Dickinson (producer, musician, madman) and one of my heroes. Along with Chris Chew and Duwayne Burnside (son of R. L. Burnside, another hero), the All-Stars have been playing music since they were wee lads. Luther also plays guitar for the Black Crowes.
21. Snow Squadron - The Sadies
The Sadies are Dallas Good, Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky and are from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They have been together since 1998, playing country/surf/rockabilly with a punk attitude. They were the backing band for Andre Williams' 1999 release Red Dirt and Neko Case brings them on tour for her solo efforts.
Tall Grass & Tasty Trash for December 13th, 2010
Tall Grass & Tasty Trash for December 13th, 2010
I would like to note, for the record, that "She Stabbed Me with an Ice Pick" is included because it has the word "ice" in the title, not because it has anything to do with actual events that took place during above-mentioned nature-imposed quarantine.
ReplyDeleteAhem.
Wow, i think if the nature imposed weather strangulation had gone on much longer then Maybe the "Lady of the Manor" would have stabbed the lord with a pick of ice ... at least one in his gin and tonic if not in his kneck.
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