WPRB Princeton 103.3 FM

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Blues Off the Record

Mar 3, 2021 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

With Sonny Boy Williamson III

12:00 PM		Mississippi Jook Band Hittin' the Bottle Stomp Back to the Crossroads: The Roots of Robert Johnson
12:03 PM		Napoleon Strickland Banty Rooster Living Country Blues USA, Vol. 7 - Afro-American Blues Roots L+R Records 1982
12:05 PM		Charley Patton Banty Rooster Blues Charley Patton Vol. 1 (1929) 1991
12:07 PM		Jessie Mae Hemphill She-Wolf She-Wolf L+R Records 1983
12:12 PM		Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers Going Back to New Orleans Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers Fantasy Records 1990
12:15 PM		Professor Longhair Stack-O-Lee Ball the Wall!: Live at Tipitina's 1978 1999
12:18 PM		Set Break: ----------------------------------------------------
12:19 PM		Archibald Crescent City Bounce Mardi Gras Blues
12:21 PM		Booker T. and the M.G.'s Wang Dang Doodle / Spoonful Soul Men
12:28 PM		Etta James & Harvey Fuqua Spoonful At Last! Geffen* 2016
12:30 PM		Little Richard Whole Lotta Shakin' Directly from My Heart: The Best of the Specialty & Vee-Jay Years Specialty Records 2015
12:32 PM		The Treniers It Rocks! It Rolls! It Swings! R&B: From Doo-Wop to Hip-Hop Sony Music Entertainment 1969
12:34 PM		Set Break: ----------------------------------------------------
12:36 PM		Faye Adams It Hurts Me to My Heart Ember House of Hits
12:39 PM		Lee Allen Walking with Mr. Lee Ember House of Hits
12:41 PM		Mitty Collier I Had a Talk with My Man Last Night Chess Soul: A Decade of Chicago’s Finest Geffen 1997
12:45 PM		Little Milton Little Bluebird Waiting For Little Milton Stax 1973
12:51 PM		Set Break: ----------------------------------------------------
12:52 PM		Lowell Fulson I Want to Make Love to You Blue Shadows
12:55 PM		Little Walter Temperature Confessin' the Blues 1996
12:58 PM		Big Walter Horton & Carey Bell Trouble in Mind Big Walter Horton With Carey Bell 1972
1:02 PM		Set Break: ----------------------------------------------------
1:06 PM		Jesse "Babyface" Thomas Jack of Diamons Jesse Thomas 1948–1958
1:08 PM		Buddy Moss Someday Baby Buddy Moss Vol. 2 1933 - 1934 Document Records 1992
1:10 PM		Ed Bell Bad Boy Ed Bell - Mamlish Blues (1927 - 1930) Document Records 1992
1:13 PM		Jimmie Hill & Peg Leg Howell Away From Home Hard Times Come Again No More: Early American Rural Songs of Hard Times and Hardships Vol. 2 Yazoo 2006
1:16 PM		Bo Carter & Walter Vinson Times Is Tight Like That Hard Times Come Again No More: Early American Rural Songs of Hard Times and Hardships Vol. 2 Yazoo 2006
1:18 PM		Bo Carter, Bob Carter & Charlie McCoy The Northern Starvers Are Returning Home Hard Times Come Again No More: Early American Rural Songs of Hard Times and Hardships Vol. 2 Yazoo 2006
1:23 PM		Set Break: ----------------------------------------------------
1:25 PM		The Caroline Tar Heels Got the Farm Land Blues Hard Times Come Again No More: Early American Rural Songs of Hard Times and Hardships Vol. 2
1:29 PM		Charley Jordan Starvation Blues Hard Times Come Again No More: Early American Rural Songs of Hard Times and Hardships Vol. 2 Yazoo 2006
1:32 PM		Lee Brothers Cotton Mill Blues Hard Times Come Again No More: Early American Rural Songs of Hard Times and Hardships Vol. 2
1:34 PM		Blind Lemon Jefferson Rabbit Foot Blues Blind Lemon Jefferson Vol. 1 (1925 - 1926) Document Records 1991
1:38 PM		Rev. Gary Davis Let Us Get Together Right Down Here Harlem Street Singer
1:41 PM		Dave Van Ronk Cocaine Blues Folksinger 1962
1:44 PM		Set Break: ----------------------------------------------------
1:46 PM		Blind Willie McTell Pinetop's Boogie Woogie Atlanta Twelve String Rhino Atlantic 2004
1:48 PM		Blind Willie McTell Pearly Gates Atlanta Twelve String Rhino Atlantic 2004
1:52 PM		Guitar Slim What a Friend We Have In Jesus Living Country Blues USA, Vol. 11 - Country Gospel Rock L+R Records 1983
1:54 PM		Elder J.E. Burch My Heart Keeps Singing American Epic: The Collection Columbia/Legacy 2017
1:57 PM		Bukka White Special Streamline Parchman Farm Columbia/Legacy 1969
2:00 PM		Set Break: ----------------------------------------------------
2:03 PM		Sleepy John Estes Floating Bridge Sleepy John Estes Vol. 2 (1937 - 1941) 1990
2:06 PM		Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry Meet Me Down the Bottom Midnight Special (Remastered) Fantasy Records 1977
2:09 PM		Floyd "Dipper Boy" Council Poor and Ain't Got a Dime Carolina Blues
2:13 PM		Pink Anderson That's No Way to Do Medicine Show Man Fantasy Records 1999
2:16 PM		Ezra Buzzington's Rustic Revelers Brown Jug Blues Ruckus Juice & Chittlins, Vol. 2 Yazoo 2006
2:18 PM		Mississippi Sarah & Daddy Stovepipe Greenville Strut Ruckus Juice & Chittlins, Vol. 2 Yazoo 2006
2:21 PM		Set Break: ----------------------------------------------------
2:23 PM		Prarie Ramblers Jug Rag Ruckus Juice and Chittlins, Vol. 2
2:26 PM		Alan Lomax Early In the Mornin' Negro Prison Blues & Songs
2:30 PM		Alan Lomax Levee Camp Holler Negro Prison Blues & Songs
2:33 PM		Robert Petway Hollow Log Blues Mississippi Blues (1935-1951) 2007
2:36 PM		Robert Lockwood, Jr. Dust My Broom Mississippi Blues (1935-1951) 2007
2:39 PM		Set Break: ----------------------------------------------------
2:40 PM		Muddy Waters Rollin' Stone The Chess Box Geffen 1989
2:43 PM		Sunnyland Slim Fly Right, Little Girl Chess Blues Geffen 1992
2:47 PM		Rocky Fuller Funeral Hearse At My Door Chess Blues
2:49 PM		Buddy Guy Stone Crazy The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection: Buddy's Blues 1992
2:56 PM		Big Bill Broonzy Black Widow Spider Big Bill Broonzy Vol. 5

Chat is archived.

Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy today's show :)

Gday SBWIII

Fess!

Ahhhh ... I love hearing that sweet-steppin' blues mandolin! Especially nice just now on "Away From Home."

This is a formidable collection album from which you've gotten these numbers. Too bad that "Hard Times" songs never seem to go out of style or relevance! :-(

Banjo making an appearance

The banjo pickin' sounded to my ears like the old-time two-finger "double thumbing" pattern.

There come those hard times again...

Classic from Rev

That playing makes me want to shout w joy too!

Yep! Especially in these times, we ALL need such uplift -- right down here. Thank you, Rev. Davis!

Contrast of beautiful guitar melody & accompaniment with serious subject. DVR could play & arrange so well

Glad you both are enjoying the show so much! Yes sadly the market for "hard times" never seems to quite dry up. But somehow knowledge of the universality of hardship is... comforting. Or at least distracting!

The compilation actually has two volumes: https://www.discogs.com/Various-Hard-Times-Come-Again-No-More-Vol-1-Early-American-Rural-Songs-Of-Hard-Times-And-Hardships/release/5583175

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Hard-Times-Come-Again-No-More-Vol-2-Early-American-Rural-Songs-Of-Hard-Times-And-Hardships/release/5583504

The seem linked in theme to Yazoo's many volumes in the "Times Ain't Like the Used to Be" series

https://www.discogs.com/search?q=early+american%20rural%20music&type=all

Ronk was quite a player indeed! I was trying to learn his song "Blood Red Moon" but I decided it was medically inadvisable -- I practically broke my thumb, since the song is in G but played in drop-D. Elijah Wald makes it look easy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1csKoJe5z1U

You know, I'm fascinated that the Coen Brothers used the life and music of Dave Van Ronk as the inspiration for their 2013 film "Inside Llewyn Davis" (including the idea for the escaping cat -- look at the feline poised to leap over the doorstep in the cover of the LP "Inside Dave Van Ronk"). Yet, as a personality, the wry Van Ronk was so unlike the self-absorbed, supremely self-serious Llewyn Davis.

*I love that movie -- but obviously they really departed from Wald's "Mayor of MacDougal Street" (whose film rights they purchased) in most of the basics of the character.

Beginning with Davis' lack of success. I'm sure they drew plent of the color of the Greenwich Village scene from it -- I'd bet they also used the relevant chapters in Dylan's "Chronicles"

I like DVRs moments in the Scorsese No Direction Home Dylan doc from 2005

A mellower Dave giving some good info

I love the Mayor of MacDougal Street book!

I was privileged, on two occasions, to be one of the opening acts at shows headlined by Van Ronk. I chatted with him backstage at length both times, and he was extraordinarily gracious to a nobody like me.

Very cool! Love that guy.

One thing I'll never forget: This was of course before publication of "The Mayor of MacDougal Street" his posthumously published autobiography (with editing completion by Wald). But he told me in private what was stated in public print later -- that he liked the very young Bob Dylan for his talent, but especially for Bob's work ethic and sincerity. He'd come to New York City and epecially the Greenwich Folk scene specifically to learn, to find and absorb everything he could about folk music.

Van Ronk really responded to that, and clearly was happy to let Dylan listen to all his records, give him info, teach him songs -- everything. It's good to know and remember that despite his fame (and, yes, ego) Bob Dylan has a truly and humbly sincere side to him. YougoBob!

Very cool Richard! And I of course should have been more specific when I attributed that book to Elijah Wald since Van Ronk was the primary author.

There's an amazing scene (who knows if Bob invented it) in Chronicles where Bob plays the newly pressed "King of the Delta Blues Singers" for Dave, who has a completely different, more scholarly approach -- he points out that Johnson has borrowed this or that from various sources. But Bob remains thrilled by Johnson's artistry. Its a sort of parable for different scholarly or Romantic appreciations of the blues.

Well, Elijah should be credited for his crucial contribution of getting the manuscript into shape and make sure Dave's voice spoke through every page -- and Wald succeeded magnificently on that. I'm glad you mentioned him, it's important.

Yes, it's important to accept such tales judiciously no matter who tells them! But that's a great one and it rings true to me.

Oh DJ Dan Buskirk and I were chatting in here the other day about The Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival. And that led to me mentioning how I loved the Bill Monroe biography "Can't You Hear Me Callin'.." I think I've made the connection! Great book! About to read it for the 4th time!

Aw, shucks, thanks! To have experts like you and Dan enjoy my Bill Monroe bio ... that's very high praise. And (to get back to the focus of this wonderful WPRB show), I did emphasize Monroe's debt to the blues in creating his bluegrass music.

Yes Sonny III and I had chatted before about such things as recurring melodies. Mr Monroe's version of Rocky Road Blues was 1 example. And also the melody of Rock Around tthe Clock etc etc

Move it on Over.... the list goes on

The early Buddy Guy on Chess sound just stings so nicely. That Little Richard-esque woooo he gets. Great band & horn arr.

Even if they didn't let him turn up the amp to distort it still stings! Heh

Terrific vocal from Mr. Guy, a double-treat guitarist/singer like so many of the blues greats. Wow ... major admiration here ...

Thanks again SBW IIIrd for yet another awesome program, great music and chat exchanges, too.

Jimmy Page listened to this record a few times no doubt

Some note for note quotes on the early Zep lps from that

Thank you for another great journey through the blues and folk SBW III

Take care Richard