Your favorite pre-war songster in Pre War Blues Forum

0 Points

Add Reply New Topic New Poll

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Your favorite pre-war songster

Author

Comment

Tom Rushen

Your favorite pre-war songster

Lead

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 4476

Jul 24 07 2:31 AM

Tags : None

This poll is not about selecting the best bluesman.

It's about selecting your favorite songster, someone who played a wide variety of songs and styles.

Personally, for my money, Uncle Dave Macon wins this contest, hands-down.

YMMV....

Who is your favorite pre-war songster, and why? (Result)

Reply Quote

cih

#1

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 1283

Jul 24 07 9:54 AM

Lead Belly!

Reply Quote

mississippijohnhurt1928

#2

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 3638

Jul 24 07 9:54 AM

I'd have to go for Luke Jordan, so I voted "Other".

Richard "Rabbit" Brown, Papa Charlie Jackson, and Henry Thomas are close seconds, though.

Calvin, The Hoy Hoy Boy

Currently The Proud Owner Of 230 Different Piano Red Recordings (Plus Over 1.5 Hours Of Unreleased Live Recordings Made In 1978).

Reply Quote

Les Forgue

#3

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 6205

Jul 24 07 2:10 PM

I voted for Mctell. It was very close and hard to chose between Patton, McTell, Hurt and Furry Lewis. I was thinking about an Other too, Mance Lipscomb, but I don't know whether he recorded any pre-war.

I like Charile Patton because to me he is an epitomy of primal country blues, songster or not.
I picked Willie McTell because for one thing his recordings seem so much better quality that makes them better listening. He really had a way with lyrics too. My favorites from him are probably Searching These Deserts and Statesborough, and he even at least once did what I would call 'delta; blues with his Send Me An Angel.
But what makes him a songster, his ranging outside of blues, actually one or 2 of those I find boring.
Furry Lewis his original Kasey (I know I spell it wrong, I forgot how it's spelled on the record label) That one I could and have listened to for many hours.

I should seek and find out about that Uncle Dave Macon, as I am totally unfamiliar with him.

Les from Chicago

"Nobody sits on a rolling stone".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMRWhmqJwHc

Reply Quote

Tom Rushen

#4

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 4476

Jul 24 07 2:13 PM

QUOTE (Les Forgue @ Jul 24 2007, 10:10 AM)

I should seek and find out about that Uncle Dave Macon, as I am totally unfamiliar with him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Dave_Macon

Remember, this poll is about songsters, regardless of race...

Reply Quote

MountainBlues

#5

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 2286

Jul 24 07 2:28 PM

McTell gets my vote, not only because of his singing ability, but his wide range of material is impressive. The lyrical depth amazes me, from his Gospel emphasis to "Dying Crapshooter's Blues".

"I don't do any of that hardcore blues stuff where they got a one-track mind talking about how a woman ain't nothing." (Gatemouth Brown)

Reply Quote

Les Forgue

#6

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 6205

Jul 24 07 5:05 PM

QUOTE (Tom Rushen @ Jul 24 2007, 09:13 AM)

regardless of race...

No race? Goody! cuz I don't like when they sing too fast.

Except when Leadbelly sing Rock Island Line too fast, that is okay, but probably not pre-war.

Les from Chicago

"Nobody sits on a rolling stone".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMRWhmqJwHc

Reply Quote

Rats in my Kitchen

#7

[-]

Posts: 390

Jul 24 07 5:37 PM

Jimmie Rodgers! What a career!

--------------------
Nurse: Was there blood?
Patient: Yes
Nurse: Blood, bile, piss and vinegar, and phlegm?
Patient: Worse. There was blog!

Reply Quote

jaycee

#8

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 5165

Jul 24 07 6:10 PM

i am going tro have to duck out of this one, i cant make my mind up, between. frank stokes, blind willie mctell, charley patton, and a name thats not mentioned in the poll but should be, leadbelly.

work is the curse of the drinking classes

www.myspace.com/earlybluesman

human beings have two terminal conditions hope and death

www.twitter.com@birstallblue

Reply Quote

Tom Rushen

#9

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 4476

Jul 24 07 6:23 PM

QUOTE (jaycee @ Jul 24 2007, 02:10 PM)

a name thats not mentioned in the poll but should be, leadbelly.

You are right, he should be listed.

I never think about him, mostly because I never think about him as pre-war, but instead as a post-war artist.

Reply Quote

mississippijohnhurt1928

#10

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 3638

Jul 25 07 1:23 AM

Oh and included in my choice of "other" is Jim Jackson!!

I have not met one person who can endure listening to Jim Jackson for more than an hour, but I sure can!!

Calvin, The Hoy Hoy Boy

Currently The Proud Owner Of 230 Different Piano Red Recordings (Plus Over 1.5 Hours Of Unreleased Live Recordings Made In 1978).

Reply Quote

Tom Rushen

#11

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 4476

Jul 25 07 2:04 AM

QUOTE (mississippijohnhurt1928 @ Jul 24 2007, 05:54 AM)

I'd have to go for Luke Jordan, so I voted "Other".

I have to admit that I am not familiar with Luke Jordan at all, I've heard his name occasionally, I probably have a couple of his songs on some pre-war anthologies here and there, but if I've heard the songs, I don't remember them at all.

Reading the new Michael Gray bio about Blind Willie McTell today, I stumbled across a description of a late 1930s recording session pairing Blind Willie with Piano Red, the only time Willie ever recorded with a pianist. Gray reports the resulting recordings were described as not very good, unfortunately, that Willie and Red had styles that simply didn't complement each other. Gray also reports none of the recordings were ever issued on 78, and that the masters no longer exist. I still would love to hear Red and Willie together....

Reply Quote

MaskedMarvel

#12

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 6919

Jul 25 07 2:37 AM

Richard Rabbit Brown is IMO the ultimate songster for he also had lyrics. Sinking of the Titanic, Dunbar Kid, and etc. shows a songster with wide capabilities. His singing puts him also above the others with a few that were as capable as him to deliver a songster feeling as strong as him in the singing, Jim Jackson, Mississippi John Hurt, Gus Cannon and maybe a few more. His playing also tops. The complete package of his lyrics, vocals and guitar puts him above the others IMO.

All the above written is in my opinion unless it is someone else's opinion, or a fact.

Location: Zur Moshe, Israel

Reply Quote

HeatherT

#13

[-]

Posts: 430

Jul 25 07 2:44 AM

When I think of songsters, Leadbelly's always the first one that comes to mind for me.

Heather

Reply Quote

barrelhouse

#14

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 6072

Jul 25 07 10:14 AM

After much deliberation, it came down in favour of Mississippi John Hurt over Blind Willie McTell. Hard choice though!

Don't you think too bad about me when I'm gone.--Allardyce/ Kocemba.

Peterhead, N.E. Scotland, between the Ugie and Ythan Deltas.

Reply Quote

BlindOwlBio

#15

[-]

Posts: 351

Jul 25 07 12:05 PM

I chose Patton because some of my favorites among his songs are not blues. "On the Wall" and "A Spoonful Blues" are categorized by some as ragtime.

Reply Quote

Blueswriter

#16

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 6748

Jul 25 07 12:32 PM

QUOTE (mississippijohnhurt1928 @ Jul 24 2007, 08:23 PM)

I have not met one person who can endure listening to Jim Jackson for more than an hour, but I sure can!!

In your 14 years, how many people have you actually met who've heard of, never mind listened to, Jim Jackson?

Reply Quote

jeffkonkel

#17

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 4300

Jul 25 07 1:48 PM

QUOTE (Blueswriter @ Jul 25 2007, 12:32 PM)

In your 14 years, how many people have you actually met who've heard of, never mind listened to, Jim Jackson?

as for me, i went with mississippi john hurt . . . although much of the evidence for his place in the pantheon of songsters actually comes from his post-war rediscovery period. to get a feel for his rich appreciation for a wide range of music traditions, be sure to pick up both volumes of his library of congress recordings, now available through fuel records.

Jeff Konkel
President and Founder,
Broke & Hungry Records
Myspace Site: Broke & Hungry Records
2007 Living Blues Award - Producer of the Year

"As record labels go, Broke & Hungry Records must be the discovery of 2007."
- Blues Revue Magazine

Reply Quote

mississippijohnhurt1928

#18

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 3638

Jul 25 07 3:13 PM

QUOTE (Tom Rushen @ Jul 25 2007, 02:04 AM)

QUOTE (mississippijohnhurt1928 @ Jul 24 2007, 05:54 AM)

I'd have to go for Luke Jordan, so I voted "Other".

I have to admit that I am not familiar with Luke Jordan at all, I've heard his name occasionally, I probably have a couple of his songs on some pre-war anthologies here and there, but if I've heard the songs, I don't remember them at all.

Reading the new Michael Gray bio about Blind Willie McTell today, I stumbled across a description of a late 1930s recording session pairing Blind Willie with Piano Red, the only time Willie ever recorded with a pianist. Gray reports the resulting recordings were described as not very good, unfortunately, that Willie and Red had styles that simply didn't complement each other. Gray also reports none of the recordings were ever issued on 78, and that the masters no longer exist. I still would love to hear Red and Willie together....

Oh, Luke Jordan is amazing!

He has a high-pitched and calm voice and it looks like he only recorded about 12 sides.

Calvin, The Hoy Hoy Boy

Currently The Proud Owner Of 230 Different Piano Red Recordings (Plus Over 1.5 Hours Of Unreleased Live Recordings Made In 1978).

Reply Quote

LoneWolf

#19

[-]

Posts: 2407

Jul 27 07 3:53 PM

Luke Jordan for me too. I have to thank Masked Marvel for introducing me to him.

Luke Jordan's voice is kinda similar to Honeyboy Edwards' voice (in Honeyboy's 1941 recordings).

Reply Quote

jeffkonkel

#20

[-]

Deepest Blue

Posts: 4300

Jul 27 07 3:56 PM

hey, roi . . . aren't you supposed to be off in basic training?! (good to see you).

Jeff Konkel
President and Founder,
Broke & Hungry Records
Myspace Site: Broke & Hungry Records
2007 Living Blues Award - Producer of the Year

"As record labels go, Broke & Hungry Records must be the discovery of 2007."
- Blues Revue Magazine

Reply Quote

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Add Reply

Yuku free message boards

Your favorite pre-war songster

Your favorite pre-war songster

Who is your favorite pre-war songster, and why? (Result)