“Hokum”, as musical term, seems to have come into being (or onto record labels, at least) in the late ‘20s, with recordings by Tampa Red’s Hokum Jug Band, and “Hokum Blues” by the Dallas String Band. From 1929 to 1931 it was something of a craze, with name artists in their own right …
Along with Black Bob, another mysterious & underrated barrelhouse pianist from the 1930s was Piano Kid Edwards, realname unknown. We have no infos about him, but we are lucky enough to have his only four sides recorded for Paramount. He recorded them in a single session for Paramount label on December, 1930 in …
Very little is known about Black Bob Hudson, except that he was a ragtime-influenced blues pianist who was active from the 1920s and 1930s, and worked with such renowned figures as Lil Johnson, Merline Johnson, and Memphis Minnie, as well as lesser-known artists such as singer Charley West (whose “Hobo Blues” features Hudson‘s …
Mecca Flat Blues
(James Blythe and Alexander Robinson)
Talk about blues but I’ve got the meanest kind
Blue and disgusted, dissatisfied in mind
My Mecca flat man, he really don’t understand
Mecca flat woman must be a jazzin’ houn’
Mecca flat woman must be a jazzin’ houn’
Keep foolin’ with me and I’ll cut your jazzer down
Mecca flat woman stings like a …
Jimmy Blythe (May 20, 1901 – June 14, 1931) was an influential American jazz and boogie-woogie pianist.
He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, and moved to Chicago, Illinois around 1916, studying with …
Virtually nothing is known about Priscilla Stewart. An excellent second-level classic blues singer, Stewart recorded 25 performances during 1924-1928, all of which are on Document DOCD-5476. In the majority of the cases, she is accompanied by pianist Jimmy Blythe, who is in excellent form throughout. Altoist Stump Evans and cornetist Shirley Clay make …
THOMAS, HERSAL (1906–1926). Child prodigy pianist, was born in Houston in September 9, 1906. Hersal was one of thirteen children of George and Fanny Thomas. George, Sr., was a deacon at Shiloh Baptist Church, where his children often sang in the choir and played the piano and organ. The Thomas family was …
