OKeh Records has already popped up frequently in the early days of the recorded blues. Modern was launched a few months later by the Bihari Brothers, Jules, Joe, and Saul, who had a penchant for guitar blues. Born Huddie Ledbetter in Louisiana, Leadbelly's music and tumultuous life had a profound effect on blues and folk musicians alike. Vee-Jay was another giant of the Chicago music scene. In Hughess second book, Fine Clothes to the Jew (1927), he turned to the blues for a poetic form derived from and answering to the desires, needs, and aesthetic sensibilities of the Black working class. I believe that I will now be freer to tour. He made a living as a traveling musician, and by 1936 Johnson caught the eye of a talent scout named H.C. Speir. With the new name came a rash of new signings, including Jimmy Rogers (a key player in Muddys band), Eddie Boyd And His Chess Men, Willie Mabon, Memphis Slim, and Howlin Wolf. King's name stands for "Blues Boy." These nominations were for Best Rock Musician/Vocalist (multiple); Best Singer/Songwriter; Best Rock Band; Best Blues Band; Best Local CD (multiple); Early was also the recipient of the Critics Choice Award as Sacramentos Best Guitarist. The band released their first studio album in 1965 called The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. There was Sirius and there was XM. He formed his first band in 1990 and released his debut Society for the Misunderstood. After his death in 1949, Leadbelly songs including "Midnight Special," "Goodnight, Irene," and "The Rock Island Line" became hits for artists as diverse as the Weavers, Frank Sinatra,Johnny CashandErnest Tubb. In 1942 they signed T-Bone Walker, and he became the featured guitarist with Freddie Slack and his Orchestra. Who wrote the first blues song? For a lot of years I have been tied to the radio, so I havent been able to tour. He has maintained a legendary career ever since. The blues is as important as any artform. Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915 to hermother Sadie Fagan and Clarence Holiday, who is believed to be her father. The passing on of folk music and the blues is folk music is a complex process; without TV, radio, CDs, records, cassettes, or any other process for hearing recorded blues music, it was spread literally by word of mouth.. Paramount lasted for 10 years and released over 1,100 records, many of which are much prized by collectors today (often because they originally sold in such small numbers). Most of the early, rural/folk blues singer-guitarists did not specialize in blues only. Two years later, Lowell Fulson had a big hit with Reconsider Baby. By 1955, Chess had expanded still further, as well as crossing over into the white rocknroll market with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. King, byname of Riley B. He moved to Chicago in the mid-1920s and teamed with pianist "Georgia" Tom Dorsey to form "The Hokum Boys," scoring a big hit with the song "It's Tight Like That," popularizing the bawdy blues style known as "hokum. Although many of Patton's earliest recordings are only represented by inferior-quality 78s, "Founder of the Delta Blues"offers a solid collection of two dozen tracks with varying sound quality. With a primal voice that could rise from a guttural howl to an ethereal falsetto throughout the course of a song, Johnson possessed a complex andtechnically advancedguitar-playing style that influenced a generation of Mississippi bluesmen, including Howlin' Wolf and Robert Nighthawk. Egbert (Bert) Williams, who starred in the Ziegfield Follies, was one of the biggest black artists of the early 20th Century, and veteran recording star, when he recorded Unlucky Blues, in April 1920, for Columbia Records. Having said that, I think The Doors were as good of a band as there has ever been. Jimi Hendrix, byname of James Marshall Hendrix, originally John Allen Hendrix, (born November 27, 1942, Seattle, Washington, U.S.died September 18, 1970, London, England), American rock guitarist, singer, and composer who fused American traditions of blues, jazz, rock, and soul with techniques of British avant-garde rock to redefine the electric Vocally, it is the most speechlike, and the guitar accompaniment is rhythmic and percussive; a slide or bottleneck is often used. But the world has changed and blues labels have changed with it. These and other blues musicians with pseudonyms took on new monikersfor a wide variety of reasons. However, other famous blues musicians opted for a stage name for artistic reasons. King returned to his roots with One Kind Favor (2008), a collection of songs from the 1940s and 50s including blues classics by the likes of John Lee Hooker and Lonnie Johnson. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); About Us Contributors Terms of Service Privacy Policy 2023 uDiscover Music, Robert Johnson - Robert Johnson's Cross Road Blues (Official Video), Charlie Patton High Water Everywhere, Pt 1, A Family Affair: The Blood Bonds That Stormed The World, Dub Music: Exploring The Genres Jamaican Origins, DIY Music: How Musicians Did It For Themselves, How LGBTQ Musicians Broke Barriers To The Mainstream, All You Need Is The Summer Of Love: How 1967 Sparked A Revolution, Walking In Memphis: A Guide To The Birthplace Of RocknRoll, Anarchy Around The World: Punk Goes Global, The Sinister Urge: How The Marriage Of Metal And Horror Terrified The World, Impulse For Change: A Short History of Impulse! In 2001 he helped launch Sirius Satellite Radio and hosted a daily show for seven years. Jacksons success led to Paramount looking for other male talent, and it wasnt long before Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Blake recorded for the label; other artists included Skip James, Big Bill Broonzy, and Bumble Bee Slim. Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938. By seventeen, Vaughn ditched school to focus on making music. A great songwriter, he gets funky on Hes Got A Jones, if you cant stand the heat, you gotta stay out of the kitchen. Whether its the soulful sound of Muddy Waters or the gritty voice of BB King, there have been some incredible blues singers over the years. A charismatic performer with a flashy style, talented fretwork, and flamboyant showmanship, he inspired a legion of bluesmen and rockers, from Son House and RobertJohnsonto Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The way that I write songs starts with the seed of a lyrical idea that I want to write about. With my music the influences are buried in a little more and are more subliminal. I used to tour but I have been tied to the radio station for a lot of years which means I have to be in NYC which is not a bad place to be. A strong, independent woman and a powerful vocalist who could sing in both jazz andblues styles, Smith was the most commercially successful of the era's singers. He bought his first guitar in 1958 and joined his first band soon after. Music and entertainment did not stop, records continued to be manufactured and to sell but problems were on the horizon. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. There, he recorded his latest CD, The Corner, which was produced by Jay Messina. Blind Lemon Jefferson was by far the most influential Texas bluesman. They are such positive people. He released These Arms of Mine in 1963 and found fame as a blues musician. King's channel for blues music from the past to the present: B.B. Early Times is especially rockin on the instrumental Rosies Herbs N Ting. Also known as: Blues Boy King, Riley B. In 1948, he returned from a stint in the military to start his first band. Hes is still producing albums today and will go down in history as one of the most famous blues singers to ever pick up a guitar and a microphone. They were simply there to play a song written by Perry Bradford, and ready to sing it with them was Mamie Smith. Johnson suffered from acute alcoholism his entire adult life and died in obscurity in 1956. Records, 702, Tame Impala, And Brick & Lace: Currently Trending Songs, Best Iggy Pop Songs: 20 Tracks With An Insatiable Lust For Life, Fancy: Behind Bobbie Gentrys Womens Lib Statement. The best-selling records in the first five years of the black music chart were largely releases by the major labels especially Decca, and largely through Louis Jordan, who was hailed as The King Of The Jukeboxes and became one of the most influential black artists in recorded music history. I feel I have poured plenty of guitar work onto this album without it being a guitar album. He hosts a daily program from 3pm-9pm eastern time Monday through Friday and Saturday & Sunday from 6pm to midnight eastern. With a population swelled by former service personnel and immigrants, Los Angeles became home to a host of independents, including Bronze, Four Star, Super Disc, Imperial, Gilt Edge, Modern, and Aladdin (originally called Philco and formed in 1944, before changing their name to Aladdin two years later). He earned his nickname Howlin Wolf as a toddler due to his wild nature and his large frame. Early Career Rainey was born Gertrude Pridgett on April 26, 1886, in Columbus, Georgia, to minstrel troupers Thomas Pridgett, Sr. and Ella Allen-Pridgett. They soon became one of the most popular bands in the state. Lee Hildebrands (SF Chronicle) 4-star review of Hard Act to Follow declared: Featured throughout is the scorching guitar work of a Sacramento musician by the name of Early Times.. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Rock and Roll Hall of fame three years later. Im Dan and I run this website. Every song that I write I hope has something special to it. He signed a deal with Vizztone Records who released the album and it is being distributed by Redeye. Early Times & The High Rollers The Corner, Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen Black Leather Blues. Some say it was the underratedTommyJohnson who met with the devil at the crossroads one dark and stormy night, hoping to strike a deal. He released Society for the Misunderstood (Best CD in Sac This Week); Hobo Deluxe (Best CD nomination Sacramento Area Music Awards); The Comedown (Best CD nomination Sacramento Area Music Awards); and Tickle Your Fancy. The Most Famous Blues Guitarists. T-Bone cut I Got A Break, Baby and Mean Old World with Freddie, which did much to establish the formers reputation and influence a young BB King, who was a big fan. She soon made a name for herself there and changed her name to Nina Simone. The best of Broonzy's early work can be found on "The Young Big Bill Broonzy," but you can't go wrong with just about any collection of his music. Early Times & The High Rollers new album THE CORNER hits the streets today via VizzTone Records. He was a member of the inaugural class of inductees to the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980. Whether you're a fan of the blues or a newcomer to the music and want to know more, here are 10 blues artists you should know: Known as "The Empress of the Blues,"Bessie Smithwas the best and most famous female singer of the 1920s. Miracle Records was one of the first independents to surface in Chicago. It sold two million copies across the US and brought her a new level of fame and recognition. Brunswick, who took over Vocalion in the mid-20s but continued to release records under the imprint, went south and recorded Leroy Carr, Bo Chatman, Charlie McCoy, Furry Lewis, and Speckled Red. But Johnson was also a powerful singer and a skilled guitarist; throw in his early death and the aura of mystery that surrounds his life and you have a bluesman ready-made to appeal to a generation of blues-influenced rockers including the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Simone died a legend and passed peacefully in her sleep in 2003. I am going to be opening up for Bobby Rush. Albert Nelson was born in 1923 on a cotton plantation in Mississippi. John Peter Chatman was born in 1915 and was introduced to blues at a young age. Re-taught his signature guitar licks byfanand future Canned Heat founder Al Wilson, House became part of the decade's folk-blues revival, performing live into the early 1970s and even returning to recording. The evolution from country blues to urban blues, which had started back in the 30s, was about to become a revolution. The rise of the race records industry spread the blues to audiences previously unfamiliar with the form. He also released Hit & Run, an album that featured the hit Dogs of Karma that ran in heavy rotation on Sirius XM. In 2008 the B.B. Age: Dec. at 73 (1938-2012) Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States of America. He adopted the stage name Memphis Slim in 1940 and released his first hit single, Beer Drinkin Woman, soon after. After changing the name to Exclusive they had a big hit with The Honeydripper by Joe Liggins. Early Times grew up in Sacramento, CA and lives in New York. They influenced other bluesmen plus Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix. Soul music and rhythm and blues also show obvious blues tonalities and forms. The rural blues developed in three principal regions, Georgia and the Carolinas, Texas, and Mississippi. His loud voice, coupled with a rhythmic, percussive guitar style, was groundbreaking and designed to entertain a raucous audience. In 1912 Black bandleader W.C. Handys composition Memphis Blues was published. I decided to follow the muse where it took me. Other white-owned record companies were quick to target the Black market with their own race record lines. Later they signed Little Esther Phillips, Johnny Otis, Nappy Brown, and The Robins. Stevie Ray Vaughn was born in Dallas Texas in 1954, and by 1961 he was already playing guitar. Most guitar players thinking this way are not imaginative enough as players to hold my interest for any length of time. Her mother died when Thornton was only fourteen and she left home soon after to pursue a career in music. Black writers such as Langston Hughes, Sterling Brown, and Jean Toomer valued the blues as an indigenous art form of oppressed people, a secular equivalent of the spirituals, and an antidote to bourgeois Black assimilationism. King, (born September 16, 1925, near Itta Bena, Mississippi, U.S.died May 14, 2015, Las Vegas, Nevada), American guitarist and singer who was a principal figure in the development of blues and from whose style leading popular musicians drew inspiration. Leadbelly's temper often landed him in trouble, however, and after killing a man in Texas, he was sentenced to the notorious state prison in Huntsville. I learned all of it and I have played many gigs doing straight ahead Jazz. These performances netted him some local fans and caught the attention of Bernard Besman, a producer for Sensation Records. He was one of twelve siblings born to amateur guitarist Will Nelson. The blues form is characterized by a call-and-response pattern. The best bet for the new listener is "Midnight Special,"which includes several of Leadbelly's best-known songs and incredible performances captured in 1934 by the Lomaxes. The legendary Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia in 1930. With some musicians you can tell if they listened to a ton of Jim Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan. Can you talk about your songwriting process for your new album The Corner? By the time he was twenty-one, he took a real guitar to Chicago and joined up with other heavy hitters like Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters. We dig deep to find out the fascinating history of recorded blues. and backing vocalist Colleen Messina. Barrel House Blues is another of the sides he recorded. King - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), B.B. That year he was gifted his first electric guitar. By the end of 1941, World War II had been raging in Europe for over two years, and now it involved the American people. As far as my influences for , What I dont like are guys that just want to play guitar solos for every single song and the song becomes secondary. Regarding the pandemic, agents arent really ready to take anybody on right now. Of the 57 records that topped the charts from October 1942 until the end of 1947, 31 (54%) were Decca releases; of the rest, nine were Capitol, and nine were from Victor/Bluebird, while just six independents topped the chart during this period. King acquired the name while working as a disc jockey in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States. She soon signed with Modern Records and began a string of hit records through the latter half of the 1950s. They all recorded in 1923. Robert Johnson grew up with his mother in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, but eventually, he moved to Memphis to live with his father. He is a great guitarist, vocalist and storytellera film-noir type album that will not be forgotten. The organ is very subtle and not that loud in the mix. Capable of playing in the older vaudeville style (ragtime and hokum) and the newly developing Chicago style, Broonzy was a smooth vocalist, accomplished guitarist, and prolific songwriter. B. After relocating to New York, Early established his recording studio, and released his record Hit & Run, featuring the hit Dogs of Karma. The new record, The Corner was produced by Jay Messina, best known for his work with Aerosmith, Kiss, Cheap Trick, and Miles Davis. Although we'll never know the truth of the matter, one fact remains: Johnson is the cornerstone artist of the blues. Her version of American composer and pianist Perry Bradford's "Crazy Blues" in 1920 was so successful that the General Phonograph Company's OKeh label launched a series called "Original Race Records." 1 record on the new black music chart, the Juke Box Race Records, which launched in 1945. Also, I spent a lot of time learning how to play Jazz; all the old standards and Bebop. In 1997 Early Times was chosen Sacramentos Best Guitarist winning a Critics Choice Award. It is a challenge. I really need to start establishing a touring base. He toured with vocalist E.C. He formed his first blues band in 1970 and named it Blackbird. King, byname of Riley B. The company was a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Chair Company, who also made phonographs before branching out into making recordings to give away records with their equipment. Early Times is a dynamic guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, and a singer/songwriter whose sharp, engaging lyrics draw comparisons to Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. That is what I need to make sure I do. Perhaps more than any other artist, Big Bill Broonzy brought the blues to Chicago and helped define the city's sound. 1 with Messin Around in 1948. To his own impassioned vocal calls, King played lyrical single-string guitar responses with a distinctive vibrato; his guitar style was influenced by T-Bone Walker, by Delta blues players (including his cousin Bukka White), and by such jazz guitarists as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian. Hopkins eventually returned to Houston for good, where he would stay all through the 1940s and 50s. I wouldnt say that I particularly have a favorite. There was no Doors or Jim Morrison idea or feeling when I was writing the song. Early Times is a Blues Rock street poet, living in a gritty urban landscape spanning New York's East Side street corners, bodegas, and the project park - populated by characters like Little Hustler, Uptown Charlie, Tijuana Madonna, Sweet Lou the Butcher, Ruby, Shakey, funky old Mabel, and of course Mary with her Cha Cha hat. When I write songs the storyline needs to speak to me. Ray Charles dropped his last name, Robinson, both out of respect to boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and to carve out his own unique identity. The current line-up for the High Rollers includes Early Times, guitar, keyboards, percussion and vocals; Dan Schnapp, keyboards; Hardan Long-Johnson, bass; and Joshua Keitt, drums. She linked up with pianist Teddy Wilson and produced one hit after another. It proved wildly popular, as did their second album, Cant Stand the Weather. By 1939 there were 225,000 jukeboxes in America, which prompted the president of the American Federation Of Musicians to declare that records were the number one scab. He and his members felt record companies were taking work away from musicians. In 1983, Muddy Waters tragically suffered a heart attack and died at sixty-eight. Two years later, Art Rupe, a native of Pittsburgh and UCLA graduate, founded Jukebox Records. Kings Bluesville on Sirius XM? The blues of Georgia and the Carolinas is noted for its clarity of enunciation and regularity of rhythm. The blues also influenced American literature, especially during the Harlem Renaissance (c. 191837). Kings Bluesville. If you're curious about the original name of other blues guitarists and singers, browse the list below! The three-line rural blues form emerged out of African American work songs, field calls and protest songs, game songs and social songs, spirituals, and folk ballads. During the afternoon of Tuesday, August 10, 1920, clarinetists Johnny Dunn and Ernest Elliott, trombonist Dope Andrews, violinist, and pianist Perry Bradford a group of musicians collectively known as The Jazz Hounds were in the studio. King got his start in Mississippi on a plantation near Indianola. Over the next half a century, Simone traveled the world, released over 40 albums with some hugely popular songs, even to this day. That is a question that goes around in my mind. Mamie was successful for the rest of her days. I have to build my base around the country. I was off the air for a few years. Although many of House's early recordings remain lost or difficult to find, "Heroes of the Blues: The Very Best of Son House"includes a diverse selection of material from the 1930s, '40s, and '60s. I think when we added the Farfisa organ, it takes you into that sixties Doors kind of mode. I had been playing and touring with a singer named E.C. Although he scored few chart hits on his own, Johnson's songs and playing style influenced blues legend Robert Johnson (no relation) and jazz great Charlie Christian, and Johnson's songs were recorded byElvis Presleyand Jerry Lee Lewis. In 2001 Early helped usher in a new wave of broadcasting when he debuted on Sirius Satellite Radio. She adopted the name Etta James - a play on her first name in 1954 and began her solo career soon after. Bessie Smith and Robert Johnson made the blues style very popular in the 1920s. There is also the whole Piedmont area which is the southern east coast. Many record companies specializing in Race Records, as they were called, favored recording in their own studios, and none more so than Paramount Records, based in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Manage Settings While in Sacramento, Early operated Fantasia Music, a record label that had international distribution through Bayside. Blue Horizon, in the UK, briefly carried the torch, and, later, labels such as Alligator Records, Delmark, Arhoolie, and Yazoo have done a great job in recording modern-day blues artists. Hear a discussion of the origin of the blues and the Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale, Mississippi, This article was most recently revised and updated by. His parents divorced when he was young, and Burnett ended up being raised by his alcoholic uncle. When satellite radio was first getting formed there were two companies. Note that this ranking is for blues artists only - no best blues rock bands here. Often when listening to Bluesville Ive wondered who is this guy who calls himself Early Times? Do you hear any influences when you listen back to your new album? The first successful independent of the 40s was Savoy, having had a No. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The label favored Texas in their search for talent and recorded Texas Alexander, Black Boy Shine and, in 1936, captured Robert Johnson for the first time, in San Antonio. The first male, black, country blues musician to get the opportunity to record did so as a guitarist, not as a singer. He hosted a daily show on Sirius Blues from the channels opening until its closing. A long succession of hitsincluding Woke Up This Morning (1953), Every Day I Have the Blues, and Sweet Sixteenenhanced his popularity. In 1970, Joplin lost her battle with addiction and died of a drug overdose in early October. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened in Indianola, Mississippi, with exhibits dedicated to Kings music, his influences, and the history of the Delta region. By 1960, he signed with Federal Records and found minor success.
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