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Really old blues

Scuzzer

Scuzzer

Fixed Bias
Does anyone else like really really old blues? You know, blues from the early days of 78's? When I was fixing up an old '41 Belmont Radio/Phono I thought I was nuts because there couldn't possibly be anything to listen to on AM radio but I was wrong. KVCU 1190 in Boulder, the University of Colorado college station, has 6 hours of commercial free ancient Delta Blues on the weekend starting at 1am. You can check out the webcast here if you're not within about 30 miles of Boulder and just to be authentic play it through an old radio. :D

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Scuzzer said:
Does anyone else like really really old blues? You know, blues from the early days of 78's?
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Maybe a little. :yes: I started collecting Blues, Soul & (some) Jazz 78 "sides" (as well as 45s and LPs), door-to-door, while still in junior high... which was some time ago.
 
Mystic said:
I started collecting Blues, Soul & (some) Jazz 78 "sides" (as well as 45s and LPs), door-to-door, while still in junior high...
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That would have been the correct time to be looking for that stuff. I started looking at old blues 78s a few months back and there is no way I can justify spending that kind of coin. Even the LP re-releases of some of this stuff is way too expensive and the local used record store has more Duke Ellington records than they have in the entire Blues bin. Blues 'til Dawn is about the best option I've found.
 
I personally don't do 78's, too fragile for a spazz like me, but mrs spidey jack bought a Yank Rachell 78 as a christmas present for one of our friends, it was expensive and I was terrified it was gonna break before we gave it to him. We bought it at a shop here in Indianapolis that specializes is 78's and 45's, I know the owner pretty well and he gave us a deal. He played it for us before we took it and it sounded fantastic, those old 78's are really something.
 
spideyjack said:
We bought it at a shop here in Indianapolis that specializes is 78's and 45's,
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Ahhh crap! I just spent 9 days sitting around a house in Indy with nothing much to do except stay out of the way of the other 13 crammed in there. I would've killed for some record browsing time. Next time I'll have to do better research.
 
Thanks for all the links.
I love blues, but my collection only dates back to the late 40's and 50's. Lots of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy, Elmore James, Etta, and such
 
grillebilly said:
Thanks for all the links.
I love blues, but my collection only dates back to the late 40's and 50's. Lots of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy, Elmore James, Etta, and such
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My dad has hundreds of old 78s he bought back in the 60s. These are the thick one sided disks. I assume they are as old as they get? Whole bunch of cool stuff including blues but I've not heard them sense the 70s.

I need to go ask him about them...
 
grillebilly said:
Elmore James
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He's the one that started this mess. A few years ago my mother-in-law gave me all her old records and tucked in with the massive piles of Glen Campbell, Mantovani, and Ferrante and Teicher was one lonely "Dust My Blues". I have no idea how it got in her collection but it was by far the best record out of the 300 or so she gave me. Exceedingly crappy recording but excellent tunes.
 
When we were cleaning out my mother-in-laws house after her death ,in the piles of Elvis , Tennesse Ernie Ford and lord knows how many other 50s and late 40's country I found a complete set of Lead Belly's "Sinful Negro Songs" in excellent condition. I doubt she ever played them, probably came in a box of others she bought as a group.
 
For those of you interested in learning a little more about "Delta Blues", pick up the book of the same name by Ted Gioia. Very interesting read.
 
I grew up in the PNW, so in High School, had access to radio stations from Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver BC. The Canadian stations were required to have a certain percentage of Canadian content, so lots of Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, etc. :boring:

However, on Sunday, the normally album-rock Canadian station had a two-hour blues show; the first hour was always acoustic blues. It was my favorite show. I don't remember all the names by any means, but some that stuck: Reverend Gary Davis, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Lightnin' Hopkins, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Missisippi John Hurt (still have the Vanguard double LP), Sonny Boy WIlliamson... Lots of other "Blind" this and "Reverend" that...

I know I still have a bunch of LPs, and have burned some CDs from the library, just need to get back to listening to them. Nothing like having a knowledgeable DJ spinning these and telling stories about the music and musicians, though...

Edit:

Oh, another one I remember: Alberta Hunter. Had a chance to see her in D.C. several years ago, think it was at the Kennedy Center, in a small auditorium. :music:
 
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chicks said:
Lots of other "Blind" this and "Reverend" that...
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The more I looked into it the more Blind guys I found. It was probably tough earning your keep as a blind black man in the south a hundred years ago so I guess they gave them a guitar and let 'em practice. One of my favorites that I stumbled across was Blind Willie McTell.

I doubt I would ever have listened to Blues growing up. I was too interested in finding something harder and louder than Black Sabbath, Judas Priest or Iron Maiden.
 
Yep. Delta blues and ragtime were my first musical passions back in Junior High (early 1970s). I was never able to find any original 78s, but I bought as many LP reissue/compilations as my budget allowed. Still have them. Blind Willie McTell, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake, Rev. Gary Davis, Sonny and Brownie (who I saw live in around 1972 I guess), Mississippi John Hurt... Great stuff.
 
Scuzzer said:
I doubt I would ever have listened to Blues growing up. I was too interested in finding something harder and louder than Black Sabbath, Judas Priest or Iron Maiden.
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Let's see, I had Steppenwolf, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Grand Funk Railroad, lots of other loud, now embarrassing stuff. About the only rock LP I regret no longer having is Derek and the Dominoes, but it was several cuts above the rest, and was very blues-influenced. OTOH, still have virtually all of my jazz and blues LPs from High School.

Edit:

Prolly shouda kept Fleetwood Mac's Then Play On, too; before they were a mega-pop band, they did some pretty good blues...
 
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Scuzzer said:
The more I looked into it the more Blind guys I found. It was probably tough earning your keep as a blind black man in the south a hundred years ago so I guess they gave them a guitar and let 'em practice. One of my favorites that I stumbled across was Blind Willie McTell.
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Might make an interesting thread by itself: Great Blind Musicians

Let's see,

Doc Watson
Ray Charles
George Shearing
Stevie Wonder
The wife would add that Italian guy, Adrea somethin-or-other...
 
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