| Vol.
I, No. 5 | Cabin
Fever / Town Meeting | Feb.
19th, 2001 |
Music
& Sound The
DownStreet Jukebox:
Cabin Fever Blues Simply click on
any of the titles below. The song will play after a short delay.*
{Just
think of it as the jukebox searching for your record.} . This
Issue: Cabin Fever Blues As we mentioned
elsewhere in this issue, an old timer once told us: "Misery doesn't
just love company. Misery loves miserable company." ...
Whether he was right or not is open to debate. But these songs, while most
of them sing of misery, are far from miserable company. ... This
month's selections include some of the classics of American Blues -- from Ma
Rainey & Bessie Smith to Blind Blake & Robert Johnson. ...
So if the Cabin Fever Blues have got you down, give a listen. ... The
Selections ... Bo' Weavil Blues:
Ma Rainey {born Gertrude Pridgett; 1886-1939} has been hailed as the
"Mother of the Blues." In this scratchy old rendition of the
southland classic, she sets her dusky contralto to the task with some jazz
players sitting in. That Will Never Happen
No More: Blind Blake {1890?-1933?} was one of the most popular
country blues players. With his ragtime-blues finger picking, he
recorded in Chicago, including a few dozen sides for Paramount, in the
1920's. Here is one of those Paramount sides.
Ramblin'
On My Mind: In the last decade, Robert Johnson {1911-1938}
became something of a cult figure with the Columbia Records release of a
boxed set of his work. A loner, and always on the move, rumors
followed Johnson that he was keeping company with the devil. In all,
he was recorded only some 40 times or so. This one comes from a 1936
session in San Antonio, just a couple of years before he died at age 27..
Cherry
Red: Unlike Robert Johnson, who was born in the same year, Big
Joe Turner {1911-1985} lived a long and productive life. He began
belting them out as a bartender in Kansas City when he was discovered by
John Hammond, who brought him up to Carnegie Hall for the "Swing to
Spirituals" show. From there, Turner moved on to Cafe Society
Downtown, singing with the Boogie Woogie Trio -- Pete Johnson, Lux Lewis,
and Albert Ammons. By 1951, he was recording with Atlantic Records,
helping to launch what would become one of the best R&B labels. He
continued to sing and perform right into the '80's.
St.
Louis Blues: Chattanoga-born Bessie Smith {1894-1937},
sometimes dubbed "Empress of the Blues," started out as a minstrel
show dancer, but soon became one of the most popular blues singers in the
country, recording more than 150 sides for Columbia between 1923-1933.
In this rendition of St. Louis Blues {1925}, Smith's deep, rich tones
of vocal artistry are wonderfully accented by the then-still-young
Louis Armstrong on the horn.
Fine &
Mellow: While technically more noted for her big band and jazz
vocals, Billie Holiday {1915-1959} sometimes brought her incredible talent
to the blues, as she does here in her own work, Fine and Mellow.
Recorded as part of her classic 1939 Commodore Records sessions, she is
backed up by Frankie Newton's combo, which she performed with after her
break from big band singing at New York's Cafe Society.
.
. *******
******* If you would like to submit a play list for DownStreet's
Jukebox, or if you simply would like to suggest some tunes you'd like us
to put on the jukebox, e-mail us at ... music@downstreetmagazine.com. *******
******* If you would like to advertise in this
section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising
Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. *******
*******
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