The Front Porch Blues Show
JD Esquire
Tonight Rich Blackmarr will bring you another Rockin' In Rhythm Archives edition of the Front Porch Blues Show. The program will focus on blues and bluesy R&B recordings from the year 1964 and will begin with a set featuring Skip James, Sleepy John Estes, Miss. John Hurt, and Fred McDowell at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. Using Vol. 4 of the Complete Motown Singles from 1964 on Hip-O Select, the playlist will include bluesy selections from artists on Berry Gordy's record labels that year, including Sammy Ward, Shorty Long, Marvin Gaye, Eddie Holland, Earl Van Dyke, and Junior Walker. From the blues mainstream, you'll hear 1964 records from Slim Harpo, Lonesome Sundown, Billy Boy Arnold, Etta James, Lonnie Brooks, Little Milton, J.B. Lenoir, Koko Taylor, Freddy King, and many others.
Genre
Blues
Missed the Show?
Sunday 5/22/2022 @ 8:00PM - 10:00PM
| Artist | Song | Album | Label | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skip James | Hard Time Killing Floor Blues | VA - Great Bluesmen / Newport | Vanguard | Rediscovered Delta blues guitarist Skip James performed at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival; he originally rec. Killin' Floor blues in 1931 for Paramount. |
| Robert Nighthawk | Blues Before Sunrise | VA - Modern Chicago Blues | Testament | Notable Arkansas-born blues guitarist Nighthawk cut this tune for Pete Welding's Testament records with John Wrencher (h), Johnny Young (g). After recording as Robert Lee McCoy, McCollum resurfaced in late 40s as Robert Nighthawk (elec. slide gtr) |
| Mississippi John Hurt | Sliding Delta | VA - Great Bluesmen / Newport | Vanguard | Rediscovered in 1963 in Miss., John songster-guitarist Hurt had not recorded since the late 1920s. |
| Rev. Gary Davis | The Boy Was Kissing The Girl (And Playing The Guitar At The Same Time) | The Guitar & Banjo Of Reverend Gary Davis | Prestige | Instrumental album recorded in April 1964 for Prestige by fingerpicking ragtime player Rev. Gary Davis |
| Sleepy John Estes | Clean Up At Home | VA - Great Bluesmen / Newport | Vanguard | Tennessee native John Estes (voc/g) was born in 1899 and didn't record until 1929; reunited with longtime partners Hammie Nixon (hca) and Yank Rachell (mnd) |
| Johnny Young | Money Takin' Woman | VA - Modern Chicago Blues | Testament | Informal rec. for Testament by Johnny Young (mnd, voc) with Little Walter (h), Jimmy Walker (p) |
| Mississippi Fred McDowell | If The River Was Whiskey | VA - Great Bluesmen / Newport | Vanguard | 1964 Newport Folk Festival rec. by McDowell (voc/g); born in tenn., Fred eventually settled in Como, Miss. He was first recorded in 1959. |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Slim Harpo | We're Two Of A Kind | Slim Harpo - The Excello Singles Anthology | Hip-O 2-cd set | B-side of Still Rainin' In My Heart rel. on Excello in 1964 by Harpo (James Moore) feat. his vocal, guitar, harp backed by saxes, gtr., others |
| Lonesome Sundown (Cornelius Green) | It's Easy when You Know How | Lonesome Sundown - I'm A Mojo Man | Ace/Excello | May 1964 Crowley, La. rec. for Excello by Sundown (voc/g) with Al Foreman (g), saxes, others. |
| Silas Hogan | Just Give Me A Chance | Silas Hogan - Trouble: The Best Of The Excello Masters | AVI/Excello | Jan. 1964 Crowley rec. for Excello by Hogan (voc/g) with 2nd gtr, drums. Hogan was born in Baton Rouge area in 1911. |
| Jimmy Anderson | Going Crazy Over TV | VA - Blues Hangover: Excello Blues Rarities | AVI/Excello 2-cd set | 1964 Crowley rec. for Excello by Anderson (voc/hca) with gtrs., bass, drums. |
| Jimmy Reed | Going Upside Your Head | Jimmy Reed - The Classic Recordings, Volume 3 | Tomato | 1964 Chicago rec. for Vee-Jay by Reed (voc//hca/g) with Hubert Sumlin & Eddie Taylor (gtrs), others. |
| Bobby Marchan | You Won't Do Right | VA - The Complete Stax Volt Singles 1959-1968 | Stax 9-cd box set | NOLA singer Marchan had recorded with the Clowns on Ace, for Bobby Robinson in NYC, and cut this tune for Volt in Jan. 1964 |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Sammy Ward | Bread Winner | VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964 | Hip-O Select 6-cd box set | Blues singer Ward had been with Motown since his 1960 #23 R&B charter on Tamla called Who's The Fool |
| Shorty Long | Devil With The blue Dress | VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964 | Hip-O Select 6-cd box set | Alabamaian singer Frederick Earl Long moved to Detroit in 1959 and first recorded for Tri-Phi in 1962. Long's song Devil was covered by Mitch Ryder. Long had subsequent hits with Function At The Junction & Here Comes The Judge. |
| Marvin Gaye | Try It Baby | VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964 | Hip-O Select 6-cd box set | Gaye's 8th charting recording, Try It Baby went to #15 R&B for 11 weeks. |
| Eddie Holland | Just Ain't Enough Love | VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964 | Hip-O Select 6-cd box set | Motown singer/songwriter, producer Eddie Holland's 3rd charter went to #54 R&B. |
| Junior Walker | Satan's Blues | VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964 | Hip-O Select 6-cd box set | An early Motown rec. by Junior Walker |
| The Miracles | (You Can't Let The boy Overpower) The Man In You | VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964 | Hip-O Select 6-cd box set | After cutting Berry Gordy's first #1 hit (#2 pop) in 1960, Smokey & the Miracles placed 9 more before this one went to #59 R&B in April 1964. |
| Shorty Long | It's A Crying Shame | VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964 | Hip-O Select 6-cd box set | Another non-charter for Shorty on the Soul label. |
| Earl Van Dyke | Hot 'N' Tot | VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964 | Hip-O Select 6-cd box set | Credited to keyboardsman Earl Van Dyke, this is actually the Motown house studio band the Funk Brothers |
| Marvin Gaye | Baby Don't You Do It | VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 4: 1964 | Hip-O Select 6-cd box set | Gaye's rec. for Tamla went to #27 R&B and was later covered by The Who, The Band |
| Amos Milburn | I'll Leave You In His Care | Amos Milburn - The Motown Sessions, 1962-1964 | Motown | Boogie pianist/singer Milburn had many hits in late 40s and early 50s. He recorded more than an album's worth of material for Motown near the end of his career incl. this gospel tune. |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Etta James | Baby What You Want Me To Do (live) | Etta James - Her Best | MCA/Chess 50th Anniv. Collection | From her album Etta James Rocks The House rec. live at New Era Club in Nashville, this is cover of Jimmy Reed's hit. |
| Ricky Allen | Going Or Coming | VA - The USA Records Blues Story | Fuel 2000 Records | Backed by band incl. Earl Hooker (g), singer Allen cut this song in Chicago in 1964. |
| Betty Everett | Hands Off | Betty Everett - The Shoop Shoop Song | Vee-Jay | B-side of Singer Everett's hit It's In His Kiss was a revival of the Priscilla Bowman hit with Jay McShann |
| Billy Boy Arnold | Get Out Of Here | Billy boy Arnold - More Blues On The South Side | Prestige/Original Blues Classics | Dec. 30, 1963 rec. for Prestige by Chicagoan Arnold (voc/h) with Mighty Joe Young (g), Lafayette Leake (p), Jerome Arnold (b), Junior Blackmon (d) |
| Lonnie Brooks | I'm Not Going Home | VA - The USA Records Blues Story | Fuel 2000 | Chicago rec. for USA by Brooks (voc/g) with band incl Billy Emerson |
| Koko Taylor | I Got What It Takes | Koko Taylor - What It Takes: The Chess Years | MCA/Chess | June 30 rec. for Checker by singer Taylor backed by Walter Horton, Lafayette Leake, Buddy guy, Robert Nighthawk, others. |
| Freddy King | Some Other Day, Some Other Time | The Very Best Of Freddy King, volume Three | Collectables/King | Aug. 1964 Cincinnati re. by King (voc/g) with Sonny Thompson (p), others |
| Airbreak | ||||
| J.B. Lenoir | I Sing Um The Way I Feel | J.B. Lenoir - Mojo Boogie: An Essential Collection | Fuel 2000 | Late 1963 rec. for USA by Lenoir (voc/g) and band. |
| Little Milton | Blind Man | Little Milton - Welcome To The Club: The Essential Chess Recordings | MCA/Chess 2-cd set | Sept. 1964 rec. by Milton Campbell (voc/g); song a cover of Bobby Bland's 1963 original. |
| B.B. King | Help The Poor | B.B. King - King Of The Blues | MCA 4-cd box set | ABC rec. by B.B. King charted in mid-1964 |