The Front Porch Blues Show
JD Esquire & mario & Rich Blackmarr
Rich Blackmarr will host the Front Porch Blues show tonight. My tribute to the late Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie Records, will include a number of blues recordings that he produced or re-issued as well as his 16-minute interview of Willie Mae 'Big Mama' Thornton that he recorded in 1965 in England. Recordings will feature Thornton's 1965 sessions during the American Folk Blues Festival tour that year with fellow tour members including Buddy Guy, Fred McDowell, and Walter Horton. Also you'll hear Willie Mae's earlier recordings for the Peacock label like her original Hound Dog as well as period recordings by her favorite blues artists like Gatemouth Brown. Big Joe Turner, Roy Brown, and Big Maybelle. There will also be a focus on the eccentric New Orleans guitarist/singer Snooks Eaglin and his 1959 recordings for Folkways, including the original versions of the songs that inspired his unique cover versions.
Genre
Blues
Missed the Show?
Sunday 5/21/2023 @ 8:00PM - 10:00PM
| Artist | Song | Album | Label | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi Fred McDowell | Write Me A Few Lines | Mississippi Fred McDowell - You Gotta Move | Arhoolie | Feb. 1964 field rec. in Como, Miss. for Chris Strachwitz by McDowell (voc/gtr) |
| K.C. Douglas and Sidney Maiden | Blues And Trouble | VA - I Have To Paint My Face | Arhoolie | 1960 rec. for Arhoolie by K.C. Douglas (voc/gtr) and Sidney Maiden (p/hca) |
| Clifton Chenier with Elmore Nixon | Why Did You Go Last Night | VA - 15 Piano Blues & Boogie Classics | Arhoolie | Feb. 1964 Houston rec. for Arhoolie by Clifton Chenier (voc/acc) with Elmore Nixon (p), Bob Murphy (d); this session began a long assoc. with Strachwitz. |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Big Mama Thornton | Unlucky Girl | Big Mama Thornton In Europe | Arhoolie | Oct. 1965 Wessex Studio, London rec. for Arhoolie by Thornton (v) with Walter Horton (h), Buddy Guy (g), Eddie Boyd (p), Jimmy Lee Robinson (b), Fred Below (d); song adapted from Jack Dupree. |
| Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown | Mary Is Fine | Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - Boogie Uproar | Jasmine 2-cd set | Jan. 1949 Houston rec. for Peacock by Brown (voc/gtr/ldr) with band incl. Jack McVea (ts). |
| Roy Brown | Rockin' At Midnight | Roy Brown - Good Rockin' Man: The Definitive Collection | Fantastic Voyage 2-cd set | Jan. 1949 New Orleans rec. for DeLuxe by singer Roy Brown and Mighty Mighty Men septet; song charted #2 R&B in a 16 week run. |
| Big Joe Turner | Whistle Stop Blues | VA - The R&B Years 1948 | Boulevard Vintage 4-cd box set | Dec. 1947 Chicago rec. for National by Joe Turner (v) backed by septet incl. Riley Hampton (as), Ike Perkins (g), others. |
| Big Mama Thornton | Hound Dog | Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog: The Peacock Recordings | MCA/Peacock | Aug. 1952 Houston rec. for Peacock by Big Mama Thornton (v) backed by 9-piece band led by Johnny Otis; song by Leiber & Stoller from LA. |
| Big Maybelle with Leroy Kirkland Orch. | Gabbin' Blues | Big Maybelle - The Complete OKeh Sessions 1952-55 | Epic/OKeh/Legacy | Oct. 1952 NYC rec. for OKeh by Mabel Smith (aka Big Maybelle) with septet incl. Sam Taylor (ts), Dave McRae (bs), others plus Rose Marie McCoy (spoken v). |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Chris Strachwitz interviews Willie Mae Thornton | Interview | Big Mama Thornton In Europe | Arhoolie | Oct. 1965 Wessex Studio, London interview rec. by Chris Strachwitz for Arhoolie with Willie Mae Thornton, creator of Hound Dog (with L&S) and Ball & Chain (J. Joplin) |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Big Mama Thornton | Let Your Tears Fall Baby | Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog: The Peacock Recordings | MCA/Peacock | 1951 Houston rec. for Peacock by Thornton (v) with saxist Bill Harvey & Orch. |
| Big Mama Thornton with Fred McDowell | School Boy | Big Mama Thornton In Europe | Arhoolie | Oct. 1965 London rec. for Arhoolie by Thornton (v) with Fred McDowell (slide gtr), Buddy Guy (g), Eddie Boyd (p), Jimmy Lee Robinson (b), Fred Below (d); song written by Thornton & McDowell |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Snooks Eaglin | Looking For A Woman | Snooks Eaglin - New Orleans Street Singer | Smithsonian Folkways | 1959 New Orleans rec. for Folkways by Snooks Eaglin (voc/gtr) |
| Sister Rosetta Tharpe | The Lonesome Road | Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Original Soul Sister | Proper 4-cd box set | Nov. 1938 rec. for Decca by Sister Rosetta Tharpe (v/g) self acc.; version of pseudo spiritual song by crooner Gene Austin from 1920s (Showboat). |
| Snooks Eaglin | The Lonesome Road | Snooks Eaglin - New Orleans Street Singer | Smithsonian Folkways | 1959 New Orleans rec. for Folkways by Snooks Eaglin, who attributed the Rosetta Tharpe recording as his inspiration for his version. |
| Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup | Who's Been Fooling You | Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup - The Definitive Collection 1941-62 | Acrobat 4-cd box set | Dec. 1944 Chicago rec. for Bluebird by Crudup (v/g) with Melvin Draper (d). |
| Snooks Eaglin | Who's Been Fooling You | Snooks Eaglin - New Orleans Street Singer | Smithsonian Folkways | 1959 New Orleans rec. for Folkways by Snooks Eaglin (voc/gtr) inspired by Crudup version of song that became a NOLA standard. |
| Charles Brown | Driftin' Blues | The Best Of Charles Brown - Driftin' Blues | Collectables/EMI | Sept. 1945 LA rec. for Philo/Aladdin by Charles Brown with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers plus Johnny Otis (d); song very popular but didn't chart. |
| Snooks Eaglin | Drifting Blues | Snooks Eaglin - New Orleans Street Singer | Smithsonian Folkways | 1959 New Orleans rec. for Folkways by Snooks Eaglin (voc/gtr); although widely recorded, Eaglin cited the original as his source. |
| Hot Lips Page & His Orchestra | Saint James Infirmary | The Chronological Hot Lips Page 1946-1950 | Classics | Oct. 1947 NYC rec. for Columbia by Page (v/t/ldr) and septet incl. George Nicholas (ts) |
| Snooks Eaglin | Saint James Infirmary | Snooks Eaglin - New Orleans Street Singer | Smithsonian Folkways | 1959 New Orleans rec. for Folkways by Snooks Eaglin, who cites the Hot Lips Page version. |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Lowell Fulson's Combo | Everyday I Have The Blues | Lowell Fulson - The Definitive Early Years Collection | Fantastic Voyage 3-cd set | 1950 LA rec. for Swing Time (Lauderdale) by Fulson (v/g) with Earl Brown (as), Lloyd Glenn (p), Billy Hadnott (b), Bob Harvey (d); beg. 5-50 Fulson's hit went to #3 on Billboard R&B charts during 24 week run. |
| Snooks Eaglin | Every Day I Have The Blues | Snooks Eaglin - New Orleans Street Singer | Smithsonian Folkways | 1959 New Orleans rec. for Folkways by Snooks Eaglin who learned it from 1950 Fulson hit. |
| Amos Milburn | Let Me Go Home Whiskey | The Best Of Amos Milburn - Down The Road Apiece | EMI/Aladdin | Dec. 1952 LA rec. for Aladdin by Milburn (v/p) with hornless combo; song charted #3 R&B in a 10-week Billboard run. |
| Snooks Eaglin | Let Me Go Home Whiskey | Snooks Eaglin - New Orleans Street Singer | Smithsonian Folkways | 1959 New Orleans rec. for Folkways by Snooks Eaglin, who learned song from Milburn recording. |
| Snooks Eaglin | Travelin' Mood | Snooks Eaglin - The Complete Imperial Recordings | Capitol Blues Collection | June 1961 New Orleans rec. for Imperial by Eaglin (v/g) with James Booker (p), Frank Fields (b), Robert French (d). |