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Various: Texas Blues

By Derek Taylor
July 1, 2001
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Commonly regaled as a definitively American musical form, the blues are in fact a living amalgam of social, cultural and artistic antecedents both indigenous and otherwise. African-derived rhythms and folklore intersected with traditions extrapolated from European, Latin and Polynesian sources—with everything falling into the simmering melting pot that describes the music. Distinct styles were the product of both regional experimentation and the proliferation of commercial recordings. As a cross-pollinating musical ecosystem in the early part of the 20th century, the state of Texas was one of the most scattered and distinctive; the blues forms that arose within its arbitrary boundaries were equally so.

This Catfish compilation delivers a comprehensive distillation of Pre-War Texas styles. Often pairing the selections from each artist into convenient double-shots, the discs offer the listener a variegated tour from the bouncing rustic drive of Henry Thomas' guitar-and-quills verses to the urban barrelhousin' of barroom matrons like Hattie Burleson. Well-known staples such as the ubiquitous Blind Lemon Jefferson stand aside long forgotten troubadours like "Funny Paper" Smith (who incidentally traffics in subject matter that is hardly humorous) and Black Boy Shine. The folks at Catfish make a point of covering all the bases and it is this level of all-inclusiveness that makes Texas Blues so effective in countering the fickle druthers of time.

The program also touches upon the rich Texas string and jug band traditions with rousing entries from outfits like Frenchies String Band and the Dallas Jamboree Jug Band. Both groups use chugging mandolin and booming brass bass to spread rhythmic glue around rag and Tin Pan Alley-derived themes. Jake Jones and The Gold Front Boys are of similar origins, balancing mournful vocals with wailing clarinet counterpoint.

The separate works of Whistlin' Alex Moore and Billiken Johnson are fascinating, the latter of whom skillfully and often uncannily mixes vocal effects that approximate the sounds of train engines and steam boat whistles with double-fisted piano rolls. Topically, the usual suspects of liquor, women and the law are flanked by the downright bizarre, as with Ramblin' Thomas' masticatory musings on "Back Gnawing Blues." Sound quality varies widely given the diversity of source materials, but the music is always gratifying, even when significant and tenacious surface noise is present. The top-flight graphic design contains some valuable period photos accompanied by the detailed liner notes of resident Catfish blues scholar, Keith Briggs. Texas' geographic expanse is a perfectly suited allegory to the creative width of its musical constituents and this wide-ranging compilation offers an affordable and handpicked entry point into the state's rich legacy of the blues.

Track Listing

Disc One: Little Hat Jones: Rolled From Side to Side/ Two String Blues/ Texas Alexander: Double Crossing Blues/ Johnny Behren's Blues/ Blind Lemon Jefferson: Rambler's Blues/ Dry Southern Blues/ Hattie Burleson: Jim Nappy/ Oscar Woods: Don't Sell It-Don't Give It Away/ Black Ace: Triflin' Woman/ Henry Thomas: Texas Worried Blues/ Old Country Stomp/ Ramblin' Thomas: Back Gnawing Blues/ Jesse Thomas: Down In Texas Blues/ Coley Jones & the Dallas String Band: Dallas Rag/ Sugar Blues/ Frenchies String Band: Texas and Pacific Blues/ "Funny Paper" Smith: Seven Sisters Blues, Part One & Two/ Jake Jones & the Gold Front Boys: Monkeyin' Around/ Willie Reed: Texas Blues/ Dreaming Blues/ Bernice Edwards: Jack of All Trades/ Jack Ranger: Window Blues. Disc Two: Smith Casey: Santa Fe Blues/ West Texas Blues/ Whistlin' Alex Moore: West Texas Woman/ Heart Wrecked Blues/ Blind Norris: Sundown Blues/ The Katy Blues/ Biliken Johnson: Sunbeam Blues/ Interurban Blues/ Dallas Jamboree Jug Band: Elm Street Woman Blues/ Flying Crow Blues/ Texas Bill Day: Good Mornin' Blues/ Goin' Back to My Baby/ Gene Campbell: Wandering Blues/ Robbin' & Stealin' Blues/ Teddy Moss: Texas Dream Blues/ Ocean Wave Blues/ Black Ivory King: Matchbox Blues/ The Flying Crow/ Eddie and Oscar: Nok-Em-All/ Black Boy Shine: Bad Luck Town Blues/ Gamblin' Jinx Blues/ Robert Cooper: West Dallas Drag, No. 1/ Joe Pullum: Black Gal, What Makes Your Head So Hard?

Personnel

Little Hat Jones: vocals & guitar; Texas Alexander- vocals; Blind Lemon Jefferson- vocals & guitar; Hattie Burleson- vocals; Allen Van- piano; John Henry Bragg- banjo; Charlie Dixon- brass bass; Black Ace- vocals & guitar; Henry Thomas- vocals, guitar & quills; Ramblin' Thomas- vocals & guitar; Jesse Thomas- vocals & guitar; Coley Jones- vocals & mandolin; Sam Harris- guitar; Marco Washington- bass; Frency Christian- cornet; Percy Darensbourg- banjo; Octave Gaspard- bass; "Funny Paper" Smith- vocals & guitar; Jake Jones- vocal; Willie Reed- vocals & guitar; Bernice Edwards- piano; Jack Ranger- vocals; Smith Casey- vocals & guitar; Roger Gill- vocals; Alex Moore- vocals (whistling) & piano; Blind Norris- vocals; Andrew Hogg- guitar; Billiken Johnson- vocals; Fred Adams- vocals; Willie Tyson- piano; Octave Gaspard- bass; Carl Davis- vocals, kazoo & guitar; Charles Jackson- washboard; Bill Day- vocals; Gene Campbell- vocals & guitar; Teddy Moss- vocals; Herve Duerson- piano; Black Ivory King- vocals & piano; Oscar Woods- vocals & guitar; Ed Chafer- guitar; Black Boy Shine- vocals & piano; Robert Cooper- piano; Joe Pullam- vocals. Recorded: 1927-1939.

Album information

Title: Texas Blues | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Catfish Records (UK)

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