Blues You Should Know

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The Blues on King. King wasn't a hard-core blues label the way Chess was, but blues was a significant part of its catalog. Hear John Lee Hooker, Smokey Smothers, Tiny Topsy, Cleanhead Vinson, Johnny Guitar Watson, and of course, the voice of Syd Nathan himself explaining just how things are and are going to be! Coming up next: Part 3, King Bluegrass.

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As the '40s fade into the '50s, Syd establishes a toe-hold, then a foot-hold in the R & B market while maintaining King's presence in the Country market. Hear Earl Bostic, Tiny Bradshaw, Lonnie Johnson, Moon Mullican, Hawkshaw Hawkins, the York Brothers, Billy Ward and more on part two of our eight part series on King Records, Ohio's own great eclectic record label. 

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We begin our 8 part series on Ohio's great, eclectic record label King Records,  started and owned by the wonderfully colorful and irascible Syd Nathan. We begin with Syd's journey into the record business and King's early years recording country singers like Grandpa Jones, the Delmore Brothers, and Merle Travis. We'll get to his entry into the "race" or R&B field with recordings by Bull Moose Jackson and Wynonnie Harris. There's plenty more to come in future shows including Freddie King, the Stanley Bros. and James Brown (whew, now THAT'S eclectic!) so stick with us. 

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The film and play "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is a great piece of historical fiction, but it gets one thing very wrong: Ma Rainey's records were actually produced by two extraordinary African-Americans: J. Mayo Williams & Aletha Dickerson. Here is their story and, in this case, truth is far more interesting than fiction.

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Here's a look at American music's ultimate crossover song: John Henry. To African-Americans he was a symbol of racial pride; to unionists, he represented the power of the American worker and union solidarity; to poor whites; he was  personification of rugged Americanism, and to Christians; a Christ-like figure who died for our sins.  And, as a bonus, a look at two versions of one of the oddest songs in blues and folk music, the Cocaine Blues. 

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What would make a genteel, white  Southern lady from Mississippi want to start a company to record black blues and golspel artists,...and in the early 1950s? Find out on this episode of "Blues You Should Know" with Bob Frank. Trumpet Records didn't last very long, but while it was going, it was the only record company headquartered in Mississippi, and recorded the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James, Jerry McCain, Big Boy Crudup and more. 

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In honor of the recent election, this show is dedicated to the great Peach State: Georgia. All songs will either contain the word "Georgia" in the title, or will be by an artist or group whose name includes "Georgia".  Pt. 2 features Jimmy McCracklin, Gov. Jimmie Davis, the GA. Yellow Hammers, Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson,  Ray Charles and more!

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In honor of the recent election, this show is dedicated to the great Peach State: Georgia. All songs will either contain the word "Georgia" in the title, or will be by an artist or group whose name includes "Georgia".  Pt. 1 features Blind Blake, BBQ Bob, the Skillet Lickers, Mike Bloomfield & Maria Muldaur, Hoagy Charmichael and more!

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At f his 1941 debut recordings, Robt. Lockwood, Jr. was a finger-style, acoustic disciple of his step-father Robert Johnson. By the early 1950's, he'd transformed himself into perhaps the hottest electric lead guitarist on the Chicago recording scene. This episode tells how this happened. 

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Enter the wild and wacky world of the Harlem Hamfats, the group that combined the sophistication of Chicago & New Orleans Jazz with the deep blues of the Mississippi Delta. The blues component consisted of two of Mississippi's finest musicians, the brothers Charlie & Joe McCoy. 

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