Purchase This Track
Duration: 2:53 minutes
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tedell Saunders Terry
Sonny Terry was born Tedell Saunders Terry in Greenwood, GA, October 24, 1912. He grew up on a poor farm in North Carolina, raised by hardworking parents. Due to two separate childhood accidents, Sonny was blind from a very young age. His father, Reuben used to play the harmonica during his down times, spawning a love of the instrument in his son. Around the age of four or five, Sonny was getting curious about this instrument that his father played so well. It was kept on a shelf, high in the corner, away from prying little fingers. But this proved to be no deterrent to little Sonny; he was soon climbing the back of the rocking chair trying to reach that harmonica. Once his father noticed that his son had such an interest in the instrument, instead of scolding his child, he went out and bought Sonny his very own harmonica, for the luxurious price of a quarter. Curious to see how it made sound, Sonny tore it apart to get to the inside. His father warned him, "That dear little thing you tore up there gonna make a living for you when I’m dead and gone." And he was right.
After his father was killed in a transport truck accident, Sonny Terry left home for good. He wandered about the South, adding songs of the road to his extensive repertoire of gospel and work songs. He played on the street corners for change or in small clubs to make his living. Slowly but surely, his father’s prediction came true. Blind Sonny Terry was getting his name on the circuit, and attracting the interest of other blues players and folklorists. He played with a number of well known artists, including his good friend Leadbelly, throughout the 30s.
While playing on the street one day, he met Blind Boy Fuller, one performer that he would become closely associated with. Fuller was playing on one side, and Terry on the other
when they decided to combine efforts. These efforts resulted in a trip to New York to play the "Spirituals to Swing" concert of 1938. These two recorded together often, teaming up with Brownie McGhee in 1939. After Fuller’s death in 1940, McGhee and Terry combined talents to produce one of the mightiest duos of the blues world, a collaboration that would last for thirty years. These two would record numerous albums and would become a staple of many folk festivals of the fifties and sixties, playing several hundred shows a year. Like his partner, Terry recorded solo often, creating "City Blues" in 1949. He also played with friends on their albums. He has performed with Seeger and Guthrie, forming the ‘Streamline Singers", and has also performed in a number of Broadway shows.
Sonny Terry died of cancer in New York, March 12, 1986.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Mississippi Fred McDowell, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
Blues at Newport Folk Festival Mississippi John Hurt is sitting behind Sonny & Brownie.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - My Baby's So Fine, Poor Man & Fighting a Losing Battle
"My Baby's So Fine" and a medley ("Poor Man / Fighting a Losing Battle"). From the DVD "Sonny Terry: Whoopin' the Blues 1958-74
Monday, May 24, 2010
How Britain Got the Blues: The Transmission and Reception of American Blues Style in the United Kingdom (Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series) by Roberta Freund Schwartz
 | How Britain Got the Blues: The Transmission and Reception of American Blues Style in the United Kingdom (Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series) |
This book explores how, and why, the blues became a central component of English popular music in the 1960s. It is commonly known that many 'British invasion' rock bands were heavily influenced by Chicago and Delta blues styles. But how, exactly, did Britain get the blues? Blues records by African American artists were released in the United States in substantial numbers between 1920 and the late 1930s, but were sold primarily to black consumers in large urban centres and the rural south. How, then, in an era before globalization, when multinational record releases were rare, did English teenagers in the early 1960s encounter the music of Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, Memphis Minnie, and Barbecue Bob? Roberta Schwartz analyses the transmission of blues records to England, from the first recordings to hit English shores to the end of the sixties. How did the blues, largely banned from the BBC until the mid 1960s, become popular enough to create a demand for re-released material by American artists? When did the British blues subculture begin, and how did it develop? Most significantly, how did the music became a part of the popular consciousness, and how did it change music and expectations? The way that the blues, and various blues styles, were received by critics is a central concern of the book, as their writings greatly affected which artists and recordings were distributed and reified, particularly in the early years of the revival. 'Hot' cultural issues such as authenticity, assimilation, appropriation, and cultural transgression were also part of the revival; these topics and more were interrogated in music periodicals by critics and fans alike, even as English musicians began incorporating elements of the blues into their common musical language. The vinyl record itself, under-represented in previous studies, plays a major part in the story of the blues in Britain. Not only did recordings shape perceptions and listening habits, but which artists were available at any given time also had an enormous impact on the British blues. Schwartz maps the influences on British blues and blues-rock performers and thereby illuminates the stylistic evolution of many genres of British popular music.
About the Author
Roberta Freund Schwartz is Associate Professor of Historical Musicology, and advising director of the University's Archive of Recorded Sound, University of Kansas, USA. She specializes in Spanish music, the music of the Renaissance, patronage, and African American influenced popular music.
Brownie McGhee - Just a Dream
Purchase This Track Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Down by the Riverside & Fighting a Losing Battle
Rainbow Quest with Pete Seeger (Episode 34)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sonny Terry - Bio
Other names: Sonny Terry
Born: October 24, 1911, Greensboro, NC
Died: March 12, 1986
Instrument: Harmonica/jaw harp and vocals
Biographical Sketch
Sonny Terry was born Saunders Terrell in Greensboro, North Carolina, on October 24, 1911. He lost sight in one eye in an accident when he was five years old and lost the other in another accident at the age of eighteen, which he knew would severely affect his choices for employment. It was at this time that he decided to become a blues singer. His father played the harmonica and taught Sonny as he was growing up. He traveled back and forth from his home to the Durham area, an area known for its rich history in blues culture, and began performing on street corners. He developed a style of playing - making barnyard noises and train whistles on his harmonica - that was uniquely his own. He met the famous guitarist Blind Boy Fuller during this time and eventually moved to Durham permanently. In 1937 the two were offered a recording opportunity in New York City, which they took.
Not too long after that, Terry met his next partner, Brownie McGhee, who would become his guitarist for the remainder of his career. After Blind Boy Fuller's death, Terry and McGhee moved to New York City for good. It was here where the two were never found wanting for work. Terry was in great demand and played for major folk musicians, such as, Leadbelly, Woodie Guthrie, and Pete Seeger. Terry also began an acting career with the Broadway show, Finian's Rainbow. Terry and McGhee had a prolific recording career and often traveled out of New York for shows. They both starred in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and began traveling around the world for different festivals and shows. During his travels, Terry began to write his instructional book, entitled The Harp Styles of Sonny Terry.
The constant association that touring demanded eventually proved to be too much for Terry and McGhee, and they stopped playing together. During the latter part of his career, Terry was rediscovered by a younger blues generation and attempted a comeback album, similar to Muddy Water's Hard Again. He agreed to few live appearances, but had quit recording altogether by the 1980s.
Books
Bastin, Bruce. Crying for the Carolines. London: Studio Vista, 1971.
Cooper, Kent, and Palmer, Fred, eds. The Harp Styles of Sonny Terry. New York: Oak, 1975. 125 pp.
Harris, Sheldon. Blues Who's Who. 1979. pp. 502-505.
Neff, Robert, and Connor, Anthony. Blues. London: Latimer New Directions, 1976.
Smith, Chris. That's the Stuff: the recordings of Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry, Stick McGhee, and J.C. Burris. Bixter: Housay Press, 1999.
Articles
Bendon, Brin. "Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee." Footnote (England) 1 (1969): 8-10.
Elmes, Barry. "Living Blues Interview: Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee". Living Blues 13 (Summer 1973): 14-18.
"Obituaries". Living Blues 70 (1986): 45.
"Sonny Terry - Blues Magic on the Harmonica." Sing Out! (February 1954): 4.
"Sony Terry Disc." Sing Out! (February 1954): 6.
Recordings on CD
McGhee, Brownie, Sonny Terry. Blues Masters. [S.1.]: Storyville, p1991.
McGhee, Brownie. Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry Sing. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Folkways; Cambridge, Mass.: Distributed by Rounder Records, p1990.
Terry, Sonny. Backwater Blues. Fantasy FCD-24750-2.
Terry, Sonny. Folkways Years, 1944-1963. Smithsonian Folkways 40033.
Terry, Sonny. Sonny Terry: Complete Recorded Works, 1938-1945. DOCD 5230
Videos and DVDs
Davis, Gary; Terry, Sonny. Rev. Gary Davis and Sonny Terry Masters of the Country Blues. Newton, NJ; Yazoo Video, Distribution of Shanachie Records Corp., 1991.
Joans, Ted; White, Bukka; Lewis, Furry; Sykes, Roosevelt; McGhee, Brownie; Terry, Sonny; Williams, Robert Pete; King, B.B.; Dixon, Willie; Wells, Junior; Guy, Buddy; Crudup, Arthur; Lipscomb, Mance. Out of the Blacks Into the Blues. Newton, NJ; Yazoo Video, 1992.
Terry, Sonny. Whoopin' the Blues. Cambridge MA; Vestapol; Distributed by Rounder Records, 1997.
Terry, Sonny; McGhee, Brownie. Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Red River Blues. Cambridge, MA; Rounder Records, 1997.
Brownie McGhee: The Folkways Years (1945-1959) - Album Notes
Guest Artists: Sonny Terry
Genre: Blues ~ Country Blues
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Catalog No: SMIT 40034
New Release: No
Previous Release: No
Format: CD
Personnel: Brownie McGhee (vocals, guitar); Sonny Terry (vocals, harmonica); Coyal McMahan (vocals, maracas); Wilbert "Big Chief" Ellis (piano); Gene Moore (drums).
Principally recorded between 1955 and 1959. Includes liner notes by Kip Lornell.
Personnel: Brownie McGhee (vocals, guitar); Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee (vocals, harmonica); Coyall McMahan (vocals, maracas); Wilbert Ellis (piano); Gene Moore (drums).
Audio Remasterer: Alan Yoshida.
Liner Note Author: Kip Lornell.
Recording information: 1945-1959.
Photographer: David Gahr.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Lorrie Taylor; Jeff Place.
Folkways Years (1945-1959) is a wonderful 17-track compilation of Brownie McGhee's Folkways recordings. During this time, McGhee became a staple on the blues-folk revival circuit, and accordingly these recordings find the Piedmont bluesman playing in a folk style, which he excelled at. Many of the most powerful tracks are straight from the rural Piedmont tradition, but the folkier material shows what a rich musician he was. It's an excellent sampler, one that demonstrates the depth and breadth of his Folkways recordings. ~ Thom Owens
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Leadbelly – The Movie
The late Dick Rosmini (12-strings guitar) and Artie Traum (6-strings) did most of the superb soundtrack for this rare bio-pic, "Leadbelly", directed by Gordon Parks (of "Shaft" fame) in 1976.
Brownie McGhee - Cholly Blues
Artist: Brownie McGhee
Guest Artists: Sonny Terry
Genre: Blues ~ Country Blues
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Catalog No: SMIT 40034
New Release: No
Previous Release: No
Format: CD
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Leadbelly – 1935 - 'Goodnight Irene'
This is an excerpt from a 1935 March of Time newsreel (produced by Time magazine) which re-enacts Leadbelly's release from Angola Prison, Louisiana. John Lomax plays himself, and Leadbelly performs 'Goodnight Irene'
Friday, May 14, 2010
Sonny Terry
After his father died in an accident, Sonny moved in with his sister and began playing in Shelby and nearby towns with Bill Leach, a guitarist, and did his first tour with a medicine show. (The guy who ran the show began to cheat him, so Terry got his pistol and threatened the man, whom he remembered only as "Doc''. Doc didn't think Terry could see him, but the man was wearing white pants which Sonny could see well enough, so he shot Doc in the leg.) A brother had moved to Wadesboro, southeast of Charlotte, where Blind Boy Fuller's relatives lived. The two musicians visited there more or less regularly, so it was only a matter of time before they met. Fuller encouraged Terry to move to Durham, which he did. There, Fuller introduced him to his manager, J.B. Long; the two were sufficiently impressed with Sonny to have him record with Blind Boy Fuller. He also became a big part of the blues scene in Durham, though he also sold liquor and worked in a factory for the blind for a bit. Mostly, though, he played on the streets or in tobacco warehouses (where the big money was) with Fuller and washboard player George Washington (better known as Oh Red and Bull City Red). Starting at two in the afternoon, Fuller, Terry, and Red would make up to ten dollars in one day, enough to cover a week's worth of groceries for all. While in Durham, Terry also met Rev. Gary Davis, for whom he had great praise as a musician.
In 1937, Terry went to New York to record with Fuller and Floyd Council and appeared on Blind Boy Fuller songs in every recording session after that. At the same time, John Hammond was planning his now famous From Spirtuals to Swing concert at Carnegie Hall, and he wanted Blind Boy Fuller to appear. He arrived in Durham to find Fuller in jail, but heard a certain blind harmonica player who lived nextdoor to Fuller and signed him up. Bull City Red played the concert with Terry, whose music was exposed to a new audience. He continued to record regularly with Fuller and Red and was the only artist that Fuller backed on record. Fuller died in 1940, but Sonny Terry had already begun to record under his own name and, thanks to J.B. Long, was becoming well-known in his own right. And thanks to an invitation from Paul Robeson to play at a school in DC, he entered the next phase of his career.
At the urging of J.B. Long, Terry was accompanied to the concert by Brownie McGhee. Supposedly, McGhee went along to help look after Sonny and maybe get a chance to play, too, which he did. No sooner were they back in Durham than they got booked for a show in New York, which was followed by a series of concerts with Woodie Guthrie. The two did not return to the south and moved into a house on Sixth Avenue.
The duo became quite popular playing in white folk clubs and recording for a variety of small labels. They managed to appeal to the white revivalist movement (with people like Pete Seeger, Cisco Houston, and of course Woodie Guthrie) while their records still sold well to blacks outside of the Northeast. It was an almost unique accomplishment, at which the purists in blues were quick to sneer. The duo even made their impression on Broadway.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Sporting Life Blues - Lyrics
I'm tired of runnin' around,
think I will marry and settle down
This ole sportin' life,
it is a mean life, and it's killin' me
I got a letter from my home,
all of my schoolmates, they're dead an'gone
It'll make you worry,
it'll make you wonder 'bout days to come
My mother used to talk to me,
I was young and foolish, Brownie could not see
Now, I have no mother, my sisters
and my brothers, they don't care for me
Mama used to fall on her knees an' pray,
these are the words, mother,she used to say
She would say: "Brownie, wha-oh,
my son, please change your way"
Now, I'm goin' to change my way,
I'm growin' older each and every day
When I was young and foolish,
I was so easy, easy to let ...
I was a gambler and a cheater, too, now,
it's come my turn to lose
This ole sportin' life,
got the best hand, what can I do?
There ain't but one thing Brownie done wrong,
I liv'd that ole sportin' life too long
Friends, it's no good, please believe me,
please leave it alone
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Sonny Terry - Worried Man Blues
1. Train Whistle Blues
2. New Love Blues
3. Harmonica & Washboard Breakdown
4. Harmonica Blues
5. Harmonica Stomp
6. Blowing The Blues
7. Lonesome Train
8. Sweet Woman
9. Fox Chase
10. Screamin' & Cryin' Blues
11. Harmonica Blues
12. Beer Garden Blues
13. Custard Pie Blues
14. Worried Man Blues
15. Crow Jane Blues
16. Hot Headed Woman
17. All Alone Blues
18. Whoopin' The Blues
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Sonny Terry - Whoopin Album - Background
1988 Alligator
Producer: Johnny Winter
This album was initially released on Johnny Winter's own record label "Mad Albino" as "I think I got the blues" on Red Vinyl.
In July 1981 Sonny Terry recorded an album called "Whoopin'" with Johnny Winter and Willie Dixon.
Johnny Winter launched his new label,Mad Albino Discs, by recording Sonny Terry in July at Baldwin Sound Productions in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Winter played guitar on the sessions and brought Willie Dixon from Chicago to play bass, while Styve Hominick, who has worked with Terry for the past 3 years, was on drums."
Additional information:
1984 delivered Sonny Terry, Johnny and Willie Dixon on Whoopin'. Alligator billed it as, "Sonny Terry is the blues harmonica master, and his 60 years of touring have taken his famous sound all over the world. This lp, lovingly produced by Johnny Winter (one of his biggest fans), features Sonny, Johnny on guitar and piano, blues legend Willie Dixon on bass, Styve Homnick on drums. Whoopin' is a true blues jam - and it is as much fun to listen to as it was to make! Johnny on piano. My god you get news sometimes that just blows you away. Johnny sure knows his harp players.
Whoopin was recorded on Johnny's own Albino label, in 1981, but it sat on the shelves for 3 years waiting to be realeased in the US. The recording took place at Winter played guitar on the sessions and brought Willie Dixon from Chicago to play bass, while Styve Hominick, who has worked with Terry for the past 3 years, was on drums.
This album is a classic for it shows again what a bluesman Johnny is, always has been. One side of the album Johnny plays entirely electric, on the other, acoustic. Johnny backs up the howling "whoo-whee" harmonica master in the classic country blues tradition.
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee were some of the first country blues recorded. Johnny loved them but always felt that Sonny was never quite in his element. Brownie had that mellow, pretty Carolina style where Sonny was more raw Mississippi Delta.
Johnny was pleased when Sonny asked if he would produce an album for him. Johnny and Sonny had the same sound running through their heads. Johnny's job as producer was to find people who fit in with Sonny's natural style, not trying to change it. Now Johnny had the opportunity to make a record that represented that sound - that Delta sound with lots of slide.
After the record was recorded Sonny told Johnny this was his favorite record. This really made Johnny feel good since it reaffirmed Johnny's thoughts on Sonny's sound - putting him in his proper element.
This album is classic from Sonny's familiar, famous falsetto "whoop" to Johnny's sound, both electric and National Steel. Johnny stays in the true Mississippi Delta style even when tinkling those ivories rinky tink style. Each song is a masterpiece.
The cover of this album came from a snapshot Susan Warford (Winter) took. All 4 guys hamming it up for the camera. Sonny seated holding his harp, Sonny's old drummer Styve Homnick with his brushes, Willie Dixon beside his stand-up bass, and Johnny crouching down with his old National Steel.
Johnny looks quite different from anything we ever seen before in this picture. He was extra thin at the time and his hair was short and combed away from his face. He looked like an old fella with one eye shut, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and wearing a white sleeveless t-shirt. He was as gaunt as we had ever seen him.
Friday, May 7, 2010
The History Of The Blues: The Roots, The Music, The People
Francis Davis's The History of the Blues is a groundbreaking rethinking of the blues that fearlessly examines how race relations have altered perceptions of the music. Tracing its origins from the Mississippi Delta to its amplification in Chicago right after World War II, Davis argues for an examination of the blues in its own right, not just as a precursor to jazz and rock 'n' roll. The lives of major figures such as Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, and Leadbelly, in addition to contemporary artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, are examined and skillfully woven into a riveting, provocative narrative.
Davis, music critic for the Atlantic, treats the history of the blues with an emphasis on his own involvement with this music. He believes that attempts to discover the origins of the blues, often based on simplistic theories about slavery and Africa, are inconclusive, and he stresses that the interaction between recordings and the actual music makes it difficult to follow the music's internal development. He touches on the issue of white involvement with the blues and concludes with an elaborate "Blues Timeline" showing how significant dates in blues history relate to developments in jazz, pop, theater and literature as well as to important events in American history, arts, sciences and technology. His impressionistic text rambles at times, but numerous passages on individual performers such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Leadbelly and others are engaging, as are accounts of his trips to Memphis and Mississippi to see where it all began. Selected discography.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Acoustic Guitar Method 1
By David Hamburger
We're proud to present the first in a series of beginning method books that uses traditional American music to teach authentic techniques and songs. From the folk, blues and old-time music of yesterday have come the rock, country and jazz of today. Now you can begin understanding, playing and enjoying these essential traditions and styles on the instrument that truly represents American music: the acoustic guitar. Working in both tablature and standard notation, you'll learn how to find notes on the fingerboard, a variety of basic chords and strums, country backup basics, waltz time, and melodies with half notes and rests. When you're done with this method series, you'll know dozens of the tunes that form the backbone of American music and be able to play them using a variety of flatpicking and fingerpicking techniques. Songs: Man of Constant Sorrow * Columbus Stockade Blues * Careless Love * Get Along Home, Cindy * Sally Goodin * Ida Red * Darling Corey * Hot Corn, Cold Corn * East Virginia Blues * In the Pines * Banks of the Ohio * Scarborough Fair * Shady Grove.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Brownie McGhee – The Folkway Years 1945 - 1959
- Daisy
- Rising Sun
- Careless Love
- Cholly Blues
- Just a Dream - (previously unreleased)
- Pawn Shop Blues
- Hangman's Blues
- Livin' with the Blues
- Fore Day Creep
- Me and Sonny
- Raise a Ruckus Tonight
- Betty and Dupree
- Long Gone
- Grievin' Hearted Blues
- I'm Gonna Tell God How You Treat Me
- Can't Help Myself
- Pallet on the Floor
Blind Boy Fuller
Fuller defined the Peidmont style of guitar and was a great influence on many guitarists including Brownie McGhee. Soon after Fullers death Brownie teamed up with Sonny Terry for a musical partnership that lasted more than forty years.
Brownie McGhee at Park West, early 1980s
at Park West, early 1980s
One of the few images of him ever playing electric guitar
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