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dimanche 25 juin 2017

HARMONICA SLIM (Travis Blaylock)

HARMONICA SLIM (Travis Blaylock)
Complete Recordings

           
Aujourd’hui bien oublié, Travis Blaylock a cependant connu durant les années 50 un certain succès commercial sous le nom de Harmonica Slim, ce qui lui a notamment valu d’être le seul Harmonica Slim sur le marché, les autres comme James Moore devant abandonner leur surnom Harmonica Slim pour celui de Slim Harpo et Richard Riggins (qui fera plusieurs très bons disques pour Fedora sous ce sobriquet) gardant son vrai patronyme.
            Travis Leonard Blaylock est né le 21 décembre 1934 à Douglassville, une bourgade de la frontière du Texas et de l’Arkansas, frontière que ses parents franchissent quelques années plus tard afin de s’installer dans la plus grande ville qu'est Texarkana. C’est vers l’âge de douze ans que Travis Blaylock commence à jouer de l’harmonica sous l’influence de plusieurs voisins ainsi que des disques de John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. Il chante et joue avec un groupe de gospel local, les Sunny South Gospel Singers.
            Il se lie d'amitié avec le guitariste Martin Fulson (le frère de Lowell) et ils forment bientôt un petit groupe qui anime une émission radiophonique hebdomadaire sur la station KCMC de Texarkana.
            En 1949, Travis gagne Los Angeles et s'intègre très vite à l'importante et très vivace scène du blues et du R&B de cette époque, faisant notamment partie de l'orchestre de Lowell Fulson et Lloyd Glenn. Il enregistre d'abord comme harmoniciste de plusieurs séances de blues et de R&B californiens avant de fonder, sous le nom de Harmonica Slim, son petit orchestre qui comprendra aussi souvent le superbe pianiste Lloyd Glenn. Slim enregistre enfin en vedette une douzaine de titres entre 1954 et 1960 qui mélangent avec bonheur l'inspiration rurale du blues de la frontière texane avec des sons et des arrangements beaucoup plus sophistiqués qui dominent le R&B californien. Mary Helen et surtout You better believe it (qui pénètre dans le Top 100 R&B) sont de petits succès commerciaux qui permettent à Harmonica Slim de faire partie de grandes tournées de R&B qui sillonnent les Etats Unis, en compagnie de Lowell Fulson, Percy Mayfield, T-Bone Walker, Ray Charles, Pee Wee Crayton ou B.B. King.
            Mais les années 60 sont celles de vaches bien maigres pour Slim qui doit prendre un travail en usine pour vivre. A la fin de cette décennie, c'est T-Bone Walker qui le présente au producteur Bob Thiele qui accepte de lui faire enregistrer un album pour son label Bluestime en compagnie de musiciens de jazz et de R&B comme le saxophoniste Plas Johnson. Assez curieusement, Thiele qui a enregistré plusieurs fois George Smith trouve le jeu d'harmonica de Slim trop rural et "primitif" et décide que Smith au son bien plus urbain et jazzy tiendra la plupart des parties d'harmonica sur cet album, fort méconnu, mais qui possède de nombreuses qualités.
            Après le décès de son père en 1971, Harmonica Slim retourne s'occuper de sa mère à Texarkana. Il travaille comme pompiste mais joue régulièrement avec un orchestre local celui du guitariste Nelson Carson. Il enregistre avec eux pour Louis Guida en 1976 ses derniers titres dont certains demeurent inédits.

            Après la mort de sa mère, Harmonica Slim abandonne le blues, redevient Travis Blaylock, se tourne à nouveau vers le gospel et la religion. Il est même le Révérend de son église baptiste lorsqu'il décède le 16 juin 1984 à Texarkana.
            Merci à Pierre Monnery pour son aide
                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

Now well forgotten, Travis Blaylock however experienced during the 1950s some commercial success under the name Harmonica Slim, which even earned him to be the only Harmonica Slim on the market, forcing James Moore to abandon his Harmonica Slim nickname for Slim Harpo and Richard Riggins (who would make several very good albums for Fedora under this nickname later on) to keep his true surname. Travis Leonard Blaylock was born December 21, 1934 in Douglassville, a village of the Texas-Arkansas border, a border that his parents crossed a few years later to settle in the largest city of Texarkana. It was around the age of twelve that Travis Blaylock began playing the harmonica under the influence of several neighbors and the records of John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. He sang and played with a local gospel group, the Sunny South Gospel Singers. He was a close friend with guitarist Martin Fulson (brother of Lowell) and they soon formed a small group who hosted a weekly radio show on station KCMC of Texarkana. In 1949, Travis moved to Los Angeles and integrated very quickly the important and very perennial scene of blues and R & B of that time, even becoming a part time member of the band of Lowell Fulson who included pianist Lloyd Glenn at that time. He recorded as a harmonica player with several West Coast sessions prior to founding, under the name Harmonica Slim, a small blues band which often included superb piano playing by Lloyd Glenn. During the 50's, Slim recorded a dozen titles between 1954 and 1960 that happily mixed Texas Country blues with arrangements much more sophisticated in the mould of the current R & B California sounds. "Mary Helen" and especially "You better believe it" (entering the Top 100 R & B) were small hits that allowed Harmonica Slim to be part of the great R & B tours crisscrossing the United States, in the company of Lowell Fulson, Percy Mayfield, T-Bone Walker, Ray Charles, Pee Wee Crayton and B.B. King. But the 1960s were lean years to Slim who had to take a job in the factory to make a living. At the end of the decade, T-Bone Walker brought Slim to producer Bob Thiele, who agreed to record a whole album for his label Bluestime in the company of jazz and R & B musicians like saxophonist Plas Johnson. Curiously enough, Thiele , (who recorded several times George Smith) found the style of Harmonica Slim too rural and "primitive" and decided to replace his blowing parts by those of Smith a much more urban and jazzy harpman that Slim. After the death of his father in 1971, Harmonica Slim returned to care for his mother at Texarkana. He worked in a gas station while playing regularly with the local band of guitarist Nelson Carson. He recorded with them for Louis Guida in 1976, some tracks remaining unissued.
            After the death of his mother, Harmonica Slim gave up the blues for good and was reborn Travis Blaylock, turned definitively to the gospel and the religion. He even became a Reverend of the local Baptist Church until his death on June 16, 1984 in Texarkana.
            Thanks to Pierre Monnery for his help
                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

Depuis la première publication de cet article, plusieurs d'entre vous m'ont contacté en me donnant d'autres titres de Harmonica Slim qui ne se trouveraient pas dans cette "intégrale". Mais en fait, tous ces morceaux proviennent non pas de Travis Blaylock mais d'autres Harmonica Slim, en particulier Richard Riggins. Il y a deux autres musiciens au moins qui ont enregistré sous ce sobriquet: l'un dans les années 60 pour Blue Horizon, l'autre quelques titres live en 1985 en compagnie de Boogie Bill Webb. Ni l'un ni l'autre n'ont de rapport avec Blaylock qui est décédé en 1984 comme l'atteste la photo de sa pierre tombale.
Since I first posted this article, several readers have written to me giving tracks by Harmonica Slim that are not in this "complete recording works". Unfortunately, those are by other bluesmen taking the same nickname, particularly Richard Riggins who recorded quite extensively under this moniker during the 1990's. At least two other musicians have recorded under the Harmonica Slim nickname, (one for Blue Horizon, the other in 1985 three tracks live in New Orleans with Boogie Bill Webb). Neither of them are our man. Travis Blaylock died in 1984 and everything he has recorded is now here

THE COMPLETE HARMONICA SLIM
(Travis Blaylock)
Harmonica Slim, vcl/hca; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1954
01. Thought I didn't love you
02. Going back home
Harmonica Slim, vcl/hca; J.D. Nicholson, pno; g; t-sax; bs; dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 20 février 1956
03. Mary Helen
04. Lonely hours
Harmonica Slim, vcl/hca; J.D. Nicholson, pno; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 30 juillet 1956
05. My girl won't quit me
06. You better believe it
07. Drop anchor
08. Do what you want to do
Harmonica Slim, vcl/hca; band. Los Angeles, décembre 1960
09. Buddah
10. I'll take love
11. You
12. Hard times
Harmonica Slim, vcl/hca; George Smith, hca; Plas Johnson, saxes; Artie Butler, kbds; Louis Shelton, g; David Walker, g; Max Bennett, bs; Abraham Mills, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 1969
13. Stormy monday blues
14. Harmonica boogaloo
15. Tin Pan Alley
16. Love
17. That's all right
18. You better believe it
19. Things ain't what they used to be
20. Darling I love you
Harmonica Slim, vcl/hca; Nelson Carson, g; Travis Matthews, g; John Walton, bs; Frank Howard Jr, dms. Texarkana, Ak. 12 mai 1976
21. You better believe it


21 commentaires:

  1. Harmonica Slim (Travis Blaylock)/ Complete

    http://www15.zippyshare.com/v/Thq8dxFa/file.html

    OK?

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    Réponses
    1. Could you please make this available for download again as the above link expired. Thank You 04/19/2020

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    2. File has expired and does not exist anymore on this server

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  2. Many thanks Gerard for another wonderful posting.

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  3. Thanks again Gerard much appreciated .


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  4. encore une fois Bravo
    George Smith on 14,15,17,18
    BBB

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  5. Beautiful! Thank you very much, Gerard.

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  6. Lovely post. Thank you very much Gerard.

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  7. Merci à tous ceux qui prennent le temps d'écrire un message.
    Thanks to all those who take time to write a message

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  8. Another great post!!! What you consistently provide is not only thoroughly enjoyable musically but so important historically to understanding the development of the blues. From it and your Encyclopedia of the Blues I have learned so much and am deeply grateful that you still put in the time, effort, and love to do what you do. Un grand merci!!!

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  9. Thanx a lot for this great post...

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  10. Just discovered this wonderful blog. Couldn't help but notice the Wade Walton photograph and barber shop in the banner. Any chance we could enjoy the complete recordings of Wade Walton?

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    Réponses
    1. Thanks, Brian. The photographs in the banner were shot by myself during the Fall 1979 and are liiustrating my book "Ballade en blues". I'd certainly hope to be able to gather all the Wade's recordings but, by now, I still miss four titles from his Bluesville album and they are very very hard to find unless you pay to buy the whole LP at a very expansive price!

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