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dimanche 4 août 2013

INDIANAPOLIS COUNTRY BLUES




INDIANAPOLIS COUNTRY BLUES
Volume 1

           
Indianapolis a abrité une importante scène du blues dans les années d'avant-guerre, autour du pianiste Leroy Carr et du guitariste Francis "Scrapper" Blackwell que le producteur et boutiquier Mr Guernsey a eu la géniale idée d'associer. En fait, par bien des côtés, le tandem Carr/ Blackwell qui a lancé la mode du duo piano/guitare ayant tant prospéré dans le blues d'avant-guerre, a créé le blues urbain.
            Après la guerre, plus personne ne s'intéresse au blues d'Indianapolis qui semble avoir disparu avec la mort de Leroy Carr. Mais à la fin des années 50, Art Rosenbaum (venu vivre dans cette cité en 1947), commence à faire ses recherches sur le folk et le blues. Il ne tarde pas à tomber sur une scène souterraine du blues avec un Scrapper Blackwell toujours bien vivant et qui a agrégé autour de lui un groupe de bluesmen venus du Sud et qui jouent régulièrement pour voisins et amis. Rosenbaum enregistre tous ces musiciens aujourd'hui quelque peu oubliés et dont les disques sont devenus des raretés.
         
Brooks Berry & Blackwell
  
Dans ce volume 1, nous trouvons la chanteuse Brooks Berry née à Sturgis (Kentucky) en mars 1915. Elle vient vivre à Indianapolis avec sa mère et devient une fan de Leroy Carr et Scrapper Blackwell qu'elle vient voir jouer chaque fois qu'elle peut (et en trichant sur son âge). Durant les années 30 et 40, Brooks chante souvent accompagnée du piano ou de la guitare de Blackwell mais vit essentiellement de ses maigres revenus de femme de ménage. Bien que récalcitrante à l'idée d'enregistrer, Brooks a été convaincue par Scrapper. En 1959 et 1961, elle grave deux belles séances qui paraîtront sur un album Bluesville aujourd'hui introuvable. Elle apparaît aussi en public dans différents clubs folks ou sur des campus universitaires. Mais elle arrête sa carrière de blueswoman après l'assassinat le 6 octobre 1962 de son ami Blackwell. On ne sait pas ce que cette chanteuse profonde et émouvante est ensuite devenue.
            Le chanteur et guitariste John Tyler (J.T.). Adams est un autre nom obscur de la scène d'Indianapolis. Né à Morganfield (Kentucky) le 17 février 1911, il a appris à jouer le blues avec son père qui était un musicien local d'un certain renom. J.T. s'installe à Indianapolis en 1941, trouve un travail chez Chrysler. Même s'il a connu Scrapper Blackwell dès son arrivée à Indianapolis, étant déjà un guitariste accompli, il n'a été que peu influencé par Blackwell. En 1960, il est lui aussi "découvert" grâce à Blackwell et enregistre un disque en compagnie d'un autre nom important du blues d'Indianapolis Shirley Griffith. Leurs deux guitares s'entremêlent de belle façon sur ces titres eux aussi fort rares. Comme pour Brooks Berry, on ne sait pas vraiment ce que J.T. Adams est devenu.
            Shirley Griffith (1908-74) a enregistré deux disques (introuvables eux aussi) que l'on peut maintenant entendre grâce à l'excellent blog Don't ask me I don't know.
            Merci de vos commentaires. Et peut-être à un volume 2 à Indianapolis!
                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

            Before the war, Indianapolis had a quite strong blues scene but only two major figures, piano man Leroy Carr et ace guitarist Francis "Scrapper" Blackwell. When a local storeowner and producer, Mr Guernsey teamed the two bluesmen, he not only created a powerful duo but invented a formula (piano and guitar together) that in many ways launched what can be called "urban prewar blues".
            But in the 1940's, even if the black sections were flooded with new migrants from nearby States like Kentucky who played and sang their blues, Indianapolis, lacking any recording studio, was no longer featured on the map of the blues.
            It took the end of the 1950's and Art Rosenbaum, a young folk and blues fan who came to live in Indianapolis in 1947, to "rediscover" Scrapper Blackwell who was still playing his old blues style for house parties and friends. He had aggregated around him quite a handful of Country bluesmen that very fortunately Rosenbaum recorded between 1959 and 1962. But those blues records are very hard to find, most having never been reissued in any form and having sold very poorly.
Shirley Griffith
            In this volume 1, we found the singer Brooks Berry (born in Sturgis, Ky on march 1915). As she settled in Indianapolis with her mother, she befriended with Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell and went to see and hear them each time she could (very often cheating upon her real birthdate!). During the 40's and 50's, she was quite often singing accompanied by her friend Blackwell, whether on the guitar or the piano. But it was mainly a hobby for her for she had to make a meagre living as a housekeeper. Although reluctant, she nevertheless waxed two gripping sessions in 1959 and 1961, appeared in a few college campuses and folk clubs but gave up the blues when her friend Scrapper was tragically murdered on october 6th, 1962. We don't know what happened to her after that.
            Singer and guitarist John Tyler (J.T.) Adams is another quite obscure name. Born in Morganfield, Ky on February, 17th, 1911, he learned the blues with his father who was a name in the local juke joints. J.T. came to Indianapolis in 1941, working at Chrysler's and playing the blues in the local clubs and parties. He also befriended with Blackwell but, being already an accomplished blues guitarist, he wasn't as strongly influenced by the local maestro than the others. But thanks again to Scrapper, he recorded some sides accompanied by another excellent local guitarist Shirley Griffith (1908-1974). Their two guitars intertwine each other brilliantly, giving an excellent but unfortunately only session. We don't know what happened to J.T. Adams after these recordings.
            Griffith recorded two more superb LP's under his name that never resurfaced in the digital era. But you now can hear them on the first rate blog Don't ask me...
            All your comments and feedbacks are most welcomed. If possible, I'll try to make a volume 2 of more Indianapolis blues!
Gérard HERZHAFT



INDIANAPOLIS COUNTRY BLUES
Volume 1
Brooks Berry, vcl/g on *; Scrapper Blackwell, g/pno. Indianapolis, In. décembre 1959
01. Cold blooded murder
02. Blues and trouble
03. I'm gonna move to Kansas City
04. Sun burnt all my cotton*
Brooks Berry, vcl; Scrapper Blackwell, g/pno. Indianapolis, In. juillet 1961
05. My man is studyin' evil
06. Bama bound
07. Can't sleep for dreaming
08. Life ain't worth living
09. Blues is a feeling
10. How long
J.T. Adams, vcl/g; Shirley Griffith, g. Indianapolis, In. 1960
11. A blues
12. Blind Lemon's blues
13. Bright street jump
14. Indiana Avenue blues
15. Kansas City
16. Matchbox blues
17. Naptown boogie

21 commentaires:

  1. http://www34.zippyshare.com/v/89969004/file.html
    OK?

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  2. Great stuff Gerard. You have the ability to come up with the most interesting themes for good blues artists!

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  3. Wow, great music. Many thanks for preserving these treasures and sharing them.

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    1. It may seem unbelievable today, but - outside some names like Hopkins, McGhee & Terry, Big Joe...most of those Bluesville LP's sold very very poorly, sometimes less than 100 copies. Prestige who launched these blues series had much more expectations.So it wasn't long that all the stock was dispatched in sales shops. For instance, when I was a student in Paris during the mid 60's, I bought a lot of them at a very low price price on Saint Ouen marketflea!!!Today the Brooks Berry Lp is sold around 1500€ at Amazon!

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  4. Interesting comp' Gerard, I look forward to having a good listen. As always many thanks.

    Bob Mac

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  5. I agree with all the complimentary comments above. Keep up the great work!

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  6. Very interesting, as usual, Gerard. Don't forget to include Yank Rachell in the next installment. The fact that he was Indianapolis-based was unusual enough, but that he made his music on the mandolin was even more so. I was blessed to have seen him several times in Chicago toward the end of his days.

    Best

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    Réponses
    1. If there is a volume 2, Yank will be there for sure. I saw him in France in the 60's with Sleepy John. They were great!

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  7. This one is great! Thank you!

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  8. Sleepy John, Yank & Hammie made the most beautiful music together, almost brings tears to my eyes everytime I play their recordings.

    Bob Mac

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    1. Saw Sleepy John, Yank, and Shirley Griffith at an open-air free concert ca. 1970. Sleepy John was more interested in when the gin was coming than performing; Shirley Griffith and Yank were terrific.

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  9. This is a very nice collection. Thank you. Brooks Berry should have recorded more. These tracks with Scrapper Blackwell are precious.

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  10. Greetings from Indianapolis!

    Here's a book you will enjoy:

    The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock and Roll
    Preston Lauterbach

    Why were the six or seven blocks of Indianapolis’ Indiana Avenue so central to the development of black music in America? The answer may boil down to two colorful men -- brothers Denver and Sea Ferguson, who turned their business connections throughout the south and the midwest into a circuit for touring jazz and blues musicians. In turn, growing options for segregated entertainment strengthened local musical development in the circuit, though recorded music -- combined with the damage of urban renewal -- eventually overwhelmed live acts.

    Must read for music fans and social historians, though the author has selected evidence to support his thesis while ignoring whole segments of black music and only very lightly touches on rock ‘n’ roll.

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  11. Also, this cover photo, though taken in Indiana, is not of Indianapolis. Image is from the (US) Library of Congress collection, and is titled ""Buttermilk Junction, Martin County, Indiana." That would put this 90-100 miles south of the "Circle City." Not bitchin', just commentin' -- I love the photo.

    Other photos of the environs are here: http://www.daviesscountyonline.net/showthread.php?t=1615. Not exactly urban, is it?

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    1. Thank you. I knew that it was in Indiana and not in Indianapolis. But it seemed to me to be more "Country" and would better fit to the music. Thanks for the info.

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  12. Thanks for this great piece of blues history.

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  13. wonderful music, many thanks for sharing.

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