PINEY BROWN
Moins
connu que Big Joe Turner ou Wynonie Harris, ses modèles, Piney Brown n'en est
pas moins un blues shouter de talent et qui a enregistré une oeuvre conséquente
s'étendant sur cinq décennies!
Colombus
Perry naît le 20 janvier 1922 à Birmingham, la plus grande ville de l'Alabama.
Elevé par sa mère qui faisait des ménages, vivant en milieu urbain, Colombus
commence à chanter dans un groupe de Gospel The
Young Blue Jays tout en fréquentant les spectacles de Vaudeville et les
Tent shows avec assiduité. C'est une des vedettes de ce circuit alors si
populaire, Shepherd Sam, qui lui apprend le mêtier, à danser, chanter,
bonimenter, faire des acrobaties.
Après
divers jobs, Colombus s'installe brièvement à Kansas City où il a l'occasion de
voir les blues shouters et les musiciens de la ville en action. Il gagne
ensuite Baltimore en 1940 où il danse et chante dans différents cabarets du
grand port et réussit à remplacer au pied levé Wynonie Harris, malade, dont il
connaît par coeur le répertoire au Royal Theatre, accompagné de l'orchestre de
Lucky Millinder.
En 1946,
il forme un duo de chant et de danse avec Estelle Young. Elle se fait appeler
Caldonia (en hommage au tube de Louis Jordan). Lui prend alors le nom de Piney
Brown, un hit de Big Joe Turner d'après le nom d'un barman bien connu de Kansas
City.
Le duo
connaît un certain succès et Piney Brown tourne alors à travers tout les Etats
Unis, à l'affiche avec Billy Eckstine, Gatemouth Brown, Percy Mayfield, Lester
Young et même.... Big Joe Turner qui le reçoit d'abord fraîchement à cause de
son nom de scène!
Après
avoir essayé de diriger un club à Kansas City (et avoir fini une balle perdue
dans le dos!), Piney Brown retourne à Birmingham pour s'occuper de sa mère
souffrante. Il y enregistre pour le label Heart et aide la carrière de Jerry Mc
Cain.
En 1964,
Piney se marie et s'installe définitivement à Dayton dans l'Ohio où il se
produit régulièrement au club The Village et à la base militaire voisine de
l'US Air Force, tout en enregistrant pour le petit label local, Deep Groove. Le
Rhythm & Blues n'ayant plus guère la faveur des jeunes Noirs, Piney
favorise de plus en plus dans sa musique la Soul et le Funk, copie James Brown
avec Everything but you avant
d'enregistrer une longue séance pour le label 77 de John Richbourg à Nashville,
accompagné d'un orchestre de Country Music!
Lorsque
Delmark réédite ses séances Jubilee, Piney Brown contacte le label pour ses
droits d'auteur et est ainsi signalé aux amateurs de blues. Après que la revue
britannique Juke Blues lui ait
consacré un long article/interview, Piney Brown tourne en Europe, enregistre
deux albums en 2004-2005, doit en faire un troisième pour Delmark. Mais il
décède avant de réaliser ce projet le 5 février 2009 à Dayton.
Nous
avons ici regroupé presque la totalité des enregistrements de Piney Brown
effectués entre 1947 et 1959 plus une sélection de ses titres les plus blues de
la décennie suivante.
Merci à
Jollyjumper, Uncle Gil et Steve Wisner pour leur aide déterminante. Et merci
aussi à Brian Baumgatner pour son article paru dans Juke Blues 48 que nous
avons beaucoup utilisé pour cet article.
Gérard
HERZHAFT
Less
famous than Big Joe Turner or Wynonie Harris, his favorites, Piney Brown is
anayway a gifted blue shouter who recorded a long string of singles and CDs,
spanning a career of five decades!
Colombus
Perry was born on 20 January 1922 in Birmingham, Alabama. Raised by his mother
who was a housekeeper, the young boy started to sing in a Gospel group The Young Blue Jays while attending a
lot of Vaudeville and Tent Shows. There he met the famous Vaudeville artist
Shepherd Sam who taught him how to dance, sing, tell tales, acrobatics...
At
the end of the 1930's, Colombus tried his luck in Kansas City with no success
but he had there the opportunity to watch and meet many of the blues and jazz
acts of the time. He then went to Baltimore around 1940, singing and dancing in
several night clubs of this big harbor. He even replaced at the Royal Theatre
and backed by the Lucky Millinder Orchestra, an ill Wynonie Harris from who he
knew all the songs!
In
1946, he formed a singing and dancing duo with Estelle Young. Estelle took the
stage name of Caldonia (cashing on Louis Jordan's hit) and Colombus Perry
became Piney Brown, the title of a smash hit by Big Joe Turner about a famous
Kansas City bartender! The duo enjoyed some success and Piney Brown started to
tour across the USA with several shows, sharing the bill with Billy Eckstine,
Gatemouth Brown, Percy Mayfield, Lester Young and even a very suspicious (at
first) Big Joe Turner! Thanks to Sonny Thompson, Piney made his recording debut
in 1947 for Miracle, enough to be invited to make a session the next year at
New York for the prestigious Apollo label of Bess Berman. My baby's gone enjoyed some success and Piney appeared at many
famous clubs and venues like the Apollo Theatre, the Cotton Club, while
embarking of several tours of US Military bases. He was also regularly on the
studios, recording for Sittin' In With, Atlas, Jubilee, Mad and King which also
hired him as a composer. While at King, Piney Brown gave the hit Popcorn to James Brown!
After
an unsuccesful attempt to own a night club in Kansas City (and a bullett in his
back!), Piney had to come back to Birmingham to help his aging mother. Then he
recorded for the Heart label and helped launch Jerry McCain career. In 1964,
Piney finally settled down permanently in Dayton (Ohio) where he married,
singing at local clubs (The Village) or US Air Force bases while still
recording for the small Dayton label, Deep Groove in a style more and more leaning
towards Soul and Funk (Everything but you).
During the late 1960's Piney also recorded several sessions for John Richbourg's
77 label in Nashville, backed by a young Country band.
When
Delmark reissued his Jubilee tracks, Piney contacted the Chicago label for his
royalties. Delmark spread the news among blues buffs around the world and after
a lengthy article and interview on the british Juke Blues magazine, Piney
embarked himself on several tours of Europe, recording two CDs in 2004-2005. Another
album was programmed for Delmark but Piney Brown died before on 5 February 2009
in Dayton.
We
have here gathered almost all the recordings made by this important blues
shouter between 1947 and 1959 plus a selection of his most bluesy tracks that
he recorded in the 60's.
A
lot of thanks to Jollyjumper, Uncle Gil and Steve Wisner for their great help. And
a particular thanks to Brian Baumgartner whose Juke Blues n°48's article has
been strongly used here!
Gérard
HERZHAFT
Piney
Brown (Colombus Perry), vcl; Eddie Chamblee, t-sax; Sonny
Thompson, pno; g; bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. 25 October 1947
01. That's
right, little girl
Piney
Brown, vcl; band. New York City, November 1948
02. Down and
out blues
03. Gloomy
monday blues
04. Mourning
blues
05. Piney Brown
boogie
Piney
Brown, vcl; band. New York City, January 1950
06. How about
rockin' with me?
07. Why do I
cry over you?
08. That's
right baby
09. Lovin' gal
blues
Piney
Brown, vcl; Abe Baker, bs; band. New York City, 1951
10. You bring
out the wolf in me
11. Don't pass
me by
12. Battle with
the bottle
13. 3D loving
Piney
Brown, vcl; Blue Flashes, band. New York City, 1952
14. You made me
this way
15. Talking
about you
16. Have mercy
17. Kokimo
Piney
Brown, vcl; Ed Swanston, pno; band. New York City, January 1953
18. Ooh I want
my baby
19. My heart is
aching baby
The stuff is here
So afraid of losing you
Piney
Brown, vcl; Sidney Grant, t-sax; tb; Champion Jack Dupree, pno; Mickey Baker,
g; Cedric Wallace, bs; John Taylor, dms. New York City, 7 April 1953
20. Whispering
blues
21. Walk a
block and fall
Piney
Brown, vcl; Madman Jones, t-sax; Lefty Bates, g; band. Chicago, Ill. 1959
22. Sugar in my
tea
23. My love
Piney
Brown, vcl; band. Dayton, Oh. 1961
24. I'm
travelling
25. Life is funny
Piney
Brown, vcl; band. Dayton, Oh. 1966
26. Everything
but you
I'm tired of running (Thanks to Steve Wisner for sharing this rare track)
Piney
Brown, vcl; band. Nashville, Tn. 1969
27. Bring it on
home
28. Baby don't
do it
29. One of
these days
30. Nashville
wimmin'
Piney Brown/ Complete Early Recordings
RépondreSupprimerhttps://www33.zippyshare.com/v/8oKzcooh/file.html
OK?
this link no longer works can you help.rockb4elvis@gmail.com
Supprimerhttps://mega.nz/#!SRRU3CLS!kJ1PbV_zBaJ3it_HsC6Esl96FuzF-KNoFFbIrlBXl9U
SupprimerMuchisimos Thanks for this fine offering Gerard....
RépondreSupprimerAnother lovely post Gerard. Thank you very much. I've had a look for the missing titles but no luck.
RépondreSupprimerThanks...
RépondreSupprimerMany thanks Gerard for this nice collection by an artist I haven't listened much to.
RépondreSupprimerLove it, Thank you Gérard!
RépondreSupprimerThanks Gérard. J'ai un clip de " (I'm Tired of) Running" malheureusement incomplet et le son n'est pas très bon. Petite rectification: ce titre est paru sur Deep Groove, pressé par Rite Records in 1969
RépondreSupprimerMerci. J'ai aussi reçu une copie de I'm tired of runnin'. Je retravaille le son et je le posterai d'une façon iu d'une autre, bien que le morceau lui même ne soit pas très réussi...
SupprimerThanks Gerard
RépondreSupprimerI love Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris, Jimmy Rushing, Jimmy Witherspoon et al but only heard Piney Brown on compilations.
Thanks for all the collecting,ripping and research (plus English translation) that you do...Keeping the Blues alive for a new generation. Respect !
Thank you, Gerard.
RépondreSupprimerLoving this collection! Thank you Gérard. Have you tracked down the RPW Those Prison Blues? I found a copy here in the states. Trying to secure a copy.
RépondreSupprimerThanks, Brian. A copy of the Folk Lyric or 77 issue of Those Prison Blues (quite different than the Arhoolie LP or CD) would be absolutely great!
SupprimerGerard, will have the RPW (Folk-Lyric) in hand next week. should have it to you by 24 Aug.
SupprimerBrian, you're a benefactor of the blues community!!!! Thanks a lot
SupprimerI need your help. I have a Robert Pete Williams recording that I can't find any information on. It is a live recording from 20 April 1970. Live At The Old Main Theater, Portland State University. I have no cover or record label info. Could be a soundboard bootleg?
SupprimerIt has never been issued as a CD or LP. That's a concert at Portland State University recorded by the University Archives and posted first by our friend Blues Compartido on his YouTube channel . The tracks are:
Supprimer1. Intro / 'I got the blues so bad' (9:23)
2. 'Don't let me tip up on you woman' (6:41)
3. instrumental blues with kazoo (4:18)
4. You're My All Day Steady and My Midnight Dream (10:50)
5. Cigarette break (0:25)
6. Late in the evening, sun going down'/Matchbox Blues (9:05)
7. Boogie Chillen/Come Here, Sit Down On My Knee (6:22)
8. Woman, why you treat me so mean' (5:45)
9. You Don't Have To Go (4:05)
10. Take your time, love me right' (4:16)
11. Tuning up (1:05)
12. Louise (7:37)
13. Things That I Used To Do (5:57)
I think hundreds of concerts like that have been recorded at Colleges and Universities during the 1960's-70's, particularly of folk and folk blues artists of the time. I worked for a while at Bloomington (Indiana) University and thus attended at several concerts and had access to their sound Archives that were very interesting blueswise.
Thank you. That is what i suspected. Ripping the RPW - Those Prison Blues from LP right now my friend.
SupprimerJust left the RPW link in the requests at Don't ask. it is the US version on Folk-Lyric FL-109 in flac.
SupprimerThanks a lot, Brian! I eagerly await this one! And I'll thus miss only the "Letter from the Penittentiary" 45 (that another good soul has promised me) to be able to finish the Complete Early RPW comp that I'm working on for awhile!
SupprimerCan't wait to get my ears on that collection!
Supprimernice work again...always happy to get introduced to classic blues musicians that I was not aware of
RépondreSupprimerMerci beaucoup, G!
RépondreSupprimerStuffy
Thanks Gerard for your goldmines of information and music which keep these artists alive. Regards, Bob
RépondreSupprimer