SMOKY BABE/ Complete Recordings

SMOKY BABE/ Complete Recordings

           

Born Robert Brown on July, 31st 1927 in Itta Bena (Ms), Smoky Babe has been one of the very best discovery from the Blues Revival era. A sharecropper helping his family at an early age and during years around Itta Bena, Smoky Babe has taken the guitar and the blues under the strong influence of Robert Petway and Tommy McClennan, seeing them performing and listening to their records. He developed the same rhythmic guitar style, full of a furious energy, the similar passionate singing and, if one adds a great ability to compose autobiographic blues and to make every standard his own, you sure have with him a major bluesman!

            During the late 1940's and maybe at his mother's death, Smoky Babe leaves the miserable sharecropping to work in a factory in Alabama, then in New Orleans where he works as a longshoreman while playing sometimes in local clubs. Around 1953, he marries and the couple settles in Baton Rouge, buying a little farm and finding a good job as a car mechanic in a garage. He anyway plays here and there, mostly at friends' parties. It's like that and only by chance that Harry Oster discovers him in February 1960 during a party at Robert Pete Williams' house (his neighbor) where there are other Robert Pete's neighbors, Lazy Lester, Clyde Causey or William and Sally Dotson! Oster is stunned by Smoky's talents and then records him substantially during the following days. Those wonderful records when issued on several albums and anthologies stir interest in the then small coterie of blues buffs in the USA and Europe. But Smoky, quite suspicious, would turn down any offer to appear at colleges or festivals during the early 1960's, liking better to catch his steady work at his garage and his farm than trying his chance on a musical career.

            He is reported to have died in Scottlandville around May 1973.

            We have gathered here all his known recordings in chronological order. That still leaves at least 20 unissued tracks that are probably by now at the Smithsonian and that we certainly would be eager to be able to listen to!

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

SMOKY BABE

Complete Recordings

 = unissued

Smoky Babe (Robert Brown), vcl/g. Scotlandville, La, 6 february 1960

01. Shake, shake Mattie

Biscuit bakin’ mama

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Scotlandville, La, 10 february 1960

02. Long way from home

03. I’m goin’ back to Mississippi

04. I'm goin' away

Baby don’t you want to go?

Smoky Babe, vcl/g; Sally Dotson, vcl. Scotlandville, La. 25 february 1960

Dell on the mountain

05. Rabbit blues n°1

06. Rabbit blues n°2

07. Ghost blues

Smoky Babe, vcl/g; William Dotson, vcls. Scotlandville, 25 february 1960

08. Two wings

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Scotlandville, La, 27 february 1960

09. Bad luck and trouble

10. Now your man done gone

11. I’m broke and I’m hungry

12. Bad whiskey

13. Going back home

14. Goin' home blues

15. Melvanie blues

16. Ocean blues

17. Boogie woogie rag

Low down woman

Smoky Babe, vcl/g; Lazy Lester, hca. Scotlandville, La. 27 february 1960

18. Mississippi River

19. Too many women n°1

20. Too many women n°2

21. My baby she told me

22. My baby put me down

Smoky Babe, vcl/g; Clyde Causey, hca. Scotlandville, La. 27 february 1960

23. Ain’t got no rabbit dog

24. Black gal

25. Locomotive blues

Smoky Babe, g. Scotlandville, La. 6 march 1960

26. Boogy

27. Boogie gal

28. If I had listened what my mama say

29. I'm goin' home on the morning train

Smoky Babe, vcl/g; Sally Dotson, vcls; Hilary Blunt, g. Scotlandville, La. 14 april 1960

30. Your dice won’t pass

31. Black ghost

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Scotlandville, La. 3 november 1960

32. Talkin' baby

33. Backyard boogie

Leavin’ blues

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Scotlandville, La. 6 january 1961

No special rider

Mean mistreatin’ woman

Smoky Babe, vcl/g; Sally Dotson, vcls on *; Lazy Lester, hca. Scotlandville, La. 10 february 1961

34. Chicago bound

35. Somethin’ wrong with my machine*

Down by the waterfall

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Scotlandville, La. 10 march 1961

Hard times blues

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Scotlandville, La. 27 march 1961

36. Insect blues

37. Boss man blues

38. Way back in the country blues

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Scotlandville, La. 1 april 1961

39. I went down 61 Highway

40. Hottest brand goin’

41. Regular blues

42. Arkansas blues

43. What's wrong with you

44. Working on Mr Walter's farm

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Scotlandville, La. 14 june 1961

45. Cold, cold snow

46. Diggin' my potatoes

47. I'm wild about you black gal

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Vance, Ms, 10 august 1961

Cotton field blues

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Vance, Ms, 11 august 1961

48. Terraplane blues

Friends, goodbye

Car trouble blues

Back home again

Smoky Babe, vcl/g. Annie Brown, vcls on *; Clyde Causey, hca; Hilary Blunt, g. Vance, Ms. 12 august 1961

Won’t be back til fall

Bad bad whiskey

Shoot him along

Ain’t it hard to be a nigger*

Ship-y-show

Segregation blues

Mr. Bug & Mr. Bug

KING SOLOMON/ Complete Recordings

KING SOLOMON/ Complete Recordings

              

Several bluesmen have used the "King Solomon" moniker, mainly ace pre-war guitarist King Solomon Hill, the pianist and sometimes singer Ellis Walters Jr (1919-63) who recorded under the name King Solomon or Soloman (sic) as well as a session man behind many West Coast bluesmen as Solomon Ellis. Soul star Solomon Burke also recorded as King Solomon as well as jazz tenor saxophonist Clifford Solomon! And there is now a young good bluesman playing and recording under the name King Solomon Hicks!

               But the only "real" King Solomon (his real name) is this blues singer that we are featuring here. Born King Sylvester Lee Melicious Solomon on 12th October 1934 (or 1940? but this year sometimes given seems to be improbable even impossible) at Tallulah, La, he began to sing in his mother's church before creating his own Gospel a-capella quartet.

               When King Solomon comes to Chicago in 1949 to work as a busboy in a restaurant, he listens more and more the blues in the Windy City's clubs, befriending with Sunnyland Slim. Soon one finds him singing the blues at Theresa's or at Du Sable Lounge. But, tired of the hard Chicago's winters, Solomon settles in Los Angeles in 1954, meeting Charles Brown, Lowell Fulson and Maxwell Davis who encourages him to form his own band. During the late 50's, King Solomon and his Soul Brothers Band play regularly in the L.A. area, Charles Wright holding the lead guitar. In 1961, his first autobiographic record Non Support blues Parts I & II hits the West Coast before being taken over by the Checker label, and then climbing to n°39 on Billboard.

               Solomon then tours the Western States for awhile with big stars like B.B. King, Little Milton, Etta James and even opens for Sammy Davis Jr during a couple of weeks in Davis' cabaret in Las Vegas.

               King Solomon records regularly during the 1960's for a large variety of labels, some important like Kent but generally for small independent ones like Don-J, Magnum or his own Mader-D. With a somewhat poor distribution, those records sell quite confidentially with the exception of the small local hit You are nothing but a teenager.

              

During the 1970's, Solomon seeks commercial success in turning his music towards the Rock/ Psychedelic audience, his guitarist Joe Kincaid playing constantly the wah-wah guitar and with heavy bass and drums. This is the music featured on the only album recorded as such by Solomon Energy Crisis, probably during the mid-70's (1977 is the date generally admitted).

               Outside a small article on Blues Unlimited, King Solomon was mainly unknown outside his L.A. area until the excellent Dutch Diving Duck label issued a compilation of some of his best tracks during the mid-80's!

               Today, one doesn't know if King Solomon is still living or if so where he lives. Anyway, his recorded work is much worthy. We have tried to gather the complete recordings by this King Solomon but there still are 5 numbers that have been impossible to find. Thanks by advance to anyone who would have them and would be willing to share!

               Thanks to Diving Duck label, Mr Mightygroove and the excellent Groovy Gumbo blog for their help.

                                                                                       

Gérard HERZHAFT

King Solomon, vcl; Charles Wright, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1961

01. Non support blues I & II

King Solomon, vcl; Charles Wright, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1962

02. I got to move

03. Uncle John's swinging farm

King Solomon, vcl; Charles Wright, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1963

04. Louisiana groove

05. I'm in love with you

06. My dream

I'm in your corner baby

King Solomon, vcl; Charles Wright, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1964

07. Separation n°1

08. I want to know

09. Yodeling this morning

10. Scratch my back

King Solomon, vcl; Charles Wright, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1965

11. Big things

12. You ain't nothing but a teenager

King Solomon, vcl; Charles Wright, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1966

13. Mr bad luck

14. S.K. blues

15. New figure

16. Let me be your eagle baby I & II

17. Almost midnight

18. Please Mr President

King Solomon, vcl; Charles Wright, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1967

19. Separation n°2

20. Little dab will do it

21. Where is my shoe

22. What you got

Skidrow

Brainwashed woman

When a man loves a woman

I don't play that way

King Solomon, vcl; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1968

23. Just a little faith

24. Sittin' here thinkin'

King Solomon, vcl; Joe Kincaid, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1969

25. The natural look

26. No woman's no stranger

27. The miracle worker

28. The Moon Walk

29. Love bug

30. Something's wrong with me

King Solomon, vcl; Joe Kincaid, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. c. 1977

31. I got a sweet tooth for your love

32. If I were a strong man

33. Energy crisis

34. Political rag

35. Ain´t it funky ya´ll I & II

36. Sexy baby

37. Get up soul brother

38. Don´t play this song

39. A little dab will do ya