[Harp-L] RE: Stand Around Crying harp player (was Tongue (was throat) vibrato)

["Bret Littlehales" <blittlehales@xxxxxxxxx>]

<Junior Wells' vibrato is more throat than diaphragm, but with an even
<slower
<vibrato than Cotton's, and that's the vibrato you hear on Muddy Waters'
<original recording of "Standing Around Crying.

Hey Bob-

Oh, no! The "Standing Around Crying" debate again! Whether or not one
agrees w/ you as to the harp player on "Standing Around Crying" (and
"Iodine in My Coffee"), I'd be hard pressed to label it as typical
Junior Wells playing. There are actually two different types of Junior
playing: early and later. Early would be the original of "Early in the
Morning", the 1st position version, on Blues Hits Big Town, or any of
the Chief sides. The later stuff on Hoodoo Man or It's My Life, Baby
sound much more individual, and less in the Little Walter mode. By
this time Junior has stopped using a bullet (or whatever) and is using
his impeccable sense of timing to help drive the band. He's gone fr/
Walter to Rice Miller, if you want to oversimplify, and is also
varying his positions so that the harp and his voice are always in the
same register.

Now, back to "Standing..." For the unititated in the list, this is a
very controversial tune. Is it Junior? Is it Walter? Is it Pot Strong?
(I actually know someone who swears it is.) Muddy and Junior both
claimed it was Junior, but all the record lists say Walter. Walter's
biographers say Junior and don't include the tune on their
discography. The next matrix number is a Floyd Jones tune w/ Walter on
it, so we know Walter was around at the time. I'm not going to list
different harp player's names as to who thinks what, but I will say
that several players I know (and you know also, Bob) and respect
highly, say it's Walter. 

What I do know is that there is no other recording from this period
where Junior sounds like this. I know Junior could play like Walter
because I've heard him do it. In fact, he does it on that Muddy Waters
tribute tape, the one w/ Bloomfield and Dr. John. But he also did a
great Rice Miller, a cool Wolf (although Cotton's Wolf imitation is
pretty hard to beat) and of course his own amazing underrated style.

Finally, there is also a debate going on about Sad Sad Day, which may
have Henry "Pot" Strong on it instead of Walter. This would be
significant because the only extant recordings of Pot's (hmmmm, wonder
where he got that nickname?) besides the Henry Gray sides.

Bret