[Harp-L] jaybird coleman

["Eric Neumann" <eneumann@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just thought I would pass along some info I got on another list. 
Coleman's recordings were quite a significant contribution to the blues
harp world. 
He also wore a tiny hat - which nowadays seems so chic for blues harp
players. =)
<snip>
Blues harmonica player Jaybird Coleman was born on this day in 1896 in
Gainsville, AL. Coleman was one of the first Blues harmonicists to
record. While there were other harmonica players, such as Daddy
Stovepipe (Johnny Watson), Robert Cooksey, Chuck Darling and Blues
Birdhead who recorded before Coleman, they recorded in a vaudville
/ragtime style in 1st position (straight harp). Jaybird was the first to
record in 2nd position (cross harp), the preferred position for many
modern Blues players. (The 2nd position makes it easier to 'bend' notes
and gives that 'wailing' sound to the harmonica.) Coleman recorded some
20 sides between 1927 and 1930. He was a member of The Birmingham Jug
Band and spent most of his life "busking", that is, playing for tips on
street corners. Coleman died in 1950. There is one CD of Coleman's
recordings, "1927-1930" on Document and he appears on several 'various
artists' compilations.