Re: [Harp-L] Any 1920s 2nd position blues besides Gwen Foster?

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Why do you limit your qualifications to "accompanied?"

William McCoy made both solo and accompanied recordings in 1928 (some in 5th position, some in 2nd). Certainly there was plenty of second position being played in Memphis during the early 1930s - Will Shade, Noah Lewis, and Jed Davenport being prime examples. They alternated between first and second positions seemingly according to the chord structure of the song. if the progression was I-VI-II-V or otherwise weighted toward the V chord, they used first position. If the progression strongly featured the IV chord (as in most blues) they used second position.

John Lee Williamson was recording plenty of second position in Chicago by the mid-1930s, and Sonny Terry was certainly playing second position both unaccompanied and with Blind Boy Fuller during the same period.

Whether or not you consider a particular recording "bluesy" seems to be a subjective assessment. I think that as you research this further you'll likely find plenty of second position played with bent notes, both accompanied and unaccompanied, in a continuous line from Henry Whitter forward to the present.

The fact that second position appears so regularly on early unaccompanied recordings from the 1920s - Kyle Wooten, Whitter, Bert Bilbro, George Bullet Williams, De Ford Bailey, etc. would indicate that there was nothing revolutionary in Gwen Foster's use of it. That he also played guitar behind it doesn't seem revolutionary, either; it seems like an obvious combination. The main thing that seems really striking about him was that tongue-blocked warble he did, alternating two notes on either side of his tongue.

Still, you've pointed out something interesting. Looking through the early Okeh discography, there seems to be a trend to use harmonica either to accompany what appear to be major-key pop songs (which implies first position), or to use it unaccompanied to play things like train imitations, solo blues, and fox chases, which are more likely to be in second position. There may have been a tipping point at which guitar accompaniment to second-position harmonica became more common than not. it was certainly common enough on records by the early-to-mid 1930s. Was Gwen Foster the first or the great influence that drove other players in that direction? Hmmm . . . 

Winslow

David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Anybody know of accompanied second-position harmonica from the 1920's besides Gwen Foster? I've listened to a lot of music from the 1920s and early 1930s and the harp I hear on blues is all first position and not what we'd call bluesy today, with the exception of Foster. The more I research this, the more it seems like 2nd position was something revolutionary that Foster was experimenting with.
The blues I hear from the period that has harp in it isn't what we'd really consider bluesy. There is some excellent harmonica, Henry Whittier, Frank Hutchison, from the 1920s and a little later DeFord Bailey... but I've not really heard bluesy, wailing, bent notes in first position or second position from the 1920s besides Foster. Frank was a remarkable bluesman, but only used the harp on more folky songs in the Key of C. It seems that applying the harmonica to his blues never occurred to him. 

All this said, it was the next generation of Chicago guys who really made second position what it is in the 1940s. But the more I research this, the more it seems that Gwen Foster was the Howard Levy of blues harp. It does seem, however, that Gwen Foster was to the blow bend what Howard Levy was to the overblow. 
I've been working on this for several years and I'm going to be writing some history stuff for my Web site soon. If anybody has anything to add or subtract here, I'd appreciate it.... just looking for the truth.



Dave
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Dave Payne Sr. 
Elk River Harmonicas
www.elkriverharmonicas.com
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