I've been advised offlist by by a correspondent Id'ing himself as
Rex that what I heard as "Brownie Riddle" is actually Brownie
Reynolds, as in Barefoot Brownie Reynolds:
http://hillbilly-music.com/artists/story/index.php?id=12565
Thanks, Rex.
Winslow Yerxa
President-elect, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and
Advancement of the Harmonica
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
________________________________
From: Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, August 4, 2012 8:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Red Foley's "Birmingham Bounce"
On Foley's recording of "Square Dance Tennessee" he introduces the
harmonica solo at 1:49 by saying:
If you want Brownie(?) Riddles
to play his harp
A nod is all he needs
So step up front
and set 'er boy
And let's hear you choke them reeds
The harp player on this cut sounds similar to the one on Birmingham
Bounce. Was this a nickname for Jimmie Riddle? He as with the Acuff
band by then, but may have done some session wor. Still, it doesn't
sound like him to me.
Winslow Yerxa
President-elect, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and
Advancement of the Harmonica
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
________________________________
From: Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, August 4, 2012 8:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Red Foley's "Birmingham Bounce"
The first two harmonica breaks both overlap the vocal slightly, so
it can't be Foley.
The harp player doesn't really sound like Jimmie Riddle. Or like
Wayne Raney. Raney and Onie Wheeler were both involved in Hillbilly
Boogie, the country precursor of rock'n'roll. But Wheeler always
played in second position on his own records, AFAIK.
The first-position player on this record has solid bending control
on the high blow bends, but is kind of sloppy in hitting the notes,
though his rhythm and phrasing are fine for the song.
I wonder if there's a comprehensive discography for Decca country
singles that might shed some light.
Winslow
Winslow Yerxa
President-elect, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and
Advancement of the Harmonica
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
________________________________
From: Rick Dempster <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: robert mcgraw <harpbob@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: harp-l harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, August 4, 2012 6:49 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Red Foley's "Birmingham Bounce"
First position on a G harp. Could be Jimmie Riddle or Onie Wheeler.
Never
heard of Red playing harp, but not impossible.
RD
On 5 August 2012 08:01, robert mcgraw <harpbob@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Just heard Red Foley's version of "Birmingham Bounce" for the first
time.
It's a fun tune, and it has good harmonica on it; it sounded like
first
position stuff, sort of reminded me of pre-WWII blues harp, maybe
the kind
you'd hear with a jug band, though I'm not real knowledgable about
those
styles. Anybody know who the harp player was? Some cursory google-
searching
told me that Red Foley played harp. Was it him? Whoever it was
could play,
that's for sure.
WVa Bob
--
Rick Dempster
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