[Harp-L] rural urban divides WAS Blues Birdhead

[John Kerkhoven <solo_danswer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm preparing right now for a duo format tribute to Robert Johnson. Rick is correct about Johnson's Delta/rural roots. But Johnson also has a degree of sophistication that is quite urbane. Take his They're Red Hot, a popular form at the time, but more of a rag than a traditional blues. 

Think of Big Bill Broonzy playing Saint Louis Blues. 

Early blues, post-war blues seems to be distinguished mostly by the presence or absence of electricity, the Delta musicians having migrated to the city. Someone once said "Muddy Waters invented electricity". Muddy's first recording was by Lomax on the plantation.

Rick is pointing out another rural/urban divide which is completely pre-war, having to do with style and form. 

Yesterday, while searching online for sources of Robert Johnson's music, I found this Ida Cox recording from 1923....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCgTleB7DsM

(Part of my interest is in the words. She uses lines that come up in Robert Johnson's songs. "Early this morning, blues knocked on my door..." 
Which chimes with Johnson's "Early this morning when you knocked upon my door... "Me and the Devil". And "I stole my man from my best friend, but she got lucky and stole him back again" which totally chimes with both Johnson's "Woman I love, stole from my best friend..." from "Come on in my Kitchen" and the nearly identical line in Skip James' "Devil Got my Woman".)

But though distinctively a blues tune with echoes in the Delta repertoire, Cox's recording is very jazzy. 

I have no great illuminating conclusions to draw from all of this, only my fascination to share as I continue to delve into this material and discover more about it. I welcome further discussion, though, on or off-list.

Harmonica content: in my searches yesterday, I landed on one of Pat Missin's pages. Which brought up this gem. Eddie Mapp playing harp in 6th position, 1929.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDZdShifCFo

John



> Yeah...Jazz Gillum falls into this category too, or at least some of his
> stuff. It's a bit like the difference between cats like Blind Blake, Leroy
> Carr and Scrapper Blackwell, Casey Bill Weldon, and all those urban and
> 'urbane' blues guys and, on the other hand, Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton,
> Son House,et al, who represent a more primitive country sound. Rhythm
> Willie, Blues Birdhead and Jazz Gillum tended towards the jazzier, urban
> sound. That music seemed to disappear after the 'thirties, and the country
> sound took over, even when it moved to Chicago and got amplified. Since the
> white audience took over the blues, it has melded with rock, and most
> people tend towards the amplified rock/blues thing, which has it's roots in
> the 'primitive' country sound, rather than the slick city sounds.
> RD
>