Music Recommendations - 1930s(?)

[howyadoin]

Hey, kids. I just heard a cool tune on YouTube. No idea what the title is, but the musician is apparently Harland "Whitey" Pepper:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Ml2n_jfSk

Anyhow, I've tried tracking down the song itself, but to no avail. Any info anybody might have would be appreciated. Also, if you know any tunes with a similar feel, by all means let me know.

Thanks.

[wrecksracer]

I've never heard of this artist, but it kind of reminds me of Mississippi John Hurt or Papa Harvey Hull. I love the country blues artists of this era.

[Rob Allen]

Paging Jonathan Bogart...

Here's a link to Jonathan's 1930s song list - also check his 1920s and 1940s lists in the links on the upper left:

http://aceterrier.com/?page_id=1033

[Jonathan Bogart]

Google says the song title is "Mystery Woman." The surface noise sounds like a mastering job from the 40s (which is the very earliest it could be, with that choppy electric guitar), but from the general forward motion of the song I would place it after 1962 or so.

Harlan Pepper, by the way, is a character played by Christopher Guest in Best Of Show; I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's a new recording masquerading as an old one. The copyright on that Youtube says Fontaine Records, which is either a boutique European electronic label or a New Orleans record store; so there's that.

For the kind of thing this is (electric country blues), I would recommend Mississippi Fred McDowell's I Do Not Play No Rock And Roll, Lightnin' Hopkins' 1959 self-titled, and just about anything by John Lee Hooker.

For actual 30s Delta blues, try Son House, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Skip James, and Sonny Boy Williamson.

For songster stuff (i.e. not strictly always blues, but still in the family), the aforementioned Mississippi John Hurt, Furry Lewis, Leadbelly, and Big Bill Broonzy.

There's a long, long rabbit hole here; if you're interested, I'd start here (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=77:4471) and work my way down.

[howyadoin]

Gentlemen, I thank you all. It'll be interesting to see where this leads me, one way or the other.

[The Confessor]

For actual 30s Delta blues, try Son House, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Skip James, and Sonny Boy Williamson.


Who's not to be confused with the second Sonny Boy Williamson (usually named as Sonny Boy Williamson II in written material) who was recording in the 1950s and 1960s and stole the original Sonny Boy Williamson's name.

He worked the Williamson name in tandem with a lascivious, hard drinking persona and a fanciful tale of Faustian dealings with the devil...all cleverly designed to appeal to the middle class white kids who made up the blues and folk revival scene of the late 50s and 60s. Not that Sonny Boy Williamson II is bad, far from it...he made some great music; especially the stuff he recorded for Chess Records. You should be aware, however, that his music is fairly different to the country blues of the original Sonny Boy.

[zilch]

The Mills Brothers.

Whats wrong with you people?

[Jonathan Bogart]

The Mills Brothers.

Whats wrong with you people?

I'm not sure that when someone asks for country blues giving them vocal jazz will be much use. The Mills Brothers kick ass (at least until about 1942), but if you look at the text of the thread rather than just the title you'll see that they're irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

[Jonathan Bogart]

The Mills Brothers.

Whats wrong with you people?

I'm not sure that when someone asks for country blues giving them vocal jazz will be much use. The Mills Brothers kick ass (at least until about 1942), but if you look at the text of the thread rather than just the title you'll see that they're irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

[Jonathan Bogart]

The Mills Brothers.

Whats wrong with you people?

I'm not sure that when someone asks for country blues giving them vocal jazz will be much use. The Mills Brothers kick ass (at least until about 1942), but if you look at the text of the thread rather than just the title you'll see that they're irrelevant to the discussion at hand.