tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:45:39 +0000Blind Lemon JeffersonMemphis MinnieBlind BlakeCharley PattonMemphis Jug BandKokomo ArnoldLeroy CarrLuke JordanBo CarterPeetie WheatstrawRobert JohnsonVictoria SpiveyRoosevelt SykesSon HouseSonny Boy WilliamsonWashboard SamBarbecue BobBig Joe WilliamsBlind Boy FullerBumble Bee SlimFunny Paper SmithLead BellyMississippi SheiksSkip JamesBig Bill BroonzyBlind Willie McTellBukka WhiteCharley JordanFurry LewisGus CannonLonnie JohnsonMa RaineyScrapper BlackwellSleepy John EstesTampa RedBessie SmithBlind Willie JohnsonBoweavil JacksonClara SmithCurtis JonesFrankie JaxonJoe McCoyJosh WhiteLucille BoganMississippi John HurtRamblin' ThomasTommy JohnsonWalter RolandWilliam MoorebluesAce JohnsonBlack AceCarl MartinCharlie McCoyCharlie SpandElvie ThomasFrank HutchisonFrank StokesGeeshie WileyHarlem HamfatsJack KellyJames Stump JohnsonJazz GillumJewell NelsonJim JacksonJimmy OdenJoe PullumJohnnie TemplePeg Leg HowellRobert WilkinsSon BondsSonny Boy NelsonTexas AlexanderTommy McLennanWill ShadeWillie BlackwellcarssickArthur BellBarrelhouse AnnieBeale Street SheiksBen CurryBertha HendersonBertha LeeBig John DavisBillie McKenzieBilly MitchellBlind Joe TaggartBlind Teddy DarbyBlues BirdheadBob RobinsonBobby GrantBogus Ben CovingtonBrownie McGheeBull City RedBuster BrownBuster EzellButterbeans and SusieCarter FamilyCasey Bill WeldonCedar Creek SheikChampion Jack DupreeCharles EllisCharlie HicksCharlie NelsonCharlie PickettCharlie TurnerClara HerringCleo GibsonClifford GibsonColey JonesCow Cow DavemportCripple Clarence LoftonCurley WeaverDarby and TarltonDave Macon. Henry ThomasDeford BaileyDick JusticeDirty DozensDixon BrothersDock BoggsEarl JohnsonEd BellElizabeth JohnsonElzadie RobinsonFinious RockmoreFordFort ValleyFrank EdwardsFreddie SpruellGay and TarterGene CampbellGeorge HannahGeorge Willams and Bessie BrownGeorgia CrackersGeorgia TomGeorgia WhiteGladys BentleyGus GibsonHambone Willie NewbernHenry BrownHenry TownsendHi Henry BrownHoodooHouston StackhouseIda CoxIshmon BraceyJabo WilliamsJane LucasJaybird ColemanJesse JamesJim CrowJimmie RodgersJimmy OwensJoe StoneJohn HenryJohn Henry HowardJohn Lee HookerJulius DanielsKansas JoeKid BaileyKid Prince MooreKid Stormy WeatherKing Solomon HillKingfish Bill TomlinLee BrownLee GreenLeonard Baby Doo CastonLil McLintockLizzie MilesMadlyn DavisMaggie JonesMemphis SlimMerline JohnsonMinnie WallaceMississippi MoanerMonkey JoeMose AndrewsNugrape TwinsPapa Charlie JacksonPeck CurtisRabbit BrownRalph WillisRed NelsonReese CrenshawRev. J.M. GatesRobert HicksRobert Lockwood jr.Sam CollinsSippie WallaceSloppy HenrySmith BandSonny ChestainSpeckled RedSpider CarterSylvester WeaverTangle EyeThomas DorseyTommy GriffinTony HollinsTuberculosisWade WardWalter DavisWalter WashingtonWashington PhillipsWill BattsWill ChastainWilliam HarrisWillie BrownWillie JacksonWinston Holmesabusebeatingboll weevilcowsdroughtdrugsgamblingheifersillnesslaborleveesnewsnicknamespolicyponiesprisonracismrailroadsrainsales taxsnowsongstaxesA discussion of the best in early recorded blues.http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rugel)Blogger73120en-usnoblues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historyMike Rugel and the Delta Blues Museum take a raw look at the early history of blues music. Each show includes a series of pre-war blues tracks along with context and exposition. Visit www.deltabluesmuseum.org or Uncensored History of the Blues blog at www.purplebeech.com/blues.Mike Rugel and the Delta Blues Museum take a raw look at the early history of blues music. Each show includes a series of pre-war blues tracks along with context and exposition. Visit www.deltabluesmuseum.org or Uncensored History of the Blues blog at wwwmrugel@purplebeech.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-7079604773823372754Mon, 06 Apr 2020 18:03:00 +00002020-04-06T14:03:52.102-04:00Ace JohnsonBlind Lemon JeffersonBlind Willie JohnsonBukka WhiteBumble Bee SlimCharley JordanJimmy OdenMemphis Jug BandMemphis MinniesickVictoria Spivey If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element This time we’ll revisit songs about disease. There have been a lot of comparisons to the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. The epidemic was still fairly recent when Blind Willie Johnson recorded this song in 1928 and surely remembered well by Johnson who would have been 21 years old in 1918. The song is pure http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2020/04/coronavirus-special-disease-blues.html10mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-2841980930544161949Mon, 29 May 2017 22:13:00 +00002017-05-30T15:15:37.954-04:00Charlie McCoyKokomo ArnoldMississippi SheiksRobert JohnsonScrapper BlackwellSkip JamesTampa RedWalter Davis If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Robert Johnson was both a consumer and creator of records. We look at what he listened to and how it led to two of his songs, Robert Johnson - Phonograph Blues Mississippi Sheiks - Sitting On Top of the World Tampa Red - Things about Comin' My Way Skip James - Devil Got My Woman Robert Johnson - Come onhttp://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2017/05/robert-johnson-and-records.html6mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-6643713761700121795Wed, 10 Aug 2016 00:56:00 +00002016-08-09T20:56:35.926-04:00Blind Lemon JeffersonCharley PattonJohn Lee HookerLeroy CarrTony Hollins If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element We’ll take a look at the Mississippi John Lee Hooker, his roots and influences, the music that impacted him when he was young. John Lee Hooker’s music has an undeniable urban grit that came from his detroit surroundings, but Mississippi was at his core and you could hear it in every song he ever recorded.http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2016/08/the-mississippi-roots-of-john-lee-hooker.html1mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-3941833528749285140Wed, 27 Jul 2016 00:25:00 +00002016-08-07T07:46:04.180-04:00Charley JordanGeorge Willams and Bessie BrownGus CannonKid Stormy WeatherLuke Jordan If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Songs about the tight-haired woman, short-haired and bald-headed woman are a type of insult song. Many include one of the classic floating verses: "Babe you know I did more for you than the good Lord ever done. You know I bought you some hair because he sure didn't give you none." Charley Jordan http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2016/07/show-68-short-haired-woman.html3mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-4181930110433337586Fri, 23 Jan 2015 15:56:00 +00002015-02-15T11:29:57.388-05:00Blind Willie McTellJohnnie TempleRamblin' ThomasRobert JohnsonSkip JamesSylvester Weaver If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element "They call me a back biter, I’ll bite any man in the back." There’s nothing unusual about cheating songs in the blues. Stepping put on your man or woman could be considered one of the cornerstones of the genre. Today we’ll take a look at a specific subset of those songs: men who stole their friend’s http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2015/01/show-66-back-biting-man.html3mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-3199995396790867924Wed, 16 Jul 2014 16:58:00 +00002014-11-02T20:39:45.874-05:00Blues BirdheadElvie ThomasFunny Paper SmithGeeshie WileyKid BaileyKing Solomon HillWillie Brown If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element The New York Times ran a fascinating story about Elvie Thomas where the author uncovered a lot of new biographical details and interviewed folks that knew her decades after she’d made blues records in 1930 or 1931. Elvie Thomas was found to be a Texan who’d left the blues for the church and who lived untilhttp://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2014/07/show-66-biographical-mysteries.html3mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-1272104455122190425Fri, 07 Mar 2014 18:32:00 +00002014-04-02T21:04:12.396-04:00Big Joe WilliamsBlind Boy FullerGeorge HannahJames Stump JohnsonJoe McCoyMemphis Jug Band If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element A few years back, the Stop Snitching movement received a lot of attention in the media with high profile rappers and athletes using songs and films to urge people not to cooperate with police investigating crimes. Of course, disdain for snitchers was nothing new and there have always songs about the http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2014/03/show-65-snitchers-blues.html1mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-6497685237697710432Mon, 16 Dec 2013 02:42:00 +00002014-01-02T11:37:48.276-05:00Blind BlakeClara SmithIda CoxLee GreenMemphis Jug BandScrapper BlackwellSonny Boy WilliamsonVictoria Spivey If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element I think I'm going back down South where the weather suits my clothes. Variations on that line appear in a lot of blues songs. In the context of the great African-American migration to the North, leaving Chicago or Detroit to return South for the better weather can be a metaphor for a few things. The http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2013/12/show-64-where-weather-suits-my-clothes.html5mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-2420976396103394579Thu, 17 Oct 2013 19:05:00 +00002013-10-20T14:34:34.279-04:00Big Bill BroonzyFunny Paper SmithMemphis MinnieMemphis SlimNugrape TwinsTampa Red If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Some blues singers were clearly paid to advertise products. In later years, b.b. king sang songs to famously sold peptikon and sonny boy williamson king biscuit flour. Were gonna take a look at some early songs that may be ads or may just be folks singing about products they enjoy. J.T "Funny Paper" http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2013/10/show-63-drink-brands.html0mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-3737948920005445103Mon, 01 Jul 2013 02:29:00 +00002013-08-01T10:04:15.635-04:00Beale Street SheiksCharley PattonFrank StokesMemphis MinnieRobert Wilkins If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Many blues songs feature real historical figures. Some are figures who operate on both side of the law, sometimes straddling that divide. These are all folks from Memphis, North Mississippi and Arkansas. We'll start with a song about a man Jim Kinane, the man who ran the Memphis underworld including http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2013/06/show-62-historical-figures-and-law.html0mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-311446533379835294Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:04:00 +00002013-08-01T10:05:12.231-04:00Bo CarterBob RobinsonFrank StokesHi Henry BrownJoe McCoyMadlyn Davis If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element As frequently as the blues was called the devil's music, it's no surprise that blues singers had a little something to say about preachers as well. There are plenty of songs about the hypocrite that says one thing from the pulpit, while he's stealing your crops or your woman. Hi Henry Brown sang abouthttp://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2013/04/show-61-preacher-blues.html1mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-3165415495721706316Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:46:00 +00002013-08-01T10:07:23.873-04:00Blind Boy FullerBoweavil JacksonFunny Paper SmithLeroy CarrRobert JohnsonRoosevelt SykesWalter RolandWilliam Moore If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element With the gun control debate raging in the U.S., I thought it seemed like a good time to look at some songs about guns. The first gun control law was passed right in the middle of the period we focus on here in 1934. The National Firearms Act was a response to the shootings occurring as part of the http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2013/02/show-60-pistol-blues.html2mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-5946630475512527244Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:36:00 +00002013-08-01T10:08:11.533-04:00Curley WeaverGeorgia WhiteMemphis Jug BandMemphis MinnieSonny Boy Nelson If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Prostitution was illegal almost everywhere in the United States by the blues era. But, of course it was everywhere. Most blues songs on the subject address women walking in the street trying to find a trick. There’s no sign of the brothels that are often thought to be a higher class form of http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2012/12/show-59-walking-street.html5mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-61562945269544222Tue, 11 Sep 2012 19:07:00 +00002013-08-01T10:09:26.720-04:00Ben CurryCharley JordanDirty DozensKokomo ArnoldLeroy CarrLuke JordanSpeckled Red If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element I recently finished reading Elijah Wald’s book called The Dozens: A History of Rap’s Mama. The dozens is a game of trading insult wordplay, sometimes it rhymes, sometimes it doesn’t, it often involves talking about your opponent’s mama. The book covers the pre-blues period to recent hip-hop and a http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2012/09/show-58-dirty-dozens.html5mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-7992083886082451470Thu, 05 Jul 2012 00:03:00 +00002013-08-12T15:28:49.558-04:00Big Joe WilliamsBlack AceCharley PattoncowsheifersKokomo ArnoldMose AndrewsponiesSonny Boy NelsonTommy Griffin Your browser does not support the audio tag. These songs are all from men singing about women, specifically young women. And more specifically songs where those young women show up in metaphors about horses and cows. There’s no better place to start than with Charley Patton who recorded several songs with this type of comparison. Here’s the earliest, from 1929, Pony Blues: Hitch up my http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2012/07/show-57-ponies-and-heifers.html2mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-2624511084840292589Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:22:00 +00002013-08-11T20:51:57.956-04:00Blind Boy FullerBo CarterPapa Charlie JacksonPeg Leg HowellSonny Boy WilliamsonWashboard Sam If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element In the pre-war period, people were dependent on delivery men coming to their doors with the necessities of life: coal to keep warm, ice to keep food fresh, and that food itself was often delivered. There were also plumbers and other repairmen showing up at your home. These men were necessary, but the way ahttp://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2012/03/show-56-delivery-man-blues.html0mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-7108749401217637278Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:14:00 +00002013-08-12T15:31:14.151-04:00Blind Willie McTellbluesFrank EdwardsKokomo ArnoldMemphis Jug BandMinnie WallacenewsRabbit Brown Your browser does not support the audio tag. Most blues songs tend to focus on the local. Songs often address issues at home. But like everyone else, blues singers live in the world and are aware of the world beyond their hometowns. So I thought we’d take a look at some songs that talk about what’s going on overseas and news from around the world. Maybe the best song of this type is http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2012/01/show-55-news-of-world.html3mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-8834966344521955724Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:13:00 +00002013-08-12T15:29:56.312-04:00Blind Willie JohnsonbluesCharley PattondroughtrainSon HouseSpider Carter Your browser does not support the audio tag. In the spring of 1930, a horrible drought began in nearly every Southern state. It was particular tough for those dependent on agricultural work. As supply of crops dwindled, prices dropped with the Depression. People were starving. Mississippi and Arkansas were particular hard hit, so it’s no surprise that there are a few great blues songs http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2011/09/show-54-1930-drought.html2mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-8593733559104567615Sat, 16 Jul 2011 14:46:00 +00002013-08-12T15:31:56.080-04:00Blind Lemon JeffersoncarsMemphis MinnieRamblin' ThomasRobert JohnsonWill BattsWillie Blackwell Your browser does not support the audio tag. Cars had become one of the centers of American life by the 1920s and plenty of blues musicians we’re singing about them. It’s interesting that Blind Lemon Jefferson sang in several songs about driving cars, something he could never do as a blind man. Booger Rooger Blues starts out about driving and ends up talking about the problems cars cause http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2011/07/show-53-more-cars.html8mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,historytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17015098.post-3343146250044483612Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:40:00 +00002013-08-12T15:35:24.487-04:00Big Joe WilliamsBlind Lemon JeffersoncarsCedar Creek SheikCleo GibsonFordKid Prince MooreRoosevelt SykesSleepy John EstesWalter Roland Your browser does not support the audio tag. Transportation is one of the most common themes in the blues. These were men and women who like to get around. Walking and trains come up often, but by the 1920s when recording blues became common, it was the car that was dominating American culture. Blues musicians sang about all kinds of makes and modes, but this time we’re gonna look at http://uncensoredhistoryoftheblues.purplebeech.com/2011/03/show-52-ford-blues.html5mrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)nomrugel@purplebeech.com (Mike Rugel)blues,pre,war,blues,delta,blues,history