The Root Cellar

“High Water Everywhere - Part One” - Charlie Patton (1929)

Ok so first of all let me apologize again for the lack of updates the last couple of days but I was out of town again. That being said I will now be updating this blog again regularly.

In an attempt to make amends for my neglectful behavior towards this blog I am posting today a song which, in my opinion, may be the finest single performance in all of American roots music.

“High Water Everywhere - Part One” was Charlie Patton’s masterpiece. It was written about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and had probably been a part of Patton’s repertoire since the time of the flood. The song has the feel of first hand, front line reportage of the event. The song is also notable as being one of the recordings of Charlie Patton where he pounded the body of his acoustic guitar as he played it to create a rhythmic percussion effect.

“High Water Everywhere - Part One” was recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin in October of 1929. It was released on the “Paramount” label.

“Future Blues” - Willie Brown (1930)

Sorry for the lack of updates during the last couple of days but I was out of town.

Today’s posting is one of only two known commercial recordings of the famous Willie Brown recorded for the Paramount label in 1930. Unfortunately the name Willie Brown may be more familiar to most of you as being the name of the older character in the horrible Ralph Macchio movie “Crossroads”.

The real Willie Brown was a musician that, although he rarely performed as a “front man”, backed up with some of the finest blues musicians ever including Son House, Robert Johnson, and (my favorite) Charlie Patton.

Willie Brown was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on August 6, 1900. Not much of Brown’s early biography is known although David Evans has reconstructed the early biography of Willie Brown living in Drew, Mississippi until 1929. He was married by 1911 to a proficient guitarist named Josie Mills. He is recalled as singing and playing guitar with Charlie Patton and others in the neighbourhood of Drew. Informants with conflicting memories led Gayle Dean Wardlow and Steve Calt to conclude that this was a different Willie Brown. Evans rejects this, believing that the singing and guitar style of the 1931 recordings is clearly in the tradition of other performers from Drew such as Charlie Patton, Tommy Johnson, Kid Bailey, Howling Wolf and artists recorded non-commercially.

Brown’s later biography is clear. Willie Brown the Paramount artist lived in Robinsonville, Mississippi from 1929 and moved to Lake Cormorant, Mississippi by 1935. He performed occasionally with Charlie Patton, and continually with Son House until his death. After this, House ceased performing until his “rediscovery” in 1964.

Brown died in Tunica, Mississippi on December 30, 1952 at the age of 52.

“Future Blues” was recorded on May 28th, 1930 in Grafton, Wisconsin for the “Paramount” label.

“We’ll All Go To Heaven When The Devil Goes Blind” - Ed Morrison (1934)

Ed Morrison was another “field” recorded musician. He was recorded in Ashland, Kentucky sometime in 1934 by author Jean Thomas. At the beginning of this song Morrison tells us that the fiddle he is about to play was carried through the Civil War by his father C.C. Morrison and that it was also present at The Battle of Gettysburg.

“Run Banjo” - Justus Begley (1937)

Please excuse the lack of updates over the last few days but it has been pretty hectic around here.

Justus Begley was, like Walter Williams whom I posted last time, a “field” recorded musician from eastern Kentucky. He was born on July 8, 1881.

Begley was recorded by Alan Lomax during the same trip that produced Williams’ recordings although Begley was recorded in the coal mining town of Hazard which was in Perry County. At the time of his recording Begley was running for the postition of Sheriff of Perry County. He won the position the next year in 1938. Begley served as Perry County Sheriff from 1938 to 1942.

Justus Begley died on April 19, 1956

“East Virginia” - Walter Williams (1937)

Today we will be stepping in the “bluegrass” area of Roots music with this song by Walter Williams.

Walter Williams was, in my opinion, the Jimi Hendrix of bluegrass banjo. I have heard a lot of great banjo players in my years of collecting “roots” music but there are very few who come close to matching Walter Williams.

This song is the first “field” recording that I have posted so far. A “field” recording differs from a commercial recording in that the recording is not made for a release by a record company. Instead the recording is made by an individual or organization who is interested in documenting and preserving the music of a particular region.

In the 1930’s folk song enthusiasts began traveling to the mountains and coal camps of eastern Kentucky in an effort to “collect” the music that was played in that area. While most of these enthusiasts collected songs by writing them down by hand and on music staff paper, a handful lugged portable disc cutting machines into the hills. Some of the most famous of these collectors were John Lomax, Jean Thomas, and Mary Elizabeth Barnicle. However the most prolific of these collectors was Alan Lomax, son of the aformentioned John Lomax. Alan Lomax, working for the Library of Congress, filled some 300 discs with fiddle tunes, ballads, church songs, banjo tunes, and laments from the most remote parts of eastern Kentucky. Among the many artists that Lomax recorded for the Library of Congress was Walter Williams.

The four songs that Walter Williams recorded for Lomax in October of 1937 constitute Williams’ entire recorded legacy. Unfortunately as he was a “field” recorded artist not really much is known about him. Lomax recorded Williams in Salyersville, Kentucky which is located in Magoffin County.

The part that I find amazing about Williams is that Lomax wrote that he was 71 years old when he was recorded. At 71 years of age he played banjo like this? Imagine how he would have played at age 35! Amazing!

“Sugar Baby” - Dock Boggs (1927)

Moran Lee “Dock” Boggs was born on February 7, 1898 in Norton, Virginia and began working in the coal mines of Appalachia at the age of twelve. At around this time, Boggs became interested in the banjo. As was the case of many musicians and performers of his era, Boggs learned to play the banjo watching and listening to family members and other performers, drawing additional influence from local African-American musicians.

While familiar with the older knock-down style of playing, sometimes called clawhammer or frailing, Boggs preferred a three-finger method, mostly of his own development, which involved picking up on the strings of the banjo. This style permitted him to execute crisp single-note runs in a manner similar to that of a fingerstyle guitarist.

In 1920, Dock Boggs became influenced by blues tunes. He heard music played and sung by African-Americans while working in the coal mines and around the railroads of Appalachia. In 1927, he attended an audition in Bristol, Tennessee with the Brunswick record company. He was offered a contract to record with Brunswick, and, as a result, travelled to New York, where he recorded eight sides: “Sugar Baby,” “Down South Blues,” “Country Blues,” “Sammie Where Have You Been So Long,” “Danville Girl,” “Pretty Polly,” “New Prisoner’s Song” and “Hard Luck Blues.” After these sessions, Boggs never recorded for Brunswick again.

By 1933, Boggs had given up hope of making a living as a musician. He hocked his banjo and did not play again until the early 1960s, when he was re-discovered by Mike Seeger of the New Lost City Ramblers. As a result of his relationship with Seeger, Boggs enjoyed a renaissance of sorts during the Folk revival, and began recording again.

Dock Boggs died on February 7, 1971 - his 73rd birthday.