Folks,

Old friend, Fritz Schuler tells me that BLIND ARVELLA GRAY's (real name James Dixon) only LP album will be out on CD on August 2, 2005. It will be titled THE SINGING DRIFTER

You can get it from:
http://www.conqueroo.com/conjuroo

or by mail from:
Cojuroo Recordings
13351-D Riverside Drive #655
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423-2450


Arvella was a blues singer -- born in Texas in 1906--died in Chicago in 1980.--He played on the streets of Chicago back when I was young. The Maxwell Street open air market was his regular gig---but so was playing to the rush hour crowds at the Chicago Transit Authority subway entrance at State Street and Grand Avenue in that city where I took photographs of him. His style on the old metal National-type guitar (called a Dobro in the press release--maybe because both are resophonic guitars) was bottleneck, mostly, since he'd lost a few fingers on his chording hand. The notes I read say he went blind about 1930, possibly when "robbing a bank in Peoria, Illinois". (That'll for sure sell some CDs anyhow!) Seems he never told that tale the same way twice.

Arvella Gray did play at the first Univ. Of Chicago Folk Festival in 1961---and I do hope that some of the extra tracks on this CD are from those WFMT tapes. His "Goin' To Heaven Blues" was, as I recall, one of the songs he did that long ago very cold night of February 4th. Again, to see my photos on the web of Arvella Gray go to http://rudegnu.com/art_thieme.html
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Art Thieme