I can't find recordings of Willie Brown

Subject: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 04:20 PM

I have heard a lot about Willie Brown who was apparently a big influence on Robert Johnson and a contemporary of Son House. I have never heard anything by him and have come up dry when trying to find any recordings by him.

Does anyone know of any, even if it's on a compilation CD?

Thanks in advance.

Steve

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: dwditty
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 04:30 PM

First of all, you have to figure out which Willie Brown. There were several. Stefan Grossman may be a good source. He speaks of the Willie Browns on his lesson of Ragged and Dirty. You can contact him HERE .

dw

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Jon W.
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 04:32 PM

There are two songs of his, "Future Blues" and "M & O Blues", on Yazoo 2002, Masters Of The Delta Blues - The Friends of Charlie Patton. Both are excellent.

There is another song attributed to a Willie Brown, "Mississippi Blues." I learned it from a Stefan Grossman transcription and I've never heard the original. Grossman believes the artist to be a separate person entirely.

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Justa Picker
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 04:33 PM

I found this.

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 04:41 PM

Thanks Guys, I think I'll order the Friends of Charley Patton. It looks like a great CD.

Justa, That one looks great, it's a little rich for my blood though.

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Bobert
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 04:46 PM

Well, Steve, there ain't many. The song on the "Friends of Charlie Patton" album is real interesting because the music is almost exactly what Son House recorded decades later in his "Empire Sate Express".

And if you think the songs are scarce, find a Willie Brown's photograph... heehee... Bobert

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Justa Picker
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 04:55 PM

I accept the challenge Bobert. **G**
Clicky.(Mind you the picture is small.

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Rolfyboy6
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 09:18 PM

The challenge of Willie Brown is that he was the great Delta 'second guitar' player, doing bass runs and fills. His string 'snapping' wouldn't really reappear until the funk bassists of the 1970s. He's the 'second guitarist' on many of Charlie Patton's records and on Son House's from the prewar years. Brown and House worked together for years, nobody recorded them. There are several accounts of their band of the 30s including drums and trumpet. No recordings at all of what would have been among the first 'blues bands'. There is only a taste of the ensemble work Brown made possible on the 1941/42 Son House Library of Congress Recordings (now on Biograph).

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Bobert
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 10:06 PM

Just a follow up, Rolfy. In 1948 Willie Brown died and when he did, the great Son House just put his guitar in the closet, said "screw it" and went to work as a porter on the New York Central Railroad and would have worked his life out there had it not been for some white kids who found him and coaxed him back into playin'. Now if that doesn't tell the tale of the power that Willie Brown had on his fellow Delta bluesmen, then nothing can..."you can run, you can run... tell my friend Willie Brown, yeah you can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown... Got them crossroads blues this mornin', Lord, I'm sinkin' down..."

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 10:31 PM

You obviously didn't call CAMSCO and ask (800/546-FOLK)

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: ddw
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 10:39 PM

Steve,

I don't know if you've tried Document Records and I don't know if they have a Web site. I posted this about them almost a year ago.

For the serious blues collectors out there — you may be aware of an outfit called DOCUMENT RECORDS, but if you're not I thought I'd pass along info on this gold mine.

The company claims to have EVERY RECORDED SONG of every pre-war blues and gospel singer, and a look at their catelog makes me think they may be right. There are literally hundreds of CDs — Blind Willie McTell (3 CDs), Charley Patton (3), Kokomo Arnold (4), Barbecue Bob (3), Sonny Boy Williamson I (5), Lonnie Johnson (7), Tampa Red (5) — on and on.

They distribute in the U.S. through Arhoolie Records, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito, Ca. 94530. Phone [phone], Fax [phone].

The company is actually in Austria and their address is:

Josef Baumann-Gasse 38, A-1220 Vienna, Austria. Phone [phone].

If you love blues, you should write for a catelogue — my daughter gave me one along with some money for a Christmas gift. Wow, does that kid know how to make you ol' dad happy!

cheers

david

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Stewie
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 11:42 PM

Document is now owned and operated in Scotland. It has a web site:

Document Records

Willie Brown recorded only 4 sides and they appear to be available for downloading via the photo 'clicky' link given above by Justa Picker - I didn't try to access them.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: ddw
Date: 27 Dec 01 - 11:52 PM

Thank you, Stewie. Bookmarked that!

david

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Stewie
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 12:00 AM

David, it is an excellent site with some great links.

Looking more closely at that 'clicky' link given by Justa Picker, only 2 of the songs there are titles listed in Godrich & Dixon for Willie Brown - 'M & O Blues' and 'Future Blues'. The other 2 listed in G&D are 'Kicking in my sleep blues' and 'Window blues'. The other two must be by another 'Willie Brown'. The 'Make me a pallet' side in the Revenant Patton set is a 1941 field recording for the Library of Congress, not a commercial release.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: ddw
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 12:05 AM

Great, Stewie. I'm in the middle of doing something in another window at the moment, but I'm definitely gonna check it out. I'm looking for the three songs recorded by Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929 — one of which as the "Rollin' and Tumblin'" that Robert Johnson borrowed the guitar work from for "Travelin' Riverside" and "If I Had Possession Ove Judgment Day." Don't know yet what the other two are.

cheers,

david

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Benjamin
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 12:05 AM

Willie Brown is featured with Son House (and Joe Martin and Leroy Williams) on "Deep River of Song - Mississippi: The Blues Lineage" feild recordings of Alan Lomax. The four are performing walking blues. That's all I've found. I asked Sparky Rucker that same queston and he told me that most of his work was supporting other players. There are about six (if I remember correctly) records he put out. I wish I could remember more of what he said. If you can contact him, he'd be a great source.

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Stewie
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 12:19 AM

David, Hambone Willie Newbern's recorded output in 1929 was:

She could toodle-oo
Nobody knows (what the good deacon does)
Shelby County workhouse blues
Way down in Arkansas
Hambone Willie's dreamy-eyed woman's blues
Roll and tumble blues

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Stewie
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 12:33 AM

David, all the above listed Newbern sides may be found on 'The Greatest Songsters (1927-1929)' Document DOCD-5003.

Cheers, Stewie.

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Rolfyboy6
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 12:49 AM

Most everything mentioned and posted here can be found on the Yazoo Records/Biograph Records website. Their sound quality is often better than the Document CDs. The new owners of Document seem to be working on that, as well as, the murky area of royalties where Austrian Document had a 'reputation'. This where to find Charley Patton and others. Use the click buttons to go to the Biograph site for Son House. Yazoo Records

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Jon W.
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 12:50 AM

I think the downloads at the Willie Brown site are transcriptions of guitar tab, maybe. I downloaded one but don't know what program opens it. It is a .gp3 file, anyone know how to open it?

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Tweed
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 06:45 AM

Beats me Jon, it appears to be some sort of document instead of a sound file. BTW that's a great pic they got of Willie...I'd recognise him anywhere ;~)

Subject: RE: I can't find recordings of Willie Brown
From: Justa Picker
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 12:01 PM

Yes, those downloads are tabs and are written for the tab program Guitar Pro. They are NOT MP3s.