Forbes Randolph's Kentucky Jubilee Choir - Brunswick 4285 (1928)

Here's an eight man choir that dressed up in country garb and performed negro spirituals on stage depicting life in the old south. After two years, Forbes Randolph ran off with the money which led to a new leader assuming the reigns. After several revamps, the group continued to tour as a trio up into the 50s.

Recorded in August of 1928.

Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra - Vocalion 4887 (1939)

Jimmie Lunceford dir / Eddie Tompkins, Paul Webster t / Sy Oliver t, v, a / Elmer Crumbley, Russell Bowles tb / Trummy Young tb / Eddie Durham a / Willie Smith cl, as, bar, a  / Dan Grissom as / Earl Caruthers cl, as bar / Ted Buckner as / Joe Thomas cl, ts / Edwin Wilcox p, cel, a / Al Norris g / Moses Allen sb / Jimmy Crawford d, vib.

Recorded in New York on January 3 & May 17, 1939.

Ladd's Black Aces - Gennett 5035 (1923)

Gennett's pseudonym for the Original Memphis Five.

Phil Napoleon t / Miff Mole or Charlie Panelli tb / Jimmy Lytell cl / Frank Signorelli p /Jack Roth d. Vernon Dalhart vocals on Mamma.

Recorded in New York on January 17, 1923.

Johnny Otis & His Orchestra (With Ben Webster) - Mercury 8263 (1951)

It's amazing to find out who some of the sidemen might be when you do a little digging.

Johnny Otis d, vib, v / Ben Webster ts / Don Johnson, Gerald Wilson tp / John Pettigrew, George Washington tb / Floyd Turnham as / Lorenzo Holderness ts / Curtis Lowe bs / Devonia Williams p / Pete Lewis g / Mario Delagarde b / Leard Bell d.

Recorded in Los Angeles on December 19, 1951.

Enjoy!

Tibby Edwards - Mercury 70347 (1954)

My dad took a fishing trip deep into the heart of Mississippi a while back and while traversing narrow country roads...stopped at an old antique store and picked up a few 78s.

One of the records was this country/cajun one by Edwin Thibodeaux from Garland, LA. He grew up among cajun influences and idolized Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams (which is so evident on these sides).

His bio says that he worked with Williams' Drifting Cowboys...don't know if that means he recorded as one of 'em or not.

He met a young Elvis and recorded a couple of rockabilly tunes because of it. Apparently these performances are coveted by collectors.

He passed away in Baton Rouge in 1999.

Danny Boy Cobbs With Lucky Thompson & His Orchestra - Acorn 309 (1949?)

I think that Acorn may have been a subsidiary of Savoy Records. Couldn't find any biographical information on Danny Cobbs. I see where he sang Danny Boy on Savoy and am assuming that's where the Danny Boy Cobbs stemmed from.

I read about Lucky Thompson on Wikipedia and if it's correct...what a sad ending.

Lucille Hegamin Acc. By Harris' Blues & Jazz Seven - Arto 9045 (1920)

From Wikipedia...

[On August 10, 1920, in New York City, Mamie Smith recorded a set of songs all written by the African American songwriter, Perry Bradford, including "Crazy Blues" and "It's Right Here For You (If You Don't Get It, 'Tain't No Fault of Mine)", on Okeh Records. It was the first recording of vocal blues by an African American artist...]

Since Mamie was first, someone had to be second...and here she is with her first record. (She did record a test pressing for Victor accompanied by Fletcher Henderson a month earlier but apparently it was never released.)

Here's the story of how I came to acquire this record.

Lucille Hegamin v / Wesley Johnson t / Jim Reevy tb / Clarence Harris as / Bill Hegamin p / Ralph Escudero bb / Kaiser Marshall d.

Recorded in New York in November of 1920.

The Dardanelle Trio - RCA Victor 20-1959 (1946)

Dardanelle dir, p, v / Tal Farlow g (Fellow Tarheel) / Paul Edenfield sb

Found this newspaper blurb...

The Free Lance Star (Fredericksburg, VA) – September 25, 1946

The Dardanelle Trio: “After You Get What You Want You Don’t Want It” – “Boogie In Bee.”

One of the most popular club combos on the East Coast, The Dardanelle Trio fronted by the lovely, vivacious Dardanelle, makes its RCA Victor debut with a bright revival of an Irving Berlin “oldie.” The trio consists of bass, guitar and piano, with Dardanelle at the keyboard. She also sings the vocals, which features her unique Southern drawl. The flipover, the all-instrumental “Boogie In Bee,” spotlights the group’s individual artistry at a slow, insinuating pace. Guitar and piano interweave in a sensational manner in this arrangement.

Duces (sic) Of Rhythm & Tempo Toppers (Lead: Little Richard) - Peacock 1616 (1953)

This was the first record by Little Richard for Peacock Records out of Houston after his dismal RCA-Victor recording debut 2 years earlier. Searching for any information on the Deuces of Rhythm & Tempo Toppers has resulted in no personnel identifications other than Richard himself.

These sides have that Dominoes / Ravens sound going on.

Note that the word "Duces" is misspelled on the label...I am assuming this may be from a first pressing as I have found 78 label scans showing the correct spelling.

Guitar Slim & His Band - Specialty 542 (1955)

This is one of those records that you are excited to find at first but then it all goes sour after a closer inspection. While the playing surface is almost as shiny and scratch free as when it was pressed, there is a fast warp...not one of those long flowing kind that the needle will ride up and down like a seasoned surfer...but rather one that at 78 rpm, sends the stylus up into the stratosphere. And that doesn't even cover the hairline crack from the label to the edge.

Archiving it with a bit heavier tracking weight at 33 1/3 rpm, I was able to alter the speed using Audacity software.

Guitar Slim seems to have been Jimi Hendrix a full decade before Jimi Hendrix and his showmanship apparently rivaled that of Little Richard's. It's a shame that his life ended way too early at age 32.

His son, Guitar Slim Jr., has one hell of a voice and some of his music lends itself nicely to the Shaggin' culture of the Carolinas. Check out his website.