Blind Boy Fuller

Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order 23 July 1935 – 19 June 1940

Vol. 3: 12th July to 15th December 1937

Featuring the recordings of:

Blind Boy Fuller, vocal / guitar. Blind Boy Fuller, vocal / guitar; Sonny Terry, harmonica.

Genres: Blues, Country Blues, Piedmont Blues, Carolina Blues, Country Blues Guitar, Blues Harmonica, Ragtime Guitar, National Guitar

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. By 1937 Blind Boy Fuller had already emerged as one of the best-selling blues artists recording at that time. Willie Trice recalled (in an article by Bruce Bastin for the British magazine Blues Unlimited) that Fuller was unhappy with ARC at that time. In any case, sometime early in the year, Decca Records was contacted and an inquiry made regarding their possible interest in recording Fuller. Decca responded and sent their agent, Mayo Williams, to Durham in early July 1937. Williams auditioned Blind Boy Fuller Fuller and the Trice brothers and sent them all on to New York to record.

The session commenced with Blind Boy Fuller recording ten titles on July 12, 1937 before an electrical storm halted the activity. But by that time Fuller had cut his stripped-down version of Blind Blake‘s first release: “Early Morning Blues”, recast by Fuller as You Never Can Tell (see Document Records DOCD-5092 Blind Boy Fuller Vol. 2). Also recorded that day were Why Don’t My Baby Write To Me? — which Willie Trice claims as his own — and Working Man Blues — similarly claimed by Richard Trice. There is a distinct possibility that these claims are genuine since the Trice brothers were present at the session and had little to gain by their assertions. On July 13 the Trices recorded and, from all accounts, had a difficult and unpleasant time of it. Their session progressed so slowly that Fuller had to return the following day to record his last two numbers: the beautiful Weeping Willow with its lilting minor-IV chord change, and Corrine What Makes You Treat Me So? — a reworking of the blues standard “Careless Love”.

Decca immediately released two 78s from the sessions (Decca 7330 and 7331) and when J. B. Long realized what had taken place, he wrote to the company and threatened to take legal action, whereupon they withdrew the two records from circulation. Long really had no contract with Blind Boy Fuller, but after he wrote to Decca he wasted no time rectifying that situation and even pacified the singer by buying him an inexpensive car.

Long was also understandably eager to get Blind Boy Fuller back into the ARC studio. This he accomplished in early September at which time he had Fuller redo some of the titles he recorded for Decca. Bulldog Blues was rerecorded; “Put You Back In Jail” became Throw Your Yas Yas Back In Jail; “Why Don’t My Baby Write To Me” was redone as Steel Hearted Woman; “Weeping Willow” became Ain’t No Gettin’ Along; “Corinne What Makes You Treat Me So?” reverted back to Careless Love. The remakes even continued at the December session where “Some Day You’re Gonna Be Sorry” was recast as Mistreater, You’re Going To Be Sorry.

DOCD-5093