Tampa Red

Complete Recorded Works (c. May 1928 to 4 December 1953)

Vol. 4: 14th July 1930 to 24th October 1931

Featuring the recordings of:

Tampa Red, vocal / guitar; Georgia Tom, vocal / piano. Sweet Papa Tadpole (poss. Walter Coleman), vocal; acc. unknown, piano; Tampa Red, guitar. Tampa Red And His Hokum Jug Band: Tampa Red, guitar; Georgia Tom (Thomas A. Dorsey), piano; Carl Reid, jazzhorn on 8 / jug; Frankie Jaxon, vocal. Tampa Red, vocal / guitar; Georgia Tom, vocal / piano on 9. Tampa Red, vocal / guitar; Georgia Tom, piano; Georgia Tom, vocal added on 17 Tampa Red, vocal / guitar; Georgia Tom, vocal / piano on 12 / speech on 13. Tampa Red “The Guitar Wizard”, guitar solo. Tampa Red, vocal / guitar; Georgia Tom, piano.

Genres: Blues, Georgia Blues, Early Chicago Blues, Bottleneck-slide Guitar, Hokum Blues, National Guitar, Urban Blues, Guitar Solo

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. Tampa Red had been a permanent resident of Chicago since 1925. The same is true for some of his colleagues, like Bumble Bee Slim or Big Bill Broonzy. Those were the people who created what I would like to call the First Chicago Blues. Common to them was an urban approach to the blues, a more sophisticated siyle. Their singing was less expressive, but full of subtleties. There was no “shouting” or “grumbling” in between the vocals. Their lyrics were less concerned with cows, mules, crops or other important things of country life, but rather dealt with attributes of the city. The use of the piano as an accompaniment to guitar playing is another characteristic trait. Thus Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell, though residents of Indianapolis, were able to appeal to the musical taste of urban blacks. And this also explains the success of the duo of Tampa Red and Georgia Tom in Chicago. Tampa Red also enlarged his repertoire with songs not strictly taken from the blues field. Songs like Mama Don’t Allow or Corrine Corrina were taken from folk sources. Another typical feature of the early City Blues is the adaption of material originally taken from the pop or jazz sphere (in the 1920s this was just about the same thing). So we can hear on this album three versions of You Rascal You (also recorded by people like Louis Armstrong or Cab Calloway). The third version, where the duo is augmented by jug player Carl Reid (of Philipp’s Louisville Jug Band) and, again, by Frankie Jaxon, is the best one, in a really exuberant mood, with new lyrics and a fine jug solo. This is jazz-influenced “hokum” at its best! They Call It Boogie Woogie has nothing to do with the musical form of that name, but it is another song in the “Tight Like That” vein, using the name, because it was fashionable at the time. Boogie Woogie Dance, on the other hand, must have been the first guitar boogie on record, performed with artistic fervor, a true masterpiece indeed. Finally, there is evidence that Tampa Red also wrote topical songs of the day. Sad News Blues and especially Depression Blues reflect political events that were going to affect the black community (and not only them).

DOCD-5076