Tampa Red

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

Vol. 5: 24th October 1931 to 23rd March 1934

Featuring the recordings of:

Tampa Red “The Guitar Wizard”, vocal / guitar; Georgia Tom (Thomas A. Dorsey), piano. Tampa Red, vocal / guitar; Georgia Tom, piano / vocal on 3, and 6. Tampa Red “The Guitar Wizard”, vocal / guitar. Tampa Red, vocal / guitar / kazoo (occasionally); Black Bob, piano. Tampa Red, vocal / guitar; Black Bob, piano. Tampa Red, guitar solo.

Genres: Blues, Georgia Blues, Blues Guitar, Bottleneck-slide Guitar, Blues Piano. Early Chicago Blues, Guitar Solo, National Guitar

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. This fifth volume of Tampa Red‘s early recordings marks two important events in his career: the splitting up of his duo with Georgia Tom, and the end of his Vocalion recordings. The album starts as a continuation of his earlier recordings, featuring hokum songs and down home blues. Don’t Leave Me Here can be heard in two versions, the first being recorded in Chicago in October 1931 and the second recorded in February 1932 in New York! On the May 7,1932 session, Tampa Red is solo again, and he plays two wonderfully relaxed blues. Then there is a gap of almost two years, probably caused by the Depression, as it happened to so many other blues and jazz artists. When the gap was over, things had changed. In March 1934, Tampa Red had a new partner, pianist Black Bob. This first session for Bluebird, this new “race” label of the RCA Victor company, also featured one of his greatest guitar solos, Kingfish Blues. Then the next day, there was one last session for Vocalion, again with Black Bob. There wasn’t a duo any more, just a singer/guitarist with piano accompaniment. The last Vocalion session is remarkable for two reasons: First, there is Tampa’s Black Angel Blues, the first of so many versions of the song. In the course of the following years, it has become somewhat of a classic of modern Chicago Blues, and artists like Robert Nighthawk, Earl Hooker and B. B. King had or have it in their repertoire. This also shows another aspect of Tampa’s creativity: that of a prolific songwriter. Many more of these classic tunes were to follow. And then there is Denver Blues, another wonderful guitar solo, Tampa’s good-bye present to Vocalion.

DOCD-5077