Landmark Blind Lemon tracks recorded 86 years ago this month
BluesMuse 3. Blind Lemon Jefferson, Furry Lewis and The Rolling Stones.
This month is the 86th
anniversary of the recording of the only two Blind Lemon Jefferson tracks that give us a true picture of the legendary performer’s talent. Known as the
‘Father of the Texas Blues’, Lemon recorded about 100 tracks for Paramount
between 1926 and 1929 and, along with Ma Rainey and Blind Blake, helped
establish Paramount as the leading blues label of the 1920s.
anniversary of the recording of the only two Blind Lemon Jefferson tracks that give us a true picture of the legendary performer’s talent. Known as the
‘Father of the Texas Blues’, Lemon recorded about 100 tracks for Paramount
between 1926 and 1929 and, along with Ma Rainey and Blind Blake, helped
establish Paramount as the leading blues label of the 1920s.
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| Blind Lemon Jefferson |
Unfortunately, Blind
Lemon’s Paramount recordings were generally substandard, apart from, ‘Got the
Blues’, and, ‘Long Lonesome Blues’, which he re-recorded in May 1926. These
went on to sell in their hundreds of thousands.
Lemon’s Paramount recordings were generally substandard, apart from, ‘Got the
Blues’, and, ‘Long Lonesome Blues’, which he re-recorded in May 1926. These
went on to sell in their hundreds of thousands.
Blind Lemon Jefferson’s
success opened the door for other black blues guitar icons like Walter ‘Furry’
Lewis from Memphis, who first recorded in Chicago in 1927 aged 34. Lewis
spectacularly opened for the Rolling Stones, aged 81, on American TV’s The
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1974.
success opened the door for other black blues guitar icons like Walter ‘Furry’
Lewis from Memphis, who first recorded in Chicago in 1927 aged 34. Lewis
spectacularly opened for the Rolling Stones, aged 81, on American TV’s The
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1974.
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| Furry Lewis: opened for Stones. |
Talking of the Rolling Stones,
nice to hear their show in L.A. last week went so well. “Great to be here,” yelled Keith Richards to the audience, adding, “Let’s face it, it’s great to be anywhere.”
nice to hear their show in L.A. last week went so well. “Great to be here,” yelled Keith Richards to the audience, adding, “Let’s face it, it’s great to be anywhere.”
