Label: Document Records.
Release Date: May 20, 1996.
Releases: September 7, 2000; July 5, 2005.
Recording Time: 67 minutes.
Recording Date: March, 1921 - May 29, 1926.
Styles: Classic Female Blues, Early Jazz.
Featured Artists: Virginia Liston, Lavinia Turner.
Virginia Liston recorded 36 selections during 1923-1926, and the final 13 begin this interesting CD from Document's "complete" series of classic blues recordings. The backup groups are just adequate (mostly with Clarence Williams on piano), but such memorable tunes as "Papa De Da Da," "Make Me a Pallet," "Titanic Blues," and "You Can Dip Your Bread in My Gravy, But You Can't Have None of My Chops" are given excellent treatments, finishing off Virginia Liston's career. Also on the CD are the only ten recoridngs of Lavinia Turner, a vaudevillian singer who only recorded during 1921-1922. Although backed by bands on the majority of the tunes, this talented (if very obscure) singer is heard at her best accompanied by pianist James P. Johnson on two selections from November 1921. A fine acquisition for classic blues vocal fans.
by Scott Yanow
Credits: Gus Aiken - cornet; Joe Banks - drums; Werner Benecke - original recordings; Günter Boas - original recordings; Garvin Bushell - clarinet, sax (alto); Joe Bussard - original recordings; Buddy Christian - banjo; Ernest Elliott - accompaniment, clarinet; Dr. David Evans - original recordings; Jake Frazier - trombone; Willie Gant - piano; Sam Gray - accompaniment, piano; James P. Johnson & His Orchestra - piano; James P. Johnson - accompaniment, piano; Ben Kaplan - original recordings; Virginia Liston - primary artist, vocals; Roger Misiewicz - original recordings; Johnny Parth - original recordings, producer; Steven C. Tracy - liner notes; Lavinia Turner - accordion, primary artist, vocals; Guido Van Rijn - original recordings; Gerhard Wessely - remastering; Clarence Williams - accompaniment, piano, reed organ.
Tracks: 1) Night latch key blue - Virginia Liston; 2) Any day the sun don`t shine - Virginia Liston; 3) Papa de da da - Virginia Liston; 4) I ain`t gonna play no second fiddle - Virginia Liston; 5) Make me a pallet - Virginia Liston; 6) You can dip your bread in my gravy, but you can`t have none of my chops - Virginia Liston; 7) I ain`t got nobody - Virginia Liston; 8) Black sheep blues - Virginia Liston; 9) I`m sick of fattening frogs for snakes - Virginia Liston; 10) Rolls Royce papa - Virginia Liston; 11) Titanic blues - Virginia Liston; 12) Evil minded blues - Virginia Liston; 13) I`m gonna get me a man that`s all - Virginia Liston; 14) How many times? - Lavinia Turner; 15) Can`t get lovin` blues - Lavinia Turner; 16) A-wearin` away the blues - Lavinia Turner; 17) Sweet man o` mine - Lavinia Turner; 18) He took it away from me - Lavinia Turner; 19) If I were your daddy (and you were a mamma to me) - Lavinia Turner; 20) Watch me go - Lavinia Turner; 21) You never miss a good thing till it`s gone - Lavinia Turner; 22) How can I be your sweet mamma when you are daddy to somebody else? - Lavinia Turner; 23) Don`t cut off your nose to spite your face - Lavinia Turner.