Release Date: May 15, 1993.
Recording Time: 70 minutes.
Recording Date: December 17, 1940 - March 6, 1942.
Release Info: Compilation (DOCD-5133) Studio Recording.
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Acoustic Chicago Blues, Country Blues, Regional Blues, City Blues, Urban Blues, Hokum Blues, Blues Revival.
The final of Document's prewar Big Bill Broonzy CDs (documenting all of his 1927-42 recordings) features Broonzy playing in a timeless style. Most of the performances could be considered goodtime music, with Broonzy sounding as if he were ready to party. On three of the four complete sessions that are included (plus "Rockin' Chair Blues," left over from the 1940 date otherwise included on Vol. 10), Broonzy is joined by either Memphis Slim, Horace Malcolm or Blind John Davis on piano, plus Washboard Sam (his half-brother) on washboard; Jazz Gillum sits in on harmonica during "Key to the Highway." The final set has Broonzy, pianist Memphis Slim and drummer Judge Riley joined by trumpeter Punch Miller and altoist Buster Bennett. Overall, this is a pretty strong program, with such numbers as "Sweet Honey Bee," "When I Been Drinking," "Key to the Highway," "Conversation With the Blues," "All By Myself," "I Feel So Good," "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town" and "I'm Woke Up Now" being among the 25 selections. Big Bill Broonzy fans will want all of the releases in this remarkable series. ~ Scott Yanow.
Abridged from this album's original booklet notes. The later thirties saw the first sign of economic recovery in America but Europe was in flames and it would only be a matter of time before the USA was drawn into the conflict. It was a time of turmoil but very little of it was reflected in the work of Big Bill Broonzy. He continued to produce good time music, proto R & B, personal blues and hokum with the occasional piece of nostalgia thrown in. After the death of his long-time associate Josh Altheimer, Bill utilized the piano playing talents of Horace Malcolm and the young Memphis Slim, usually filling out the sound with a string bass or his half-brother’s washboard. Malcolm was on the date which produced the untypical Green Grass Blues a piece of nonsense about the rural bliss typified by windmills and wells, owls and roosters and log cabins with dirt chimneys; a never-never land where Bill could "make love on the grass with no bills to pay". More in line with his usual philosophy is When I Been Drinking, a song much favoured, later, by Sunnyland Slim. It underlines Bill's comment on the last page of his biography that "some blues singers can and do sing and don't drink, but not Big Bill". The last track cut on this session was a one-off on which Bill sang with the support of Jazz Gillum's harmonica to produce the rural sounding and justly famous Key To The Highway, a song that was to be sung by just about everybody in the 1960's. His next session produced two of his most successful songs in Double Trouble and All By Myself, the latter to become a standard in the repertoire of Memphis Slim who was responsible for the vigorous piano that appears on this jaunty up-tempo boast. Another Big Bill Broonzy standard, I Feel So Good was cut at the session of 2nd December 1941. At the same time Bill, who had been drafted in 1918, also sang about getting a letter from "a dear old uncle" on In The Army Now. Ironically this session took place just days before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Two of the recordings made at this session would be featured on V-Discs supplied to the armed forces as a morale booster during the conflict that was about to begin. Big Bill's last pre-war session was a date with his Chicago Five, a renamed Memphis Five involving the trumpet of Kid Punch Miller and the sometimes filthy alto sax of Buster Bennett. Bill seemed preoccupied by the subject of betrayal at this gig when he sang Casey Bill Weldon's Outskirts Of Town (he had played guitar on Casey Bill's 1936 recording) and I'm Woke Up Now where he says of his some-time friends "they will hide their hands, boys, - after they throw a brick". Big Bill Broonzy would resume his career on record as soon as the war ended - at the same time starting a second career that would extend his popularity to make him one of the best-loved blues singers of all time. ~ Keith Briggs, 1993 Document Records.
Credits: Buster Bennett - sax (alto); Keith Briggs - liner notes; Big Bill Broonzy - composer, guitar, primary artist, vocals; Jazz Gillum - harmonica; Ransom Knowling - bass; Horace Malcolm - piano; Tommy McClennan - composer; Memphis Slim - piano, speech/speaker/speaking part; Punch Miller - trumpet; Johnny Parth - compilation producer, producer; Andy Razaf - composer; Judge Riley - drums; Charles Segar - composer; Washboard Sam - washboard; Will Weldon - composer.
Tracklist:
01. Rockin' Chair Blues - Big Bill Broonzy
02. Shine On, Shine On - Big Bill Broonzy
03. Green Grass Blues - Big Bill Broonzy
04. My Little Flower - Big Bill Broonzy
05. Sweet Honey Bee - Big Bill Broonzy
06. When I Been Drinking - Big Bill Broonzy
07. Key To The Highway - Big Bill Broonzy
08. Double Trouble - Big Bill Broonzy
09. Going Back To My Plow - Big Bill Broonzy
10. I'm Having So Much Trouble - Big Bill Broonzy
11. Wee Wee Hours - Big Bill Broonzy
12. Conversation With The Blues - Big Bill Broonzy
13. All By Myself - Big Bill Broonzy
14. Keep Your Hand On Your Heart - Big Bill Broonzy
15. Why Should I Spend My Money? - Big Bill Broonzy
16. What's Wrong With Me? - Big Bill Broonzy
17. I Feel So Good - Big Bill Broonzy
18. In The Army Now - Big Bill Broonzy
19. Bad Acting Woman - Big Bill Broonzy
20. Night Watchman Blues - Big Bill Broonzy
21. She's Gone With The Wind - Big Bill Broonzy
22. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town - Big Bill And His Chicago Five
23. Tell Me, Baby - Big Bill And His Chicago Five
24. Hard Hearted Woman - Big Bill And His Chicago Five
25. I'm Woke Up Now - Big Bill And His Chicago Five
Personnel: Big Bill Broonzy - vocals, guitar; Memphis Slim - piano; Ransom Knowling - stand-up bass. Big Bill Broonzy - vocals, guitar; Horace Malcolm - piano (except on 7); Washboard Sam - washboard; Jazz Gillum - harmonica added on 7; unknown - imitation bass added on 7. Big Bill Broonzy - vocals, guitar; Memphis Slim - piano / speech on 11; probably Washboard Sam - washboard. Big Bill Broonzy - vocals, guitar; Blind John Davis - piano; Washboard Sam - washboard /speech on 17. Big Bill And His Chicago Five: Big Bill Broonzy - vocals, guitar; accompanied by Punch Miller - trumpet; Buster Bennett - alto sax; Memphis Slim - piano; Judge Riley - drums.