Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order 1938 by Jack Newman (James Hall, Frankie Jones, Black Bottom McPhail)
Release Date: September 1, 1995.
Recording Time: 68 minutes.
Recording Date: May 26, 1938.
Release Info: Compilation (DOCD-5351) Studio Recording.
Styles: Country Blues, Pre-War Blues, Traditional Blues.
On May 26, 1938, a handful of musicians showed up at a recording studio in Chicago, performed two-dozen songs in front of the microphone, and went their separate ways, never to record again. Six titles were assigned to each of four singers, and of those four, only Jack Newman played an instrument. A rather introverted guitarist, he also accompanied himself on the piano. The only Jack Newman album ever likely to materialize was a product of Document's massive reissuing campaign which began in the early '90s. True to form, the producers of this compilation arranged the tracks according to the order in which they appeared in the Vocalion catalog. Although whoever was in charge at Vocalion systematically rejected two of each singer's recordings, these sides were preserved and Document's Jack Newman album contains all of the complete takes recorded on that spring day in 1938. The first singer to be featured was James Hall, whose "West Helena Blues" may point to Arkansas as his original stamping ground. He was backed by pianist Jesse Coleman (who made his own records under the name of Monkey Joe), an unidentified string bassist, and Jack Newman. This same unit, with the addition of blues mandolinist Charlie McCoy, assisted a woman by the name of Frankie Jones in creating the gutsiest, most entertaining records of the entire session. She is at her best during the upbeat "Bring Your Mud and Let's Dob." Newman's records feature his voice backed by piano, bass, and guitar. Like most blues singers of his generation, he sang about wine, women, skin color, firearms, and prison. This intriguing album closes with a mixture of blues and folk tunes sung by Black Bottom McPhail, who recorded with guitarist Scrapper Blackwell back in 1932. ~ arwulf arwulf
Credits: Alan Balfour - Liner Notes; Jesse Coleman (Prob.) - Piano; James Hall - Primary Artist, Vocals; Frankie Jones - Primary Artist, Vocals; Charlie McCoy - Mandolin; Black Bottom McPhail - Primary Artist, Vocals; Jack Newman - Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals; Johnny Parth - Producer; Unknown Artist - Bass; Gerhard Wessely - Remastering.
Tracklist:
01. Sweet Woman - James Hall
02. West Helena Blues - James Hall
03. Street Walkin' Woman - James Hall
04. My Jivin' Woman - James Hall
05. 15th Street Woman - James Hall
06. Coal Man Blues - James Hall
07. Bring Your Mud And Let's Dob - Frankie Jones
08. L Stands For Lucky - Frankie Jones
09. Solid Man - Frankie Jones
10. Jockey Blues - Frankie Jones
11. My Lincoln - Frankie Jones
12. Gamblin' Man - Frankie Jones
13. Blackberry Wine - Jack Newman
14. My Woman Out West - Jack Newman
15. New Prison Blues - Jack Newman
16. Black And Yellow Woman - Jack Newman
17. Way Late In The Evening - Jack Newman
18. 38 Special - Jack Newman
19. Wee Wee Woman - Black Bottom McPhail
20. Lonesome Chain Blues - Black Bottom McPhail
21. New Whiskey Man - Black Bottom McPhail
22. Don't Go Down In Black Bottom - Black Bottom McPhail
23. Boll Weavil - Black Bottom McPhail
24. John - Black Bottom McPhail
All tracks recorded in Chicago, May 26, 1938.
Notes:
At the time this record was released, it was thought that Jack Newman played guitar, and personnel was constructed based on that assumption. In "Blues and gospel records 1890-1943" (Oxford University Press, 1997) he is identified as a pianist, with the following revised personnel:
Tracks 1 to 6: James Hall, v; acc. Jack Newman, p; poss. Charlie McCoy, g; unknown, sb.
Tracks 7 to 12: Frankie Jones, v; acc. Jack Newman, p; poss. Charlie McCoy, g/md-1 [track 7]; unknown, sb.
Tracks 13 to 18: Acc. own p; poss. Charlie McCoy, g; unknown, sb.
Tracks 19 to 24: Acc. Jack Newman, p; poss. Charlie McCoy, g-1 [tracks 19 to 23]/md-2. [track 24].