Release Date: 1991.
Recording Time: 74 minutes.
Recording Date: c. May 1928 - January 12, 1929.
Release Info: Compilation (DOCD-5073) Studio Recording.
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Acoustic Chicago Blues, Bottleneck-Slide Guitar, Country Blues, Chicago Blues, Early American Blues, Hokum Blues, Jug Band, Piano Blues, Regional Blues.
The first volume in this long series covering Tampa Red's complete recordings from 1928 to 1934 includes the original "It's Tight Like That," "It's Red Hot," and a version of Leroy Carr's "How Long, How Long Blues." ~ Rovi Staff
Abridged from this album's original booklet notes.
Through Train Blues was a strange one to kick off a recording career with and one cannot help but wonder if the gentle huffing and puffing of a tuba to fill out a bass rhythm was Tampa's idea or that of someone else trying to be creative at the recording session for Paramount records. Either way, it kind of works, depending on one’s mood and at least it gets Tampa off the mark with some characteristic slide guitar playing and a song. For the moment, that was it', one side and no more! The recording was issued as a flip side to Blind Lemon Jefferson 'How Long How Long' (Document DOCD-5019) maybe as a ploy to encourage the market to listen to Tampa. After four months Tampa Red was in the recording studio again but this time only as a session man for Foster And Harris (Ma Rainey's Boys) as they played out The Alley Crap Game a performance which would be taken up by the two blues brothers from Georgia Robert 'Barbecue Bob' Hicks and Charlie "Laughing Charlie" Hicks in 1930 with their 'Dark Town Gamblin' Part 1 (The Crap Game)" (Document DOCD-5048). Dodging the ricocheting dices, Tampa provides a gentle slide guitar accompaniment and keeps out of the arguing between the two gamblers. A month later, in September 1928, Tampa arrived at the Vocalian studios with a piano player called "Georgia Tom" (Thomas A. Dorsey). In the same month, like Tampa, Tom had been on the fringe of trying to make recording part of his musical career having had two sessions for the Vocalion label. Of six sides cut only one was released coupled with a single recording made for the label later that year. Their first recording of Tampa Red and Georgia Tom which took place in 1928 was a bawdy ragtime number, It’s Tight Like That. It was an instant and massive hit with record sales catapulting into the hundreds of thousands. It has been reported that the sales breached the million mark and went much higher. The sessions on this album see two revisits to the Tight Like That theme but there are other recordings which added greatly to their success including the lively Selling That Stuff and Beedle Um Bum both of which were subsequently covered by many other blues, jazz and hokum artists. The duo are found in accompanying role providing backing for recordings with vocalists Madylyn (Red Hot Shakin') Davis, Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon as lead vocalist for Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band, Papa Too Sweet, and Junie Cobb as vocalist for the State Street Stompers. Many of the recordings are 'good time', raucous performances and it doesn't take much of the imagination to think of them being the dance music of parties and in particular the rent parties of the time as described by Big Bill Bronnzy in his autobiography. The last five of the twenty five tracks presented here are solid blues performed by Tampa Red with his partner, Georgia Tom. Having had something of an uncertain start to their recording careers, they are assured and confident in their performances, having already been established by their first recording together as one of the most successful piano / guitar duos from the "pre-war blues" era. ~ Teddy Doering, 1991 Document Records.
Credits:
Compilation Producer – Johnny Parth
Liner Notes – Teddy Doering
Remastered By (Uncredited) – Hans Klement
Tracklist:
01. Through Train Blues - Tampa Red
02. The Alley Crap Game - Foster & Harris (Ma Rainey's Boys)
03. It's Tight Like That - Tampa Red And Georgia Tom
04. Gold Tooth Papa Blues - Madlyn (Red Hot Shakin') Davis
05. Death Bell Blues - Madlyn (Red Hot Shakin') Davis
06. It's Red Hot - Madlyn (Red Hot Shakin') Davis
07. Too Black Bad - Madlyn (Red Hot Shakin') Davis
08. Good Gordon Gin - Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band
09. Down The Alley - Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band
10. It's Tight Like That - Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band
11. How Long How Long Blues - Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band
12. You Can't Come In - Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band
13. It's Tight Like That No. 2 - Tampa Red "The Guitar Wizard" With Georgia Tom
14. (Honey) It's Tight Like That - Papa Too Sweet
15. Big Fat Mama - Papa Too Sweet
16. Selling That Stuff (Matrix 21035-3) - The Hokum Boys
17. Beedle Um Bum (Take 3) - The Hokum Boys
18. Rolling Mill Stomp (Take 1) - State Street Stompers
19. Rolling Mill Stomp (Take 2) - State Street Stompers
20. Panama Blues - State Street Stompers
21. Juicy Lemon Blues - Tampa Red
22. Chicago Moan Blues - Tampa Red
23. Strange Woman Blues - Tampa Red
24. Jelly Whippin' Blues - Tampa Red
25. Train Time Blues (Matrix C-2782) - Tampa Red
Personnel:
Tampa Red, vocals / guitar; unknown, tuber. Foster And Harris (Ma Rainey's Boys), male vocal duet; accompanied by Tampa Red, guitar. Tampa Red and Georgia Tom, vocal duet; accompanied by Tampa Red, guitar; Georgia Tom (Thomas A. Dorsey), piano. Madlyn (Red Hot Shakin') Davis, vocals; acc. Georgia Tom, piano; Tampa Red, guitar. Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band: Georgia Tom, piano; Tampa Red, Martell Pettiford, guitar; Herman Brown, kazoo / washboard; Carl Reid, jazzhorn / jug; Frankie 'Half-Pint' Jaxon, vocals. Tampa Red 'The Guitar Wizard', with Georgia Tom: Tampa Red, vocals / guitar; Georgia Tom, piano / vocals. Papa Too Sweet, vocals; acc. Georgia Tom Dorsey, piano; Tampa Red, guitar; Harry Jones, vocals added on 14. The Hokum Boys: Tampa Red, vocals / guitar; Georgia Tom, vocals / piano. State Street Stompers: Junie Cobb, vocals on 18, 19/ soprano sax / tenor sax; Alex Hill, piano /speech on 20; Tampa Red, guitar; Jimmy Bertrand, drums. Tampa Red 'The Guitar Wizard' With Georgia Tom, vocals / guitar; Georgia Tom, piano.
Notes:
Recorded in Chicago, c. May 1928 (track 1), c. September 1928 (track 2), 24 October 1928 (track 3), c. October 1928 (tracks 4 to 7), 31 October 1928 (tracks 8, 9), 9 November 1928 (tracks 10 to 12), 5 December 1928 (track 13), 11 December 1928 (tracks 14, 15), c. December 1928 (tracks 16, 17), 14 December 1928 (tracks 18 to 20), and 12 January 1929 (tracks 21 to 25).