/r/PreWarBlues

Photograph via snooOG

For blues and related music recorded prior to 1941, with a degree of wiggle room when it comes to artists who recorded either side of the war. Rough and ready post-war material on minor labels that follows the form of pre-war music gets around this. My place, my rules. Posts, comments and questions welcome. No contemporary covers of pre-war material, please.

For blues and related music (including African-American gospel and preaching) recorded prior to 1941, with a degree of wiggle room when it comes to artists who recorded either side of the war. Old timey / country music from pre-war also gets a look in on Wednesdays because we like that sort of thing too. Posts, comments and questions welcome.

Please, no posts of covers of pre-war material - they may well be great, but this isn’t the place. They are very welcome at /r/prewarbluesrenewed. If you can't be bothered to read the rules, we can't be bothered to give you a warning - the house policy is instant deletion.

Other blues, and blues-related subs:

/r/PreWarBlues

2,519 Subscribers

1

East Coast Friday - 'Ninety-Nine Year Blues' [1927] by Julius Daniels.

0 Comments
2025/01/31
10:25 UTC

3

Women on Wednesday - 'Tricks Ain't Walking No More' [30th January 1931] by Memphis Minnie, backed by Kansas Joe.

1 Comment
2025/01/30
12:04 UTC

1

What were they injecting? #4 in an occasional series of questionable cover art for pre-war relevant artists.

1 Comment
2025/01/29
09:37 UTC

6

Transport Tuesday - '12 O'Clock Southern Train' [27th January 1937] by Bumble Bee Slim.

0 Comments
2025/01/28
11:21 UTC

2

Memphis & MS Monday - 'Noiseless Motor Blues' [1941] by Willie '61' Blackwell.

1 Comment
2025/01/27
11:35 UTC

3

Gospel Sunday - 'Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen' [26th January 1931] by the Cotton Pickers Quartet. More 'schooled' than the name would suggest.

0 Comments
2025/01/26
12:37 UTC

2

Suggestive Saturday - 'Prowling Groundhog #2' [25th January 1938] by Red And His Washboard Band (incl. Broonzy and Washboard Sam)

0 Comments
2025/01/25
11:45 UTC

4

What were they injecting? #3 in an occasional series of questionable cover art for pre-war relevant artists.

5 Comments
2025/01/23
16:49 UTC

3

Lucky Dip Thursday - 'I'm A Bad, Bad Man' [23rd January 1928] by Jim Jackson. Given how avuncular JJ sounds, this doesn't carry a /huge/ amount of conviction....

1 Comment
2025/01/23
13:32 UTC

3

Women on Wednesday - 'He's A Good Meat Cutter' [22nd January 1930] by Issie Ringgold. Backed by clarinet and piano. One of her two issued sides.

0 Comments
2025/01/22
12:34 UTC

4

Transport Tuesday - 'Travelin' Railroad Man Blues' [20th January 1931] by the Alabama Sheiks (Eddie West and Ad Fox)

0 Comments
2025/01/21
10:36 UTC

1

Gospel Sunday - 'Robbing God' [18th January 1928] by Rev A.W.Nix and Congregation.

0 Comments
2025/01/19
12:11 UTC

6

Suggestive Saturday - 'You Dirty Dog' [18th January 1932] by Clara Smith

0 Comments
2025/01/18
11:09 UTC

3

From the archives [BU#68] - Josh White interviewed, talking BLJ, Willie Walker and more.

1 Comment
2025/01/17
09:38 UTC

5

Lucky Dip Thursday - 'Undertaker Blues' [16th January 1932] by Buster Johnson, backed by James Cole on violin, Tommy Bradley on guitar, plus washboard and mandolin. Quite the racket and the sole recording released under Johnson's name.

1 Comment
2025/01/16
10:23 UTC

5

Should Not A-done It by Kokomo Arnold.

I'm just wondering if anyone knows, or knows where I can find, some transcribed lyrics for this. I can understand most of it, but there are a couple phrases that are unclear. Like the verse where he's threatening his hungover girlfriend with violence, he says he's gonna get a something something and a big old sack of bricks. What would that something something be? There's also a line about dust around someone's bed, I think?

4 Comments
2025/01/15
16:42 UTC

9

Rare Clarence Williams Piano Solo of Weary Blues (1923)

0 Comments
2025/01/14
22:20 UTC

1

Transport Tuesday (ish) - 'Georgia Mule' [13th January 1937] by the Hokum Boys.

0 Comments
2025/01/14
10:44 UTC

5

Centenary Women on Monday - 'You've Been A Good Old Wagon' [14th January 1925] by Bessie Smith, aided and abetted by Satchmo.

0 Comments
2025/01/13
12:22 UTC

4

Gospel Sunday - 'Lamb's Blood Has Washed Me Clean' [1929] by Arizona Dranes.

0 Comments
2025/01/12
12:17 UTC

21

Lead Belly

0 Comments
2025/01/10
18:36 UTC

6

East Coast Friday - 'Chain Gang Trouble' [1927] by Charlie Lincoln.

0 Comments
2025/01/10
10:57 UTC

6

From the Archives - Bo Carter talking to Paul Oliver.

1 Comment
2025/01/09
10:00 UTC

7

Centenary Women on Wednesday - 'Who'll Chop Your Suey (When I'm Gone)' by Margaret Johnson, backed by Clarence Williams' Blue Five (Bechet, Buddy Christian and more). Pretty edgy for the time.

0 Comments
2025/01/08
11:54 UTC

9

Transport Tuesday - 'C And A Blues' [6th January 1931] by Peetie Wheatstraw, backed by Charley Jordan.

1 Comment
2025/01/07
12:40 UTC

18

Scrapper Blackwell and - presumably - Mrs B [c. 1960]. Found at Pinterest.

2 Comments
2025/01/06
12:02 UTC

6

From the Archives - Wardlow on 'Pony Blues'. From BU #30, Feb 1965.

1 Comment
2025/01/06
11:07 UTC

37

Mississippi John Hurt

0 Comments
2025/01/04
19:02 UTC

14

From the archives - Paramount's recording process. From BU #18 [1965]

3 Comments
2025/01/04
12:17 UTC

4

East Coast Friday - 'Hit Me In The Nose Blues' [Circa 3rd January 1929] by Ozie Ware, backed by the Whoopee Makers (Duke Ellington's band in disguise)

0 Comments
2025/01/03
12:45 UTC

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