HENRY THOMAS rare 1927 VOCALION 1094/ Cottonfield Blues
$
233
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Description
HENRY THOMAS
1927 country blues
THE BASICS
ARTIST : HENRY THOMAS
LABEL : Vocalion A 1094
SELECTIONS : John Henry
Cottonfield Blues
RECORD DATE : July 5, 1927
CONDITION : V
When Henry Thomas first recorded for the Vocalion label in the late 1920s, he was already over 50 years old and most assuredly was the eldest African-American performer ever to lay down tracks considered Blues music at the time.
Thought to have been born in 1874 in Big Sandy, Texas, Henry was one of nine children by parents who were former slaves and sharecroppers raising cotton. Having a strong dislike for farming, Henry Thomas ran away from home as a teenager and struck upon the life of a hobo and street musician. He traveled by foot with his guitar slung over his shoulder or by the rails throughout most of Eastern Texas, occasionally making his way as far as Chicago.
Thomas learned the popular music styles of the day to appeal to all audiences. When laying down his 23 recordings with Vocalion in Chicago between 1927 and 1929, his recordings are a conglomeration of reels, gospel, minstrel pieces, ragtime numbers and.
Thomas was somewhat of a one-man band and a self-taught musician and his songs celebrated his life on the road, his love for the railroads and dislikes of farming. Some of the other recordings made famous by Henry Thomas are "Cottonfield Blues", "Run, Molly, Run", "John Henry", "Fishing Blues" (beautifully covered by Taj Mahal on "Giant Step / De Ole Folks At Home", 1969) and "Honey Won't You Allow Me One More Chance?" (later revised by Bob Dylan on "Freewheelin 1962).
After making his final recordings in Chicago in 1929, Henry Thomas disappeared completely from sight. It is unknown what became of him, though some reports claim to have seen him perform as late as the mid-1950s on Texas street comers.
Though Blind Lemon Jefferson is considered the first true star of Texas Blues, he most likely learned his guitar stylings by listening to traveling minstrels like Henry Thomas. Therefore, it can be easily reckoned that Thomas was one of the original progenitors of the Texas Blues guitar, which in turn has developed through the years in the works of Lightnin' Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, Albert Collins, and eventually to Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan. [Cascade Blues Association] Recorded in Chicago
This record is one of those he made in Chicago and dates from a session on July 5, 1927, which was his very first recording session. Yes, those are pan pipes you’ll hear on “John Henry.”
LISTEN TO PART OF THIS RECORD HERE!
CONDITION: V worn and scuffed but still quite playable.
Records can be combined for postage savings. IN THE US – one 78 costs $7, but 2-7 will travel for only $10.50 flat rate ! ODD RECORDS ARE A REEL GEORGE SPECIALTY! CHECK MY OTHER AUCTIONS
