T
Henry Thomas
b: 1874, Big Sandy, TX d: 1930
Texas songster Henry Thomas remains a
relative stranger who made some great recordings, then returned to obscurity.
Evidence suggests he was an itinerant street musician, a musical hobo who rode
the rails across Texas and possibly to the World Fairs in St. Louis and Chicago
just before and after the turn of the century. Most agree he was the oldest
African-American folk artist to produce a significant body of recordings. His
projected 1874 birth-date would pre-date Charlie Patton by a good 17 years. Like
Patton and a handful of other musicians generally termed songsters (including
John Hurt, Jim Jackson, Mance Lipscomb, Furry Lewis and Leadbelly), Thomas'
repertoire bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, providing a compelling glimpse
into a wide range of Afro-American musical genres. The 23 songs he cut for
Vocalion between 1927 and 1929 include a spiritual, ballads, reels, dance songs,
and eight selections entitled blues. Obviously dance music, his songs were
geared to older dance styles shared by Black and White
audiences.
Thomas' sound, like his repertoire, is
unique. He capoed his guitar high up the neck and strummed it in the manner of a
banjo, favoring dance rhythm over complex fingerwork. On many of his pieces, he
simultaneously played the quills or panpipes, a common but seldom recorded
African-American folk instrument indigenous to Mississippi, Louisiana, and
Texas. Combining the quills, a limited-range instrument, with his banjo-like
strummed guitar produced one of the most memorable sounds in American folk
music. Foe example, his lead in on "Bull Doze Blues" still worked as a hook when
recycled 40 years later by Blues/rockers Canned Heat in their version of "Going
Up The Country". "Ragtime Texas", as Thomas was known, provides a welcome
inroad to 19th century dance music, but his music is neither obscure nor merely
educational: it has a timeless quality - and while it my be an acquired taste,
once you catch on to it, you're hooked.
Ramblin'
Thomas
A fine
Texas blues guitarist, who was also an effective singer, "Ramblin'" Thomas made
some tremendous recordings for Paramount and Victor in the 20's and 30's.
He was a brilliant slide technician though he didn't use it all that often, and
his singing was riveting and distinctive.
Bessie
Tucker
b:
Texas
Very
little is known of the classic blues belter Bessie Tucker, a product of the folk
and field holler vocal traditions of her native East Texas region. A woman
who's petite frame belied the earthy power of her voice, her legend is largely
founded on a bawdy 1928 Memphis session for the Victor label on which she was
accompanied by pianist K.D. Johnson; the date yielded her best known
track, "Penitentiary' (sung in honor of an institution to which she was
reportedly no stranger). A 1929 date followed, at which time Tucker disappeared
from performing, apparently for good; no data exists on the later events of her
life.
John (Uncle)
Turner
Born; Port Arthur,
Texas 1944
Uncle John Turner was born and raised in Port
Arthur, TX. He first played drums with Jerry LaCroix. "Unc" met the
Winter brothers (Johnny and Edgar) and performed with them a few times as a
substitute. In 1968, "Unc" convinced Johnny to start a full blown blues
band. Johnny agreed and "Unc" sent for his friend Tommy Shannon to play
bass. This group quickly got national recognition and began making records
immediately. Shortly thereafter, they played Woodstock, with Edgar Winter
as a fourth member.
By late 1970, they had split up
and Uncle John and Tommy moved back to Austin and formed the band called
Krackerjack, which had Stevie Ray Vaughan as one of the major guitarists, along
with Jesse Taylor, John Stahley, and Robin Siler. "Unc" then moved to
Houston for awhile and made records with Issac Payton Sweat, Ezra Charles, and
Joey Long. He played and recorded for the next four years with Alan
Haynes.
Uncle John then joined Paul Orta and made
three albums with him before he and Appa Perry began the Blues Power
project. The project consisted of Uncle John, Appa, and different artists
including Alan Haynes, Mike Keller and Matt Farrell, of the Keller Brothers
band, Matthew Robinson, John McVey, Mark Goodwin, and newcomers Erin "Icewater"
James, Eve Moncees, and Gary Clark, Jr. among
others.
John has recently recorded a new record with
French blues king Benoit (Blue Boy) and completed a tour of Europe with Alan
Haynes and the Brazilian blues king Nuno Mendilis.
Uncle John has jammed and recorded with B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie King,
Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Lightnin' Hopkins and many more. "Unc" has
recordings also with Walter "Shakey" Horton, Willie Dixon, Albert Collins
and of course Johnny Winter.
Visit the official Uncle John Turner website
here