Monday 5 September 2011

STAR BLUES on 4th September 2011 at 22:00

The death of David Honeyboy Edwards gave us a chance to celebrate the work and influence of “the last of the Mississippi Delta bluesmen”. Instead of presenting a straight biography in time order we chose instead to showcase different stages in his career alongside some of his influences and some blues greats he worked with. The playlist reflects the wealth of talent touched by Honeyboy.

He was born into a sharecropper family in June 1915 and got his nickname from a sister. He ran with Big Joe Williams and was a friend of Robert Johnson. These links were the focal point of most interviews with Honeyboy; he patiently retold the stories with good recollections of detail as befits the chronicle of history. Much of it was written down in an award winning autobiography “World Don’t Owe Me Nothin’ published in 1997. I note that this out of print book is keenly sought at premium prices now Honeyboy is gone.”

He came to these shores early in the Naughties with Robert Lockwood, Homesick James and Pinetop Perkins and he outlived them all. Just like Pinetop he never felt dressed without a hat: both men worked right to the end (\Edwards up until April this year). Can’t think of another living blues artist who recorded pre-war; Alberta Adams is 94 but I don’t know of any studio work she did before the second War.

I was never fortunate enough to meet him, those that did have responded warmly in the last week with tributes to his generosity. As he got older the more famous he got but you shouldn't overlook his earliest sides, if you can find them: he did seven sessions in the Fifties and only nine songs got issued. I’m looking for a copy of his 1953 session for Chess that includes his version of “Drop Down Mama” – even that didn’t surface until 1970.

It’s never easy presenting an obit show but David Honeyboy Edwards made the finest music as source.

Next Sunday at 10pm (BST) STAR BLUES will be back with me in a white tee shirt and two armfuls of blues and tomfoolery, hope you can come along. Until then, take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you

..

One More Mile To Go

Sugar Blue

11

Crucial Harmonica Blues

Various Artists

Alligator

Roamin' And Ramblin'

David Honeyboy Edwards

8

Roamin' And Ramblin'

David Honeyboy Edwards

Earwig Music Company, Inc.

Baby Please Don't Go

Big Joe Williams

5

Baby Please Don't Go

Big Joe Williams

Blue Label / SPV

The Army Blues

David Honeyboy Edwards

7

Roamin' And Ramblin'

David Honeyboy Edwards

Earwig Music Company, Inc.

Terraplane Blues

Robert Johnson

14

Reborn And Remastered

Robert Johnson

ROUGH GUIDES

Cool Drink Of Water Blues

Tommy Johnson

22

Broke Black And Blue

Various Artists

PROPER

Drop Down Mama

Sleepy John Estes

18

Let Me Tell You About The Blues; Chicago - The Evolution Of Chicago Blues 1925-1958

Various Artists

Fantastic Voyage

Drop Down Mama

Honeyboy Edwards

10

Blues, Blues (1975)

Honeyboy Edwards

DOCUMENT

Long Distance Call

Muddy Waters

20

Reborn And Remastered

Muddy Waters

ROUGH GUIDES

Everything Gonna Be Alright

Magic Sam

1

West Side Guitar 1957-1966

Magic Sam

FLYRIGHT

Ride With Me Tonight

Honeyboy Edwards

4

I've Been Around

Honeyboy Edwards

32 BLUES

Long Tall Woman

Elmore James

22

The Traveling Record Man: Historic Down South Recording Trips

Various Artists

ACE

Black Cat Blues

Lightnin' Hopkins

22

Jake Head Boogie

Lightnin' Hopkins

ACE

Catfish Blues

David 'Honeyboy' Edwards

4

World Don't Owe Me Nothin'

David 'Honeyboy' Edwards

EARWIG

Goin' Down Swingin'

Homesick James

18

The Bluesville Years. Vol 2: Feeling Down On

Various Artists

PRESTIGE

Too Many Drivers

David 'Honeyboy' Edwards

8

World Don't Owe Me Nothin'

David 'Honeyboy' Edwards

EARWIG

Who May Your Regular Man Be

David 'Honeyboy' EdwardsCarey BellSunnyland Slim

24

Delta Bluesman

David 'Honeyboy' Edwards

INDIGO

Little Boy Blue

Walter Horton

8

Let Me Tell You About The Blues: Memphis

Various Artists

Fantastic Voyage

Saints Gotta Move

Bobby Rush

10

Folkfunk

Bobby Rush

Ruf

Apron Strings

David Honeyboy Edwards

1

Roamin' And Ramblin'

David Honeyboy Edwards

Earwig Music Company, Inc.

Nine Below Zero

Sonny Boy Williamson

9

King Biscuit Time

Sonny Boy Williamson

ARHOOLIE

Sweet Black Angel

Robert Nighthawk

16

Chess Blues

Various Artists

CHESS

Bluebird

Howlin' Wolf

17

Ain't Gonna Be Your Dog

Howlin' Wolf

MCA

Crawling Kingsnake

David Honeyboy Edwards

2

Roamin' And Ramblin'

David Honeyboy Edwards

Earwig Music Company, Inc.

Just Like Jesse James

David "Honeyboy" Edwards

1

Crawling Kingsnake

David "Honeyboy" Edwards

not-given

Smoky Mountains

David Honeyboy Edwards

10

Roamin' And Ramblin'

David Honeyboy Edwards

Earwig Music Company, Inc.

West Helena Blues

David 'Honeyboy' Edwards

1

World Don't Owe Me Nothin'

David 'Honeyboy' Edwards

EARWIG


No comments:

Post a Comment