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 |
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