In the 19th century, the most popular instruments played by black musicians in America were the banjo and the fiddle, and black and white string bands had virtually indistinguishable sounds. By the early days of the recording industry, though, both were on the way out. Yet the fiddle in particular was still prevalent enough that a fair number of black players were recorded, particularly in blues and jazz, and that's a good thing. With its… more »
To the best of my knowledge, nobody has ever made a good case for a Cincinnati blues sound, but the Queen City was no stranger to the blues. A rough-hewn, urban backwater on the banks of the Ohio River (which is also the Kentucky state line), Cincinnati is arguably the most southern city to find itself misplaced north of the Mason-Dixon line, and as home to King Records played occasional host to a variety of… more »
So who was the first electric guitarist on a Bob Dylan single? Well, duh, you can read a headline — not Mike Bloomfield, not Robbie Robertson, but George Barnes, in 1962. The record was Mixed-Up Confusion, the band skiffling like Bill Black's combo behind Elvis. Producer John Hammond's idle comment about cutting the tune, that they even tried it with a Dixieland band, sent collectors scurrying for a lost take. But Hammond may have meant… more »
