Roosevelt Sykes Vol. 4 (1934-1936)

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Total Tracks: 22   Total Length: 67:34

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John Morthland

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John Morthland has been writing about music since the days of electronically rechanneled stereo and duophonic sound. His name has darkened the mastheads of Roll...more »

04.22.11
Roosevelt Sykes, Roosevelt Sykes Vol. 4 (1934-1936)
2005 | Label: Document Records / The Orchard

From Arkansas and St. Louis, Sykes came up barrelhousing in the lumber camps. His career took him to Chicago and New Orleans, with his joyful boogie woogie style evolving accordingly. A crucial rural-to-urban transition figure who stayed active into the '60s, he's unjustly overlooked today. He played with precision, right down to the jazzy fills, even though he sounded abandoned; his timing and melodic sense were impeccable, and he squeezed the most out of a limited voice. Sykes made standards out of "44 Blues" (his rough-hewn debut single), "Driving Wheel," Sweet Home Chicago" and "The Honeydripper" (his 1945 cover of Joe Liggins, not the song of the same name he'd cut in 1936). He was also known for unabashed raunch like "Dirty Mother for You." And in 1933, he accompanied the unheralded Carl Rafferty on "Mr. Carl's Blues," apparently the first song containing the immortal line, "I do believe I'll dust my broom."

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They Say All Music Guide

The fourth volume in Document’s Complete Recorded Works covers Roosevelt Sykes’ career from late 1934 to mid-1936, a period during which he introduced his signature tune “Honeydripper,” along with “Soft and Mellow (Stella Blues),” the bawdy gem “Dirty Mother for You,” and a few songs with vocalists Johnnie Strauss and Arthur McKay. Most of these highlights, though, are also available on the Roosevelt Sykes (1929-1941) compilation, so casual listeners shouldn’t feel the need to spring for anything extra. – Thom Owens