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All Music Guide:
Next to nothing is known about barrelhouse pianist Charlie Spand -- the 33 scattered tracks which comprise his recorded legacy are virtually the only concrete proof that he even existed. Although his exact origins are unclear, his 1940 recording "Alabama Blues" contains references to his birth there; academics also offer his earlier performances of "Mississippi Blues" and "Levee Camp Man" as strong evidence of a connection to the Delta. However, Spand first made a name for himself as a product of the fecund Detroit boogie-woogie scene of the 1920s; between 1929 and 1931, he cut at least 25 tracks for the Paramount label, duetting with Blind Blake on a rendition of "Moanin' the Blues." His trail is next picked up in 1940, when he recorded eight final tracks in Chicago backed by Little Son Joe and Big Bill Broonzy; at that point, however, Spand seemingly vanished into thin air, and his subsequent activities both in and out of music remain a mystery.
Wikipedia:
Charlie Spand was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist and singer, noted for his barrelhouse style. Spand was deemed one of the most influential piano players of the 1920s. Little is known of his life outside of music, and his total recordings comprise only thirty three tracks.
Biography
There is speculation about his place of birth. Allmusic stated that some claim Spand arrived in Elljay, Georgia, whilst his self-penned track, "Alabama Blues," had a reference to his birth in that part of the country. Various blues historians also cited Spand's songs, "Levee Camp Man" and "Mississippi Blues," as evidence of connections there.
More certain is that Spand, along with others such as William Ezell, was one of those boogie-woogie pianists who, in the 1920s, performed on Brady Street and Hastings Street in Detroit, Michigan. In 1929, Spand relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where he met and began performing alongside Blind Blake. Spand recorded twenty five songs for Paramount Records between June 1929 and September 1931. The tracks were variously recorded in Richmond, Indiana, Chicago, and Grafton, Wisconsin. From the 1929 Richmond recording sessions, were seven songs which had guitar accompaniment to Spand's piano playing and singing. Most of these were directly attributed to Blake. During Spand's most notable recording, he and Blake had a small conversation during the making of "Hastings Street." Another such duet occurred on "Moanin' the Blues."
After a gap in his recording career, in June 1940 Spand recorded what turned out to be his final eight tracks, this time for Okeh Records. These were made in Chicago, when Spand was backed by Little Son Joe and Big Bill Broonzy. However, after these recordings were made, no further reference to Spand can be located.
In 1992, Document Records issued The Complete Paramounts (1929-1931). Yazoo Records' Dreaming the Blues: The Best of Charlie Spand (2002) had enhanced sound quality, but without the chronological track order favored by Testament.
Spand's track "Back to the Woods" has been recorded by Kokomo Arnold, Joan Crane and Rory Block, while Josh White recorded his "Good Gal."
