[The title of this post refers to Charley Patton’s “Pony Blues,” probably one of the most important recorded works in the history of the genre, laid down in a legendary session on June 14, 1929, a session that produced so much top-notch material that it defied the typical “A-Side, B-Side” rule of early singles and 78s, putting A-material on both sides.]
Ted Gioia’s journey through the history of the Delta blues continues to be a gripping read as he digs through the vast archives of tall tales and telling truths of the muddy music made in Mississippi. Anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of the great myths and mysteries of the blues is encouraged to pick up a copy of Gioia’s Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music.
*The discovery of Charley Patton on Dockery’s Plantation is one story that Gioia places great emphasis upon when surveying the global picture of the blues. What some (or many?) don’t realize is that before there was ever a guitar smashing-and-burning Jimi Hendrix, there was a duck-walkin‘ Chuck Berry. And before there was Chuck Berry, there was T-Bone Walker, doing the splits while blazing through one of his burning jazz-inflected blues licks. But T-Bone Walker’s on-stage antics, guitar tricks and flamboyance, which probably seemed to come from another dimension when witnessed by audiences during his heyday, were no doubt impressive – but not the first time they had been seen.
Charley Patton, a hard-living field hand living on Dockery Farms, became Paramount Records’ next superstar after the passing of Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1929. Although his behavior onstage was dismissed as “clowning” by fellow Delta legend Son House, one can only imagine the sheer thrill or brute offensiveness of seeing Patton play guitar behind his back or between his legs, often flipping it over or banging on it like a drum. This was happening over 80 years ago in a hot, dusty, sin-soaked juke joint.
By Gioia’s description, “All the strutting and flaunting we associate with with rock stars like Jimi Hendrix were already part of Patton’s repertoire in the 1920s. He worked up the crowd…taunting and teasing, mouthing off an endless stream of lively banter.”
Gioia also brings to light another interesting observation:
“Modern listeners are often inclined to view the Delta blues as born in an atmosphere of high seriousness, dressed in black, amid tears and lamentations, but here we see a different aspect of this music, its informality and playfulness, its impatience with formalities and codes of decorum. Within the context of Delta society of that day, these antics were intoxicating for the sense of personal freedom they represented, rather than for the performance conventions they violated. Black music took liberties long before black people were granted them, and Patton was one of the first to grasp the opportunities as they came.”
Being a form of music born out of African musical traditions (most of which probably felt little or no influence from European or Western musical traditions before they came to American soil) it seems that the Delta performers were “being unconventional by being conventional,” by their standards, of course. [Phrase stolen from an online reviewer whose name I can’t recall now. Consider this an unofficial credit]
Henry Speir, a record dealer in Mississippi, enters Gioia’s story as one of the first great ambassadors and promoters for the music. Charley Patton aside, Speir’s list of artists he worked with in one way or another include Robert Johnson, Son House and Skip James, among others – all legends in their own right. Much like Rudy Van Gelder, one of the driving forces behind the sounds of the venerable jazz label, Blue Note, the impact of Speir’s ideas on how to “shape” a sound and bring out the best in the talent he worked with is incalculable.
Acting as part talent scout, part producer and part manager, Speir’s discerning ear and keen sense of producing records, having “fastidious ideas about the right tone for a guitar, the right setting for a microphone…or the the right shape of a room for recording” is astonishing, given the dearth of high-quality instruments among the most talented Delta singers or access to the best available recording equipment.
It was only in 1877 that Edison had developed his first prototype phonograph. Blues music and recording technology were growing up together. Early microphones picked up even the slightest movements, resulting in a ruined recording. Think of so many musicians whose songs depended on an animated style of delivery who were forced to remain still during sessions. If the music sounded as good as it does now, what if they had been able to leap around the studio and put forth a truly “moving” performance?
Another excellent insight that Gioia shares is that the five big companies (around 1927) that were making waves in the industry of recorded music – Brunswick, Gennett, Paramount, Victor and Columbia – “were responsible for virtually all of the classic recordings of African-American musicians made during the period: the Louis Armstrong Hot Fives and Hot Sevens; sessions featuring Duke Ellington’s Cotton Club band; the Charley Patton sides…but this golden age of black recorded music had little to do with enlightened views on racial equality, but was spurred rather by fierce competition and intense economic and technological pressures.”
Much like today’s shifting climate in the music industry, patents, mergers, takeovers, diversification moves and battles for market share transformed the business landscape and opportunities for artists to mold their music into something that would sell. However, what’s different about today’s world is that many artists are pressured into delivering hits almost immediately. Gone are the days of a label nurturing their artists over time, allowing them to explore their creativity and make records that are more expressive statements – not just a grab-bag of easily marketable hits and radio-ready flotsam and jetsam.
Had the labels of yesteryear not decided to record everything from jazz and blues, jug bands and hillbilly groups to Christian choirs, transplanted European polka ensembles and vaudeville acts, we today would not be able to hear the tremendous musical melting pot of America in the 1920s. Moreover, imagine if the proposed major label and full-scale recording facility to be established in the middle of Mississippi (many of the Delta artists had to travel to the East Coast to make their recordings) had come to fruition – there would be an innumerable number of recordings of phenomenal artists whose voices and instruments never made it to wax – no doubt stuff of gold, too.
*Any music enthusiast can appreciate this story. When mining the multi-layered history of the Delta blues, Gioia makes it so easy to draw countless comparisons between vastly different eras of recorded American music. The people and places in Delta Blues are intriguing beyond description. When viewed through the author’s lens, the music is fertile common ground for debate, discussion and dialogue between generations of music lovers.
you must be sitting on a gold mine, ralph. blues 78s truly are rarities – real gems. what’s in your collection?
Pony blues was Patton’s first records by in my opinion his best are “Down the dirt road blues”, “Spoonful”, “oh death” and “Moon going down”. I collect original blues 78 rpm records and his are some of the most rare and sought after. He was amazing!!
Ralph DeLuca
Madison NJ
Hey man, that’s what friends are for… to support each other. I’m happy to do it and learn some new things in the process. Keep ’em coming.
if i’ve written nearly 2000 words on two posts, i can only image how much of this book will dominate this blog until i’m done with it.
it’s an incredible story – but i suppose what’s really inspiring to me is the author’s style of writing and his excellent use of the english language. there are several spots in the book so far that would seem sponge-dry topics that he’s made interesting.
regardless, it’s astonishing to read various tidbits of info that have so much impact on the history of recorded music – missed opportunities or chance happenings that forever changed the course of the music.
i’m still not that far into it and there’s already multiple “what if’s?” that have come up.
you’re a loyal reader, my friend.
Another good post Drew! All new information for me besides the Hendrix and Berry references. I never really thought about the recording industry learning on the fly so to say. But your insights about how good the music could have been had the artist recorded in one of “today’s” music studios. Very compelling and an entertaining read.