SAD NEWS: It is with heavy heart that we report the passing of the extraordinary Peter B. Lowry, lover of Blues, family and Australia. Peter spent his last months at home in his wheelchair with his family, labeling photos from his time in the field. His complete collection of recordings is archived at UNC Chapel Hill. But his heart was in an old stone house at the edge of the world where he was known to frequently rejoice: “Only in Australia!!”.
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Back in the day (the mid-sixties), I began a series of columns for BLUES UNLIMITED, the fine magazine based in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex in the UK and edited by the late Simon A. Napier and the late Mike A. Leadbitter in their spare time. It was a ground-breaking publication and possibly the first of its kind with that kind of delineated and deep a focus on blues (as opposed to the many extant jazz magazines that peripherally dealt with it… at best), at least in English! I was even a part of the latter-day editorial board for a brief while, until Mike Rowe took over the final editorship by himself and things were then streamlined. Anyway, the series was called “Oddenda & Such”, which I thought extremely clever back then and which I still think ain’t half bad! To me, it gave me the greatest leeway as to what I might write about; that has been my written tendency since then to the present day.
BU ended up with something like three so-labeled “episodes” that mainly focused then on discographical or lyrical minutia as one did back in those days. I began in a similar vein when I resurrected the title more recently for BLUES & RHYTHM, also from the UK. They have altered the titling in more recent months (and it is no longer regularly scheduled) to “The Stuff is Still Here”, a.o., but the intent and scope is still (hopefully) the same. The column continues sporadically into the present, a mixture of opinion (mainly book reviews), random miscellaneous collected bits and pieces on the music that do not “fit” as a singular article, stories from my decade working as a folklorist “in the field” through the southeastern states in the US (1969-1980), biographical and reflective pieces regarding myself re: blues (and jazz) music, and biographical reflections on various artists I have known through those years (too often these days in the form of an obituary piece).
Additionally, I will include the liner notes written in the 1970s for the various released Trix albums, plus up-dates where published again by Muse Records, a.o. (and the Trix liner essays written by others as well), plus any other sets of liner notes or essays that I have written for other labels that I can dredge up, both published and unpublished. [It all depends on whether or not I am reunited with my “stuff” in NJ* where all those things are moldering away!] With this format I will also publish record and book reviews. Again published and unpublished. Additionally, some of my photographs will be here as well as occasional unreleased recorded selections.
Anyway, it’s an excuse for me to show off what I have done, as well as what I think, concerning this music called blues (and jazz!). I hope to include some of my jazz writings as well, for anything goes in a place like this! As indicated, maybe I can even include musical samples… it depends greatly on how sophisticated this Luddite becomes with his 21st Century machinery. In typical blog listing formatting, the oldest piece chronologically (O&S – #1) is at the end of their placement here, with the most recent seen first up. This goes against my theory of mind, but my expert son says that’s how it is with these things. So, more recent pieces may refer to prior ones in the text – I will try and put up a sort of table of contents/index sort of listing later on. On the off chance that some of you out there might be interested in my prose, etc., there you are… read on, MacDuff!!
PETER B. LOWRY
f/k/a Pete Lowry (plus occasionally “William Bentley”, and even “Ruby C.”!)
* That reunion took place in late 2016. That’s either something wonderful, or something dangerous. Only time will tell!
I WANT TO THANK MASSIVELY MY SON, JULIAN CASEY-LOWRY, FOR HIS TALENTS AND ASSISTANCE ON THIS PROJECT. AS A CARD-CARRYING LUDDITE, MY ABILITIES WITH SUCH SATANIC MACHINERY CONTINUES TO BE LIMITED TO LETTER WRITING!
Oddenda & Such 
Good to see this project, Pete! New and interesting ways for me to avoid working… Your Tarheel Slim LP gets a mention in the next Words, Words (B&R 300), where I’m writing about ‘got my nose open.’
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Peter, good to see your presence on the blog-o-sphere. Some fascinating material.
I’ll be spreading the word…you have been warned. 🙂
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Roll ’em Pete!
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How the hell are you?
Larry Cohn
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Glad to see that you now have your own personal “space” here on the ol’ interweb. Now all you have to do is to gather up your posts that are scattered hither and yon and put them all under one roof! (Just kidding, as the faithful have read them all already.) They’re always a pleasure to read. BTW, where are you from in NJ?
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Stuart –
Did I ever get back to you? If not, senior moment. I was from Montclair!
pbl
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Hi Pete !
great idea
Mike
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Peter,
Excellent news! I shall be a constant reader, and I wish you the huge success I know you will have.
Love,
Meda
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Mazel Tov, Peter. It is wonderful to see your writing in this format.
Miriam
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Thank you very much for sharing your great writings. I guess I’ve read you from the BU days and I’ve bought almost all the Trix albums… You’ve done a great work and it’s a great pleasure to find you here so easily
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My favorite Blues and Jazz scholar has started a Blog.
What a blessed day it is!
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Many thanks….lots and lots to read..
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Good news !
All the best.
Rockin’ Ralph
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Hi Peter … Welcome to the 21st Century … and thanks for all the info about the last one (a much better model imho)
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Some of my music friends – Swiss, Amis, Brits and even a South African have thanked me for putting your blog link in my FB side. Bravo Peter B. 💫
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Hello Mr. Peter Lowry, Great to speak to you here in Sydney by phone yesterday. D.C. Bellamy, Michael Barry of the band Stormcellar, our Australian host and I are looking forward to meeting you at the Vintage Record very soon tonight. So pleased for the introduction to reach out to you from Brett Bonner and Jim O’Neal from Living Blues. Have always been a huge fan of your Trix record label recordings. I own most all of those as I am aware. I recently found the Roy Dunn LP “Know’d Them All” which I played everyday for a month straight! Frank Edwards, Honeyboy Edwards “I’ve Been Around” is a great one of my old friend, Peg Leg Sam, Eddie Kirkland, Henry Johnson, Willie Trice, Guitar Shorty, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Tarheel Slim, Homesick James..Goin Back Home LP is heaven of a recording, Big Chief Ellis, and any way you get the idea I am a vinyl junkie of crazy degree!!! All my thanks for making these recordings as some of these artists lives work would not be in safe keeping.
Cheers and thank you,
Dawayne Gilley
Kansas City
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Thanks to Peter Lowry! This blog just goes to show you and us all that if we live long enough we find out computers are not so bad a deal. I love that we will be able to read and share all the knowledge of this good man. Eddie Kirkland gave credit to Peter for bringing him back out to his love of Blues. Kirkland had given up on the business, as too many deals had fallen through, but always said Peter treated him well and fair. Looking forward to good reads.
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Absolutely awed by all you do… and have done. So glad to be in touch with you and will be shipping you a copy of my new book, South Carolina Blues on Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series (with EXTREME and APPRECIATIVE thanks for your help obtaining permission for the Pink Anderson and Peg Leg Sam photo). So glad to be in touch. Keep doing what you do so well..! Your new friend and longtime admirer, Clair DeLune of Blues Moon Radio.
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Hello Peter,
I am Frank Matheis, also a writer for Living Blues. Subsequent to my cover story about Phil Wiggins a few issues back, me and Phil decided two write a book together. Topic: Phil’s personal narrative plus the history of the D.C. blues. I would very much like to speak to you about it.
Please email me and give me your number and a permissible time to call you. Cheers, FM
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Hi Peter, great to see you at the Reapers gig recently, and looking forward to reading your blog. All the best, Dave Brewer
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Hi Pete: Good to find you here. I remember your visit to Montana State and my KGLT-FM show many years back and your kind sharing of several albums, which I played often. Still do an alternate week jazz/blues show 3-6pm Mountain at KGLT.NET.
Ray Pratt
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Pete- Was great to talk to you today, and a lengthy email will be coming your way. I like this site you’ve got here, but it is going to take me a while to go through it completely. But that is my intention, read it all.
I’ll be in touch, my old friend!
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Mr. Lowry,
I recently bought a 1962 vw bus full of old negatives, artwork and a lot of paperwork with the name “George Carr.” I’ve been actively googling george carr for over a week and a picture of you with tarheel slim kept popping up. I assume that’s you with the beard… I have a lot of pictures of someone similar in those negatives. Please feel free to call me day or night.
-Kyle M. Sargent
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Peter,
I woke the other morning thinking of you and wondering where you had gotten to as the last time we were in touch was somewhere back in 1975. I am so glad to see you have done well with your life. So truly happy for you. Linda Wood Lorenzen
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Hey Pete, I replied to your first email. Did you receive it? Let me know. Linda
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Hello, Peter!
My name is Ugo Medeiros, a blues journalist and reseracher from Brazil! Congratulations for your excellent work! FANTASTIC! Can we do an interview by email? My website is ColunaBluesRock.com . My email is contatobluesrock@gmail.com
Cheers!
Ugo Medeiros
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Cudos, Pete…. Good to see the current traditional Blues explosion in the USA, partly due to your great work in the 60’s and beyond !!!!
You introduced me to traditional Blues ( as well as Range Rovers and your National Guitars!) at New Paltz in ’69, when you played your original tapes for me. I went on to run concerts there in 70 &71…
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Ed Moss –
Well, I’m glad to hear that I had some impact. Now I am old/older (77), I am finally getting back together with my tapes and all. There’s only 50 or so single artist, maybe 25 anthologies (not enough or more than enough) – may have a tape of a 1972 show (portion) of Baby Tate, Larry Johnson, and Eddie Kirkland at New Paltz. We’ll see! Sorry to have taken so long, but I’ve been slowed by a stroke.
PETER B.
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I’m so glad to find this blog. I happened to pick up the Detroit after Hours record based on the awesome cover art and loved it so much I found a second copy to give to a friend. I read what little information there was about how it all happened and the artists and dying for me. I’d be thrilled if there is any other information on the recording, the artists, and if Vol. 2+ ever happened.
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Sadly, further volumes haven’t made it out for a variety of reasons – primarily moving to Australia in ’95 and the tapes not getting here until a couple of years ago. If I live long enough, I still plan on it… one of the worthy releases “in the works”. Hopefully! pbl
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Hello – did you own a Cessna 140 N90091 in 1971? I found original logbooks in the files of Cawley’s Aviation. It was deregistered in 1972.
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Yes, he had an Cessna from 1968-1972, I am not sure what happened to it thought.
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Peter sold that plane. He had stopped flying and did not want to pay for the space. We picked blackberries on that day.Although they were so good that we ate them all. Peter is my oldest friend and I am terribly sad that he is no longer with us.
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I met Peter back in the 1968, he was the coolest professor at New Paltz. I new he moved around the world and was happy with his life with Robbie and Julian.
With the passing of Tina Turner I went to look for him on his website and was so sad to learn of his death a year ago. I am sure he remembered our front row seats at Fillmore East for the amazing concert of the Ike and Tina Turner review. I miss you, Peter.
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