Category Archives: BLUES

“Progress, until now (cont’d)” So, I began with what I figured was something medium-difficult to start with, to get my programming chops together once more. It had been a few years! I started now with two sacred collections, one showing … Continue reading →

Various Artists                                                                                                                                      SOUTH CAROLINA SKETCHES                                           South … Continue reading →

Chapel Hill’s first concert of black folk music? 1972                      It sounds preposterous or awkward to read such a heading, but to the best of my knowledge there had never been a concert of African American secular folk music held at … Continue reading →

PIEDMONT SKETCHES OF AN ACCIDENTAL FOLKLORIST! The real deal Once again, I describe my self thusly… “accidental”. Initially, I was just “ridin’ along at the wheel, with no particular place to go” (C.Berry), following the directions of Bruce Bastin – … Continue reading →

CECIL BARFIELD                                                                                                                                   “The Plains Man” This is one of the many artists I had hoped to release an album on back in the day before things went a bit pear-shaped for blues labels in general and mine in particular. … Continue reading →

CHARLES HENRY TATE                                                                                                               notes #1 The first real informant that Bruce Bastin and I located in 1970 in the SE was known to one and all as Baby Tate, a guitarist, occasional harp player, and singer of note from … Continue reading →

 MEETING JOHN CEPHAS: His First Recording Session  During my decade of active field recording, one of the factors in any of my successes was pure dumb luck! This is one example. I had developed a good relationship with Brownie McGhee … Continue reading →

WILLIE TRICE – “Wild Bill” Early Times: 1970-1971 liner notes essay    My third-ever field recording session of anyone, this time of the Trice brothers, took place in 1970 and was the first in the long skein of material I “got” … Continue reading →

“Progress, until now” There is the matter of “my life’s work”, so to speak… the tapes that this accidental folklorist gathered in his over a solid decade of often mentally back-breaking field-work. My activities with the late Mike Hotz (O&S … Continue reading →