British blues

The British Blues

The first wave -  jazzing the blues

Many recordings of the classic blues singers such as Bessie Smith records were released in Britain in the 20's and 30's and artists such as Louis Armstrong occasionally toured. Blues was mainly seen as the folk precursor of jazz but the jazz enthusiasts of the thirties formed enough of a market for records by artists such as the Harlem Hamfats and Memphis Jug Band to be released on British labels - Sleepy John Estes 'Drop Down Mama' was supposedly issued in Britain on Brunswick before being released in the USA.

The Second World War increased familiarity with African-American music, with the popularity of artists such as Louis Jordan and Pete Johnson and the jitterbugging craze. This helped prepare the way for spread of the new black musics of the 1950's 

The knowledgeable, specialist jazz audience was collecting and swapping 'race' records through the pages of Jazz Journal through the late 40's and early 50's, well aware of Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie McTell and current 'race' artists. For example, in the December 1953 issue the newly released 10" LP of Blind Lemon was prominently advertised, the featured list of new American releases included records by Ray Charles, Jack Dupree, T-Bone Walker and Muddy Waters and the records reviewed included a Leadbelly EP. Other issues reviewed John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson tracks as they were released.

The second wave - skiffling the blues

Perhaps the political and economic instability of the immediate post-war world contributed to the popularity of the 'return to the roots' revivalism movement in the UK Jazz world (and the fierce debate about such 'mouldy figs') that resulted in the  growing audience of young people for 'trad jazz' and skiffle.

Rising stars of this scene included Humphrey Littleton, Chris Barber and Ken Colyer. Chris Barber's Band included Alexis Korner who recalled that in 1949 the band regularly did a half hour set of R&B 'race blues' of artists such as Tampa Red and Big Bill Broonzy.

The first 'skiffle' group was formed by Ken Colyer in 1950 and it's main influences were Leadbelly and Brownie McGhee. The first regular skiffle group was formed from within the Chris Barber and Ken Colyer band in 1953 and included Lonnie Donegan and Alexis Korner.

Skiffle was enormously popular in the mid-fifties. Not only were there top 10 hits by Lonnie Donegan and Chas McDevitt (and this in the era of Elvis and Buddy Holly too) but huge numbers of guitars were sold as innumerable 'three-chord' bands formed, performing what is now labelled 'American roots' - mainly a mixture of pre-blues songster, old-time and folk material from black and white traditions.

Americans living in Britain in the 1950's helped popularise this music, including Alan Lomax, the Library of Congress collector, and Peggy Seeger, both influential in the developing British folk scene. Perhaps this helped anchor skiffle partway between the jazz and folk worlds.

African-American artists began to visit Britain in the 1950's. Josh White came in July 1950, Big Bill Broonzy in 1951,1952 and 1956, Lonnie Johnson in 1952 and Sonny and Brownie and Muddy toured in 1958.

[See Paul Oliver's 'Blues Off The Record' for articles appearing from this period in Jazz Journal and on record sleeves about the blues artists and the historical background.]

Interest in country blues developed throughout the 50's, the scene being dominated by Alexis Korner, Long John Baldry and Cyril Davies, who produced albums in 1957 and 1958 heavily featuring Leadbelly material, although they also did songs by artists such as the Memphis Jug Band and Sleepy John Estes.

A similar process was occurring in the USA, where 'spiritual descendents' of the thirties and forties New York Lomax-Guthrie-Houston-Leadbelly socialist group, such as Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Guy Carawan and Dave Van Ronk encouraged the playing of 'American roots', influencing such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. White youngsters such as Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield and Charlie Musselwhite began to visit Southside Chicago clubs.

Field research was undertaken in the 1950's by Harry Oster, Alan Lomax and George Mitchell. The search began in earnest in the late 1950's for 'old black bluesmen' by the likes of Samuel Charters, John Fahey, Mack McCormick, Henry Vestine, Bill Barth, Dick Waterman, Gayle Dean Wardlow, Stephen Calt, Chris Strachwitz and Nick Perls among others. 

Sleepy John Estes            Fred McDowell       

By the end of the 50's artists such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Furry Lewis and Will Shade had been 're-discovered' and Fred McDowell had been 'discovered' on the 1959 'Southern Journey' of Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins (the UK folksinger - see her recent book 'America Over The Water' for details the trip) 

The third wave - living the blues

More LPs began to be issued, on Origin Jazz Library for example, beginning in 1959, featuring early artists such as Charley Patton, Son House, Tommy Johnson etc.

There was enough of an audience for the release of the Columbia LP by the 'unknown' Robert Johnson in 1961. (Perhaps people should have asked Robert Lockwood, Honeyboy Edwards, Sonny Boy Williamson II or Alan Lomax). This LP has fixed itself in mind of a generation as the Johnson myth seemed to symbolise the alienated spirit of the 60's.

'Re-discoveries' continued throughout the early 60's, Mance Lipscombe (60), Booker White, John Hurt, Peg Leg Howell (63), Son House, Skip James and Robert Wilkins (64) among others.

During the late 50's blues began to fade as a living urban music for young African Americans. Muddy and B B King have both put it on record that times were getting tougher and they were playing to older audiences. However, Leadbelly, Josh White, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Big Bill Broonzy had proved that it was possible to re-invent yourself for white audiences.

The American Folk Blues Tours to Europe began in 1962, bringing artists such as; John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson, Memphis Slim, Sonny Terry, Sleepy John Estes, Lighnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon etc. Son House, Fred McDowell and Reverend Gary Davies toured during the 60's and early 70's.

Paul Oliver made his first field trip to the USA in 1960, interviewing many artists, such as Muddy Waters, Memphis Slim, Bo Carter, Wade Walton, and Roosevelt Sykes. [See Oliver's 'Conversations With The Blues']. Magazines such as Bob Groom's 'Blues Unlimited' were published.

All in all, there was now a wealth of recordings, information and the chance to see the originals in the flesh. 

Rhythm and Blues took off with the Stone's first EP in 1963. Folk and Blues Clubs became popular - and blues became part of the protest music of the young, mixed in with traditional folksingers old and new, Dylan-esque songsters and the new generation of British guitarists.

This 1969 poster identifies all the strands of the late 60's scene. In addition to those mentioned on the poster, the Festival also featured: Bob Hall, Dave Kelly, Tony McPhee, Ian Anderson (current editor of Folk Roots), Brett Marvin and Davey Graham. Bukka White represented the 'real deal'.

Many of those who came to the blues in the 60's have professionally carried the torch ever since and still continue to tour - see Blue Front artists.

 Jo-Ann Kelly         Dave Peabody        Gordon Smith         Sam Mitchell

Sam Mitchell, Mike Cooper & Stefan Grossman

[See 'The Blues Revival' by Bob Groom for more details of the 1950's and 1960's British scene]

[The pictures above are courtesy of Stefan Wirz' amazing website. It is packed with information on many current, 60's and  pre-war artists. http--www.wirz.de-music-kellyfrm.htm  ]