Blind Boy Fuller - 1935-1939 : 4 x CDs (due to weight, this price for the USA only. Outside of the USA, the price will be adjusted as needed) (Mega Blowout Sale)
SKU
23-JSP 7735
“The Piedmont region covers North and South Carolina and upper Georgia. The name was given to the guitar style of local blues musicians. This style combined rhythmic thumb strokes on the bass strings with melodies picked with two or three fingers of the playing hand. This was aligned with chord- and riff-patterns formed with the chording hand. The style ranged from simple execution to complex formulations that sounded as if two musicians were playing.
The first popular bluesman playing in the Piedmont style was Blind Blake, although his origins are unknown. He was followed by Buddy Moss, who had learned guitar from Barbecue Bob. Moss's chance at fame ended when he was jailed for killing his girlfriend. The man who replaced Moss had been born Fulton Allen in Wadesboro, NC, in July 1907, one of ten children.
In the mid-1920s the family moved to Rockingham where Fulton met Cora Mae Martin, then thirteen. He married her a year later. He started to go blind. To raise money he began to sing outside factories and warehouses. The workers called him 'Blind Boy' Fulton, which was corrupted to Blind Boy Fuller. He moved north to Durham in 1929 because the city made provision for the blind and itinerant musicians.
When I first run across him, Gary Davis said, he didn't know how to play but one piece and that was with a knife... It was Davis's tuition that brought Allen up to the standard where a record company might spot his ability.
James Long recalled finding Fuller: ... I saw this blind fellow, colored man, he had on a blanket-lined overall jumper. ... But I heard him sing - he could sing. Anyway, I told him, 'I'm down here at the United Dollar Store. Come by and see me.'
In mid-July 1935, Long and Fuller set off for ARC in New York. Nervous when he entered the studio, Fuller cut three songs, including I'm Climbing On Top Of The Hill, with a second guitar, probably Gary Davis. He made another two cuts the following day. He would return regularly to the studio.”
“In the tradition of Blind Blake and Buddy Moss, this set of Blind Boy Fuller sides delivers piedmont blues at its finest. Tutored by Rev. Gary Davis, Fulton Allen (aka Blind Boy Fuller), arguably equals or exceeds his teachers' prowess on the guitar.
There are several songs in which there are multiple versions, easily identified as "take 1", take 2, etc. However, there are several songs by different titles which are the same song, rather like many of John Lee Hooker's songs in the late 40's and early 50's when he was recording for multiple labels simutainiously. For example, Weeping Willow and Ain't No Gettin' Along are the same song as are Stingy Mama and Mojo Hidin' Woman along with several others.
The sound ranges from pretty darn good to poor (only on a handful of songs). JSP provides ample liner notes (about 12 pages worth) written by Neil Slaven, which provide plenty of interesting facts and track info. Additional artists that appear in supporting roles includes Gary Davis, Sonny Terry and George "Bull City Red" Washington. Highly recommended.” - J. Grant