Speckled Red - The Dirty Dozens

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1955-57/1996
Styles: Blues
Time: 61:02
Size: 140,6 MB
Covers: Full

(2:51) 1. The Dirty Dozens
(2:28) 2. The Right String But the Wrong Yo Yo
(4:58) 3. If You've Ever Been Down
(2:42) 4. Wilkins Street Stomp
(3:14) 5. Cow Cow Blues
(3:39) 6. Just Blues
(2:53) 7. Red's Boogie Woogie
(3:09) 8. Going Down Slow
(4:19) 9. Highway 61 Blues
(1:44) 10. After Dinner Blues
(4:00) 11. Cryin' in My Sleep
(3:18) 12. Early in the Morning
(4:00) 13. Love Is Like a Faucet
(3:59) 14. Speckled Red Speaks
(2:31) 15. Delmar Blues
(2:38) 16. Feels So Good
(4:00) 17. The Dirtier Dozens
(4:30) 18. The Dirtiest Dozens

Speckled Red was born as Rufus Perryman in 1892 in Georgia and an older brother of Piano Red. Their nicknames "Red" are derived from both men being albinos. The brothers were separated by almost a generation and never recorded together. Speckled Red and Piano Red both played in a raucous good time barrelhouse boogie-woogie style, although the elder Speckled Red played slow blues more often. Speckled Red was a self-taught piano player but he was influenced by Charlie Spand, James Hemingway and William Ezell. In his mid-teens he played house parties and juke joints anywhere he could, also nightclubs and brothels. He was noticed by a Brunswick Records talent scout and cut his first sides (Wilkins Street Stomp/The Dirty Dozens) in Memphis in 1929. He was a member of the first generation of blues pianists to record. His rugged blues and boogies have all the robust quality the good time blues should have. From 1938 Red did some session work for Bluebird Records (also accompanying Robert Lee McCoy and Sonny Boy Williamson) and then he relocated to St Louis. The famous St Louis policeman Charlie O'Brian was a blues fan and he used his investigative methods to track down old bluesmen. He rediscovered Speckled Red in December 1954 and was signed to Delmark as their first blues artist. Several recordings were made in 1955, 1956 and 1957 for Delmark. In 1960 he toured Europe with Chris Barber and recorded in Denmark for Storyville and Folkways record label and a final session in London.

The tracks "The Dirtier Dozens" and "The Dirtiest Dozens" contain lyrics which, while common in the brothels where they originated, are not for air play or children; yes, explicit language abounds on these two tracks. But if you're looking for a memorable blues listening experience, this is it!

The Dirty Dozens

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