This is a wonderful four-disc set which amounts to a street corner jug band party in a box, containing nearly every side recorded in the '20s and '30s by America's two best-ever jug bands, Will Shade's Memphis Jug Band and Gus Cannon & His Jug Stompers, including one-off sides by Memphis Jug Band members Shade, Hattie Hart, Minnie Wallace, Will Weldon and Vol Stevens. It's a whole lot of fun, and actually more varied than one might think. Among the highlights are the iconic "Sun Brimmer's Blues," the kazoo-led "Mississippi River Waltz," the hardly subtle "She Stabbed Me with an Ice-Pick," and the accomplished and haunting "Fourth Street Mess" by the Memphis Jug Band, and three classic sides from the Jug Stompers, "Minglewood Blues," the bubbly "Feather Bed," and "Viola Lee Blues." More kazoos, jugs and banjos than you can shake a stick at, with great vocals and solid songs. -- Allmusic.
Memphis' Beale Street was tolerant after a fashion. Music helped and most popular were the jug bands. The most famous was Will Shade's Memphis Jug Band. Shade was a native Memphian, born in 1894. He was taught basic music by his mother and guitar by a man named Hucklebones. Will came across an old man who blew across the neck of a bottle. He was playin' an ole whiskey bottle you pick up anywhere, he said, So we said, 'Let's get a gallon jug.' So after we got a gallon jug we commenced to play it and . . . I played harmonica, guitar and also a can. Some people call it a garbage can but I calls it streamline bass. Around 1925, the Memphis Jug Band was formed. Two years later, Victor's Ralph Peer arrived on a recording trip. On February 24,1927, the MJB was in front of the mic. The four titles recorded, Sun Brimmer's Blues, Stingy Woman Blues, Memphis Jug Blues and Newport News Blues revelled in their exuberance. Vocals were shared evenly between Weldon and Shade and both were lifted by the vivacity of Shade's harmonica. All the while, Ben Ramey's kazoo must have had early listeners rolling up newspapers. The Victor engineers' rudimentary portable equipment barely caught Charlie Polk's jug. Shade's vocals introduced further elements in the band's synthesis. Memphis Jug is notable for its crooner-like ensemble singing, while Newport News hints at the guitar rhythms of northern Mississippi. So successful was the band's first release that Peer called the MJB to Chicago for a second session. Polk's jug posed no problem for the engineers this time; his rich emissions dominate all four tracks. Also featured here are Cannon's Jug Stompers - a band nearly as exuberant as the MJB. When Cannon died at 96 it had been a long haul. From his homemade first banjo, through medicine shows, a short recording career and a movie appearance up to his third marriage at the age of 75, and his involvement in the folk boom of the 1960s he seemed to get the most out of life. -- Amazon.
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2005
Styles: Pre-War Blues
Time: 76:13
Size: 176,1 MB
Covers: Full
(3:26) 1. Sun Brimmers Blues
(3:11) 2. Stingy Woman Blues
(3:09) 3. Memphis Jug Blues
(3:12) 4. Newport News Blues
(3:07) 5. Sometimes I Think I Love You
(2:42) 6. Sunshine Blues
(2:58) 7. Memphis Boy Blues
(2:48) 8. I'm Looking for the Bully of the Town
(3:15) 9. I Packed My Suitcase, Started to the Train
(3:20) 10. State of Tennessee Blues
(3:12) 11. Bob Lee Junior Blues
(2:55) 12. Kansas City Blues
(3:05) 13. Beale Street Mess Around
(3:08) 14. I'll See You in the Spring, When the Birds Beging to Sing
(3:25) 15. Turpentine Blues
(3:07) 16. Hitch Me to Your Buggy, And Drive Me Like a Mule
(3:20) 17. Vol Stevens Blues
(2:55) 18. Bbay Got the Rickets (Mama's Got the Mobile Blues)
(3:23) 19. Snitchin' Gambler Blues
(3:24) 20. Evergreen Money Blues
(3:33) 21. Coal Oil Blues
(3:12) 22. Papa Long Blues
(3:07) 23. Peaches in the Springtime
(3:06) 24. She Stays Out All Night Long
Memphis Jug Band Disc A
Memphis Jug Band Disc A artwork
Album: Memphis Jug Band Disc B
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2005
Styles: Pre-War Blues
Time: 67:51
Size: 156,8 MB
Covers: Full
(2:51) 1. Lindberg Hop
(2:45) 2. Sugar Pudding
(2:50) 3. A Black Woman Is Like a Black Snake
(2:50) 4. On the Road Again
(2:45) 5. Whitehouse Station Blues
(2:58) 6. Stealin', Stealin'
(2:53) 7. Jug Band Waltz
(2:53) 8. Mississippi River Waltz
(3:26) 9. Better Leave That Stuff Alone
(3:23) 10. She Stabbed Me With an Ice-Pick
(2:30) 11. I Can't Stand It
(2:54) 12. What's the Matter?
(3:02) 13. Dirty Butter
(2:45) 14. The Old Folks Started It
(3:22) 15. Won't You Be Kind to Me?
(3:18) 16. You Wouldn't, Would You Papa?
(2:54) 17. Feed Your Friend With a Long Handled Spoon
(2:55) 18. I Can Beat You Plenty
(3:14) 19. Taking Your Place
(2:42) 20. Tired of You Driving Me
(2:53) 21. Memphis Yo Yo Blues
(2:34) 22. K.C. Moan
(3:02) 23. I Whipped My Woman With a Single Tree
Memphis Jug Band Disc B
Memphis Jug Band Disc B artwork
Album: Memphis Jug Band Disc C
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2005
Styles: Pre-War Blues
Time: 75:20
Size: 174,0 MB
Covers: Full
(3:10) 1. Everybody's Talking About Sadie Green
(2:43) 2. Oh Ambulance Man
(2:50) 3. Cocaine Habit Blues
(3:20) 4. Jim Strainer Blues
(3:08) 5. Cave Man Blues
(3:18) 6. Fourth Street Mess
(2:33) 7. It Won't Act Right
(2:55) 8. Bumble Bee Blues
(3:13) 9. Meningitis Blues
(3:08) 10. Aunt Caroline Dyer Blues
(3:28) 11. Stonewall Blues
(3:07) 12. Spider's Nest Blues
(2:31) 13. Papa's Got Your Water On
(2:27) 14. Going Back to Memphis
(3:13) 15. He's in the Jailhouse Now
(3:01) 16. Got a Letter from My Darlin'
(3:04) 17. Round and Round
(3:06) 18. You May Leave, but This Will Bring You Back
(3:09) 19. Move That Thing
(2:32) 20. You Got Me Rollin'
(3:12) 21. Son Brimmer's Blues
(3:17) 22. Stingy Woman Blues
(3:11) 23. Newport News Blues
(3:13) 24. Snitchin' Gambler Blues
(2:19) 25. Lindberg Hop
Memphis Jug Band Disc C
Memphis Jug Band Disc C artwork
Album: Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers Disc D
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2005
Styles: Pre-War Blues
Time: 78:13
Size: 180,8 MB
Covers: Full
(3:47) 1. Minglewood Blues
(3:19) 2. Big Railroad Blues
(3:15) 3. Madison Street Rag
(3:08) 4. Springdale Blues
(3:03) 5. Ripley Blues
(3:04) 6. Pig Ankle Strut
(2:54) 7. Noah's Blues
(3:04) 8. Hollywood Rag
(3:06) 9. Heart Breakin' Blues
(3:13) 10. Feather Bed
(2:59) 11. Cairo Rag
(3:03) 12. Bugle Call Rag
(3:07) 13. Viola Lee Blues
(2:58) 14. Riley's Wagon
(3:17) 15. Last Chance Blues
(2:55) 16. Tired Chicken Blues
(2:34) 17. Going to Germany
(2:58) 18. Walk Right In
(2:49) 19. Mule Get Up in the Alley
(3:02) 20. The Rooster's Crowing Blues
(2:50) 21. Jonestown Blues
(2:42) 22. Pretty Mama Blues
(2:47) 23. Bring It with You When You Come
(2:39) 24. Wolf River Blues
(2:50) 25. Money Never Runs Out
(2:37) 26. Prison Wall Blues
Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers Disc D
Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers Disc D artwork
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
