This is a tribute page for one of the most influential genres in American music, Louisiana Blues, and one of the best cds representing the Swamp Blues style, released by Arhoolie Records in 1970.
there are only a few artists still playing the Swamp Blues style......please support them ! ! ! !
Arthur "Guitar" Kelly
Arthur Kelly was born on November 14, 1924 in Clinton, Louisiana. By the age of 14, Kelly was playing the guitar when he moved to Baker, Louisiana. There he performed at local parties from 1947 to 1950, and with Lightnin' Slim through the 1950's and 1960's. Kelly performed with Silas Hogan at clubs, bars, and dance halls in the Baton, Rouge area from 1966 into the 1970's.
Some of his songs include: Count the Days I'm Gone, I Got a Funny Feeling, Hurry Down Sunshine, and If I Ever Get Back Home.
Kelly has been described by Terry Pattison of Blues Unlimited magazine of the United Kingdom in the 1970 September issue (p. 7-8) as "truly representative of traditional Louisiana blues...".
Silas Hogan
Silas Hogan was born on September 15, 1911 in Westover, Louisana and his family moved to Irene, Louisana when Silas was two years old. He learned to play the guitar from his uncles in the late 20's. During the 1930's he performed at local parties, clubs, and picnics. In the late 1950's Hogan formed his own band working local cafes in Baton Rouge, Louisana and during the years 1962-1966 he recorded for the Excello label playing guitar and harmonica. From 1966 until the late 1970's Hogan performed in a trio with Guitar Kelly and Gene Douzier recording for Arhoolie and Excello.
Some of his songs include: Airport Blues, Darks Clouds Rolling, Honey Bee Blues, and Lonesome La La.
Henry Gray
Henry Gray was among the Chicago blues piano elite during the 1950s. Unlike most of his contemporaries there, he was from Louisiana rather than Mississippi -- and since 1968, he's been living there once again, a stalwart on the swamp blues circuit.
Gray rolled into Chicago in 1946 after fighting for his country during World War II in the Philippines. The formidable Big Maceo was a primary influence on Gray's two-fisted playing. He procured steady gigs with Little Hudson's Red Devil Trio and guitarist Morris Pejoe before moving into extensive work as a session musician behind Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Jimmy Rogers, Billy Boy Arnold, and Pejoe. In 1956, he joined the combo of the great Howlin' Wolf, digging in for a dozen-year run.
The pianist retreated to his homebase outside Baton Rouge after leaving Wolf's employ. In 1988, he returned to Chicago long enough to cut his debut domestic album, Lucky Man, for Blind Pig Records. Guitarist Steve Freund produced and played on the set, an alluring combination of Windy City blues and bayou boogie.
Moses "whispering" Smith
Harpist Whispering Smith made it in on the tail end of the swamp blues movement that swept the Baton Rouge region, working with Lightnin' Slim and Silas Hogan before making his own fine singles for Crowley, LA producer J.D. Miller.
Alternating down-in-the-bayou entries such as "Mean Woman Blues" (not the Elvis Presley/Roy Orbison rocker), "I Tried So Hard," and "Don't Leave Me Baby" with the storming instrumentals "Live Jive" (also featuring the fleet guitar of Ulysses Williams) and "Hound Dog Twist," Smith was an excellent performer who arrived in Crowley just a trifle late, after the heyday of the swamp blues sound.
Clarence Edwards
Louisiana swamp blues veteran Clarence Edwards was rediscovered in the '90s after a long hiatus from recording, and began to garner some of the recognition he deserved just prior to his unfortunately timed death. Edwards was born March 25, 1933, in Lindsay, LA, as one of 14 siblings. When his family moved into Baton Rouge, the 12-year-old Edwards began to learn the guitar by listening to old Charley Patton records. Sometime in his twenties, Edwards began playing the local blues circuit, initially joining a band called the Boogie Beats, which featured his brother Cornelius, Landry Buggs, and drummer Jackson Acox. Edwards also played with the Bluebird Kings, but his most notable (or, at least, frightening) experience on the circuit came one night when he was shot in the leg during an altercation outside the Silver Moon Club in Alsen. Apart from playing music, Edwards supported himself with farm work, and eventually landed a job at Thomas Scrap, where he worked for over 30 years. Edwards' first recording sessions were undertaken from 1959-1961, when he, his brother Cornelius, and violinist James "Butch" Cage recorded together for folk chronicler Harry Oster (see the Country Negro Jam Sessions album). In contrast to the traditional approach of those sessions, Edwards' next recordings -- done in 1970 for producer Mike Vernon -- were more conscious of contemporary trends; they've been issued on compilations like Louisiana Blues and Swamp Blues.
Edwards remained largely silent until the mid-'80s, when bluesman Tabby Thomas' club the Blues Box helped revive the Baton Rouge blues scene. Thanks to Thomas, Edwards began finding regular performance work again, not just locally but on the blues festival circuit as well.
In 1990, Edwards finally recorded his first full-length album, an acoustic/electric affair for Sidetrack titled Swamp's the Word (it was later remastered and reissued on CD by Red Lightnin'). 1991 saw the release of another album, Swampin', this time for New Rose, and 1992 produced Louisiana Swamp Blues, Vol. 4, a compilation of mostly Edwards sessions featuring him both solo and with a small group. The quality of Edwards' work earned generally high praise in blues circles, but sadly, just as he was beginning to gain wider recognition among aficionados, he died in his longtime hometown of Scotlandville, LA, in 1993, at the age of 60.
the LOUISIANA BLUES 1970 cd can be purchased directly from ARHOOLIE RECORDS
these are some of the Godfathers of the Swamp Blues style....There are STILL musicians playing this style here in South Louisiana...Michael Juan Nunez, Selwyn Cooper, Henry Gray & the Cats, Li'l Buck Sinegal, Roscoe Chenier...PLEASE COME SEE THESE GUYS! ! !.....See the blogs on this site for tour info, etc.....
