The Blues Ain't Nothin but a Woman...

September's a bit of a theme month, I guess. In last week's search for the Terry & McGhee song "Jump Little Children," I came across this live performance of "The Blues Ain't Nothin' but a Woman." Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry, Helen Humes, Willie Dixon, and Memphis Slim all on vocals? So sweet.

I discovered Helen Humes in high school when I was on a real Count Basie kick and have been a fan of her sweet, girlish tone ever since. Humes started singing as a teenager and joined Harry James' Orchestra pretty early on. She replaced Billie Holiday as the girl singer in Count Basie's band in the late '30s.

Hmmm...I guess next week, I'll have to post some Helen Humes!

The Blues Ain't Nothin' but a Woman:

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee: Hootin' the Blues

Last week, I posted about Jump, Little Children's beautiful song Cathedrals, and since their band name was based on a Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee song, I planned to track down a video of that and post it. Alas, no video is to be found. Here is a link to the mp3 instead.

And all is not lost. Check out this awesome video of Terry & McGhee playing "Hootin' the Blues" on an old 1960's broadcast of Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest. Hootin' indeed!

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee: Hootin' the Blues

Woody Guthrie: John Henry

After reading Elizabeth Patridge's book on Woody Guthrie last week, I came across this very cool rare clip of Guthrie playing "John Henry" with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. If you believe what you hear/read online, there are only two remaining film clips of Woody Guthrie performing music. (Here's the other one.) Any of you know if that's true?

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee: Rock Island Line

Here's another Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee video clip from Pete Seeger's 1966 "Rainbow Quest" TV series. This clip includes Rock Island Line, which is a great traditional song that was first recorded in 1937 by blues legend Ledbelly. I love watching this energetic live version.

Some say that the Rock Island Line refers to the Underground Railroad. Which certainly resonates with some of the verse lyrics ("I may be right and I may be wrong/But sure you're gonna miss me when I'm gone.") Others say it refers to the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific railroad (CRI&P).

Either way, I've been teaching this song in my Songwriting for Kids class and the kids love singing it!

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee: Backwater Blues

Since I just wrote about Our New Orleans last week, I thought you might enjoy this video I came across on YouTube. It's a version of "Backwater Blues" performed by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and it's pretty darn cool.

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee met in 1939 and played as a duo for years. They were a part of a vibrant New York folk scene alongside Woody Guthrie, Ledbelly, and many others. I love the story-telling aspect of this performance, and the unexpected whoops from Sonny!

Read the Blues Access 1973 interview with Brownie McGhee

Read about Sonny Terry on Wikipedia
Brownie McGhee on Wikipedia