PRX - Pieces for Tagging: prewar blues

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This time, we profile the March 1932 recording sessions held by Vocalion in New York City, as the nation was in the grips of the Great Depression.

  • Added: Aug 30, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time, we profile Henry Thomas, whose two dozen recordings for Vocalion, made in the late 1920s, hark back to a time before the blues.

  • Added: Apr 10, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
Caption: Photo (bottom right): Nick Perls, Dick Waterman, Son House, Phil Spiro. Collection of Dick Waterman.
Join us for another installment of our ongoing series, "The Keepers of the Flame," where we aim the spotlight on those individuals who've made extr...

  • Added: Feb 19, 2018
  • Length: 01:58:59
Caption: Brownsville mandolin man, James "Yank" Rachell (in his later years).
Join us for part two of our look at the blues traditions in Brownsville, Tennessee. This time, we’ll focus primarily on the Decca label, and hear s...

  • Added: May 14, 2017
  • Length: 01:58:59
Caption: Image by R. Crumb.
Join us as we get into our time machine, and go back to the 1920s and ’30s, to examine the blues traditions in Brownsville, Tennessee. At the epice...

  • Added: Apr 29, 2017
  • Length: 01:58:59
Caption: The cover for "The Story of the Blues," as issued in the U.S. by Columbia Records.
On this episode, we pay homage to Paul Oliver’s legendary double LP set, "The Story of the Blues." Published as a companion piece to his critically...

  • Added: Jul 21, 2016
  • Length: 01:58:59
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Join as we get into our time machine, and journey back to Dallas, December 1927. That was when Columbia Records became the first major label to mak...

  • Added: Apr 14, 2015
  • Length: 01:58:59
Caption: Issued 1959, "The Country Blues" was a groundbreaking work by Sam Charters. The next year, Paul Oliver followed with "Blues Fell This Morning."
If you're curious about where the Blues Revival of the 1960s got its start, you might want to take a look at "The Country Blues," from 1959, "Blues...

Bought by Radio New Zealand, 90.5 WSNC, WJSU, and KRPS


  • Added: Aug 25, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Illustration by the Daily Planet/Tom Wilson, depicting Robert Johnson's recording debut in a San Antonio hotel room, 1936.
Join us as we go back to the 1930s and dig out some of the rarest blues of all time. From Leroy Carr and Robert Johnson to Big Bill Broonzy and Bli...

Bought by WJSU, 90.5 WSNC, and KRPS


  • Added: Jun 15, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 3
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Join us as we journey to the Queen City of the South, Charlotte, North Carolina, to hear some of the rich blues and heavenly gospel that was record...

Bought by WFAE, KRPS, 90.5 WSNC, and WJSU


  • Added: Apr 19, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 4
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Join us for part two of our look at the blues in Saint Louis from the 1920s and '30s, this time focusing on the piano players. We’ll hear from popu...

Bought by KRPS and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Feb 01, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 2
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Join us for a look at Saint Louis, where the country blues meet the city. Over the years, some critics have claimed it was the place where prewar b...

Bought by KRPS and 90.5 WSNC


  • Added: Jan 25, 2014
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: One of the few 78s to give him label credit, the "Joe Louis Strut" is a tour de force by Black Bob.
Join us as we aim the spotlight on a mid-1930s enigma, piano legend Black Bob. Recording with dozens of musicians, he mysteriously appeared on the ...

  • Added: Aug 11, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
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On this episode of Blues Unlimited, we're cranking up our time machine, and setting the dial for San Antonio in the late 1920s and 1930s. One of th...

  • Added: Jul 28, 2013
  • Length: 01:58:59
Caption: Pictured: John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson (top); Robert Nighthawk (in those days, known as Robert Lee McCoy, bottom); memorabilia from the Leland Hotel in Aurora, Illinois, where Bluebird held their recording sessions.
On May 5th, 1937, John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson and Robert Nighthawk made their recording debuts. Accompanied in the studio by Big Joe Williams, ...

Bought by WSLR


  • Added: Sep 14, 2012
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: A Casey Bill Weldon release showing the distinctive graphics of the Bluebird line.
Join us for a look at the Bluebird label. Launched as a budget imprint during the height of the Great Depression, it quickly became home to blues i...

Bought by 90.5 WSNC, WSLR, KHNS, and KTRL


  • Added: May 11, 2012
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: One of the most beloved — and influential — compilations of all time, “The Anthology of American Folk Music,” compiled by Harry Smith (inset).
In this episode of Blues Unlimited, we've culled through all the great Blues and Gospel recordings from the legendary LP set issued on the Folkways...

Bought by KHNS, 88.5 JAZZ FM Erie's Jazz Station, and KHNS


  • Added: Jan 21, 2012
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Pictured: Illustrations of the Mississippi Sheiks and Son House by R. Crumb. Bukka White by William Stout.
We pick up where we left off last time, with a look at some of the great Mississippi Blues Masters who worked and recorded during the 1930s and the...

Bought by KHNS, KHNS, and KTRL


  • Added: Oct 14, 2011
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Pictured: Immortals of Mississippi blues, Charley Patton and Tommy Johnson. Illustrations by R. Crumb.
In this episode of Blues Unlimited, we take a look at a Who's Who of early Blues masters that lived and worked in the great state of Mississippi. A...

Bought by KTRL


  • Added: Sep 30, 2011
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pictured: B.B. King and his guitar Lucille (courtesy PBS); Upper right: Lightnin’ Hopkins (courtesy Flower Films)
Who doesn't love a good story? In this episode of Blues Unlimited, it's all about Blues singers and songs that weave tall tales, spin entertaining ...

Bought by KHNS and KTRL


  • Added: Jul 10, 2011
  • Length: 01:58:59
  • Purchases: 2