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Bertha Lee with Charley Patton – “Mind Reader Blues”

Recorded shortly before Charley Patton’s death, “Mind Reader Blues” is a song he performed with his common-law wife, Bertha Lee. In her magnificent voice, Lee scolds Patton for his womanizing even as he lovingly accompanies her on guitar. The lyrics are auto-biographical: “I remember a day when I were livin’ at Lula town, I remember a day when I were livin’ at Lula town, my man did so many wrong things ’til I had to leave the town.” Bertha Lee hailed from Lula, Mississippi, and Patton lived there with her for a time. What exactly he did so they had to leave, one can only wonder! This is a clean transfer from 78RPM platter from 1934.

Annette Hanshaw – “Body And Soul”

AnnetteHanshawAnnette Hanshaw’s relaxed, jazz-influenced pop singing style was a hit with the Flappers in the 1920s. Known as “The Personality Girl,” Hanshaw had a prolific career, recording for Columbia, OKeh, and a handful of other labels through the late 1930s. Her early take on “Body and Soul” is a classic, which helped establish the song. Composed by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton with music by Johnny Green, this piece been interpreted by literally hundreds of artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Billy Eckstine, Etta James, Sarah Vaughan and Frank Sinatra.

1928 Classic Song Recorded by Dylan and Zeppelin

This great song was written by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy a year after the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. It has since been adapted and recorded by Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin and many others. Dylan’s adaptation appeared on the recording “Modern Times” in 2006. Led Zeppelin included a version of this song on their fourth album, Led Zeppelin IV. Memphis Minnie is credited for her lyrical contribution on this very popular song.

Chicago bluesman Joe McCoy had a lot of stage names. Best known as Kansas Joe McCoy, he also performed and recorded as Georgia Pine Boy, Hallelujah Joe, Hillbilly Plowboy and Mud Dauber. Joe was married to Memphis Minnie (who’s real name was Lizzie Douglas) and they made this classic record together in 1929. Here’s the timeless original, hot off the 78RPM vinyl.

Georgia Melodians – “Everybody’s Charleston Crazy”

The Georgia Melodians were an early jazz band from Savannah Georgia that performed extensively on the east coast of the US and recorded for Edison Records in the 1920s. Here is their lively celebration of the dance craze The Charleston, released in 1926. Named after the city of Charleston, South Carolina, the dance became a world-wide sensation which peaked around 1927. Pictured is the great Josephine Baker, doing her famous version of the dance. This mp3 is from the original Edison Disc.



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Collins & Harlan – “The Aba Daba Honeymoon”

Here is Collins & Harlan’s original recording of the novelty classic, “The Aba Daba Honeymoon” composed by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan. Popular in its day, the song later became a hit for Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter, reaching #3 on the US Billboard chart in 1951. Merv Griffin and others also had success with the song, which has often been featured prominently in cartoons, movies and TV shows by The Three Stooges, Laverne and Shirley and others. It all started with this monophonic recording, released on Edison Disc in 1914.