BLIND BLAKE 78rpm blues Calypso.Art Records 1951.US.Songs of the Islands.Bahamas
£
20
$
26
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Description
BLIND BLAKE
78rpm blues set
Art Records AL 3, from1951. Made In The USA
Songs of the Islands
There are 5 discs in this set.
Please read carefully, although the cover is AL-3 there are 2 records from this issue and 3 records from the AL-4 set
Blind Blake and his Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypsos", A Group of Bahamian Songs, LP, ART Records (American Recording & Transcription Service), ALP 3, Mono, 1951, Green Labels
Tracks: Gin and Coconut Water / Sarah Jane
J.P Morgan / Love Alone
Eighteen Hundred and Ninety One / Peas and Rice Little Nasssau
A Conch Ain't Got No Bone / John B Sail
Jones Oh Jones / Pretty Boy
Blake Alphonso Higgs (1915, Matthew Town, Inagua, Bahamas – 1986), better known as "Blind Blake", was the best-known performer of goombay/calypso in the Bahamas from the 1930s to the 1960s.
For much of his career, Blind Blake was based at the Royal Victoria Hotel in Nassau. Included in his wide repertoire was "Love, Love Alone", a song (by Trinidadian calypsonian Caresser) about the abdication of Edward VIII. Blind Blake's version of this calypso is said to have been enjoyed by the former king himself, who, as the Duke of Windsor, served as Governor of the Bahamas during World War II.
His style was a mix of Dixieland jazz, calypso/goombay, and American folk, probably because of the close proximity the Bahamas has to the USA.
Higgs played banjo and sang, releasing 4 albums during his tenure at the Royal Victoria Hotel, one with singer Lou Adams, and several other lesser albums towards the end of his career. His first four albums were released on Floridian label Art, including a 10" with Lou Adams. Although sadly never famous in his own right, his music has been covered by the likes of Dave Van Ronk ("Yes, Yes, Yes", although the original is actually called "The Duck's Yas-Yas-Yas", a 1929 hit by blues pianist-singer James "Stump" Johnson, also successfully recorded by Oliver Cobb that same year[1]), Pete Seeger ("Foolish Frog"), Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz ("Tomatoes"), The Percentie Brothers ("Goombay Drums") and perhaps most famously The Beach Boys who covered his 1952 recording of the Caribbean folk song "John B Sail" ("Wreck of the John B") and called it "Sloop John B". - from wikipedia
The cover is an EX-. Very clean and strong grade.No issues except some slight rubbing, artwork remains bright, especially considering age. Comes with the original printed lyrics for AL-3 set
The discs are graded EX. Lovely clean examples. One disc is graded VG, just some light scuffs. Very clean labels and no damage.
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