"CRAZY BLUES" Mamie Smith OKeh 4169 V++ 1920 First Race Record BLUES

$

70

In 1920, MAMIE SMITH AND HER JAZZ HOUNDS made the sides that began the whole business of "Race Records," setting off an avalanche of Black talent, making household names of Bessie Smith and "Ma" Rainey, and making an huge impact on music, lasting well into the eras of Swing, Rock 'n' Roll, Rap and beyond. 

HERE is the record that started it all: "CRAZY BLUES" and "IT'S RIGHT HERE FOR YOU (If You Don't Get It, 'Tain't No Fault o' Mine)." For a pioneering effort, it more than holds its own, with its frank - even shocking! - lyrics. E.g.: "I'm gonna do like the Chinaman / Get myself some 'hop,' / grab myself a gun / and shoot myself a cop!" No Rap lyric was ever more explicit!  AND her Jazz Hounds don't just lay there - they are fully engaged and rip-snorting! 

This original 1920 Maroon OKeh 4169 is in nice V++ condition on "Crazy Blues" VV+ on "Right Here." One-inch fine hair crack at the rim, stabilized.

PHOTOS: 1) Mamie Smith; 2) MS and her Jazz Hounds. Willie "The Lion" Smith at the piano; 3) the mastermind behind it all: Perry Bradford!

P.S. This record comes in a vintage OKeh sleeve, ca. 1920, which together look stunning.

***** 

These records come from my private collection, which I have been accumulating since 1967, and now am downsizing!  My highest priority in these eBay auctions is to give you the best possible idea of a record’s true condition and aesthetic value.  I always post at least four clear images, showing the record fore and aft, a close-up of the label, and the whole disc, warts and all.  If my purple prose won’t cut it, the pictures will!  Shipping is done with expert care. Your record will brave Media Mail in a stout corregated box, between four sheets of cardboard and a couple of “packers.”  I hope you are amused by these descriptions, and by the quality of service being offered.

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And another:  “Descriptions as passionate and informative as superbatone’s are commensurate with what you receive: beautiful records, fast service - and even his writing on the shipping box is interesting, artistic, and indicative of the care taken for these records and to transport them safely.”