Lester Melrose was born on December 14, 1891 and he passed away on April 12, 1968. He was one of the first producers of blues records.
According to Wikipedia;
...a freelance A & R man, combining the roles of talent scout and record producer. He started to promote many blues artists who became popular, recording them mainly in Chicago. His first big success was "It's Tight Like That" with Tampa Red and soon-to-be gospel music legend Thomas A. Dorsey, then still known as Georgia Tom.
He worked for several record companies simultaneously in the 1930s, including RCA Victor and its subsidiary Bluebird records, Columbia records, and Okeh Records. Among the artists he recorded and brought to the world's attention were Joe "King" Oliver, Big Bill Broonzy, the first Sonny Boy Williamson, Memphis Minnie, Roosevelt Sykes, Lonnie Johnson, Big Joe Williams, Bukka White, Washboard Sam, Champion Jack Dupree, Jazz Gillum, Big Boy Crudup, Victoria Spivey and Leroy Carr.
You can read about Lester Melrose and many of the early pioneers of blues music in the book below;
Romancing the Folk: Public Memory and American Roots Music (Cultural Studies of the United States)
musicians @SML who worked with Lester Melrose
Tampa Red,
Big Bill Broonzy ,
Sonny Boy Williamson,
Memphis Minnie,
Lonnie Johnson,
Victoria Spivey,
Leroy Carr,
1 comment:
Tampa Red is a name you don't hear much these days. He was an excellent slide guitar player, but I don't think his style was really picked up by the white blues-rocker guys who popularized many of the masters. My father was a big fan of Tampa Red, which is curious in itself in that he was really a Dixieland and Swing fan more than anything, but he had a soft spot for a small number of blues singers. Jimmy Rushing was another blues singer who really caught his fancy. Anyway, my father introduced me to Tampa Red. I liked the precision of his playing. Unlike many players who used a slide, he didn't go for the big slurs. He was playing a National Resonator guitar in the late 20s, but the material I first heard was played on an electric guitar. The first Tampa Red tune I think I heard was a wonderful double-entendre piece called Let me play with your poodle (I mean your little poodle dog).
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