The Men Behind The Bluesmen: Lester Melrose

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,

mp3s by Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell

Two early bluesmen that were very influential but are not that well known today are Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell. There are several reasons that these two musicians, who helped create the blues, are not that well known today. They were from Indianapolis, IL which is not usually thought of as one of the homes of the blues, if they had been from say Chicago, or St. Louis they may have been better known. They were both laid back bluesmen and did not really standout like many of the bluesmen that followed them and who were inspired by them. And probably the biggest reason that these guys are not better known is that they did not survive to be seen by the folk audiences of the sixties. Blackwell was alive in the early sixties and almost made a comeback, but it was not to be.

reference

Article on Leroy Carr (1905 - 1935)

Article on Scrapper Blackwell (1903 - 1963)

mp3

"Kokomo Blues" (3:03, 538 kB) - Vocalion IND-624, 16 June, 1928, Indianapolis, IL

"How Long, How Long Blues" (3:02, 533 kB) - Vocalion IND-623, 19 June, 1928, Indianapolis, IL

"Sloppy Drunk" (3:00, 527 kB) - Vocalion C-6806-B, 9 September, 1930, Chicago

"When the Sun Goes Down" (2:58, 522 kB) - Bluebird 85496-1, 25 February, 1935, Chicago

"Six Cold Feet in the Ground" (3:03, 538 kB) - Bluebird 85516-1, 25 February, 1935, Chicago

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