Customer Reviews

Guitar Wizard

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This is a superb collection of Tampa Red. I don't have all his sides, and as a rule nearly every blues compilation is missing a track or two that someone considers essential, but this is an excellent sampling. You can hear some songs that were hits in the day and you can also hear the man's incredible guitar playing. He was a slide master! And if you're human you'll only want more after listening to this compilation...

This is a suberb collection from one of the most underrated early bluesman and would be a great primer for the uninitiated.

As a blues musician, I often have to research the source of the songs I perform, particularly if I want to record them. I was surprised to see the name "Whitaker" show up again and again. I was vaguely familiar with "Tampa Red" (and have 78's by him) but
unaware that he had written many of the songs that have become blues standards. This CD offers a selection of many of his songs as he performed them for the first time, and also showcases his amazing slide guitar talent, proving that he invented not only standard blues songs but also standard slide riffs and licks.
I'd recommend this to blues lovers...and especially to blues musicians! All four dewclaws up, in my book...
Steven C. Barr
STEVEN C AND THE RED ROCKETS
STEVEN C AND HIS BLACK CAT BLUES BAND
(et al)
Oshawa, Ont'o.

Since I am from Tampa I thought I should buy this CD. It is really old blues, like from the 20-30's. Real raw sound. Sometimes his voice reminds me of Leon Redbone. A really good CD to have in your collection but you should listen to his music first (library, friends or samples) to see if you like his voice. Great to have just for the guitar licks.

If the sincerest form of flattery is imitation then there is no question that the legendary bottleneck blues guitarist Tampa Red has been flattered by whole generations of latter day bottleneck guitarists, including some rather traditional country and western musicians, western swing artists like the well-respected Bob Wills bands and many modern rock instrumentalists. And with good reason. Although the case for greater showmanship can be argued on behalf of the legendary Mississippi Delta guitar artist Bukka White the Tampa Red picking style on that old National steel guitar has been subject of more imitation. Bukka brings his breakneck speed on the guitar with his breakneck lyrics to create a better and bouncier presentation but I will concede the point that for pure guitar virtuosity the nod goes to Brother Red.

And for those who do not believe me then merely check out the following tracks on this Columbia legacy equivalent of Tampa Red's greatest hits. How about "Big Fat Mama", "Don't Leave Me Here" and "You Can't Get That Stuff No More" done with Georgia Tom Dorsey in the days before Tom got religion. Or if you want to hear a solo then how about the classic "Turpentine Blues" and the two "Sugar Mama" tracks here. Some of the entries here are blues classics, some are then topical novelty songs that every genre produces but all have the Tampa Red trademark. Listen up and then you will get what all the fuss over Tampa Red's influence was about. Okay?

TAMPA RED WAS ONE OF A HANDFUL OF EARLY BLUESMEN WHO POPULARIZED THE SOUND OF THE BOTTLENECK GUITAR, AND HE MIXED IN GREAT GUITAR PLAYING WITH AMUSING LYRICS AND RACY SONGS. HE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES AND REALLY OVERLOOKED AND UNDERAPPRECIATED TODAY, EVEN THO' HE WAS PRETTY POPULAR WAY BACK WHEN. IF YOU WANT TO HEAR SO0ME GREAT BLUES FROM THE LATE 20'S-EARLY 30'S THEN PICK UP THIS CD, EVEN THOUGH ALL THE RECORDINGS ARE NOT THE BEST SOUND QUALITY.

.... and when he's dead, that's all brother." So said Big Bill Broonzy, a R&B legend himself, quoted in the wonderful five pages of liner notes written by Mark Humphrey. For the record, Hudson (Tampa Red) Woodbridge, born on December 15, 1903, passed away at age 77 on March 19, 1981.

This compilation presents 17 of some of his best cuts recorded between 1928 and 1934, the first two for the Okeh label and the remainder for Vocalion. The sound reproduction varies, and while most have 78 rpm hiss, the CD was produced "using NoNoise, a noise reduction system developed by Sonic Solutions of San Rafael, California (to quote the liner notes).

The humorous track 1, and 2, (both sides of Okeh 8651) feature the vocals of Papa Too Sweet and Harry Jones, with Tampa Red on guitar and Georgia Tom Dorsey at piano. The remainder have Tampa Red doing the vocals, some in conjunction with Georgia Tom, and several were both sides to Vocalion singles. The insert provides a full discography of the contents.

Many of these sides would certainly have made what then passed for the R&B charts, but these (identified then as Most Played Jukebox Folk Records) did not appear until 1942. Even so, Tampa Red & His Chicago Five did make the Pop charts in 1936 with Let's Get Drunk And Truck for the Bluebird label (# 14 that August).

Following the introduction of the above-mentioned forerunner of the R&B charts he had Let Me Play With Your Poodle go to # 4 in late 1942/early 1943, accompanied by Big Maceo at piano. In 1945, with Blind John Davis on piano, he took Detroit Blues to # 5 in September, followed in December by playing guitar on Big Maceo's hit, Things Have Changed (# 4). All were on the Bluebird label.

Another hit didn't emerge until September 1949, as When Things Go Wrong With You rose to # 9, followed in 1951 by Pretty Baby Blues, both with Little Johnnie Jones on piano and both released on the RCA Victor label.

Unfortunately, none of these charted hit singles appear in this compilation, but they can be found on other Tampa Red CDs. This one, however, should be part of any serious collection of early R&B.

It says something about Tampa Red that I had a terrible headache last night before listening to this CD, and by the time I finished my headache was gone.

Tampa Red and his partner pianist "Georgia Tom" Dorsey (later a gospel singer /composer of "Precious Lord" fame) specialized in funny, downhome, double-entendre blues songs about whiskey, prostitution, dancing, gambling, and just having a good time. "No Matter How She Does It" is a particular hoot, as our heroes sing about a girl who "shakes it so well that the judge sent the cops to jail." Knee-slapping fun, without a word of actual profanity.

Tampa Red comes off here as a sort of country blues cousin to the type of Jazz comedy and storytelling that Louis Jordan specialized in ten years later. Every existing photo of him shows him with a pleasant smile, and this infectious cheerfulness is reflected in his music, so much so that is is hard to be sad even when he sings about such ordinarily morose subjects as prison, death, and losing a loved one.

There is one drawback to this collection. Having enjoyed my father's collection of scrachy 78s as a child, I usually don't have a problem with surface noise on CDs, but some of the old recordings on this CD are in such poor condition that a few songs are almost unlistenable.

That aside, enjoy "It's Tight Like That" and other stuff that made grandma and grandpa get on the juke joint floor and "cut a rug."

Please be aware this CD does not contain 32 tracks, but rather 17. Have had this happened on these "Roots & Blues" CDs before so check another source for track listing on CDs when purchasing!!

Len Here!
Whenever this great bluesman is bein' played thar's no dought who it is. By listnin' to his voice or gtr. He's one of the few blues men that (for me) I've never heard a bad song from.
Len!