Cannon's Jug Stompers: The Complete Works 1927 - 1930

Gus Cannon

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 27, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yazoo
• ASIN: B000000G8C
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #380,160 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Circa 1925, Kentucky's Clifford Hayes inspired Tennessee guitarist Will Shade to form his Memphis Jug Band, which in turn inspired middle-aged Mississippi banjo man Gus Cannon to hook his homemade paraffin jug to a neck harness (like a racked harmonica) and form his extraordinary Jug Stompers. With sidemen Hosea Woods, Elijah Avery, and harpist Noah Lewis (who could play two harps at once, with mouth and nose), Cannon's Jug Stompers issued a skein of hits such as "Walk Right In" and "Minglewood Blues" (a version of which was recorded by the Grateful Dead) to cash in on the day's jugmania and resonate into the next millennium. Also notable in this definitive collection are "Going to Germany," the exasperated plaint of an indentured worker conscripted for warfare in some unknown land, and "Mule Get Up in the Alley," a cartwheeling sideshow of waggish vocals with kazoo and harp solos that must've made a young Bob Dylan smile. --Alan Greenberg

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Jug Stompers Are Fantastic, February 13, 2001

By A Customer

This album is a fantastic compilaton of the Jug Stompers' jug band party music. These guys were already middle-aged by the time they cut the first of these tunes in 1927, and they represented a sound that was a bit old-fashioned, but full of energy. Gus and the guys went from Memphis to Chicago to record the first few tunes... then went back to Memphis on the next train. At the same time, they could produce very soulful, intense music with all the power of teh Delta blues. If you buy this CD just to listen to the first few cuts (1.Minglewood Blues, 2. Walk Right In, 3. Going To Germany 4. Bring It With You When You Come 5. Bugle Call Rag 6. Prison Wall Blues 7. Feather Bed) it would be well worth it.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I love the Cannon Jug Stompers, but this IS NOT COMPLETE, May 14, 2002

By	Walter Five (13th Floor Elevator, Enron Hubbard Bldg. Houston Texxas) - See all my reviews

I wish Yazoo had called this something OTHER than "Complete". It's not. It's great, don't get me wrong, but this only half of the Cannon Jug Stomper's catalog, and Yazoo does fans a real disservice, being so misleading in their titling of this product.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exploring Music's Early Roots, February 2, 2002

By	peter krampert (eharmonica.net) - See all my reviews

One of the best parts about being musically curious is that sometimes when you go back in time and look at the earliest recordings of songs, you run across a real gem. Cannon's Jug Stompers is definitely a gem. Formed in the mid-1920's around core members Gus Cannon and Noah Lewis, Cannon's Jug Stompers, made music that would serve to inspire musicians long after the original members of the group were gone.

"Walk Right In" would become a huge hit for the Rooftop Singers in the 1960's. "Big Railroad Blues" and "Viola Lee Blues" would become a regular part of the Grateful Dead's repetroire, as well as "Minglewood Blues", inspiring an altered version also by the Dead. Obviously, a lot of folkies have been listening to this group as well.

The Jug Band movement of the 1920's did a lot to inspire young musicians in the 1950's and early 60's. The Lovin' Spoonful, The Grateful Dead and even the Beatles had at least some of their roots in this musical form. Cannon's Jug Stompers was one the best of the groups to perform in the 1920's.

Gus Cannon played the banjo and jug, Noah Lewis played the harmonica. Rounding off the group's complete recordings are Ashley Thompson, Elijah Avery and Hosea Woods on guitars and other instruments. The musical is somewhat primitive, but thoroughly enjoyable.

This album is a definite must for any serious collector of Blues.