CHARLEY JORDAN — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 3 • 1935-1937 | Plus The Complete LEROY HENDERSON 1935 | DOCD-5099 (1992) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

This volume is somewhat less compelling than the other two in the series, if only because even the producers themselves acknowledge that eight of the 23 songs here, credited to "The Two Charlies," probably don't feature the St. Louis-based Charley Jordan at all, but another artist of the same name, while four others, credited to Leroy Henderson, may feature Jordan. On other songs, Jordan sings duets with Verdi Lee and Mary Harris (possibly also Verdi Lee working under a pseudonym), and those are great tracks, to be recommended without reservation, except perhaps for the fact that the guitar is a bit muted on these numbers, compared with Jordan's solo stuff. "Signifying at You" is a great piece of female-sung blues, raw, angry, defiant and funny. The Two Charlies tracks, featuring a Charley Jordan working with a guitarist/singer named Charlie Manson, are fine acoustic blues, all good songs (especially "Don't Put Your Dirty Hands On Me") and even better guitar duets, including the surprisingly dissonant "Pork Chop Blues," but they sound much more like Atlanta blues than St. Louis material -- their inclusion here adds nothing to the St. Louis Charley Jordan's reputation, but they make an enjoyable interlude. Bruce Eder  

 

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. Charley Jordan was not the strongest of blues singers but his voice is not off-putting, in fact it has quite an unusual characteristic which one easily brings to mind when one returns to any of his records. The strengths of his recordings are in his guitar playing and his song writing. Steffan Grossman wrote; “The often whimsical songs recorded belie the violent world that he apparently lived”. He was shot in 1928 during his bootlegging activities leaving him with a bullet lodged in his spine and having to use crutches. “There’s a wry, gentle humour in Jordan’s songs, a child-like delight in playing with words and imagery. His melodies, too, often evince a naive charm. Jordan’s guitar picking masterfully combines an airy delicacy with punchy dynamics he may have gathered from such Mississippians as Big Joe Williams. Paul Oliver has praised Jordan’s “uncorrupted country style of blues guitar with an effortless, light technique”. Chris Smith observes in Jordan “an extraordinary sense of rhythm. The steady pulse that underlies his playing and singing is often a long way removed from the accenting of the guitar part.”” Having switched from Vocalion to Decca in 1934 (see Document DOCD-5098), Charlie Jordan was on the move again the following year; in 1935 he was back with Vocalion. As leaves began to turn during the fall of that year the thoughts of Xmas was already in the mind of Charley or was it that of the record execs…? Charley goes Seasonaltastic with four yuletide blues recorded within the same day. The first, Xmas Blues sung by Charley Jordan on his own finds him very pleased that Xmas is here but only because of the prospect of getting a decent meal for a change. At first, he would be grateful if he gets a little piece of chicken but then it starts getting a little out of hand; turtledoves, goose, biscuits, pie, fruitcake. And then things really start getting serious with demands for “eggnog, whiskey and gin”. “Let’s have a good time”, Charley says. “The fun is going to begin” (what with all of that inside you?) and there the record ends as if we have had the door closed on us just the party is about to really heat up. DOCD-5099
Tracklist  
1 –Charley Jordon Christmas Christmas Blues 2:37
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
2 –Charley Jordan Christmas Tree Blues 2:55
Piano Accordion – Peetie Wheatstraw
Vocals – Verdi Lee
3 –Charley Jordan Get It If You Can 2:44
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
Vocals – Verdi Lee
4 –Charley Jordan Signifying At You 2:43
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
Vocals – Verdi Lee
5 –Charley Jordan No Christmas Blues 2:36
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
Vocals – Mary Harris 
6 –Charley Jordan Happy New Year Blues 2:59
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
Vocals – Mary Harris 
7 –The Two Charlies I Couldn't Stay Here 2:45
8 –The Two Charlies Bad Feeling Blues 2:57
9 –The Two Charlies Got Your Water On 2:59
10 –The Two Charlies Don't Put Your Dirty Hands On Me 3:16
11 –The Two Charlies Pork Chop Blues 2:56
12 –The Two Charlies Tired Feelin' Blues 2:50
13 –The Two Charlies Low Moan Blues 3:05
14 –The Two Charlies Hard Time Papa 3:02
15 –Charlie Manson     Nineteen Women Blues 2:48
16 –Uncle Skipper Twee Twee Twa 2:56
Contrabass – Unknown Artist
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
17 –Uncle Skipper Cutting My ABC's 3:20
Contrabass – Unknown Artist
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
18 –Uncle Skipper Chifferobe 3:18
Contrabass – Unknown Artist
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
19 –Uncle Skipper Look What A Shape I'm In (Bonus Blues) 2:58
Contrabass – Unknown Artist
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
20 –Leroy Henderson Deep Sea Diver 3:02
Guitar – Casey Bill Weldon
Guitar [Or Probably] – Teddy Darby
Guitar [Possibly] – Charley Jordan
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
21 –Leroy Henderson Good Scuffler Blues 3:26
Guitar – Casey Bill Weldon
Guitar [Or Probably] – Teddy Darby
Guitar [Possibly] – Charley Jordan
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
22 –Leroy Henderson Low Mellow Man Blues 3:20
Guitar – Casey Bill Weldon
Guitar [Or Probably] – Teddy Darby
Guitar [Possibly] – Charley Jordan
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
23 –Leroy Henderson Good Grinder Blues
Guitar – Casey Bill Weldon
Guitar [Or Probably] – Teddy Darby
Guitar [Possibly] – Charley Jordan
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
Credits
Vocals, Guitar – Charley Jordan (tracks: 1 to 3, 7 to 14, 16 to 19)