PAPA CHARLIE JACKSON — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 1 ∙ 1924-1926 | DOCD-5087 (1991) RM | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The first 27 of Papa Charlie Jackson's recorded works is, on about ten counts, one of the most important blues documents you can find, dating all the way back to August of 1924, before there was even electrical recording or a true definition to "blues." Indeed, the popular highlight is a dance number called "Shake That Thing," which fairly overwhelmed a lot of Jackson's truer blues records with its beat. The opening number, "Papa's Lawdy Lawdy Blues," shows a kind of formative blues, with it and its B-side "Airy Man (aka "Hairy Man") Blues" closer in spirit to comic novelty numbers. The hybrid banjo-guitar that Jackson played was an absolute necessity on these and his other early records, for it was more audible than any guitar of the era would have been, and serves to keep a beat as well as provide full accompaniment. "Salt Lake City Blues" is closer to our modern definition of blues, a romantic lament that's as honest and cheerful as it is sexist. Jackson's first version of "Salty Dog Blues" is here, along with what is probably the earliest reference to Chicago's outdoor blues Mecca in "Maxwell Street Blues," dating from September of 1925. Other topical references to the future blues capital city can be heard in "Jackson's Blues," dealing with a local politician, and also worth checking out in that regard is "Mama Don't Allow It," telling of a country girl's descent into prostitution after coming to the big city. Also here is one of the earliest known source records for Willie Dixon's composition "Spoonful," tentitled "All I Want Is a Spoonful" (though anyone only familiar with the versions by Cream won't really recognize it), and a primordial incarnation of "I'm Alabama Bound" (later immortalized by Leadbelly). The audio quality is amazingly good throughout this disc (the only big exceptions, unfortunately, being the two duets with Ida Cox and the two takes of "Texas Blues," which are really in rough shape), and the sessionography and annotation are reasonably thorough, given how little we actually know about Jackson. Bruce Eder

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. As the first solo, self-accompanied male blues singer to be a record star, Papa Charlie Jackson paved the way for the likes of Blind Blake and Blind Lemon Jefferson on his own label, and for all their successors; but his music was from a different tradition. For one thing, he generally played the banjo-guitar, a hybrid instrument whose six strings were tuned and fingered like a guitar’s, but whose banjo body gave it a light, staccato sound. For another, Jackson’s songs were those of a vaudeville entertainer, with a background in tent, theatre and medicine shows. Airy Man Blues (correctly “Hairy Man Blues”) contains the first of his many references to Chicago landmarks, in this case State Street. Salt Lake City Blues, by Gertrude Davis, was a mildly daring joke at the expense of the Mormons, not known for their tolerance of blacks. Its flipside, Salty Dog Blues, was that song’s debut on disc, and its sales established Papa Charlie Jackson as a star. Takes 1, 2 and 3 are variously shown in the wax of surviving copies, though they are in fact identical, like all “alternate” takes that could be examined for this album, suggesting that repressing from the original master is indicated, rather than the use of different takes. The Cats Got The Measles, credited to Murphy and Smiley, is largely a collection of traditional verses; its double entendre flipside, unrelated except in its opening line to the Clarence Williams composition later recorded by Bessie Smith, is a woman’s song, which Papa Charlie doesn’t bother to amend. Shave ‘Em Dry had been previously recorded by Ma Rainey, and was probably an attempt to generate further sales; Coffee Pot Blues, on the reverse, starts with traditional verses, but surprisingly becomes a murder ballad. By this time, Papa Charlie Jackson was a big enough name to be coupled in duet with Ida Cox, Paramount’s other female star alongside Ma Rainey, but it was with Shake That Thing that his career really took off. This light-hearted dance tune was the forerunner of the late 20s hokum craze, was widely covered, and is part of the blues to this day: “Old Uncle Jack, the jelly roll king” gave his name to Frank Frost‘s band. When Paramount produced a two-part promotional record in 1929, featuring brief performances by their stars, Papa Charlie Jackson and Shake That Thing opened and closed the Hometown Skiffle. The Faking Blues, on the reverse of Shake That Thing, is largely made up of traditional verses, and uses “faking” as an intensifier, rather like “mamlish” in other contexts. I’m Alabama Bound and Drop That Sack feature two banjos, the unknown duettist often drowning out Jackson’s playing with his excellent flatpicking; to hear that there are, indeed, two banjos, listen to the break just before the last verse of Drop That Sack, where Jackson’s characteristic fast bass runs come through clearly. Alabama Bound is, again, the song’s debut on record. The 12-bar Hot Papa Blues was backed with the cheerful eight-bar insult song Mama Don’t You Think I Know?. Similarly, the traditional Take Me Back Blues was coupled with a remarkable rewrite of the jazz warhorse Mama Don’t Allow, which turns the song into a tale of a country girl coming to town and being entrapped by a pimp. This topic continues on Maxwell Street Blues, as Jackson asks the desk sergeant to release his girl, arrested for soliciting at the famous Sunday market. That song’s reverse was yet another first recording of a famous song, All I Want Is A Spoonful, like Salty Dog an obscurely sexual lyric. Paul Carter‘s I’m Going Where The Chilly Winds Don’t Blow, on the other hand, was an original lyric in an unusual 12- bar verse plus 16-bar chorus format, and has affinities with hillbilly music (compare Earl Johnson‘s All Night Long). On Texas Blues, Jackson plays guitar, although he achieves an unusual sound, allegedly by using a banjo g’ string, an octave higher than the guitar’s normal third string. Intriguingly, Jackson’s Blues features a piano walking bass on guitar; equally intriguing is its lyric, praising the ability of a Chicago ward heeler, coincidentally named Palmer Jackson, to get people out of jail and look after their rights (a sadly rare word in blues). DOCD-5087
Tracklist :
1    Charlie Jackson –    Papa's Lawdy Lawdy Blues 2:32
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
2    Charlie Jackson –    Airy Man Blues 2:39
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
3    Charlie Jackson –    Salt Lake City Blues 2:44
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
4    Charlie Jackson –    Salty Dog Blues 3:03
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
5    Charlie Jackson –    The Cats Got The Measles 2:57
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
6    Charlie Jackson–    I Got What It Takes But It Breaks My Heart To Give It Away 3:02
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
7    Charlie Jackson –    Shave 'Em Dry 2:40
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
8    Charlie Jackson –    Coffee Pot Blues 2:15
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
9    Ida Cox And Papa Charlie Jackson–    Mister Man -- Part I 2:56
Vocals [vocal duet] – Ida Cox
Vocals [vocal duet], Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
10    Ida Cox And Papa Charlie Jackson–    Mister Man -- Part II 2:43
Vocals [vocal duet] – Ida Cox
Vocals [vocal duet], Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
11    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Shake That Thing 2:57
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
12    Papa Charlie Jackson–    The Faking Blues 2:36
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
13    Charlie Jackson –    I'm Alabama Bound 3:01
Banjo [2nd bj.] – Unknown Artist
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
14    Charlie Jackson –    Drop That Sack 2:28
Banjo [2nd bj.] – Unknown Artist
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
15    Charlie Jackson –    Hot Papa Blues 2:44
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
16    Charlie Jackson –    Take Me Back Blues 3:03
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
17    Charlie Jackson –    Mama Don't Allow It (And She Ain't Gonna Have It Here) 2:50
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
18    Charlie Jackson –    Mama, Don't You Think I Know? 2:49
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
19    Ida Cox–    How Long Daddy, How Long?
Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
Vocals – Ida Cox
20    Charlie Jackson –    Maxwell Street Blues 2:45
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
21    Charlie Jackson –    All I Want Is A Spoonful 2:38
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
22    Charlie Jackson –    I'm Going Where The Chilly Winds Don't Blow 3:22
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
23    Charlie Jackson –    Texas Blues (Take 1) 2;38
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
24    Charlie Jackson –    Texas Blues (Take 2) 2:51
Vocals, Guitar – Papa Charlie Jackson
25    Papa Charlie Jackson–    I'm Tired Of Fooling Around With You 2:39
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson
26    Papa Charlie Jackson–    Jackson's Blues 2:48
Vocals, Guitar – Papa Charlie Jackson
27    Charlie Jackson –    Let's Get Along 2:36
Vocals, Banjo – Papa Charlie Jackson