BILL GAITHER — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 5 · 1940-1941 | DOCD-5255 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In 1940, blues guitarist Bill Gaither left Indianapolis and took himself back to Louisville, KY where he opened a music shop called Donald Duck Records out of which he ran a radio and jukebox repair service. He also ceased recording for the Decca label (for which he'd waxed about 90 sides beginning in 1935), crossing over to Okeh along with his buddy Big Bill Broonzy. This is the best explanation for why long, lanky Gaither suddenly began identifying himself as Little Bill Gaither -- out of deference to Big Bill. When he switched from Decca to Okeh, Gaither also stopped billing himself as Leroy's Buddy, a reference to his friendship with blues piano legend Leroy Carr. With the exception of an errant alternate take of "Rocky Mountain Blues," which appeared on the blues collection Too Late, Too Late, Vol.13, the fifth and final volume of Gaither's complete works as reissued by Document during the '90s, contains all of his remaining material, consisting of 26 recordings made for Okeh in the months immediately preceding the U.S. entry into WWII. The first eight titles were made on June 12, 1940 with pianist Joshua Altheimer and a string bassist whose name is now forgotten. In addition to several of his customarily bitchy tunes about soured interpersonal relationships (the most poignant example being "Money Kills Love"), Gaither tossed off a rocking boogie-woogie with boisterous lyrics entitled "Georgia Barrel House," a reverent tribute to his late friend Leroy Carr, and "Wandering Rosa Lee," a rare instance of Gaither expressing happiness in a love song. Rose Lee was a woman he'd met briefly in Louisville and had spent six years pining over and singing about. On January 24, 1941 Gaither cut another ten sides for Okeh, this time with pianist Leonard Caston (billed as Baby Doo) and another (or the same) unnamed bassist. Personnel listings for the last eight titles on this collection (which turned out to be Gaither's final recordings) mention pianist Blind John Davis and posit Jesse Ellery as the guitarist rather than Gaither. Louisville historian Pen Bogert notes the influence of Peetie Wheatstraw on Gaither during "Moonshine by the Keg," and the visceral immediacy inherent in his cover of Big Maceo's "Worried Life Blues," which was backed with a heartfelt tribute to New Orleans (and its hookers) in "Creole Queen." These selections were the product of a session that took place on November 28, 1941 nine days before Japanese fighter planes attacked Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Gaither received his conscription notice in 1942 and became a member of the African American 1st Battalion of the 24th Infantry Regiment, serving at first mainly as an electrician and radio repairman. When the racially segregated United States Army put Gaither's combat-ready unit to work in Guadalcanal, it was as manual laborers who did nothing more complicated or heroic than unloading freight. They were sent to Bougainville in the Solomon Islands in January 1944, first as stevedores and then as the first all-black infantry patrol to see active service in WWII. Pinned behind enemy lines, Gaither's unit battled their way through tropical undergrowth and across a river to relative safety. Soon afterwards, they were assigned to the island of Saipan where they engaged in the unenviable task of seeking out and apprehending Japanese soldiers who had yet to surrender. Although Gaither and the other survivors received the Combat Infantryman Badge, he came home completely transformed by his wartime experiences, encumbered by a nervous condition that caused him to abandon music altogether. His story ends ingloriously with a remarriage, a return to Indianapolis in 1948, and years of innocuous employment as a maintenance worker and cafeteria busboy. Gaither passed away in Indianapolis on October 27, 1970 and is buried in New Crown Cemetery not far from the graves of Yank Rachell, Wes Montgomery, Scrapper Blackwell, and Leroy Carr. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1.        Tired Of Your Trifling Ways    2:42
2.        Life Of Leroy Carr    2:47
3.        Love Crying Blues    2:59
4.        Love Trifling Blues    2:53
5.        Georgia Barrel House    2:27
6.        Wandering Rosa Lee    2:53
7.        Money Kills Love    2:50
8.        It's Just A Woman's Way    2:52
9.        A Short Cut To The Grave    2:46
10.        I'm Behind The 8 Ball Now    2:33
11.        Moonshine By The Keg    2:45
12.        Why Is My Baby So Nice To Me    2:41
13.        Uncle Sam Called The Roll    2:39
14.        I Got So Many Women    2:42
15.        I Can Drink Muddy Water    2:35
16.        You Done Ranked Yourself With Me    2:38
17.        1941 Blues    2:42
18.        Jealous Woman Blues    2:43
19.        That Will Never Do    2:54
20.        Please Baby    2:40
21.        It's A Sad Story    2:53
22.        Old Rainy Day Blues    2:57
23.        Why Do You Tease Me So?    2:52
24.        Worried Life Blues    2:41
25.        Bad Luck Child's Bequest    3:00
26.        Creole Queen    2:51
Credits : 
Bass – Unknown Artist
Compilation Producer – Johnny Parth
Guitar [Poss./Or] – Bill Gaither (tracks: 19 to 26), Jessie Ellery (tracks: 19 to 26)
Guitar [Prob.] – Bill Gaither (tracks: 1 to 18)
Liner Notes – Pen Bogert
Piano – Baby Doo (Leonard Caston) (tracks: 9 to 18), Blind John Davis (tracks: 19 to 26)
Piano [Prob./Or] – Blind John Davis (tracks: 1 to 8), Joshua Altheimer (tracks: 1 to 8)
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Vocals – Bill Gaither

JAZZ GILLUM — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 4 • 1946-1949 | DOCD-5200 (1993) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

The fourth and final Document volume that reissues all of Jazz Gillum's recordings (other than his first two lost numbers and a later Lp) finds the singer and harmonica player performing in a style unchanged from the late 1930s even as the music world changed around him. He still sounded quite enthusiastic during this last batch of goodtime and lowdown blues, and the backup groups (with either Big Maceo, James Clark, Eddie Boyd or Bob Call on piano and the talented guitarist Willie Lacy being a major asset) are excellent. Highlights include "Roll Dem Bones," "You Got To Run Me Down," "Signifying Woman," "The Devil Blues" and "Gonna Be Some Shooting." Scott Yanow

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. After their session with Roosevelt Sykes, Jazz Gillum’s studio association with Big Bill Broonzy seems to have come to an end and in February 1946 he was working with the great Big Maceo Merriweather on piano, Baby Doo Caston on guitar and Alfred Elkins on bass. All that was missing from the classic bar-band line-up of the early fifties was the drummer and at his next session in September of the same year Gillum introduced Judge Riley to fill the gap. Given the largely conservative attitude of RCA Victor one can only speculate as to what Gillum was actually playing in the clubs at this time. In the studio he continued to use this basic line-up up until his last, unissued, session for Victor in 1950. By this time the second southern invasion, led by Muddy Waters, had taken place and the writing was on the wall for Gillum’s generation of blues singers. Some, like Tampa Red had the adaptability to try to move along with the new trend while others, led by Big Bill, took a deliberate backward step for the benefit of the white folklorists. Others still either retired or just fell on tough times. Jazz Gillum seems to have been one of the latter and was forced to find means to support himself and his family outside music. In an interview with Paul Oliver in 1959 Muddy Waters remarked that he hadn’t seen Jazz Gillum in ten years. His reputation, coupled with the increased white interest in blues led to his recording along with Memphis Slim for the Folkways Label in 1961. He later worked at the folk club The Fickle Pickle and was poised to take a role in the “boom” of the 1960s when his death came on March 29th 1966. Fulfilling the prophecy of one of his last Victor recordings that there was Gonna Be Some Shooting he was shot in the head during an argument and was dead by the time he arrived at hospital. For the tastes of today’s, white, blues fan Jazz Gillum was never one of the leading lights on the blues scene of the thirties and forties but neither was he one to be ignored. He sold a lot of records. Although his harmonica style became outdated as soon as John Lee Williamson appeared, it did add a touch of country to balance the random clarinets, saxophones and trumpets that were coming to dominate the blues of the late thirties. Jazz continued to move with the times himself and by the end of his career was working with drummers and electric guitarists while using his heavy voice to good effect on songs that were as often as not written by Washboard Sam. His main objective as a performer was to entertain and in that he certainly succeeded. DOCD-5200
Tracklist :
1        Fast Woman 3:12
Double Bass – Alfred Elkins
Guitar – Leonard Caston
Piano – Big Maceo Merriweather
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
2        All In All Blues 2:52
Double Bass – Alfred Elkins
Guitar – Leonard Caston
Piano – Big Maceo Merriweather
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
3        Keep On Sailing 2:43
Double Bass – Alfred Elkins
Guitar – Leonard Caston
Piano – Big Maceo Merriweather
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
4        Look On Yonder Wall 2:59
Double Bass – Alfred Elkins
Guitar – Leonard Caston
Piano – Big Maceo Merriweather
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
5        Long Razor Blues 2:51
Double Bass – Alfred Elkins
Guitar – Leonard Caston
Piano – Big Maceo Merriweather
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
6        I'm Gonna Train My Baby 2:59
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – James Clark
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
7        Roll Dem Bones 2:45
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – James Clark
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
8        Can't Trust Myself 2:56
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – James Clark
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
9        I'm Not The Lad 3:13
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – James Clark
Vocals – Jazz Gillum
10        The Blues What Am 2:34
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Eddie Boyd
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
11        Gonna Take My Rap 3:08
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Eddie Boyd
Vocals – Jazz Gillum
12        You Got To Run Me Down 2:29
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Eddie Boyd
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
13        Chauffer Blues 2:35
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Eddie Boyd
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
14        Hand Reader Blues 3:05
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
15        Country Woman Blues 2:59
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
16        You Should Give Some Away 3:01
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
17        Take A Little Walk With Me 3:01
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
18        What A Gal 3:08
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
19        Signifying Woman 2:45
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
20        The Devil Blues 2:50
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
21        Jazz Gillum's Blues 2:54
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Willie Lacey
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
22        Take One More Chance With Me 3:02
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Pete Franklin
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
23        Gonna Be Some Shooting 3:00
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Pete Franklin
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
24        Look What You Are Today 2:53
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Pete Franklin
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum
25        A Lie Is Dangerous 2:29
Double Bass – Ransom Knowling
Drums – Judge Riley
Guitar – Pete Franklin
Piano – Bob Call
Vocals, Harmonica – Jazz Gillum