Crazy Blues Tribute Mamie Smith 1920 ♪♫

[chevy985]

Damn this is some head banging shit

[Eddiespageddie]

thanks my fellow harp man

[MixedUpMeows]

the first blues song ever recorded. I should use this for my school project

[quinoacat]

not the 1st ever recorded....the first "official" recording of a Black Woman singing the Blues with an all white professional band...

[KawhackitaRag]

all white ??? Willie "The Lion" Smith was on piano for this date.

For later sessions, Mamie used Everett Robbins, who could play really funky and is one of my favorite pianists.

[quinoacat]

Thank you...I stand corrected...."mostly white"...

[KawhackitaRag]

Please enlighten me... where did you read that the band on the 1920 "Crazy Blues" recording is an all- or mosty-white band?

As I understand it, they were the exact band shown at 0:23 in your video which consisted (in the photo) of Ernest Elliot, clarinet; Ward "Dope" Andrews, trombone; Addington Major, cornet; Leroy Parker, violin; and Willie "The Lion" Smith on piano.

[KawhackitaRag]

Here's some of what Willie "The Lion" Smith himself had to say about the session, courtesy of his autobiography, "Music On My Mind" (Da Capo Press/Doubleday, 1964/1978), pages 103-104: "So one night between sets at Leroy's [club] I took a trip over to Digg's Cafe and gave Mamie a listen. She was O.K. When I talked to her she told me she had two Perry Bradford blues songs she wanted to record. [...] As I remember it now, Mamie and I went down to an old-fashioned studio and performed some [...]

[KawhackitaRag]

[...] selections for Ralph Peer, the guy in charge at Okeh, and he told us to get a band together. The band I organized for the deal included Addington Major on cornet; Ward (Dope) Andrews, an uncle of the famous trumpeter Charlie Shavers, on trombone; Ernest (Sticky) Elliott, a Clef Club musician I taught how to jazz it on clarinet [...]; and to round out the group we had violinist Leroy Parker. In those days they couldn't record drums or bass fiddle, so we didn't bother to use them. [...]

[KawhackitaRag]

[...] We decided to call the unit The Jazz Hounds and it became a famous name for the bands working for Mamie Smith. The day, in August 1920, we went to make the sides there was only Mamie, Ralph Peer, myself, and the band in the studio. I can't recall that [Perry] Bradford was anywhere in sight. We waxed two tunes "Crazy Blues" and "It's Right Here for You" (If You Don't Get It, 'Tain't No Fault o' Mine). The former was a Bradford composition. [...]

[KawhackitaRag]

[...] I taught the bandsmen their parts from the piano sheet music given to me by Miss Smith. All stood, except the Lion, in front of a large megaphone-like horn and Mamie really let loose with her fine contralto voice. As I recall, we got twenty-five dollars apiece for the two sides, and we had to wait two months to get our money. In those days it didn't matter how long it took you to get the sides down satisfactorily - the money was always the same, regardless of the time, [...]

[KawhackitaRag]

[...] and no royalty deals. [Addington] Major, [Ernest] Elliott, and [Leroy] Parker are still alive [as of 1964] and will bear me out on the details of the first blues date. [Ward] Andrews, a man who loved his booze, died a few years later from tuberculosis. The side that took off like a prairie fire was "Crazy Blues." It was released in November 1920. In no time at all it was selling like hot cakes in Harlem. [...]

[KawhackitaRag]

[...] The tune was just an ordinary old blues strain that had been used in other songs. Mamie said she had first used it in a show called "Maid of Harlem" at the Lincoln Theater under the title of "Harlem Blues." James P. Johnson once claimed he used the same strain in his "Mama's and Papa's Blues," which he had composed back in 1916. Other pianists remembered that part of the melody came from an old bawdy song played in the sporting houses, "Baby, Get that Towel Wet."

[KawhackitaRag]

OK, in the book, "Popular American recording pioneers, 1895-1925" by Tim Gracyk and Frank W. Hoffmann, page 154, we find this paragraph in a section about Fred W. Hager:

[KawhackitaRag]

"Hager supervised the August 10, 1920, Okeh session at which Mamie Smith recorded the influential "Crazy Blues," permitting black musicians to accompany the featured singer-the first time that had happened in the Okeh studio. Accompanied by Okeh house musicians, Smith had made her

Okeh debut in February with "That Thing Called Love" and "You Can't

Keep a Good Man Down."

I hope this clears things up!

[Jairox99]

This is the first mamie smith song i've really heard- She's Well good! She's so gorgeous as well in some of those pictures! She's not as fine a singer as bessie smith (my all time fave) but damn is she pretty! Not that it really makes a difference to me!! (Damn modern music- look what its done to me!)

Also, how come theres loads of pictures of Bessie smith in the video?? xx

[Jairox99]

Ha Ha ok im such a idiot i just read your info and now i get the bessie pics!!! :)

[pudding4me]

This is history

[quinoacat]

Monumental History. I was the first to post a video involving the song on Youtube and it was flagged as copyrighted but left live at UMG's permission; except it is only viewable in the USA. That is almost a monumental piece of history too.

[o1circle0]

@quinoacat how could it be flagged if it was recorded in the 20s?????

all music written be4 1922 is public domain in usa

[Bumpyjimbob]

wat up with the pig?

[quinoacat]

She is singing about a man acting like a pig? The picture of "moo shoo pork" seemed to fit the sound effect at that point in the song. The pictures and effects are my commentary on the song which is what I contend make the use of this old copyrighted song a case of 'Fair Use". UMG holds claim to this video's BG music but permits it to stay live to viewers in the U.S. only. They also receive the statistics on views from Youtube but I was not forced to swap the audio. Please read description.

[quinoacat]

Get it? Can't eat a bite.....feeling full like a pig....or pork does not even appeal to the appetite. It is a song called "Crazy Blues"....you are supposed to let the imagination run with it....I was trying to get creative....

[BringBackTheGood]

people if you like this kind music check out my site look at favs and look at all these great bands old and new ive discovered a lot of these and some ive known by heart so if your in the bandwagon to kill this shitty music that our generation made than check this page out

[MixedUpMeows]

you got that right. seriously? who listens to crank that soljah boy? bring this back and the world is fun

[BringBackTheGood]

help spread the message

[iaco4ever]

Hi!! Compliments for the beautiful video!! This is really one esteemed I render for Mamie Smith! 5/5 * I send you a great Hi! Pino

[RobinStrower]

5*

Outstanding vid again my friend. Always a pleasure watching your videos.

cheers,

Robin :o)

[DestroyerOfLies]

nice vid, loved it. Reminds me of paper moon. 5*****

[4Roomz]

5/5 Stars! I like your sound effects. The Clowns added a nice touch.

[wahwahwahwahwahwah]

Awesome Blues History tribute. This is interesting too the way UMG allows the use of this old nostalgic musical artifact under fair use as long as they get to monitor stats on it's views. Good Stuff. 5/5 Stars! You are getting interesting with your addition of sound effects. I loved your intro with the classic 'can't sleep because the clowns might eat me' theme. Very Creative.

[roflmao0000]

And Thank You wahwahwahwahwahwah for putting together a playlist of Bessie Mamie Smith The Empress of the Blues. This is a critical vintage milestone in the History of The Blues. Thanks go out to UMG for permitting this as Fair Usage. RIP Mamie Smith. 5/5 stars!

[quinoacat]

Mamie Smith paved the way for Bessie Smith. They are often confused as being very similar.

[bobbobato]

Heck, I often confuse them of being the same women...