The Original 1916 Hesitation Blues presented by Zefren

[LouisLeeKH]

Would you please upload a 720p or 1080p clip of this work?

Thanks !!!

[SatchmoSings]

The record is slipping on the turntable.

[OnkleGreifenklau]

I believe Handy's song is called Hesitating (rather than Hesitation) Blues.

[TroyOi]

Is that Jorma Kaukonen I hear playing in the background?

[FinalCurve]

@TroyOi heh :)

[Ripley44mag]

Ohhhhhh that's a sweet ragtime beat.

[MultiBert07]

I came to YouTube just a few weeks ago.

Who would have thought that one can actually learn here.

Thanks guys!

[5959512]

wtf am i doing here?

[DrGitpaws]

OK, This story gets more and more interesting the more I follow it. It turns out that the first composer that I could confirm as the author of "Hesitation Blues" was Art Gillham in 1915. His co-writers were Billy Smythe and Smythe's brother-in-law Scott Middleton

See: lwhisper.home.mindspring etc ( or Serch for Art Gillham)

Art Gillham never pressed the record, but his co-writer Billy Smythe did. Till now I never heard it. Thanks Zefrenm. Why do people attribute this to Rev Jim Davis?

[Zefrenm]

@DrGitpaws The Rev. Pressed a few records for ARC in the 30's and it's buget sales pushed him into stardom. These record sold at 35 cents when Victor's verison was selling at 75 cents when the record was taken out of the catolouge in 1925 i believe. If you were of limited means which would be preferable? Some of Victors masters were sold by ARC for Sears mostly country songs of the Carter family.

[DrGitpaws]

@Zefrenm Yeah, I would have appreciated that cost difference! I caught one video of Rev. Gary Davis doing 11 minutes of Hesitation Blues which was a long, rambling shaggy dog story about getting it on (if it ain't about booze its about sex...). "Ain't no chauffeur, ain't no chauffeur's son, but I can drive you, til your chauffeur comes..." Its on YouTube. You can almost hear the cigarette hanging out of his mouth - all mumbles. I guess this is where Jorma got his lyrics for (Hot Tuna).

[ThePeaceableKingdom]

@DrGitpaws Perhaps I misunderstood you, but Art Gillham did record Hesitation Blues, though not until many years after the record Zefrenm presented here. It's Columbia 343-D (1925) unless I'm misinformed...

[olafbigandglad]

@DrGitpaws that's rev. GARY davis.

[ThePeaceableKingdom]

Unrecognizable as Hesitation Blues until 45 seconds in when anyone familiar with Al Bernard's 1919 recording will catch the melody. This is very cool, and the earliest version of HB I've ever heard. Thanks very much.

P.S. The fox trot isn't an animal dance like the others mentioned. It was named after its creator Harry Fox, not the beast.

[MultiBert07]

@ThePeaceableKingdom I agree!

[newgreatyear]

wow. spectacular. There is some history in music way beyond today. More satisfying and don't have to stuff one's face with crap from frustration. Wow. Just fucking wow.

[patoman881]

Sounds very CLEAN:-)

[CraiggerWhite]

swumtalnbout!!!!

[zo2imus]

I tried to correlate W. C. Handy's published sheet-music of "Hesitation Blues" with this music and I found no correlation. Is this "Hesitation Blues" by somebody else?

[Zefrenm]

Hesitation Blues One Step By Billy Smythe. The Tune was well known blues tune before Billy, and Handy penned thier own verisons.

[pantsmatants]

A far cry from Hot Tuna's rendition! Thanks for sharing.

[LoyalTideFan]

Whatever happened to the tuba in popular music? Very nice recording. Thanks for posting. Complete with staring at the record going round and round and round and round and....

[vicbiver]

interesting how guitar transcriptions follow this.

[otterhouse]

Very, very nice record. Gave the link on twitter.......

"otterhouse" rolf

[reikiangel24]

PRETTY cool!!  (o;

[Stompy23]

This is a real gem. One of the very best brass band renditions of the period, and, though quite bluesy already, one of my favorite records of the Ragtime era. Thank you for posting this. What about uploading the flip side (Kansas City Blues)? It is comparably good!

[Hanzi89]

As always, an interesting read and vid, thank you Zefren!