Poor Little Me (Blues) - Player Piano Roll - Played by Jimmy Blythe

In his short, barely three decade life, James "Jimmy" Blythe left an indelible mark on music, and is particularly revered by piano roll collectors.

Born around 1901 in Kentucky, he moved as a teenager to Chicago and learnt piano from Clarence M. Jones. Around 1922 he joined the Columbia Music Roll Company of Chicago, and, together with friend Clarence Johnson produced hundreds of rolls for use in both player pianos and the orchestrated, coin-operated 'nickelodeon' instruments.

He is considered to have been one of the first Boogie Woogie stylists, and his own 'Chicago Stomp' is considered to be the first recorded example of the genre.

He died tragically young in 1931, a victim of epidemic meningitis.

This extremely rare roll may have been the first Blythe ever recorded, and is certainly the only one he made for the United States Music Roll Company of Chicago. It was released in October 1922 as #40874, so was probably recorded the month prior. This is around the same time the first Blythe performances appeared on the rival Columbia label. The US Company had a particularly strong policy of releasing rolls that were in 'singable' format, with repeated verses and choruses, so although Blythe's performance is constrained by their perimeters the pianistic style is still immediately, recognisably him.

I have arranged for this roll to be copied and will soon offer it for sale. If you're interested in a copy, please visit the order page at http://www.pianola.co.nz/reliance.html

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Player piano roll
• pianola
• player piano
• jimmy blythe
• james blythe
• blues
• Reliance
• 1920s

[Bumblebee38]

Could you pleae tell me whose pianist plays on US roll 43595 MOUNTAIN JACK BLUES composed by Sid HARRIS

This was not James Blythe although he recorded it with Ma Rainey in 1926 for Paramount records = Pm 12352( 3 different takes known )

THANKS in anticipation

[RelianceMusicRolls]

@Bumblebee38 - #43595 was issued in April 1926, and Harry Charles is credited as the artist. His other roll recording that month was 'I've Been A Fool About You - Blues". Hope this helps..

[JamesPriceJohnson]

how are you doing the roll like that? what program?

[RelianceMusicRolls]

@JamesPriceJohnson custom rollscanning utility software that loads the scanned piano roll image.

[05Toamasina1938]

@RelianceMusicRolls Thankyou very much indeed

[KawhackitaRag]

As far as I can tell, those two rolls are the only rolls released that credit "Harry Charles" as the performer, although I am far from done listing all of the Columbia and Capitol rolls, and it is possible he made some for them, too. Charles was friends with both Sid Harris (who made one piano roll for U.S. of his own "Jefferson County Blues") and also with Will Ezell (who made many records, but no credited piano rolls of which I'm aware), so it is possible one of these men made the rolls.

[KawhackitaRag]

@Bumblebee38 What is interesting is that Harry Charles Jr. didn't remember his dad as being much of a pianist or a musician at all, so it is entirely possible that he got his name put on compositions (and piano rolls) as part of a business transaction, much in the way that Tausha Hamed's name was put on the compositions of Willie "The Lion" Smith, despite having nothing to do with them! However, it is possible that the son is mistaken and that Charles played well enough to make the two rolls.

[KawhackitaRag]

@Bumblebee38 Harry Charles was a white (I think) piano salesman, occasional songwriter, and talent scout for Paramount Records. He was from Birmingham, Alabama and lived from 1900 to 1981. There is quite a lot about him on the web: you can read more about him in the article “I am not a spender, I am an investor!” posted on the "ParamountsHome" website, and he was interviewed by Gayle Dean Wardlow at least once. His son, Harry Charles, Jr., was also later interviewed about his father.

[Bumblebee38]

@RelianceMusicRolls

Thanks a lot my frrend

Never heard of Harry Charles , sorry

Was he a black pianist or another pseudonym for ???

May I ask you whether you may help me found a copy of RECUT Capitol roll A - 1958 with smashing Blythe's titles .

Is reliancemusicrolls a website or not ?

[05Toamasina1938]

@autopiano

You should ask ANDREW BARRETT about those US piano Rolls as He seems to know almost anything about the ROLLS

Thanks

[autopiano]

@05Toamasina1938 The roll was released in October 1922 by US, so was probably recorded in August or September. One of the images in my video above is the actual US monthly bulletin for October '22, where you can see 'Poor Little Me' listed. These US monthly bulletins, existing US catalogues, and prior research is what has led me to my conclusion it is the sole roll Blythe did for US.

[05Toamasina1938]

Typical Blythe's playing......but was 1922 the date of COPYRIGHT or the date of the recording itself ???????

How do you know that it was the only one he recordedf or this company ?