Blues Odyssey

A Journey To The Heart and Soul

Here's a slightly different, but very related route, pointed out by one of us here at the esteemed and hard working

Folk Roots, New Routes, and missed by the other ....... we can see who the navigator is here, can't we?...... We're using, as our guide book,

Bill Wyman's incredible book and the companion CD, Blues Odyssey, exploring the roots of the blues, from the delta of the Mississippi to the streets of Chicago, with diversions to view the blues scene in Britain and Canada. It's traditional, it's contemporary, very much the same sort of route as our explorations of British Traditional folk, but above all, though, it's The Blues.......Read the brief description below, just to really get your bearings, and then let's be on our way....

"Bill Wyman's personal tribute to the music and musicians that inspired him to pick up a bass guitar and become a founder member of the "Greatest Rock'n'Roll Band in the World". The Rolling Stones.

Features previously unpublished photographs from Bill Wymans's personal archive and exclusive interviews with top Blues artists such as B.B. King and the men like Sam Phillips who shaped the history of the music.
Atmospheric location photography and beautifully crafted maps evoke the heat and hardships of life in the Mississippi Delta and the Deep South, as well as the vibrant nightlife of the cities in the north."

There's Always An Inspiration

Bill Wyman

And this is the man who provided the inspiration for this, the Blues Odyssey page. Bill Wyman, long time bass player for The Rolling Stones, and now leading his own aggragate of incredible musicians, including, Gary Brooker, late of Procol Harum,and that guitarist of guitarists, Albert Lee,

The Rhythm Kings To quote Bill Wyman..."the project is an opportunity for me to acknowledge my debt to the blues artists who so influenced the Stones and other rock 'n' roll bands." The list of the influenced is endless, some of them, and we're sure you'll recognize the names, are listed on the right handside of the this page. Bill, a huge round of thanks, for doing this monumental work of art, in bringing yet another generation to look and listen to the blues artists, who started it all, and the standard bearers who carried on the tradition.....

The Tracks On The Album

MAMIE SMITH, vocal; accompanied by Tom Morris, cornet; Charlie Irvis, trombone; Bob Fuller, clarinet; probably Mike Jackson or J.C. Johnson, piano; Buddy Christian, banjo.
Goin' Crazy With The Blues
(Unidentified) Copyright Control
New York City. Friday, 27 August 1926

BESSIE SMITH, vocal. Accompanied by James P. Johnson, piano.
Lock And Key
(Unidentified) Copyright Control
New York City. Friday, 1 April 1927

CHARLIE JACKSON, vocal & banjo.
All I Want Is A Spoonful
(Jackson) Universal/MCA
Chicago, Illinois. c. September 1925

BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON, vocal & guitar.
Match Box Blues
(Jefferson) Copyright Control
Georgia. Monday, 14 March 1927

LUKE JORDAN, vocal & guitar.
Church Bells Blues
(Unidentified) Copyright Control
Charlotte, North Carolina. Tuesday, 16 August 1927

BLIND BLAKE, guitar solo & speech.
Southern Rag
(Blake) Copyright Control
Chicago, Illinois. c. October 1927

FRANK STOKES, vocal & guitar; unknown second guitar.
What's The Matter Blues
(Stokes) Peer Music
Memphis Auditorium, Memphis, Tennessee. Wednesday 1st February 1928

MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT, vocal & guitar.
Stack O'Lee Blues
(Trad., Arr. Hurt) EMI Longtitude
New York City. Friday, 28 December 1928

PINE TOP SMITH, piano solo & speech.
Pine Top's Boogie Woogie
(Smith) Melrose Music
Chicago, Illinois. Saturday, 29 December 1928

MONTANA TAYLOR, piano solo
Indiana Avenue Stomp
(Taylor) State Street Music
Chicago, Illinois. Tuesday, 23 April 1929
Birtha Chippie Hill but after a few sessions he faded from view. Indiana Avenue Stomp shows off Montana's brilliant Boogie Woogie playing to maximum effect.

TAMPA RED & GEORGIA TOM, vocal duet. Tampa Red, guitar; Georgia Tom, piano.
The Duck Yas-Yas-Yas
(Whittaker) Copyright Control
Chicago, Illinois. Monday, 13 May 1929

CHARLIE PATTON, vocal & guitar.
Shake It And Break It (But Don't Let It Fall Mama)
(Patton) Kranner Uwe Musicverlag
Richmond, Indiana. Friday 14 June 1929

FRANKIE 'HALF PINT' JAXON, vocal; Thomas Dorsey, piano, 2nd vocal; Tampa Red, guitar; Bill Johnson, double bass; Jasper Taylor, washboard.
Come on Mama, Do That Dance
(Unidentified) Copyright Control
Chicago, Illinois. Thursday 9 July 1929

JESSE ("BABYFACE") THOMAS, vocal & guitar.
Blue Goose Blues
(Thomas) Peer Music
Texas. Saturday, 10 August 1929

SPECKLED RED, vocal & piano
The Dirty Dozen
(Perryman/Williams) MCA Music/State sTreet Music
Memphis, Tennessee, Sunday, 22 September 1929

BLIND WILLIE WALKER, vocal & guitar; Sam Brooks, second guitar.
South Carolina Rag
(Walker) Copyright Control
Atlanta, Georgia. Saturday, 6 December 1930*

BO CARTER, vocal & guitar.
Pussy Cat Blues
(Unidentified) Copyright Control
New York City. Thursday, 4 June 1931

BLIND WILLIE McTELL, vocal & guitar; Ruby Glaze, speech.
Searching The Desert For The Blues
(McTell) Peer Music
Atlanta, Georgia. Monday, 22 February 1932

JOE PULLUM, vocal; accompanied by Robert Cooper, piano.
Cows, See That Train Comin'
(Pullum) Peer Music
San Antonio, Texas. Tuesday, 3 April 1934

ROB COOPER, piano solo.
West Dallas Drag
(Hearn) Peer music
San Antonio, Texas. Tuesday, 3 April 1934.

BUMBLE BEE SLIM, vocal; accompanied by Myrtle Jenkins, piano.
Ramblin' With That Woman
(Easton) Wabash Music
Chicago, Illinois. Wednesday, 5 May 1936

CASEY BILL, vocal & guitar; prob. Black Bob, piano ; unknown, string bass.
W.P.A. Blues
(Weldon/Melrose) MCA Music
Chicago, Illinois. Wednesday, 12 February 1936

MEADE LUX LEWIS, piano solo.
Honky Tonk Train Blues
(Lewis) Shapiro-Bernstein)
Chicago, Illinois. Thursday, 7 March 1937

ROBERT JOHNSON, vocal & guitar.
Terraplane Blues
(Johnsaon) King Of Spades Music)
San Antonio, Texas. Monday, 23 November 1936

WALTER (COWBOY) WASHINGTON, vocal; accompanied by Andy Boy, piano.
Ice Pick Mama
(Washington) Copyright Control
San Antonio, Texas. Wednesday, 24 February 1937

BLACK BOY SHINE, vocal, piano
(Holiday) Copyright Control
Gamblin' Jinx Blues
Dallas, Texas, Tuesday 15 June 1937

PEETIE WHEATSTRAW, vocal & piano; unknown, guitar; unknown, string bass.
Peetie Wheatstraw Stomp
(Bunch) State Street Music
Chicago, Illinois. Friday, 26 March 1937

BIG BILL, vocal & guitar; Blind John Davis, piano; Bill Settles, string bass.
Good Boy
(Unidentified) Copyright Control
Chicago, Illinois. Thursday, 21 October 1937

GEORGIA WHITE, vocal; accompanied by Richard M. Jones, piano; Lonnie Johnson, guitar; unknown, drums.
Alley Boogie
(Bogan/White) MCA Music
Chicago, Illinois. Tuesday, 9 November 1937

BLIND BOY FULLER, vocal & guitar.
Meat Shakin' Woman
(Unidentified) Copyright Control
New York City. Wednesday 6 April 1938

COW COW DAVENPORT, vocal; accompanied by Joe Bishop, flugelhorn; Sam Price, piano; Teddy Bunn, guitar; Richard Fullbright, string bass.
Railroad Blues
(Davenport) State Street music
New York City. Wednesday, 12 May 1938

SLEEPY JOHN ESTES, vocal & guitar; Son Bonds or Charlie Pickett, second guitar.
Special Agent (Railroad Police Blues)
(Estes) MCA Northern Music
New York City. Friday, 22 April 1938

JOE TURNER, vocal; accompanied by Pete Johnson, piano.
Roll 'Em Pete
(Johnson/Turner) MCA
New York City. Friday, 30 December 1938

LONNIE JOHNSON, vocal & guitar; Josh Altheimer, piano.
Jersey Belle Blues
(Wabash Music)
Chicago, Illinois. Thursday, 2 November 1939

TOMMY McCLENNAN, vocal & guitar.
Brown Skin Girl
(Unidentified) Copyright Control
Chicago, Illinois. Wednesday, 22 November 1939

MEMPHIS SLIM, vocal & piano; Leroy Batchelor, string bass.
Beer Drinking Woman
(Unidentified) Copyright Control
Chicago, Illinois. Wednesday, 30 October 1940

MEMPHIS MINNIE, vocal & guitar; Little Son Joe, guitar; probably Alfred Elkins, string bass.
Me And My Chauffeur Blues
(Douglas) Copyright Control
Chicago, Illinois. Wednesday, 21 May 1941

JOE WILLIAMS, vocal & guitar; Sonny Boy Williamson, harmonica; Alfred Elkins, bass.
Baby Please Don't Go
(Williams) Leeds Music
Chicago, Illinois. 12 December 1941

PETE JOHNSON, piano solo.
Dive Bomber
(Unidentified) Copyright Control
New York City. Thursday, 17 February 1944

SONNY TERRY & BROWNIE McGHEE, Brownie McGhee vocal, guitar; Sonny Terry, harmonica
Carolina Blues
(McGhee) Screen Gems-EMI Music
New York City. 12 December 1944

BIG MACEO, vocal & piano; Tampa Red, guitar; Melvin Draper, drums.
Kid Man Blues
(Merriweather) Wabash Music
Chicago, Illinois. Monday, 26 February 1945

JOHN LEE HOOKER, vocal & guitar.
Boogie Chillen
(Hooker/Besman) Careers BMG Music/Venice Music
Detroit, Michigan. November 1948

MUDDY WATERS, vocal & guitar; Leroy foster, guitar; Big Crawford, bass.
You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Dead And Gone)
(Waters) Watertoons
Chicago, Illinois. 30 November 1940

"LIL' SON" JACKSON, vocal & guitar.
Rockin' And Rollin'
(Jackson) United
Los Angeles, California. 16 December 1950

B.B. KING, vocal & guitar; Willie Mitchell, trumpet; Ben Brunch, tenor sax; Hank Crawford, alto sax; Ike Turner, piano; James Walker, bass; Ted Curry, drums.
3 O'Clock Blues
(King/Taub) Powerforce Music/BMG
Memphis, Tennessee. c 1951

ELMORE JAMES, vocal & guitar; Sonny Boy Williamson, Harmonica; Odie Johnson, bass; "Frock" O'Dell, drums.
Dust My Broom
(Johnson, Arr James) ARC Music/King Of Spades Music
Jackson, Mississippi. August 1951

* mp3 sound file available via the link

This Woman Sang The Blues

Jo Ann Kelly

Jo Ann Kelly was born on 5 January 1944, in Streatham, London. A white English girl who sang the blues, and whose voice was compared to the very best. Bonnie Raitt equated her with Mavis Staples; Memphis Minnie was said to be a big influence. As a schoolgirl she hung around a legendary record shop, Dave Carey’s Swing Shop in Streatham Hill; the other regulars included her brother Dave (later with the Blues Band) and Tony McPhee (later with the Goundhogs). When they first started playing guitars, Dave later said, ‘we thought we were the only people in the country playing country blues. We’d hang around waiting for records to come in by John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins and all the others.’ When she left school she announced her intention to become a professional folk singer, but was drawn irresistibly to the blues. A limited edition EP Blues & Gospel with McPhee was released ’64. She played with the early Yardbirds; she appeared on the bill of the first National Blues Federation Convention in London '68 alongside Davey Graham, Stefan Grossman, Ian Anderson (later the editor of Folk Roots), Champion Jack Dupree, Alexis Korner and others. At the next year's Convention, she performed with members of Canned Heat and they asked her to join them, but she signed to CBS '69, hailed as ‘Britain's answer to Janis Joplin, the sixties’ answer to Bessie Smith.’ Jo-Ann Kelly was released on Epic ’69 (reissued on Beat Goes On ’99): the British ‘blues boom’ was almost over, but she stayed close to the real thing. CBS sent her to the USA that year; she rehearsed with Johnny Winter and appeared on the same bill with her heroes Bukka White and Mississippi Fred McDowell at the Centenary Blues Festival in Memphis (the only British artist who was invited), and duetted with McDowell on his Standing At The Burial Ground, made live in London that year. But her promotion including a USA college tour was underfunded and left her exhausted.

Jo Ann Kelly died on 21 October 1990 from a brain tumour