Veteran harp man pryor who claims to be the first to amplify his harmonica was still capable of some potent blues when he released this album in early 1999. Back to the country by johnny shines 19148439115 vinyl. Johnny shines and snooky pryor back to the country 1991 1. As a hardcore blues fan, and competent electric blues guitarist, i always tried to play country blues songs before. Born in lambert, mississippi on september 15, 1921, james edward pryor took up the harp at the age of 14 despite the objections of his minister father, copping licks from old sonny boy williamson 78s. Born september 15, 1921 in lambert, mississippi, james edward pryor began playing as a youth jimmy rogers was a childhood buddy. When interviewed by blues unlimited in 1980, snooky pryor said that scales actually discovered him on the near north sidefirst while playing outside his store with a guitarist named grey haired bill johnson, and then playing with moody jones and floyd jones in a nearby club on sedgwick. Blues history blues is an american heritage, and it should be noted as such. Snooky pryor created the amplified down home sound of postwar chicago blues. Rider snooky pryor telephone blues by from desktop or your mobile device. Buy johnny shiness album titled back to the country to enjoy in your home due to covid19, orders may be delayed. Dec 01, 2006 last month, the southern illinoisan notified readers of the death of 85yearold james edward snooky pryor of ullin. James edward pryor was born in lambert, mississippi and developed a delta blues style influenced by both sonny boy williamson i and sonny boy williamson ii. Johnny shines and snooky pryor back to the country 1991.
Distinctive harmonica player who returned to music late in life. Snooky pryor telephone blues boogie raising sand boogy fool im. During military service, snooky played bugle, and after blowing his calls through the pa at his camp, he would blow his harp too, making him an early exponent of electric harp. British blues fan mike leadbitter launched the magazine blues unlimited in 1963. Reunited four decades later in the texas hill country, they took the opposite tack with a set of acoustic, country blues that returned them to their roots in the mississippi delta.
James edward snooky pryor september 15, 1919 2 or 1921 october 18, 2006 was an american chicago blues harmonica player. When you play the blues on your harmonica, you use short sequences of notes called licks and riffs as building blocks for longer musical statements. Check out back to the country by johnny shines snooky pryor on amazon music. It may contain wrinkles, cracks, and possibly even tears due to its age and how it was handled before it got to us. His birth name is variously reported as john william henderson, james williams, or james williamson.
He developed a country blues style influenced by sonny boy williamson i john lee williamson and sonny boy. Blues music 128 books meet your next favorite book. He worked with his cousin, elmore james, and with sonny boy williamson ii. Snooky pryor music listen free on jango pictures, videos. Blues is a musical art form with its own distinct musical progressions and much more.
The best way to understand the blues is to visit our blues videos page and watch and listen to the. The problem was that, though i hit the right notes etc, i was approaching the right hand like a classical player. Grossman really teaches the best way to play country blues. Both riffs and licks usually emphasize the notes of the chord being played in the background. A musical and cultural history of the mississippi delta by robert palmer, escaping the delta. Snooky pryor and the country blues, an album by snooky pryor. Pierson boogie disease bd 1012 leroy piersons first one record label, 500 copies only. Homesick james april 30, 1910 december, 2006 was an american blues musician known for his mastery of the slide guitar.
With the help of john nicholas on guitar this recording will be a delight for any delta blues fan. Blues unlimited on apple books apple books apple apple. I cannot recommend this wonderful book highly enough. The recording was done with just moody jones, because at the time of the session floyd jones could. A pair of amazing allstar albums from chess records back to back on a single cd. Without selling many records, snooky pryors honkytonkin harmonica blues helped put the chicago sound on the map during the late 40s and 50s. Homesick james homesick james and snooky pryor vinyl.
James edward snooky pryor was an american chicago blues harmonica player. In his obituary for the guardian, tony russell wrote. The country and direct harmonica of snooky blending perfectly with the flexible slideguitar of homesick james. Stream adfree or purchase cds and mp3s now on amazon. Thomas rhett album, thomas rhett lyrics, thomas rhett tickets, thomas rett, new music, music mood, music hits, latest music, country music artists. Johnny shines and snooky pryor back to the country on 180g vinyl lp in the early 1950s, snooky pryor and johnny shines recorded sides for the j. Steve lavere postcard taken from the blues a book of postcards pomegranate artbooks 1989 stephen c. The show is a weekly one hour exploration of black. He claimed to have pioneered the nowcommon method of playing amplified harmonica by cupping a small microphone in his hands along with the harmonica, although on his earliest records in the late 1940s and early 50s he did not utilize this method. Born september 15, 1921 in lambert, mississippi, james edward pryor began playing as a youth jimmy rogers was a. Top oldtime country blues records mostly prewar blues. They come from different eras and include styles such as ragtimevaudeville, delta and country blues, and urban styles from chicago and the west coast. Robert wilkins was first recorded by victor in memphis in 1928.
Guitar and harmonica are usually used to play it beginning. He recorded covers of stones in my passway and homesick. Snooky pryor and johnny shines back to the country on. It was reprinted by da capo press in 1975 with minor edits, and a new. Johnny shines and snooky pryor back to the country 1991 written by bluesever tuesday, 30 march 2010 18.
Tooze and was recorded on october 18 and 19 1999 at liquid recording studio in toronto, ontario. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. Harmonica man snooky pryor rocks the house on blues cuts. The world is fast advancing in technology and every industry is embracing new ways of innovations and that includes the movie industry. Blues musicians are musical artists who are primarily recognized as writing, performing, and recording blues music. The ultimate collection from the delta to the big cities special first edition, and blues masters.
The music is mostly blues standards with a few shines and pryor originals thrown in for good measure. The book mentions that walter was perhaps watching a lot of john lee williamson and snooky pryor, two of the bigger names playing harp around town. Snooky pryor and the country blues barcode and other identifiers barcode scanned. Snooky pryor harmonica, vocals, writer, fred below drums, homesick james slide guitar, dave myers bass, mighty joe young rhythm guitar, al smith producer. Still going strong, hes finally received the recognition hes always deserved. Blues recently added lps, cds, vinyl record albums. In the last several decades, blues music has developed a less regional character and has been influenced by rhythm and blues.
The groundbreaking publication fueled the thennascent, nowlegendary blues revival that reclaimed seminal figures like son house and skip james from obscurity. Top oldtime country blues records mostly prewar blues the. Features special guest mel brown on guitar on 5 tracks. He enjoyed a revival with the folkblues festival tours of europe and after a second period of retirement, blind pig records lured him back into the studio in 1987. Back to the country by johnny shines snooky pryor on. Johnny shines and snooky pryor back to the country 180g. Snooky pryor discography this album shows snooky in his prime. Jul 08, 20 among these were planet with just three known releases and marvel with just two. Fiction and nonfiction books about blues music and blues musicians score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for. Back to the country chicago blues blues hdtracks the.
Snooky broke and hungry nine below zero judgment day why you want to do me like that it hurts me too look. If not quite the equal of men like little walter, sonny boy williamson, walter shakey horton or junior wells, he was none the less a player with a distinctive sound, and his contributions. In the early 1950s, johnny and snooky recorded sides for the j. Reunited four decades later in the texas hill country, they took the opposite approach with a set of acoustic, country blues that returned them to their roots in. Snooky pryor september 15, 1921 october 18, 2006 was an american chicago blues harmonica player. Blues musicians often emphasize the notes of the home chord the i chord, even.
Pryor interprets notably a very convincing it seem like a dream. Planet and marvel helped pioneer an electrified country blues style by releasing the firstever recordings by snooky and moody, johnny young, and floyd jones, all three acts becoming chicago blues legends. Chicago style digitally remastered licensed to youtube by the orchard music on behalf of essential media group. Pryor was a worldclass harmonica player, and his gruff, powerful vocals made. Leading blues label alligator records is the home of grammy nominated blues artists. Kicking off with a solo version of faye adams shake a hand its lyrics reworked heavily into the title track that owes a huge debt to idol sonny boy williamson ii, pryor settles into a comfortable groove with a tight little trio. His son richard rip lee pryor is also a blues musician. Acquista online cd e vinili da unampia selezione di blues contemporaneo. Snooky pryor crosstown blues parrot 807 i want you for myself parrot 807 little willie foster four day jump. Tlp 1012, us bass david myers drums fred below guitar louis myers, mighty joe young slide guitar homesick james. First up is two great guitars in which bo diddley and chuck berry come together in a really unique album for chess records in the 60s and thats saying a lot, given all the groundbreaking.
You are currently browsing the archives for the tag snooky pryor. Throughout its history, blues unlimited heightened the lit. The best of harmonica blues the best of harmonica cotton. Snooky pryor and the country blues 1997, cd discogs. One of the architects of modern chicago blues, vocalist and harp player pryor isnt. Pryors blues developed during a stint with the army, when stationed near chicago, jamming with the likes of sonny boy williamson and homesick james and playing on maxwell street. His 1991 album back to the country, made jointly with the singer and.
Back to the country by johnny shines snooky pryor on amazon. Hermes house band country roads by isntitironichhb. In 1991, johnny recorded back to the country with snooky pryor, johnnys first new recording in ten years. Pitch a boogie woogie if it takes me all night long seminal postwar chicago blues, an album by snooky pryor on spotify. Snooky pryor radio plays snooky pryor along with similar artists like. Rider snooky pryor telephone blues by thebluesmobile. Humming blues snooky pryor im getting tired going back on the road little son willis roll me over slow baby come back home lazy bill lucas and his blue rhythms she got me walkin i had a dream. Snooky pryor, mighty long time, and the country blues. The music is straightforward delta blues with shines on vocals and pryor on harmonica. Delta blues simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The blues means a lot of things to a lot of people. Tommy johnson and ishman bracey were recorded by victor in 1928. Snooky withdrew from the music scene for much of the 1960s and 1970s, but started playing and performing regularly in the 1980s. Alligator records genuine houserockin music since 1971.
During the 1950s, pryor regularly toured in the south. Snooky was sitting in with john lee williamson, and williamson suggested a hasty exit for his guest after pryor upstaged the veteran during a show at the purple cat, a popular chicago nightspot. Aug 17, 2015 snooky pryor was a true pioneer of the postwar blues sound. Even before little walter revolutionized the role of the harmonica on the postwar chicago blues scene with his astonishing solos, snooky pryor was amplifying his harp on maxwell street. The delta blues is one of the earliest types of blues music. It started in the mississippi delta a place in the us that goes from memphis to mississippi. His sound is a solid example of how country blues were urbanized. Snooky pryor biography, albums, streaming links allmusic. Music profile for snooky pryor, born 15 september 1921. The country blues is a seminal book by samuel charters, published in 1959 and generally acknowledged as the first scholarly booklength study of country blues music.
In the early 1950s, snooky pryor and johnny shines recorded sides for the j. Aug 17, 2017 from lp and the country blues 1973 today records. Snooky pryor, who has died aged 85, was the last of the group of harmonica players who distinguished the chicago blues scene of the 1940s and 50s. Mar 30, 2010 johnny shines and snooky pryor back to the country 1991 1.
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