Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers with Noah Lewis, Hosea Woods & Elijah Avery

2011-07-17T19:51:54Z

Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers with Noah Lewis, Hosea Woods & Elijah Avery (1928)


1. Minglewood Blues - 3:47
2. Big Railroad Blues - 3:19
3. Madison Street Rag - 3:15		play
4. Springdale Blues - 3:08
5. Ripley Blues - 3:03
6. Pig Ankle Strut - 3:04
7. Noah's Blues - 2:54
8. Hollywood Rag - 3:04
9. Heart Breakin' Blues - 3:06
10. Feather Bed - 3:13
11. Cairo Rag - 2:59
12. Bugle Call Rag - 3:03
13. Viola Lee Blues - 3:07
14. Riley's Wagon - 2:58
15. Last Chance Blues - 3:17
16. Tired Chicken Blues - 2:55
17. Going To Germany - 2:34
18. Walk Right In - 2:58
19. Mule Get Up In The Alley - 2:49
20. Rooster's Crowing Blues, The - 3:02
21. Jonestown Blues - 2:5022. Pretty Mama Blues - 2:42		play
23. Bring It With You When You Come - 2:47
24. Wolf River Blues - 2:39
25. Money Never Runs Out - 2:50
26. Prison Wall Blues - 2:37

Gus Cannon - banjo, jug, vocal, whistle
Ashley Thompson - guitar, vocal
Noah Lewis - harmonica
Elijah Avery - banjo, guitar
Hosea Woods - guitar, vocal, kazoo

A remarkable musician (he could play five-string banjo and jug simultaneously!), Gus Cannon bridged the gap between early blues and the minstrel and folk styles which preceded it. His band of the '20s and '30s, Cannon's Jug Stompers, represents the apogee of jug band style. Songs they recorded, notably the raggy "Walk Right In," were staples of the folk repertoire decades later; and Cannon himself continued to record and perform into the 1970s.

Self-taught on an instrument made from a frying pan and a raccoon skin, he learned early repertoire in the 1890s from older musicians, notably Mississipian Alec Lee. The early 1900s found him playing around Memphis with songster Jim Jackson and forming a partnership with Noah Lewis whose harmonica wizardry would be basic to the Jug Stompers sound. In 1914, Cannon began work with a succession of medicine shows which would continue into the 1940s, and where he further developed his style and repertoire.

His recording career began with Paramount sessions in 1927. He continued to record into the '30s as a soloist and with his incredible trio which included Noah Lewis along with guitarists Hosea Wood or Ashley Thompson. (Side projects included duets with Blind Blake and the first ever recordings of slide banjo!) Often obliged to find employment in other fields than music, Cannon continued to play anyway, mostly around Memphis. He resumed his stalled recording efforts in 1956 with sessions for Folkways. Subsequent sessions paired him with other Memphis survivors like Furry Lewis. Advancing age curtailed his activities in the '70s, but he still played the occasional cameo, sometimes from a wheelchair, until shortly before his death. --- Steve James, allmusic.com

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Cannon's Jug Stompers - The Best Of Cannon's Jug Stompers (2001)

2010-12-29T11:42:01Z

Cannon's Jug Stompers - The Best Of Cannon's Jug Stompers (2001)


1.	Feather Bed
2.	Last Chance Blues
3.	Big Railroad Blues
4.	Going to Germany
5.	Minglewood Blues               play
6.	Mule Get up in the Alley
7.	Viola Lee Blues
8.	Walk Right In
9.	Noah's Blues
10.	Wolf River Blues
11.	Riley's Wagon
12.	Madison Street Rag             play
13.	Bring It With You When You Come
14.	Rooster's Crowing Blues, The
15.	Pig Ankle Strut
16.	My Money Never Runs Out
17.	Heart Breakin' Blues
18.	Springdale Blues
19.	Jonestown Blues
20.	Prison Wall Blues
21.	Ripley Blues
22.	Tired Chicken Blues
23.	Pretty Mama Blues

Musicians:
Gus Cannon & His Jug Stompers, Noah Lewis, Ashley Thomson

When listening to blues singers from another era, many are turned off by the music's rustic simplicity. Just a guy or gal with a guitar, singing in a whiny voice. Compared to your average country-blues singer, a band like Cannon's Jug Stompers is downright accessible. Equipped with a guitar, banjo, harmonica, and, of course, a jug, these folks were bona fide noise makers. If the listener happens to be a Deadhead, he or she will be familiar with songs like "Minglewood Blues," "Viola Lee Blues," and "Big Railroad Blues." As one can also divine from the song titles, banjoist Gus Cannon, harmonica player Noah Lewis, and a number of bandmates stick close to the blues. There's a relaxed laziness to pieces like "Wolf River Blues" and "The Rooster's Crowing Blues" that separate the group from noisier, more boisterous bands like the Skillet Lickers. There's a great version of "Walk Right In," a song that became a big hit for the Rooftop Singers in 1963. A disclaimer on the back of the CD case mentions that it is impossible to completely clean up these old recordings. Nonetheless, considering the 70-75-year-old records Yazoo had to work with, the end product sounds pretty darn good. The liner notes include a nice long essay on the history of the band by Don Kent. The Best of Cannon's Jug Stompers delivers 70 minutes of traditional jug band music, offering a fine introduction to both the band and the musical style. In other words, it's a classic. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., AllMusic Review

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