1

1930

Index Golfer’s Blues – Alice Keating Howlett, Will Riverman - 2 Zonky Blues – Duke Ellington – Instr. - 4 Old Man Blues – Duke Ellington, Irving Mills - 5 St. Louis Ain’t Got the Blues –Lynn Cowan - 6 Banish the Budget Blues – Jack Lumsdaine - 7 Blue Again – Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields – 13-14 Deserted Blues – Claud Garner - 18 Fraternity Blues – Kay Kyser, Spencer Murphy - 19 Rabbit Foot Blues – Blind Lemon Jefferson - 22 Ring Out the Blues - E. Y. Harburg, Clay Gorney - 23 Those Hysterical Blues – Alono Hanagan, Harold Goodling - 27 That Too, Do Blues – Benny Moten, Eddie Durham, Count Basie - 28 Pontchartrain Blues – Jelly Roll Morton – instr. - 29 I’ll be Blue Thinking of You – Pete Wendling, George Whiting - 30 Brown’s Ferry Blues – Alton Delmore - 33 Forget the Blues – Alfred Jarvis - 35 Born to be Blue – Al Hoffman, Abner Silver, May Singh Breen - 39 Blues Before Sunrise – Leroy Carr - 43 Got Dem Blues – Wilbur Sweatman - 45 When a Black Man’s Blue – George Little, Art Sizemore & Ed Nelson - 46 Who’s Blue – Will Gould & Jimmy Rule - 47 Worried Man Blues – Traditional - 48 Alabama Bound – Ledbetter - 49 Backwater Blues – Bessie Smith - 50 Big Road Blues – Robert Johnson - 51 Catfish Blues – Muddy Waters - 52 Chicago Blues – Lonnie Johnson - 54 Crazy Blues – Perry Bradford - 55 Drunken Hearted Man – Robert Johnson - 57 Empty Bed Blues – Traditional - 58 Foolish Man Blues – Bessie Smith - 59 Gulf Coast Blues – Clarence Williams - 60 Hesitation Blues – Billy Smythe, J Scott Middleton - 61 In the House Blues – Bessie Smith - 62 Kindhearted Woman – Robert Johnson - 63 Love in Vain – Robert Johnson - 64 New Stranger Blues - Tampa Red - 65 Lonesome Home Blues – Tommy Johnson - 66

List of songs with the use of the word ‘Blues’ in the lyrics

Wasting My Love on You – Edgar Leslie & Harry Waren Dancing With Tears in My Eye – Al Dubin & Joe Burke 2

Golfer’s Blues – Alice Keating Howlett & Will Livernash

3

A-8+8, B-8, C-8, D.S-8

4

Zonky Blues – ‘Duke’ Ellington

A-12 (blues), B-16 (AABA)

5

Old Man Blues – ‘Duke’ Ellington & Irving Mills

A-16, B-8, C-10

6

St. Louis Ain’t Got the Blues - Lynn Cowan (1888-1973)

Cowan was born in Iowa Falls, Iowa and educated at Iowa State College with a degree in civil engineering Appeared in vaudeville and movies and wrote background music for sound films. He was in the Corp of Engineers in World War II as Lt. Col and received the Legion of Merit. He was a talented man being an actor, composer, pianist, director and singer.

A-8, B-16, D.S.-16 7

Banish the Budget Blues –Jack Lumsdaine

Jack Limsdaine (1895-1948 He received early training in piano and singing from his mother, a music teacher. He was a chorister when attending St. Andrew’s Cathedral school in Sydney, Australia and also studied piano and organ at the school. He was in the military service in World War I serving in France and while there was exposed to gas that harmed his health and voice. He was sent to England to work as a paymaster and unofficial entertainer for the troops. After marrying the couple returned to Australia and Limsdaine worked for a publishing house He was hired to influence public taste and advise companies on suitable music from overseas for publication. He toured theatres promoting these works in Australia and New Zealand. He also did work as a composer, arranger and performer on Australia’s vaudeville circuit. In 1926 he had a radio program called ‘Music while you wait on 2FC’. Listeners phoned in to suggest song titles. He then took the titles and created words and music and performed them within half an hour. His popular songs upheld popular myths about Australia and its way of life, about Towns, war, landscapes and domestic themes (as the tune ‘Banish the Budget Blues’) written about the policies of the Prime Minister.

Jack Limsdaine

8

9

10

11

12

Intro-4, A1-8, A2-8, B-8, C1-8, C2-8, D-8, E-8, F-8, D.C-(chorus)-16

13

Blue Again – Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields

Dorothy Fields Jimmy McHugh

14

Dorothy Fields – 1905-1974 Born in Allenhurst, New Jersey Fields was one of the most prolific and popular lyricist, her father was the famous vaudevillian Lew fields. She collaborated with most of the ‘big’ composers of her era – Jimmy McHugh, Fritz Kreisler, Sigmund Romberg, Morton Gould, Burton Lane, and Jerome Kern. She was the first woman to be in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She collaborated with Jimmy McHugh, in 1928, to write ‘I can’t give you anything but Love,’ a song appearing in the Broadway show ‘Blackbirds of 1928’. Other songs by Fields – ‘Diga, Diga Doo,’ ‘Sunny Side of the Street,’ and ‘Exactly Like You'. In 1930 in the show ‘Vanderbilt Revue‘, came the song ‘Blue Again’. In 1933 her song ‘Don’t Blame Me’ appeared in the film ‘Dancing Lady’. The film ’Every Night’ at eight featured the song ‘I’m in the Mood for Love’. She was the lyricist for Jerome Kern’s Oscar winning song. ’The Way You Look Tonight’ and the song ‘A Fine romance’. With Sigmund Romberg she wrote ‘Close as Pages in a Book’. One of her final hits was ’Hey big Spender’ With Cy Coleman.

A-8, B-8

15

16

17

Intro-8, A1-8, A2-8, B1-8, B2-8 18

Deserted Blues – Claud Wilton Garner (1891-1978)

A-8, B-8, C-16, D-8, E-12

19

Claud Garner (1891-1978) Born in Hope, Arkansas (I wonder if he knew Clinton) with 3 sisters and 1 brother. He graduated from Hop High School in 1906 at age 15 and entered Ouachita Baptist University (the Ouachita College) While in college he sang (a baritone) at a silent movie house. With his success there he did not return to college but joined the Jack Raymon traveling tent show. While in Mississippi he met and married Geraldine Blackmore in 1907. The money was not enough for a married man so the couple returned to Arkansas to work in his father’s mercantile store. He was an activist for the fruit growers and became a field man for the American Fruit Growers Assoc. in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Divorcing his first wife he married again in 1935 he became part owner of a 1,600 –acre orchard. He became interested in the Mexican aliens while there and this became the basis for his first novel ‘Wetback.’ Garner was a man of many talents and interest, Musician, composing a number of pieces, a merchant, an advocate for farmers, an avid hunter and a writer of fiction novels. 20

Fraternity Blues – Spencer Murphy & Kay Kyser

A1-8, A2-8, B-8

Kay Kyser Kollege of Musical Knowledge

21

Kay Kyser (1905-1985) Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, N.C. and attended the Univ. of North Carolina at chapel Hill, working his way through school by leading a student band. He was an avid fan of his University UNC. He formed his band at Chicago’s Blackhawk Restaurant and began in radio in 1933. I n1938 he hit the big time with his weekly musical quiz program ‘Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge. He dressed in a scholarly robe and was called ‘the old perfessor.’ Some of his ‘gang’ was ‘Ginny Simms and Merwyn A. Bogue, aka ‘Ish Kabibble.’ He and his band did a number of movies and were in a picture that included the only teaming of: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Peter Lorre. When he married Georgia Carroll he moved his show to TV and the featured singer was Mike Douglas (of TV talk show fame) His goal was to retire when he made a million bucks and did just that I 1950. He returned to Chapel Hill and was active in the Christian Science movement.

‘Ish Kabibble’ Mike Douglas Ginny Simms Kay Kyser 22

Rabbit Foot Blues – Blind Lemon Jefferson

14 bars 23

Ring Out the Blues - E Y Harburg & Clay Gorney

Jay Gorney

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Jay Gorney (1896-1990)

Gorney was born in Bialystok, Russia on Dec. 12, 1896. When only ten he can to the United States. He grew up and was educated in Detroit and earned several degrees on the University of Michigan. While in college he composed a number of student musicals. In the early 1920s he began writing musicals beginning with the ‘Greenwich village Follies’ in 1924. His first success was ‘What wouldn’t I do for That Man’ with lyrics by E Y Harburg. HelenMorgan recorded his song ‘Glorifying the American Girl’ and the song was recorded by the Frankie Trumbauer group and the ‘Charleston chasers’ that featured Phil napoleon, Miff Mole and a young Benny Goodman. Thee song he is remembered for is the classic ‘Brother can you Spare a Dime’. Gorney never equaled his fame for that song but continued to write popular songs. He died in New York City on June 14, 1990.

Harburg

25

Ring Out the Blues – E Y Harburb & Clay Gorney

A1-8, A2-8, B1-8, B2-8, DS al coda-16

E. Y. Harburg (Isidore Hochberg) (1898 -1981) Born in New York City, his nickname was ‘Yipsel’ (Yiddish for squirrel) because of his constant clowning and endless energy. He worked at various jobs while a youngster – he had a job of putting pickles in jars, selling newspapers, lighting street lamps along the docks of the East River. He attended an experimental school for talented children and graduated from City College of New York in 1921. He was a journalist in south America and co=proprietor of an elect4rical appliance company that closed after the 1929 stock market crash. His friend Gershwin, introduced him to a number of songwriters and he 26

ventured into becoming a lyricist with Jay Gorney (a former lawyer). Together they wrote the ‘theme song’ of the Depression – ‘Brother Can You share A Dime.’ During the next few decades he wrote music for movies and his song writers were big names in the profession (Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, Jules Styne, Burton Land and Vernon Duke). I don’t think that any one in the world does not know one of his lyrics. (Have you not seen the ‘Wizard of Oz.’) he wrote in most every field of music entertainment (popular songs, movie songs, and Broadway songs that included the score to ‘Finian’s Rainbow.’) He died in a car crash in 1981. Hit songs: the Oz songs (including ‘Over the Rainbow'), Finians Rainbow, including a favorite of mine ‘Look to the Rainbow’) ‘It’s Only a Paper Moon,’ ‘April in Paris,’ ‘Happiness is a thing Called Joe, and ‘I’m Yours’.

Jay Gurney (Abraham Jacob Gornetsky) - (1894-1990) Born in Bialystock, Russia (now part of Poland), he came to the U.S. after hiding then fled to the U.S. and graduated from the Univ. of Michigan and was a bandmaster in World War I. He wrote for the Greenwich Village Follies and many other revues on Broadway. After studying piano for 2 years at age 14 he was playing piano at a local nickelodeon. His time at Michigan was interrupted by World War I and he enlisted in the Navy. After graduating he practiced law for a brief time and decided to make music his career. He moved to New York with his wife and began his career in songwriting. He wrote songs for the Shubert brothers and when introduced to Yip Harburg by Ira Gershwin they began to write songs together. The partnership broke up when Harburg took up with Gorney’s wife (whom he later married). Gorney’s daughter (Karen Lynn Gorney) became an actress and played opposite of John Travolta in ‘Saturday Night Fever. He wrote music for Broadway and Hollywood and also produced for TV. Hit songs: ‘Brother Can You Spare a dime,’ based on a lullaby that Gorney learned as a child in Poland and dozens of other songs. In 1953 Gorney was subpoenaed by the House un-American Activities Committee and he declined to answer questions invoking both the 5th and 6th Amendments. Instead he serenaded the Committee with his original music version of the First Amendment, a song he named the 'Bill of Rights'. For this he was put on the blacklist fired from CBS-TV and lost his teaching position at Hunter College.

27

Those Hysterical Blues – Alonzo Hanagan & Harold Goodling

A-16, B-8, C-8, D-8

28

That Too, Do Blues – Benny Moten, Eddie Durham & Count Basie

A-12, B-12, C-8 29

Pontchartrain Blues – Ferd ‘Jelly Roll’ Morton

A-12, B-12

30

I’ll be Blue Thinking of You – Pete Wendling & George whiting

31

32

Intro-8, A1-8, A2-8, B1-8, B2-8 33

Brown’s Ferry Blues – Alton Delmore (Delmore Brothers- Rabon and Alton)

Rabon and Alton Delmore

Alton Delmore Alton & Rabon Melmore – (1908-1964, 1916-1952) Alton and Rabon were born in Elkmont, Alabama. The brothers were one of the most popular duet in their era and became very well=known recording artists. Their harmonic duet style was very unique and together they wrote hundreds of song. They are said to have laid a foundation for ‘rockabilly’ and early rock and roll. While performing in radio and recordings, 34

they were a staple on the ‘Grand Old Opey’ from 1932-1938. Their style had a strong bluesy feeling. The Delmores’ wee a strong influence on Merle Travis. In the late 1940s & 1950s they received a number of songs using the Boogie Woogie style (Freight Train Boogie – reaching #2 in the charts. In 1940 they had the number one country hit with ‘blues Stay Away from Me.’ The formed the Brown’s Ferry Quartet that included at one time, Grandpa Jones, Merle Travis and Red Foley. Their style was heavily influenced by blues. They introduced ‘Brown’s Ferry Blues’ in a fiddle contest in 1930/ Inn 1931 they recorded ‘I’ve got the K C Blues’ which became their theme song. The Delmore Band also at one time included Roy Acuff who they had discovered in an amateur audition. The song is in 8 bar sections and uses the blue note in 5 measures.

Brown’s Ferry Blues – notes from album Delmore Bros, Brown’s Ferry blues’ Country CD- 1995

IN 1930, the Delmores entered the annual old-time fiddler’s contest at Athens, the county seat, and won first prize. They almost lost to a group which sang a comical song, and the judges called both groups back several times before awarding the prize to Alton and Rabon. When they returned home that night Alton remarked that if the public wanted a funny song he would give them one. His contribution was ‘Brown’s Ferry blues.’ A song he named for the old ferry site near their home on the Tennessee River. This spot later became the site of the TVA’s Brown’s Ferry Nuclear Plant. The lyrics in the song had a novelty theme with dark overtones of hard times are in the lyrics.

A-8.B-8

35

Forget the Blues - Alfred Jarvis

36

37

38

Intro-8, A1-8, A2-8, B1-8, B2-8, C-8

39

Born to be Blue – Al Hoffman, Abner Silver & May Singh BReen

40

41

‘I was born to be blue,’ ‘but when I get home I’m alone and I’m blue,’ And that’s why I’m bluer than blue’

42

Intro-8, vamp-2, A1-8, A2-8, B1-8, B2-8, C-9, B3-8

43

Blue Before Sunrise – Leroy Carr

44

A-12, B-12, C-12, D-8, E-12

45

Got Dem Blues – Wilber Sweatman

A-12, B-12, C-12 46

When A Black Man’s Blue – George Little, Art Sizemore & Ed Nelson

A-12, B-8, C-8 47

Who’s Blue – Will Gould & Jimmy Rule

A-8, B-8, C-8, D-8

48

Worried Man Blues - Traditional

49

Alabama Bound - Huddie Ledbetter

50

Backwater Blues – Bessie Smith

I 51

Big Road Blues – Traditional

52

Catfish Blues - Robert Pelway –c1908-c1978

53 54

Chicago Blues – Lonnie Johnson

55

Crazy Blues – Perry Bradford

56

57

Drunken Hearted Man– Robert Johnson

58

Empty Bed Blues - Traditional

59

Foolish Man Blues – Bessie Smith

60

Gulf Coast Blues – Clarence Williams

61

Hesitation Blues – Billie Smythe & M. Scott Middleton

62

In the House Blues – Bessie Smith -1930/31

63

Kindhearted Woman Blues - Robert Johnson

64

Love in Vain Blues – Robert Johnson

65

New Stranger Blues – Tampa Red & Georgia Tom

66

Lonesome Home Blues – Tommy Johnson

67

Covers

‘And that’s why I’m bluer than blue’

‘They’re only making me blue’

68