Dirty blues  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

Related e

Wikipedia Wiktionary Shop Featured: Rhombicuboctahedron by Leonardo da Vinci

I Just Want to Make Love to You

Dirty blues encompasses forms of blues music that deal with topics that are sometimes considered taboo in society, including sexual connotation and/or references to drug use of some kind. Due to the sometimes graphic subject matter, such music was often banned from radio and only available on a jukebox.

B

• Lucille Bogan - (April 1, 1897 – August 10, 1948) Born in Amory, Mississippi, Bogan was a classic female blues singer who performed early country blues. Because many of her songs were sexually suggestive, she might be considered to have been a dirty blues musician, also. Document Records has issued her complete recordings in a series of releases.

• Roy Brown (blues musician) - (September 10, 1925 – May 25, 1981) Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Brown was a quite respected rhythm and blues pianist and singer, a musician that also performed urban blues, West Coast blues and jump blues over his quite long career. He did record one rather strange song called Butcher Pete, the content of which deals with a combination of fellatio and cannibalism.

C

• Bo Carter - (March 21, 1893 – September 21, 1964) Born in Bolton, Mississippi, Carter was one of the first dirty blues musicians with songs like "Banana in Your Fruit Basket", among several others. A country blues multi-instrumentalist who performed mostly early Delta blues, Carter played guitar, banjo, string bass, clarinet and sang. Document Records has an impressive series of issues devoted to his complete recordings.

H

• The Harlem Hamfats - Formed in 1936 by musicians that were not even from Harlem, New York and led by trumpeter Herb Morand, the group performed mostly Chicago blues and East Coast blues while backing jazz musicians. The members were Kansas Joe McCoy, Charlie McCoy, Odell Rand, John Lindsay, Horace Malcolm, Pearlis Williams and Freddie Flynn. The group's inclusion in the dirty blues genre is due to such songs as "Gimme Some of that Yum Yum" and "Lets Get Drunk and Truck", along with lyrics in various other songs dealing with themes including drug use, prostitution or criminal behavior.

J

• Bull Moose Jackson - (April 22, 1919 – July 31, 1989) Born in Cleveland, Ohio as Benjamin Joseph Jackson, Jackson was a rhythm and blues and jump blues saxophonist and singer. He also is included in the dirty blues genre due to his sometimes suggestive songs, like I Want a Bowlegged Woman and Big Ten Inch Record. He recorded for the King Records label.

• Myra Johnson - A rhythm and blues singer, Johnson's inclusion here is due to her metaphorical references to the male organ on the song Silent George.

L

• The Lamplighters

• Julia Lee - (October 31, 1902 – december 8, 1958) Born in Boonville, Missouri, Lee was a jump blues pianist and singer who also performed swing music. Her inclusion on this list is due to two songs she performed, ie. King-Size Papa and Snatch It and Grab It. However, it would be very misleading to characterize her music as always being in this vein. She released several solo albums.

W

• Dinah Washington - (August 29, 1924 – december 14, 1963) Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Washington's inclusion on this list is really only due to two songs. Otherwise she performed traditional pop, jump blues and ballads. The songs were Long John Blues about her dentist, with lyrics like "He took out his trusty drill. Told me to open wide. He said he wouldn't hurt me, but he filled my whole inside." She also recorded a song called "Big Long Sliding Thing" about a trombonist.

References

• Allmusic

A list of Dirty Blues singers would not be complete without "Tampa Red", one of the greatest resophonic guitar players whose songs included "Let Me Play With Your Poodle" (later covered by [Lightnin' Hopkins]) and "What Tastes Like Gravy?" Entry will be updated with more information soon. While his songs are not as readily available as some others, much of his work is available on iTunes and similar services.

See also

• Dirty rap