Carl Martin - Crow Jane Blues
Label: Testament
Released : 14 October 1997
Format : [email protected]
One of the great blues fiddle players, Carl Martin has been unfairly left out of most conventional histories of the blues. This collection should put the record straight. Sixteen killer cuts, covering Martin's own songs, such as the inimitable title track, and various eclectic covers, ranging from "Corrina, Corrina" to the folk standard "John Henry." The artist's range is fabulous and his voice and fiddle playing are unique and amazingly accomplished. Crow Jane Blues is an exemplary collection from a significantly underrated artist.
Carl Martin was born near Stone Gap, VA, on April 1, 1906. His main instrument was mandolin but he also mastered the guitar, and according to those who saw him perform, could play anything with strings. Martin not only performed solo, but also spent much of his career in a trio featuring Ted Bogan (guitar) and Howard Armstrong (violin). The trio enjoyed a career that spanned five decades and was known under several different monikers, including the Four Keys, the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, and the Wandering Troubadours. Martin, Bogan, and Armstrong initially traveled all over the south entertaining at medicine shows, county fairs, and on the radio. When they couldn't get an actual paying gig, they would play for tips in local taverns. In the late '30s, they followed the great migration to Chicago where they would eventually go their separate ways, occasionally playing together. In the ensuing years, Martin would benefit greatly from playing for the diverse ethnic crowds spread out over countless neighborhoods in Chicago, developing a repertoire of blues, jazz, pop, country, and even non-English songs. Following years of playing solo, Martin, Bogan, and Armstrong reunited in the early '70s and played the folk and blues festival circuit all over the country. Luckily, a few discs remain in print that trace Martin's long career from the '30s to his final sessions before he passed away in Pontiac, MI, on May 10, 1979.
Tracklist :
1 Crow Jane Blues 2:26
2 Corrina, Corrina 2:11
3 Trouble On Your Hand #2 3:22
4 State Street Pimp #2 3:10
5 Gravedigger Blues 3:34
6 Worried All the Time 2:10
7 Liza Jane 2:12
8 Good Morning Judge 3:09
9 John Henry 2:10
10 West Virginia Blues 4:04
11 Trouble On Your Hand #1 3:15
12 Everyday I Have the Blues 3:36
13 Frankie & Johnny 2:58
14 State Street Pimp #1 2:50
15 Railroad Blues 2:57
16 You Can't Beat the Syndicate (Interview With Pete Welding) 12:46
Tracks 1 and 8
Carl Martin – Vocal, Guitar
Tracks 2, 4, 5, 9 and 13
Carl Martin – Vocal, Mandolin
Johnny Young – Guitar
Track 16
Carl Martin Interview with Pete Welding
Recorded 31 May 1966, Chicago
Tracks 6 and 10
Ted Bogan –Vocal, Guitar
Johnny Young – Guitar
John Lee Henley – Harmonica
Recorded 20 December 1965, Chicago
All prev unreleased except Tracks 5, 12 and 15
