Sam Collins (musician)

Sam Collins (August 11, 1887 – October 20, 1949), sometimes known as Crying Sam Collins,[1] was an early American blues singer and guitarist.[2] His style has been described as "South Mississippi", rather than Delta blues and "The Jail House Blues" is his best-known recording.[2]

Sam Collins
Also known asCrying Sam Collins, Jim Foster
Born(1887-08-11)August 11, 1887
Louisiana, U.S.
DiedOctober 20, 1949(1949-10-20) (aged 62)
Chicago
GenresBlues
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsGuitar, vocals
LabelsGennett

Biography

Collins was born in Louisiana and grew up in McComb, Mississippi, just across the state line.[3] By 1924, he was performing in local barrelhouses, often with King Solomon Hill; both of them sang falsetto parts and played slide guitar.[3] Collins's first recording in 1927 was "Yellow Dog Blues", made for Gennett Records and recorded in Richmond, Indiana. His bottleneck guitar was referred to as a "git-fiddle" on record labels of the time, and blues historian Robert Palmer noted that his guitar "seemed to literally weep".[1]

Collins recorded again in 1931; some of his later recordings appeared under different pseudonyms, such as Jim Foster,[2] Jelly Roll Hunter, Big Boy Woods, Bunny Carter, and Salty Dog Sam. His rural bottleneck guitar pieces were among the first to be compiled on LP.[2]

In the late 1930s, Collins relocated to Chicago, where he died from heart disease in October 1949, at the age of 62.[3]

Discography

Compilations
  • 14 Rare Country Blues by Sam Collins & 2 Surprises by King Solomon Hill (Origin Jazz Library, 1965)
  • Jailhouse Blues (Yazoo, 1990)
  • King of the Blues Vol. 11 (P-Vine, 1992)
  • Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order 1927–1931 (Document, 1992)

Songs

1927, Richmond, Indiana

  • "The Jailhouse Blues"
  • "I Want to Be Like Jesus in My Heart"
  • "Yellow Dog Blues"
  • "Loving Lady Blues"
  • "Riverside Blues"
  • "Devil in the Lion's Den"
  • "Dark Cloudy Blues"
  • "Pork Chop Blues"
  • "Lead Me All the Way"
  • "Midnight Special Blues"
  • "Do That Thing"
  • "Hesitation Blues"
  • "It Won't Be Long Now"
  • "The Worried Man Blues"
  • "The Moanin' Blues"

1931, New York City

  • "Lonesome Road Blues"
  • "Slow Mama Slow"
  • "My Road Is Rough and Rocky"
  • "New Salty Dog"
  • "Graveyard Digger's Blues"
  • "Signifying Blues"
  • "I'm Still Sitting on Top of the World"

References
  1. Palmer, Robert (1981). Deep Blues. Penguin Books. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
  2. O'Neal, Jim (1996). "Sam Collins". In Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Koda, Cub (eds.). All Music Guide to the Blues. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. p. 57. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
  3. Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.