Fortunately the fickle tastes of the public were such that a great many of the century’s most important musical artists were documented. The serendipitous meeting of commerce and artistic value hit an early peak that has so far not been duplicated. Chief among the contributors to this musical renaissance was the advent of the ‘race record’- shellac 78s marketed directly to the African American populace. Among the early recording companies that catered to these ‘specialized’ audiences Paramount, Columbia and Okeh were the most prolific. Catfish’s new series seeks to elucidate a cross-section of the types of artists and styles waxed by these labels, which remain today as invaluable artifacts of the roots of American music.

Volume One highlights the output of Paramount, a label with a catalog heavily entrenched in the rural strains of the blues. A glance at the artists on their roster reveals the incredible wealth of their holdings: Blind Blake, Skip James, Son House, Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, the list goes on. The emphasis is understandably on country blues, but a handful of urban artists like Ma Rainey and Big Bill Broonzy also make appearances. The sound quality on the sides ranges from quite rough and washed out (Tommy Johnson’s “Ridin’ Horse”) to surprisingly clean (Gus Cannon’s “Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home”) and Catfish has commonly done a skillful job at diminishing surface noise. Sadly as Dave Moore’s erudite liners point out Paramount was among the most notorious for cutting corners on costs through the use of cheap materials and recording techniques. As a result the overall fidelity of their sides frequently less than their competitors even on discs fresh from a factory pressing. All two dozen tracks are classics, but highlights include Willie Brown’s apocalyptic “Future Blues” and Blind Lemon’s definitive reading of “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean.”

Columbia Records, the focus of Volume Two, is the grandfatherof recording labels, entering the fray shortly after the advent of recorded sound and continuing (albeit in far altered form) to this day. Following the Catfish credo the emphasis is again on blues, but this time an even broader representation of artists and regional styles are represented including Atlanta, Dallas, Memphis and New Orleans. While many of the names may not be as widely renowned as those found on the Paramount set the music is no less absorbing. Gospel artists like the incomparable Blind Willie Johnson and Washington Phillips are indexed alongside blues staples like Blind Willie McTell and Barbecue Bob. T-Bone Walker even makes a showing under an earlier alias as Oak Cliff T-Bone. In addition Columbia’s production values were often superior to Paramount’s and as a result many of these sides circumvent problems arising from their vintage. Add to this Catfish’s crack team of audio restorationists and the results are by and large unprecedented in terms of sound clarity. Sides by Peg Leg Howell and Curley Weaver have never sounded as pure as they do here. Rounding out the package is Dave Moore’s thorough, but concise essay on the rise and wane of Columbia’s ‘Race’ line.

The third entry in this trinity of releases shifts attention to the Okeh imprint, which shortly after its inception became a subsidiary of Columbia, and remains sol today. Again the roll call reads like a who’s who of Pre-War bluesmen: Bo Carter, Lonnie Johnson, Texas Alexander, Blind Boy Fuller, Buddy Moss among many others. Originally founded by a German expatriate as an extension of his manufacturing company that specialized in motors and phonographs Okeh enjoys the distinction of having released Louis Armstrong’s early Hot Fives & Sevens sides, an act that instantaneously cemented its place in music history. This compilation necessarily limits the scope to Blues related artists, but Okeh was also precedent setting in this genre as well issuing the first country blues recording in 1924. The breadth of the label’s catalog is spread across the 23 tracks ranging from Brownie McGhee’s unmistakable countrified shout on “Born For Bad Luck” to jazzy riffing and percussion on Buddy Moss’ upbeat “Struggle Buggie.” Okeh had it’s marketing finger on the pulse of the African American demographic and as a result consistently gave the public what they craved, fresh sounds recorded under the auspices of the latest innovations in technology.

Taken together the exhaustive catalogs of these three labels represent the bulk of the surviving African American musical expression from the early decades of the 20th century. While their early practices may be direct antecedents to the corporate mentality of that plagues much of today’s musical landscape and the guiding principles behind their endeavors were not often preservationist these companies and others like them did an immeasurable service to American history and culture. They invested the capital in documenting legions of artists who would otherwise be lost in time and for this alone the debt owed them is beyond recompense. These three compilations on Catfish drive this fact home by uncovering conclusively what the world would have forfeited had they not intervened.

Paramount

Artists/Tracks: Blind Blake- Blind Arthur’s Breakdown/ Willie Brown- Future Blues/ Son House- Dry Spell Blues- pt. 1/ Papa Charlie Jackson- Salty Dog Blues/ Skip James- Drunken Spree/ Blind Lemon Jefferson- See That My Grave Is Kept Clean/ Ma Rainey- Little Low Mama Blues/ Charley Patton- High Water Everywhere- pt. 1/ Jabo Williams- Pratt City/ Elzadie Robinson- St. Louis Cyclone Blues/ Priscilla Stewart- Mecca Flats/ Henry Sims- Farrell Blues/ Charlie Spand- Soon This Morning Blues/ Ramblin’ Thomas- Ramblin’ Mind Blues/ Big Bill Broonzy- Down In the Basement Blues/ Ishmon Bracey- Jake Liquor Blues/ Gus Cannon- Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home/ Ida Cox- Mister Man- pt. 1/ Teddy Darby- Lawdy Lawdy Worried Blues/ Louise Johnson- Off the Wall/ Bumble Bee Slim- Honey Bee Blues/ Will Ezell- West Coast Rag/ Tommy Johnson- Ridin’ Horse/ William Moore.

Columbia

Artists/Tracks: Pink Anderson- Every Day In the Week Blues/ Georgia Cotton Pickers- She Looks So Good/ Barbecue Bob- Goin’ Up The Country/ Washington Phillips- Denomination Blues Pt. 1 & 2/ Peg Leg Howell- New Prison Blues/ Blind Willie Johnson- I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole/ Blind Willie McTell- Razor Ball/ Charley Lincoln- Country Breakdown/ Curley Weaver- Sweet Petrina/ Oak Cliff T-Bone- Trinity River Blues/ Henry Townsend- Henry’s Worried Blues/ Willie Reed- Dreaming Blues/ Bessie Smith- Backwater Blues/ “Talking” Billy Anderson- Lonely Billy Blues/ Ed Bell- Barefoot Bill’s Hard Luck Blues/ Lewis Black- Spanish Blues/ Lonnie Coleman- Old Rock Island Blues/ Black Snake Blues/ Alec Johnson- Sundown Blues/ Coley Jones- Traveling Man/ Kansas Joe- I Want That/ Whistlin’ Alex Moore- Ice Pick Blues.

Okeh

Artists/Tracks: Texas Alexander- I Am Calling Blues/ Bo Carter- Sorry Feeling Blues/ Jack Dupree- Gamblin’ Man Blues/ Lonnie Johnson- Live Saver Blues/ Little Hat Jones- Kentucky Blues/ Charlie McCoy- You Gonna Need Me/ Brownie McGhee- Born For Bad Luck/ Mississippi Sheiks- She’s a Bad Girl/ Buddy Moss- Struggle Buggie/ Hambone Willie Newbern- Shelby County Workhouse Blues/ Mamie Smith- Crazy Blues/ Freddie Spruell- Way Back Down Home/ Sippie Wallace- Caldonia Blues/ Sylvester Weaver- Chitlin’ Rag Blues/ Doc Clayton- Roaming Gambler/ Memphis Slim- The Jive Blues/ Frank Edwards/ Alfried Fields- Money Green/ Blind Boy Fuller- Lost Lover Blues/ Tony Hollins- Married Woman Blues/ Tom Dickson- Worry Blues/ Memphis Jug Band- Insane Crazy Blues/ Memphis Minnie- Me & My Chauffeur Blues.

Catfish on the web: http://www.catfishrecords.co.uk