TESTI DELLE CANZONI - ACCORDI - PENTAGRAMMA - TABLATURE

LONNIE JOHNSON, STEFAN GROSSMAN'S EARLY MASTERS OF AMERICAN BLUES GUITAR. CD TABLATURE

Stefan Grossman's Early Masters of American Blues Guitar: Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson / transcr. Stefan Grossman

ORIGINAL RECORDINGS

SERIES: Stefan Grossman’s Early Masters of American Blues Guitar
CATEGORY: Guitar Method or Supplement
FORMAT: Book & CD

The Early Masters of American Blues series provides the unique opportunity to study the true roots of modern blues. Stefan Grossman, noted roots-blues guitarist and musicologist, has compiled this fascinating collection of 16 songs, transcribed exactly as performed by legendary blues master Lonnie Johnson. In addition to Stefan's expert transcriptions, the book includes a CD containing the original recordings of Lonnie Johnson so you can hear the music as he performed it.

One of the most influential blues artists of the 20th century, Lonnie Johnson began his 50-year music career in the early 1920s, and continued to perform and record until his passing in 1970. Recording both as a soloist and with legends like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Eddie Lang, Lonnie Johnson's influence can still be heard today, from the work of blues guitar greats like T-Bone Walker and B.B. King, to a whole new generation of blues players.

INTRODUCTION

by Stefan Grossman
I grew up in New York City. During the 1960s I had the
unique opportunity to see and study with a host of great
blues guitar players: Mississippi John Hurt, Son House,
Skip James, Fred McDowell, Mance Lipscomb, Bukka
White, and especially Rev. Gary Davis.
I spent several years traveling up to the Bronx every
weekend to learn guitar from Rev. Davis. He had a vast
repertoire of songs and guitar styles and a memory that
was as sharp as a razor. He would talk about recordings
and performers of country bluesmen from the 1920s and
1930s. Usually he was disdainful of their talents-Blind
Lemon Jefferson could play the guitar but he cried when
he sang; Blind Boy Fuller couldn't play the guitar and
needed lessons; using a bottleneck was cheating. But
Rev. Davis had his own guitar heros-Blind Blake had a
sportin' right hand, Willie Walker was a guitar giant and
onnie Johnson was the king of the fretboard.
s a teenager, I absorbed each word and note of Rev.
Davis as the gospel. I bought blues albums, searched for
old 78s, and went to clubs to see blues guitarists. Gerdes
olk City was a center for concerts in New York City and
one week I discovered that Lonnie Johnson would be
playing there. With great eagerness I went down to see
he "king of fretboard."
onnie was playing a cheap electric guitar and using
a plectrum. His blues were a combination of late 1940s
&B tunes and folk blues played in a very diluted
ashion. His singing had a cocktail lounge edge. All in all
I was disappointed. I saw and heard nothing that I would
ant to play.
uring the next few years, I saw Lonnie Johnson in
arious blues festivals and club appearances. I was
ever impressed but in the back of my mind I had Rev.
avis' unequivacable recommendation that Lonnie was
one of the best that had ever played the blues.
Nhat a fool a teenager can be! If only one of my record
ollector friends would have played me some of Lonnie's
great instrumental tracks from the 1920s, I might have
een converted on the spot! As was, I didn't really
delve into Johnson's playing until 20 years later. During
e 1960s, Lonnie's brand of blues was out of fashion
with both record collectors and blues enthusiasts. The
Delta blues was high on everyone's mind and guitar
playing fingers. The steady flow of melodic riffs and
runs that Lonnie recorded in the 1920s/1930s were too
sophisticated and jazz oriented for blues guitarists and
record collectors.
Many of the fingerstyle blues guitarists of the 1960s
eventually got interested in single-line improvisation and
electric blues styles. This usually started with studying
B.B. King and then Albert King and Freddie King. The
road travelled backwards in time from players of the
'60s to '50s (T-Bone Walker) to '40s (Charlie Christian)
and eventually ended in the '30s and '20s with Lonnie
Johnson. The roots of modern electric blues and rock
guitar can be found in the playing of Lonnie Johnson.
Lonnie was sadly overlooked in his later years by blues
and guitar playing historians. He was never interviewed
in depth about either his life or his guitar techniques.
What a crime; especially as his guitar playing has so
many mysteries.
When listening to Lonnie's early great recordings, one
is struck with how spectacular, complex and innovative
they are. What is very unusual is that the tonality and
key is the same for so many tunes. He might have his
guitar tuned low, or play it with a capo, or use a twelve
string instead of a six string but the chord shapes are
always based around the key of D. Document Records
(Eipeldauerstr. 23/43/5, A-1220 Vienna, Austria) have
released a 7-volume CD set Lonnie Johnson-The
Complete Recorded Works (each CD containing over 20
titles) and within those 140 plus tracks, you will only find
3 or 4 tunes in a key other than D! Yet, Lonnie's recording
output in the 1940s and 1950s has little in common
with blues in D, and he in fact rarely played in that key
or style during these years. I personally CCllHlUlcile
another guitarist whose style and technique changed so
dramatically, especially after it was so widely acclaime
and imitated. This is a very strange phenomenon that
only Lonnie could have helped us to understand.
There are a host of great instrumentals and blues
accompaniments that Lonnie recorded in the '20s and
'30s. This book presents a collection of 16 instrumental
 

EDITED AND TRANSCRIBED BY STEfAN GROSSMAN

The Early Masters of American Blues Guitar series provides the unique
opportunity to study the true roots of modern blues. Stefan Grossman, noted
roots-blues guitarist and musicologist. has compiled this fascinating
collection of 16 early blues guitar classics as performed by the legendary
Lonnie Johnson. In addition to Stefan's expert transcriptions, the book
includes a CD containing the original recordings so you can experience
the music as it was originally performed.

Titles:

Mr. Johnson's Blues
Love Story Blues
To Do This, You Got to Know How
Blues In G
Away Down In the Alley Blues
Sweet Woman You Can't Go Wrong
I'm So Tired of Living All Alone
Bitin' Flea Blues
Life Saver Blues
Blue Ghost Blues
Uncle Ned Don't Use Your Head
Cat You Been Messin' Aroun'
There Is No Justice
Go Back to Your No Good Man
Stomping 'Em Along Slow
Woke Up With the Blues In My Fingers

Each book in the Earlv Masters series contains the original artist's performances, transferred
from vintage 78s. These original recordings are a piece of musical history, and the only way to
hear and appreciate the powerful feel and impact of these pivotal, early music giants.

MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT, STEFAN GROSSMAN'S EARLY MASTERS OF AMERICAN BLUES GUITAR. 2CD TABLATURE

EDITED AND TRANSCRIBED BY STEFAN GROSSMAN

ORIGINAL VINTAGE RECORDINGS

Music by Mississippi John Hurt, transcribed by Stefan Grossman. Guitar tablature songbook and examples CD for acoustic guitar. Series: Stefan Grossman's Early Masters of American Blues Guitar. 96 pages.

With guitar tablature, standard notation, vocal melody, lyrics, chord names and guitar chord diagrams. Blues and Country Blues. 9x12 inches.

The Early Masters of American Blues series provides the unique opportunity to study the true roots of modern blues. Stefan Grossman, noted roots-blues guitarist and musicologist, has compiled this fascinating collection of 26 songs legendary blues guitarist Mississippi John Hurt. In addition to Stefan's expert transcriptions, the book includes a CD containing the John Hurt's original recordings so you can hear the music as it was originally performed. Mississippi John Hurt had a fascinating career, originally recording a handful of songs in the late 1920s, and, after disappearing for nearly 30 years, being rediscovered by a new generation of musicians that included Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Stephen Sills. Found in 1963 living in a small town in Mississippi, by an admirer who tracked him down through the lyrics of his 1928 single "Avalon Blues," Mississippi John Hurt was persuaded to go to Washington, D.C. and start a new career. He spent the next three years performing and recording for a whole new group of fans. In addition to transcribing all the songs in this collection, Stefan Grossman was also a student of John Hurt.

Contents:

Shake that Thing

Spike Driver's Blues
Casey Jones
Got the Blues, Can't Be Satisfied
Joe Turner Blues

Stocktime
Hey Baby, Right Away
Ain't Nobody But You babe
Make Me a Pallet on your Floor
Nobody's Dirty Business
Richlands Women Blues
Louis Collins
Blessed Be the Name
Praying On the Old Camp Grounds
Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me
Corrinna, Corrinna
Oh Mary Don't You Weep
Avalon Blues
Sliding Delta
Coffee Blues
Monday Morning Blues
Candyman
Trouble I've Had All My days
See See Rider
Stack O'Lee Blues
Big Leg Blues

INTRODUCTION by Stefan Grossman
This collection has been a pleasure to put together. I first
heard the records of Mississippi John Hurt when I was
15years old. He had recorded 20 sides for the OKeh
record company in 1928of which 12 had been released.
During the folk revival ofthe 1960s,reissue albums began
to appear and many old blues recordings found their way
to the grooves of LPs. John Hurt's arrangements for "Spike
Driver Blues," "Frankie," "Stagolee," "Nobody's Dirty
Business," Candyman," "Louis Collins," and "Got the Blues
Can't Be Satisfied" became necessary ingredients to any
young fingerpicker's repertoire.
John Hurt's old recordings had a magnetic atmosphere
and a strong lyrical contents that made them attractive
to both players and listeners. His guitar style was easily
recognizable. The alternating bass pattern evoked the
piano sounds of turn-of-the-century America and against
this a melody line was interweaved. The same approach
was explored during the mid-1950s by White guitarists
such as Merle Travis and Chet Atkins. By the 1960s,this
guitar technique was completely embraced by folksingers
as far afield as Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, and Stephen
Stills to Joan Baez.
Then in 1963,miracle of miracles occurred when Tom
Hoskin decided to try to locate the "legendary" Mississippi
John Hurt. John had recorded a song during his 1928
sessions titled "Avalon Blues." The current maps of
Mississippi did not show a town called Avalon, but in an
1878atlas, Avalon was shown as a small dot between
Greenwood and Grenada, Mississippi. Tom headed south
from Washington, D.C.and two days later pulled into
Stinson's store, an old combination gas station, general
store, and post office, which, with the owner's house,
comprised the entirety of Avalon. Tom asked several men
if they had ever heard or knew about a singer called
Mississippi John Hurt and was amazed when the pointed
down the dirt road and said, "'bout a mile down that road,
third mail box up the hill. Can't miss it."
Tom brought John up to Washington, D.C.to record and
perform and almost immediately Mississippi John Hurt was
a hit on the folk music scene. He performed at folk clubs,
The Newport Folk Festival, college campuses, and even the
Johnny Carson Tonight Show!
I met Mississippi John at his first concert in New York City.
Tom was a friend of mine and the chance to hear, as well
as meet, Mississippi John Hurt was almost too much for
me to imagine. The concert presented John and Doc Boggs
(another folk legend, but in this case in the story of white
five-string mountain banjo playing). After the concert, I
went backstage to say hellos and Tom insisted that I play
guitar for John and Doc. I picked a few of John's tunes that
I had transcribed from his 1928recordings. John started to
dance while Doc laughed and banged out time on his banjo
skin. This began my friendship with John Hurt that lasted
until his death.
Mississippi John Hurt was a wonderful teacher. He
patiently showed me his arrangements and licks as well
as giving me insight into life itself. John Hurt was a unique
man. He had a gentleness that could penetrate walls and
a voice that could relax your soul while your feet danced
to his guitar rhythms.
This collection brings together 26 great songs and
guitar arrangements. All the keys that John played in are
presented. On first listening, John Hurt's playing seems
deceptively easy, but to master his sound is quite a
challenge. He used three fingers to play. His ring and little
finger rested on the face of the guitar while he picked.
The source of John's unique sound can be found in his
thumb strokes. Basically, an alternating bass is used
throughout John's playing. The sound that is produced
can be described as "bum-chick." The first beat hits the
bass note with commitment but the second beat hits the
string hard enough to have the other strings vibrate. As a
result, a "chick" is created. This is fundamental to John's
style. The bass can stand by itself without any melody
lines and still sound musical. When the treble lines
are added, these act almost as embellishments. The
"John Hurt sound" is all in yourthumb.
Fortunately, there is some footage of John that comes
from Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest. Seeing John play
will help you to better understand the power and
eloquence of his playing and singing. I have included
these performances in my video series Country Blues
Guitar Parts 1,2, & 3(Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop). I strongly recommend these.

MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT by Jas Obrecht
Songster and bluesman, John Hurt had a beautifully
syncopated fingerpicking style and a gentle, guileless
voice. After making a handful of 78s, he faded from view
during the Depression and then arose phoenix-like during
the 1960s.Throughout his career, his music provided an
aural passport to a bygone age of cakewalks and rags,
parables and polite society.
Hurt was 35 years old when he journeyed alone from the
Mississippi hill country to Memphis for his first session.
It was Valentine's Day, 1928,and the experience was not
entirely pleasant: "A great big hall with only Mr. Rockwell,
one engineer, and myself," John remembered. "I sat on
a chair and they pushed the microphone right up close
to my mouth and told me not to move after they found the
right position. Oh, I was nervous, and my neck was sore for
days after." Eight songs were cut that day, but only a single
OKeh 78 was issued-"Nobody's Dirty Business" backed
by "Frankie," one of his few songs in open tuning. Hurt was
paid about $20 per song, a good fee for unproven talent.
The original note on Columbia's file cards for the matrixes"
old time music"-was later changed to "race."
Hurt headed home and worked another season; under his
sharecropping arrangement atthe time, half of the corn
and cotton he grew on 13 acres was turned over to the land
owner. In November, IJ. Rockwell wrote Hurt inviting him to
record again. John's December 21st session in New York City
produced usable version of "Ain't No Tellin'" (essentially new
words set to the "Make Me Pallet On the Floor" melody),
the murder ballad "Louis Collins," and "Avalon Blues." On
December 28, 1928,Hurt was back in the studio for his final
and most fruitful prewar session, cutting three spirituals
and five blues. Of all Hurt's prewar sides, the one he
composed his first day in New York, "Avalon Blues,"
proved to be the most important. Nearly four decades
after its release, it would lead to his rediscovery:
"Avalon my home town,
always on my mind,
Avalon my home town,
always on my mind,
Pretty mama's in Avalon,
want me there all the time"
During the 1920s,when its population was less than a
hundred, Avalon, Mississippi was little more than a
ramshackle rail settlement between Greenwood and
Grenada. Born in nearby Teoc on July 3, 1893,John Smith
Hurt spent most of his life living there in poverty. He had
seven older brothers and two sisters. He made it through
the fifth grade at St. James School, and around this time
began teaching himself guitar. "I always tried to make my
strings say just what I say," he'd explain. "I grab it and go
my way with it. Use my melody with it." By age 12,John
was singing "Good Mornin' Miss Carrie," "Satisfied,"
Frankie and Johnny," and other non-blues songs at house
parties, sometimes working with a fiddler. His gentle voice,
relaxed feel, and light, idiosyncratic fingerpicking made
his music far better suited for front-porch listening than
cornfield stomps. Some nights, he remembered, he and a
pal would awaken the neighbors with their playing. "We go
along to people's private homes, way in the night, midnight,
one o'clock. 'Serenadin" we call it. We knew you well, we
tip up on the porch and we'd wake you up with music. Well,
you might lay there and listen, you might not get up and ask
us in. Sometimes you'd get up and say come on in."
Once, when he was asked about the first blues he'd learned,
Hurt played "Lazy Blues," a simple, original arrangement
in E major that had more in common with Memphis players
than Delta musicians such as Robert Johnson:
"Wake up in the morning, a towel tied round her head,
When you speak to her, she swear she almost dead"
During "Talking Casey," Hurt used a slide to imitate bells
and quote familiar melodies-a technique similar to Blind
Willie McTell in Atlanta-while thumbing train rhythms on
his bass strings. He composed in many keys-E, A, 0, and
G,which was especially convenient for a strong alternating
bass-but unlike many Delta musicians seemed to prefer C.
Much of his music was probably a souvenir of his childhood.
Asked by a white landlord how he created melodies,
Hurt responded, "Well, sir, I just make it sound like I think it
ought to."
After his father passed away, John helped his mother
raise cotton, corn, and potatoes. To make ends meet, he
sometimes hired himself out to a neighboring farm, while
his mother washed clothes and cooked. During 1915,Hurt
worked for the Illinois Central jacking up and leveling...
 

EARLY MASTER'S of AMERICAN BLUES GUITAR Rev. Gary Davis
Book & CD (F3176GTA)

EDITED AND TRANSCRIBED BY STEFAN GROSSMAN
The Early Masters of American Blues Guitar series provides the unique opportunity to study the true roots of modern blues. Stefan Grossman, noted roots-blues guitarist and musicologist, has compiled this amazing collection of 26 songs, transcribed exactly as performed by blues great Mississippi John Hurt. In addition to Stefan's expert transcriptions, the book includes 2 CDs containing John Hurt's original recordings so you can experience the music as it was originally performed.

Each book in the Early Masters series contains the original artist's performances, transferred
from vintage 78s. These original recordings are apiece of musical history, and the only way to
hear and appreciate the powerful feel and impact of these pivotal, early music giants.

ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE EARLY MASTERS OF AMERICAN BLUES GUITAR SERIES

BLUEGRASS SONGBOOK. Peter Wernick. TABLATURE

Over 130 songs in several styles from old-time, traditional, and newgrass, top gospel, and novelty tunes. Includes Ballad Of Jed Clampett, Blue Ridge Mountain Blues, Daddy Sang Bass, Bury Me Beneath The Willow, and Knoxville Girl.

Bluegrass Songbook. (Melody/Lyrics/Chords). For voice and guitar (or banjo). Music Sales America. Bluegrass and Americana. Difficulty: easy-medium. Fake book (simplified 3 string guitar tablature). Vocal melody (simplified 3 string guitar tablature), lyrics, chord names, performance notes, introductory text and black & white photos. 128 pages. Oak Publications #OK63198. Published by Oak Publications (HL.14004665).
ISBN 0825601649. With vocal melody (simplified 3 string guitar tablature), lyrics, chord names, performance notes, introductory text and black & white photos. Bluegrass and Americana. 9x12 inches.
Over 130 songs in several styles--from old-time, traditional, and newgrass, top gospel, and novelty tunes. Includes Ballad Of Jed Clampett, Blue Ridge Mountain Blues, Daddy Sang Bass, Bury Me Beneath The Willow, and Knoxville Girl.

Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow
All The Good Times Are Past And Gone
Amazing Grace
Angel Band
Ballad Of Jed Clampett
Banks Of The Ohio
(A) Beautiful Life
Before I Met You
Big Ball In Boston
Blue Ridge Mountain Blues
(The) Bluebirds Are Singing For Me
Bluegrass Express
Bound To Ride
Brand New Shoes
Bringing Mary Home
Bury Me Beneath The Willow
(The Children Are Crying And) Calling Your Name
Close By
Columbus Stockade Blues
Daddy Sang Bass
Dark Hollow
Darling Corey
Detroit City
Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
Don't Put Her Down, You Helped Put Her There
Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky
Down In The Willow Garden
Down The Road
Eating Out Of Your Hand
Face Lost In The Crowd
Fair And Tender Ladies
Foggy Mountain Top
Footprints In The Snow
Fox On The Run
Free Born Man
Freight Train
Give Me Your Hand
Handsome Molly
He Will Set Your Fields On Fire
Heaven
Hello City Limits
Highway Of Regret
Hot Corn, Cold Corn
How Mountain Girls Can Love
I'm A Pilgrim
I Know You're Married But I Love You Still
I'm Using My Bible For A Roadmap
If I Lose
In The Pines
(It's A Long Way) To The Top Of The World
It's In My Mind To Ramble
Jesse James
John Hardy
John Henry
Katy Daley
Knoxville Girl
(The) Last Song
Late Last Night (Way Downtown)
(The) Legend Of The Rebel Soldier
Life Is Like A Mountain Railroad
Listening To The Rain
Little Bessie
Little Birdie
(The) Little Girl And The Dreadful Snake
Little Glass Of Wine
Little Joe
Little Maggie
Little White Church
(The) Lonesome River
Lonesome Road Blues
Long Black Veil
Long Journey Home (Two Dollar Bill)
Lord, I'm Coming Home
Love, Please Come Home
Making Plans
Man Of Constant Sorrow
Maple On The Hill
Matterhorn
Memories Of Mother And Dad
(The) Memory Of Your Smile
Midnight On The Stormy Deep
Milwaukee Here I Come
Mr. Engineer
Mountain Dew
My Better Years
My Dying Bed
New Freedom Bell
New River Train
Nine Pound Hammer
(The) Old Old House
Ole Slew Foot
On The Jericho Road
Out On The Ocean
Pallet On Your Floor
Paradise
Poor Ellen Smith
Precious Memories
Pretty Polly
Rabbit In The Log (Feast Here Tonight)
Rank Stranger
Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms
Roll Muddy River
Roll On Buddy
Roving Gambler
Satisfied Mind
Short Life Of Trouble
Singing All Day And Dinner On The Ground
Sitting On Top Of The World
(She Left Me) Standing On The Mountain
Steppin' Stones
Stone Walls And Steel Bars
Sweet Little Miss Blue Eyes
Sweet Sunny South
Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Teardrops In My Eyes
Tennessee
Tennessee Stud
That's How I Can Count On You
Things In Life
Think Of What You've Done
This Is The Girl I Love
Tragic Romance
Two Little Boys
Victim To The Tomb
Wabash Cannonball
We Need A Whole Lot More Of Jesus
Wear A Red Rose
What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul
When The Golden Leaves Begin To Fall
Where The Soul Never Dies
White House Blues
Widow Maker
Wildwood Flower
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
With Care From Someone
Working On A Building
Worried Man Blues
Wreck Of The Old Ninety-seven
Y'all Come
You Go To Your Church (And I'll Go To Mine)

GUITAR JAMMIN', '50s & 60s ROCK SONGS. Basi complete senza preascolto, per chitarra e canto, ricreate fedelmente da strumentisti; non con sequencer. Contiene: the sunshine of your love (Cream) -day tripper (The Beatles) -suzie Q (Dale Hawkins with James Burton) -I can see the miles (the WHO) -boppin' the blues (Carl Perkins) -hey Joe (Jimi Hendrix) -get back (the Beatles). CD TAB.

GUITAR JAMMIN'. HARD ROCK SONGS. Tracks senza preascolto, per voce e chitarra. Potrete ricreare la song originale o inventarvi un vostro fraseggio. Contiene: crazy train (Ozzy Osbourne) -Detroit rock city (Kiss) -iron man (Black Sabbath) -sweet child o' mine (Guns n' Roses) -you really got me (Van Halen) -the unforgiven (Metallica) -living after midnight (Judas Priest). CD TAB.