Updates

• Added info on Jimmy Ford, thanks to Volker Houghton. • Extended and corrected the post on Happy Harold Thaxton (long overdue), thanks to everyone who sent in memories and information! • Added information to the Jim Murray post, provided by Mike Doyle, Dennis Rogers, and Marty Scarbrough. • Expanded the information on Charlie Dial found in the Little Shoe post.

Friday, April 27, 2018

Delmore Brothers on King, Part II

Delmore Brothers - Blues Stay Away from Me (King 45-5224), 1959

Here's an odd one from the Delmores. King re-released their biggest hit "Blues Stay Away from Me" with overdubbed drums (they also applied that to the flip, "Muddy Water"). The original version was recorded on May 6, 1949, at the King Recording Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio. The line-up that day consisted of Alton and Rabon Delmore on vocals and guitar, Zeke Turner on guitar, Wayne Raney and Lonnie Glosson on harmonicas, and Louie Innis or Henry Glover on bass. The original record was King #803 with "Goin' Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains" on the flip from August 31, 1949, and became a No.1 hit (their only one).

King dug out the old master tape, overdubbed it and re-released it with "Muddy Water" (original record King #45-1084) on July 8, 1959. Billboard took notice of the record in its July 13 issue and commented: "Country-flavored vocal treatment of haunting blues, also cut by Otis Williams on Deluxe. Dual market entry." The magazine, reviewing the disc in the pop section, totally omitted that it was a overdubbed re-release and in fact was country song.

Billboard July 13, 1959, pop review


By then, Rabon Delmore had already been dead and Alton was living quietly in Huntsville, Alabama. The record might have rewarded King with some sales but enjoyed no chart success. It was one of the last releases by the Delmores on King.

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3 comments:

Apesville said...

Wow never knew that. Would like to hear the overdubbed version of Muddy Waters when you have the time. Nice find DEan

Leopard Man said...

Thanks, that's a new one for me.
Not just drums added to the priginal, but also tons of echo!

Muhammad imran said...
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