Charley Jordan - It Ain't Clean (Agram, 1979)

Agram was a reissue label established in the 1970s by Dutch 78 collector and blues historian Guido van Rijn, whose scholarship, among other things, includes a trilogy of presidentially-themed blues books: Roosevelt's Blues, Kennedy's Blues, and The Truman and Eisenhower Blues - all well worth reading. While not as legendary as, say, Yazoo Records or Origin Jazz Library, there are some interesting items to be found in this company's discography. One should remember that 30 to 40 years ago, blues enthusiasts did not have Document's Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order CDs at their disposal like we do today, so albums such as the one presented here - which includes a number of sides that were previously unavailable at the time - were met with great excitement when they were first released.


Although not necessarily one of my all-time favorite blues guitarists, Charley Jordan was a skilled musician who was a major figure in the blues scene of St. Louis during the 1930s. It is believed that he was born in Arkansas around 1890 and hoboed throughout the South and Midwest during the 1920s prior to a temporary stay in Memphis around the middle of the decade. It was in St. Louis that he became established as a bootlegger during Prohibition. A job-related dispute led to Jordan being shot, resulting in an injury that deprived him of the use of his legs. With the eventual relegalization of alcohol in 1933 and the challenges of his newfound disability, he switched his focus to music and was one of the more prolific blues artists of the 1930s. Additionally, he worked as a talent scout for record labels and, in conjunction with Big Joe Williams, operated what has been described variously as a rehearsal hall or club in a downtown St. Louis apartment building that visiting bluesmen used when preparing material for recording sessions. Little wonder then that Jordan was not only a well-known figure among musicians who lived in the Mound City - including Peetie Wheatstraw, Henry Townsend, Roosevelt Sykes, and others - but also by many other urban blues artists who recorded during the 1930s. Consequently, several of the sides that Jordan waxed for Vocalion and Decca between 1930 and 1937 featured him with the accompaniment of a piano player or a second guitarist. As this LP's liner notes point out, his songs often dealt with typical blues themes such as alcohol and gambling (something with which he was undoubtedly familiar from his bootlegging days) as well as, more notably, the suffering caused by the Great Depression. Most impressively, Jordan's lyrics were frequently unique, and his minimal use of floating verses makes him exceptional among the blues musicians of his time.

PEETIE WHEATSTRAW, "THE DEVIL'S SON-IN-LAW," WHO WAS APPARENTLY NEVER PHOTOGRAPHED WITH HIS MAIN INSTRUMENT, THE PIANO

The first two selections are unfortunately marred by that "frying bacon" surface noise that sometimes plagues prewar recordings but still serve as an interesting starting point for this collection. "Dollar Bill Blues" bears musical similarities to "Crow Jane" and contains lyrics akin to Blind Lemon Jefferson's "One Dime Blues," while "Running Mad Blues" features Jordan's distinctive bouncy guitar work that would come to characterize many of his later releases. The next nine tracks are duets with Peetie Wheatstraw on piano. The subject matter of "Lost Ship Blues," "My Lovin' Good Blues," "Cheating Blues," "Workingman's Blues," and "Sugar Farm Blues" concerns interpersonal relationships, whereas "Hungry Blues" and "Tough Times Blues" contain lyrics commenting on the economic difficulties of the early 1930s. "Santa Claus Blues," as its title suggests, is a Christmas-themed performance, and "Honeysucker Blues" is a nice little piece of double entendre. An ensemble featuring piano, clarinet, saxophone, and violin backs Jordan on the jazz-like "Rolling Moon Blues." The notes also list an unknown musician on traps, but I'll be damned if I can hear him. Such a percussionist also supposedly appears on "It Ain't Clean" (another remake of the guitarist's best-selling 78, "Keep It Clean"), but once more, my ears fail to detect his presence. The accompanying piano, however, is definitely audible and is again probably played by Peetie Wheatstraw. The final three tracks find Jordan teamed with the mysterious blues guitarist Charlie Manson and were recorded for ARC in 1936 under the moniker of "The Two Charlies," although they were not released at the time. Why this was the case remains unknown since they formed an instrumentally potent duo, as the performances readily make clear. Manson is the singer on "Bad Feeling Blues" and "Low Moan Blues," while Jordan resumes his vocal responsibilities on "Hard Time Papa."

CHARLEY JORDAN IN SEPIA (PARDON THE REDUNDANCY)

1. Dollar Bill Blues
2. Running Mad Blues
3. Lost Ship Blues
4. Hungry Blues
5. My Lovin' Good Blues
6. Tough Times Blues
7. Cheating Blues
8. Workingman's Blues
9. Santa Claus Blues
10. Honey Sucker Blues
11. Sugar Farm Blues
12. Rolling Moon Blues
13. It Ain't Clean (That Thing Ain't Clean)
14. Bad Feeling Blues
15. Low Moan Blues
16. Hard Time Papa