Sid Hemphill: complete Library of Congress session (1942)

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• published: 27 Nov 2013
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Alan Lomax's complete August 15, 1942 recordings of Sid Hemphill and his band, recorded at (or before) a picnic at the "Funky Fives" (also noted by Lomax as "Po' Whore's Kingdom"), outside of Sledge, Quitman County, Mississippi, made under the auspices of the Library of Congress' Archive of Folk Song. Playlist below. Multi-instrumentalist, band-leader and composer Sid Hemphill (1876-1961) was for decades the musical patriarch of the Mississippi Hill Country. He and his band — comprised of Alec "Turpentine" Askew, Will Head, and Lucius Smith; like Sid, all from Panola County, Miss. — were fixtures at dances, picnics, and frolics throughout the Delta and the Hill Country. Alan Lomax recorded Blind Sid in August 1942, near Sledge, Mississippi, where his band was appearing at a country picnic and banging out their breakdowns, marches, and square-dance tunes, as well as several blues ballads composed by Hemphill himself. By that date hundreds of commercial records had been made of the music of the Delta, and the preponderance of those were of or relating to the blues form, with guitar or piano accompaniment. Lomax's were the first made of the Hill Country's local music, and contributed to a broader perspective of black vernacular instrumentation, with their inclusion of the fiddle and banjo of the string band, the fife and drum ensemble, and the cane panpipes or "quills." Lomax recorded Sid and Lucius again in 1959. Please visit http://bit.ly/1dB7cwe for the complete streaming audio of that session, and for more information about Alan Lomax's collections and the Alan Lomax Archive. 0:00. Lomax introduction (AFS 6670 A1) 0:53. The Eighth of January (6670A2) Hemphill, Sid (vocal and fiddle); Smith, Lucius (banjo); Askew, Alec (guitar) 3:43. Interview with Sid Hemphill about his father, repertoire, instruments, and the Carrier Line. (6670A3) 7:51. The Carrier Line (6670 B1) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar) 13:37. The Roguish Man (part 1) (6670 B2) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar) 18:57. The Roguish Man (part 2) (6670 A4) [sic] Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar) 19:56. Interview with Sid Hemphill about his composition "The Roguish Man" and Jack Castle. (6670 A5) 21:22. Interview with Sid Hemphill about his composition "The Strayhorn Mob." (6671 A1) 22:30. The Strayhorn Mob (6671 A2) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar); unidentified (kazoo) 27:25. Boll Weevil (6671 A3) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar) 32:46. Arkansas Traveler (6671 B1) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar) 38:27. Tunings and demo (guitar, banjo, kazoo) (6671 B2) 40:08. Come On, Boys, Let's Go to the Ball (6672 A1) Askew, Alec (vocal and quills); Lucius Smith or Will Head (bass drum) 41:55. Come On, Boys, Let's Go to the Ball (6672 A2) Askew (vocal and quills) 43:35. Emmaline, Take Your Time (6672 A3) Hemphill (vocal and quills) 46:08. The Devil's Dream (6672 A4) Hemphill (vocal and quills); Smith (bass or snare drum); Head (bass or snare drum) 49:20. Leather Britches (6672 B1) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar) 50:30. Rye Straw (6672 B2) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar); Head (bass drum) 52:38. So Soon I'll Be At Home (6672 B3) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar) 54:13. Jesse James (6673 A1) Artists: Hemphill (fife); Smith (bass or snare drum); Head (bass or snare drum) 55:57. After the Ball Is Over (6673 A2) Hemphill (fife); Smith (bass or snare drum); Head (bass or snare drum) 57:54. The Sidewalks of New York (6673 A3) Hemphill (fife); Smith (bass or snare drum); Head (bass or snare drum) 1:00:00. The Death March (6673 A4) Hemphill (fife); Smith (bass or snare drum); Head (bass or snare drum) 1:01:56. John Henry (6673 A5) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar) 1:05:26. Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy (6673 B1) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar) 1:09:00. Hog Hunt (6673 B2) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo); Askew (guitar) 1:13:38. Soon In the Morning (6673 B3) Hemphill (fiddle and vocal); Smith (banjo)