BLIND BLAKE (correct name Arthur Blake) lived from 1896 to 1934. A singer-guitarist, he made about 80 recordings (probably in Chicago) for Paramount Records between 1926 and 1932. He is thought to have been born in Virginia and to have been blind from birth. He was technically brilliant on the guitar, capable of making it sound like a ragtime piano.
His most popular tunes seem to have been West Coast Blues, Blind Arthur's Breakdown, Diddie Wa Diddie, Police Dog Blues, That'll Never Happen No More, Southern Rag, Seabord Stomp, Too Tight [currently popular in New Orleans], Georgia Bound, and Hastings Street. These and more can be found on YouTube.
If you would like to hear a young traditional jazz band in 2014 playing Too Tight,
CLICK HERE.
And to hear Blind Blake himself (in 1929) perform the song,
CLICK HERE.
CLICK HERE.
And to hear Blind Blake himself (in 1929) perform the song,
CLICK HERE.
