Show 31: Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell's Legacy
Leroy Carr sits in the middle of this show because his smooth, weary piano-and-voice style changed what urban blues could sound like. The surrounding tracks show the circle around him and the broader move from rough country forms toward a more polished city blues manner.
For today's 31st episode of the CC Blues Show, I've elected to cover a two-hour history of Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell's influential blues records. We have a fairly limited time frame, as there were just over eight years of material available from this dynamic duo. Up first is their first, and arguably most notable, recording, released in 1928. Here's Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell's "How Long, How Long Blues."
Leroy Carr sits in the middle of this show because his smooth, weary piano-and-voice style changed what urban blues could sound like. The surrounding tracks show the circle around him and the broader move from rough country forms toward a more polished city blues manner.
| Order | Track | Artist | Segment | Bridge | Story |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How Long - How Long Blues | Leroy Carr | 1 | - | |
| 2 | Straight Alky Blues - Part I (C-3144) | Leroy Carr | 1 | - | |
| 3 | It's Too Short (Take 1) | Leroy Carr | 1 | - | |
| 4 | My Own Lonesome Blues | Leroy Carr | 1 | - | |
| 5 | Prison Bound Blues | Leroy Carr | 1 | - | |
| 6 | Gambler's Blues | Leroy Carr | 1 | - | |
| 7 | Baby Don't You Love Me No More | Leroy Carr | 1 | - | |
| 8 | There Ain't Nobody Got it Like She's Got It | Leroy Carr | 1 | - | |
| 9 | That's All Right For You | Leroy Carr | 1 | Yes | - |
| 10 | The Dirty Dozen | Leroy Carr | 2 | Yes | - |
| 11 | I'm Going Back To Tennessee | Leroy Carr | 2 | - | |
| 12 | Love Hides All Faults | Leroy Carr | 2 | - | |
| 13 | Papa's On The House Top | Leroy Carr | 2 | - | |
| 14 | How Long Has That Evening Train Been Gone | Leroy Carr | 2 | - | |
| 15 | Long Road Blues | Leroy Carr | 2 | - | |
| 16 | Sloppy Drunk Blues | Leroy Carr | 2 | - | |
| 17 | Alabama Women Blues | Leroy Carr | 2 | - | |
| 18 | Let's Disagree | Leroy Carr | 2 | Yes | - |
| 19 | Blues Before Sunrise (Take 1) | Leroy Carr | 3 | Yes | - |
| 20 | Low Down Dirty Dog Blues | Leroy Carr | 3 | - | |
| 21 | Midnight Hour Blues | Leroy Carr | 3 | - | |
| 22 | Corn Licker Blues | Leroy Carr | 3 | - | |
| 23 | Mean Mistreater Mama (Take 1) | Leroy Carr | 3 | - | |
| 24 | Court Room Blues | Leroy Carr | 3 | - | |
| 25 | I Believe I'll Make A Change | Leroy Carr | 3 | - | |
| 26 | Hustler's Blues | Leroy Carr | 3 | - | |
| 27 | Kokomo Blues | Scrapper Blackwell | 3 | Yes | - |
| 28 | When The Sun Goes Down | Leroy Carr | 4 | Yes | - |
| 29 | Penal Farm Blues | Scrapper Blackwell | 4 | - | |
| 30 | Trouble Blues - Part 1 | Scrapper Blackwell | 4 | - | |
| 31 | Blue Day Blues | Scrapper Blackwell | 4 | - | |
| 32 | Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out | Scrapper Blackwell | 4 | - | |
| 33 | Going Back Home | Leroy Carr | 4 | - | |
| 34 | Black Gal (What Makes Your Head So Hard?) | Leroy Carr | 4 | - | |
| 35 | Suicide Blues (Take 1) | Leroy Carr | 4 | - | |
| 36 | Shine On, Harvest Moon | Ruth Etting | 4 | - | |
| 37 | Six Cold Feet In The Ground | Leroy Carr | 4 | Yes | - |
| 38 | My Old Pal - Dedicated to the Memory of Leroy Carr | Scrapper Blackwell,Dot Rice | 5 | Yes | - |