Decoration Blues
John Lee Williamson, the original Sonny Boy, helped establish the smooth, professional "Bluebird Beat" that dominated Chicago before World War II. During a 1938 session held in a hotel in Aurora, Illinois, he recorded "Decoration Blues." Backed by a rhythm section featuring Elijah Jones and Yank Rachell, Sonny Boy sang about Decoration Day (the precursor to Memorial Day) using the cemetery setting as a metaphor for lost love. His unique "cross-harping" technique and his rhythmic vocal delivery proved that the harmonica could function as a dynamic lead instrument in a modern ensemble setting.
The floating-verse lineage for this recording (who else recorded it, where the melody or lyric traveled, and how it was adapted) is still being mapped. This section will trace the song's DNA across the archive.
Contributions welcome at OlMrRead@ccblues.com.