Sunday, August 15, 2010

Little Boyd on Boyd

Pictures credit : the_squale (eBay)


Little Boyd and The Blues Bees

Boyd 191-1

CP-2531 ~ Harmonica Rock
CP-2532 ~ Don't Leave Me Baby

1959

Note : the record number [191-1] means the first release of the Rite account #191]



Harmonica Rock


Don't Leave Me Baby





Little Boyd

(from the cover of the Styletone LP Oldies But Goodies (Various Artists)

Boyd, possibly Louis Boyd, was born August 24, 1924, in Carthage, Mississippi. He fell under the influence of John Lee « Sonny Boy » Williamson’s harmonica playing, and spent some time with bluesmen Elmore James and Rice Miller before coming to Cincinnati in the late fifities. Boyd claimed to have cut recordings for his Boyd label at a Fortune Studio (untraced) in Cincinnati around 1957-1958. He had recorded also four (rather undistinguished) sides backing Smokey Smothers at King in 1962, including « Way up in the Mountains of Kentucky, » which names several Kentucky locations. He left Cincinnati in 1964 or 1965 for Los Angeles, where he recorded for the Lamga and Styletone labels owned by Mike Hooks. He soon vanished altogether from the recording and performing scene.

(source : Steven C. Tracy : "Going to Cincinnati - A History of the Blues in the Queen City, book)


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3 comments:

  1. I have a disc by Little Boyd called Drinkin' Blues pts 1 and 2 on Boyd (Boyd 2), sounds pretty much like Harmonica Rock.

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  2. I wanted to include originally the record you mention but I’ve not resolved a little mystery regarding Little Boyd’s second disc on his own label. So I choose to leave it aside for the moment :

    Boyd 2 is listed by Leadbitter & Slaven in their Blues Records discography with the mention that these two tracks were compiled on the St Georges LP 1003 as by Dixie Boy & his combo, retitled “One More Drink” / “Fast Life Boogie”.

    Now, I’ve found details of that LP here :
    http://www.wirz.de/music/stgeofrm.htm
    LP’s title is « Southside Screamers! Chicago Blues 1948-1958 », subtitled « 12 rare unreleased Tracks ».

    Are they really the same recordings ? And, if yes, Boyd recorded it really in Chicago? etc.

    The Hound, these two Boyd releases are quite rare. I would be interested by a mp3 and label shots of your copy of Boyd 2.

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