Tom Delaney (September 14, 1889 – December 16, 1963) was
an African-American blues and jazz songwriter, pianist and singer, who wrote a
number of popular songs, mainly in the 1920s
Tom Delaney was born in Charleston, South Carolina in
1889 and raised at the Jenkins Orphanage. Founded in 1891 by Rev. Daniel
Jenkins, it became one of the most successful orphanages for black children in
the South. One of the most famous features of the orphanage was the Jenkins
Band, which performed military marching music on street corners and
“passed-the-hat” for donations. Delaney performed with the band until 1910.
He later toured the East Coast in a song and dance duo billed
as Mitchell and Delaney. He then played piano on the vaudeville circuit before
finding his voice as a songwriter. At age 21 he was living in New York City, playing
piano, writing songs and singing in saloons, gin joints and whorehouses in the
seedy sections of Manhattan.
His first big break came when he was thirty-two years
old, in 1921. Delaney’s song “Jazz Me Blues” attracted the attention of
professional musicians and, more importantly, people who owned recording
studios. They were always looking for songs to record,
especially now that
there was money to be made with “black” songs. “ Lucille Hegamin recorded it
that year and it went on to become a jazz standard.
The year before, 1920, Perry Bradford convinced a New
York record company to record a “black blues” song. Mamie Smith recorded
Bradford’s “Crazy Blues.” It sold more than a million copies in less than a
year. Suddenly, “black blues” songs were hot. Delaney had written hundreds of
blues songs by then, so he began to peddle them to record companies.
During this time he met a young singer named Ethel
Waters. She performed in vaudeville shows for years as a dancer billed as
“Sweet Mama Stringbean.”
Waters, however, preferred singing to dancing, and on March 21, 1921, she recorded two of Delaney’s songs for the Pace & Handy Music Company, “Down Home Blues” and “At The Jump Steady Ball.” A twenty-three year old former chemistry student named Fletcher Henderson played the piano for the session. “Down Home Blues” became a hit. Pace & Handy paired Waters and Delaney together and sent them out on tour, Waters on vocals and Delaney on piano.
Waters, however, preferred singing to dancing, and on March 21, 1921, she recorded two of Delaney’s songs for the Pace & Handy Music Company, “Down Home Blues” and “At The Jump Steady Ball.” A twenty-three year old former chemistry student named Fletcher Henderson played the piano for the session. “Down Home Blues” became a hit. Pace & Handy paired Waters and Delaney together and sent them out on tour, Waters on vocals and Delaney on piano.
Two months later an act called Lillyn Brown and Her
Jazz-Bo Syncopaters recorded “Jazz Me Blues.”
That was followed quickly by an instrumental version of the song by the
Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Both
versions sold thousands of copies.
Delaney's own recorded work amounts to two singles, both
recorded in New York and released by Columbia Records in 1922: "Bow Legged
Mama" backed with "Parson Jones (You Ain't Livin' Right)" and
"I'm Leavin' Just to Ease My Worried Mind" backed with "Georgia
Stockade Blues".
"Sinful Blues", first published in 1923, was an
example of one of the many Delaney titles that fell into control of producer,
publisher and record company manager Joe Davis. Davis continued exploiting
Delaney material throughout the decade, examples of which include Maggie Jones
recording the resigned "If I Lose, Let Me Lose" for Columbia and
Clara Smith coming up with an unhassled version of "Troublesome
Blues".
Not every song he came up with made it all the way to a
recording session or sheet music form, however. "Goopher Dust Blues",
which may or may not include a spelling mistake in its title and "Grievin
Mama" were Delaney titles that were never recorded for undisclosed reasons
Through the years more than 100 of Delaney’s songs were
recorded by the most popular artists of the day. “Jazz Me Blues” became a
standard recorded by Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Bix
Beiderbecke, Count Basie, Jack Teagarden and Benny Goodman
Delaney died of atherosclerosis in December 1963, at the
age of 74, in Baltimore, Maryland
1 comment:
For “Male Blues Of The Twenties Vol. 2 (1923-1928)” go here:
https://www20.zippyshare.com/v/UhlQDskF/file.html
1. Mister Crump Rag – Jesse Crump
2. Golden West Blues – Jesse Crump
3. Sleep Baby Sleep – John Churchill
4. Mad Man Blues – John Churchill
5. Roll On Silver Moon – Charles Anderson
6. Laughing Yodel – Charles Anderson
7. I’m Leavin’ Just To Ease My Worried Mind – Tom Delaney
8. Georgia Stockade Blues – Tom Delaney
9. Bow-Legged Mama – Tom Delaney
0. Parson Jones (You Ain’t Livin’ Right) – Tom Delaney
11. Alabama Mamma – Mike Jackson
12. Kissing Mule Blues – Mike Jackson
13. Who’ll Chop Your Suey When I’m Gone – New Orleans Willie Jackson
14. Numbers On The Brain – New Orleans Willie Jackson
15. Hold ‘Er Deacon – New Orleans Willie Jackson
16. Charleston Hound – New Orleans Willie Jackson
17. Tain’t What You Pay To Get A Thing – New Orleans Willie Jackson
18. Railroad Man Blues – New Orleans Willie Jackson
19. Long Time Man – New Orleans Willie Jackson
20. Corn And Bunion Blues – New Orleans Willie Jackson
21. Kansas City Blues – New Orleans Willie Jackson
22. T.B. Blues – New Orleans Willie Jackson
23. How Long – How Long Blues – New Orleans Willie Jackson
24. Deck Hand Blues – New Orleans Willie Jackson
A big thank you to audiotut for mp3s.
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