sweartotellthetruth

March 30, 2013

Blues and Rhythm Hour 73 on 93.3 CFMU (Hamilton, Ontario)

Program for Tuesday, April 2, 2013 (1:00-2:30 pm)

A full-length special on Gotham Records of Philadelphia. Gotham Records was a medium-sized independent label that was founded on jazz and R&B. Big enough and well-enough financed to acquire titles from smaller labels but without the distribution clout, in the end, of King, Savoy, or even Atlantic, which was a later arrival on the scene. Nonetheless, Gotham assembled an interesting catalogue of jazz, R&B, and, especially gospel. Our special will deal with the artists recorded by Gotham, rather than the masters acquired from Miltone or from Joe Von Battle in Detroit.

We’ve done features on Savoy, King and Atlantic. Those labels had rosters better known to us today and in their time. Gotham had great artists and its share of hit records. Just as importantly, it represented a fascinating segment of the music being played in the clubs, theatres and churches of the day and brought to record sounds we we wouldn’t have available to us today had Gotham never existed.

 On the show: 

Jimmy Preston – Earl Bostic – Dorothy Donegan – Tarheel Slim – Sonny Terry – The Dixieaires – Thelma Cooper – Frank Motley – Tiny Grimes – Edna Gallmon Cooke – Harmonizing Four

Listen to the program at FM 93.3 in Hamilton or on CFMU online at cfmu.msumcmaster.ca. The program will be available to stream or as a podcast until April 29th.

cmc

 
 

March 25, 2013

Blues and Rhythm Hour 72 on 93.3 CFMU (Hamilton, Ontario)

Program for Tuesday, March 26, 2013 (1:00-2:30 pm)

Rhythm & Blues in the first half of Tuesday’s program. Recordings from 1947 to 1951. A brief gospel quartet feature in the second half of the program, with quartets from the “Golden Era” out of Detroit, Atlanta, Newark, Cleveland and Chicago.

On the show: 

Joe Houston – Blue Lu Barker – Andrew Tibbs – Roy Hawkins – Memphis Slim & Terry Timmons – Harrison Kennedy – Detroiters – Afro Quintette – Friendly Brothers – Como Mamas – Drink Small

Listen to the program at FM 93.3 in Hamilton or on CFMU online at cfmu.msumcmaster.ca. The program will be available to stream or as a podcast until April 25th.

Harrison Kennedy

We missed the benefit concert for Harrison Kennedy on March 9th. We need to venture further into The Spectator every day, beyond the front section. Someone told us about it after the event had taken place. The drive is to pay for cancer surgery not covered by OHIP and we gather the campaign to raise funds for the medical procedure is ongoing. You can get more information on Harrison’s website and you can also donate to the fund there at http://www.harrisonkennedy.ca. We have been informed that there will be a Harrison Kennedy concert at This Ain’t Hollywood on April 3rd.

Gotham

Part or all of next week’s program will be devoted to the Gotham label of Philadelphia. Gotham was a fair-sized independent label that recorded southeastern blues, northeastern R&B and some of the finest gospel of the era. It didn’t really survive the rock and roll era but it was an important label for its decade or so of operation and some of the label’s recordings are the kind we call essential today.

cmc

March 24, 2013

Upcoming Features on Swear to Tell the Truth: the Blues and Rhythm Hour

Here are a few of the themes we will be pursuing in upcoming shows in the not-too-distant future on Swear to Tell the Truth: the Blues & Rhythm Show – 93.3 FM, Hamilton Ontario  (Tuesday 1:00-2:30 pm) or http://cfmu.msumcmaster.ca/

Gotham label survey – blues, rhythm & blues, gospel from ’40s – ’50s indie label – scheduled for April 5th.

Louis Jordan special – the founding figure of rhythm & blues

Alan Lomax’ Southern Journey (the 1959-1960 field trips)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe feature

Victor label blues – mostly 1920s

1920s blues figures – part 2

1930s blues figures – part 2 (late 1930s)

Specialty label gospel – part 2 – the mid to late fifties

Trains and Hoboes

Although we set up this site a year ago,  we only began making regular entries last week. We will be trying to provide notice for each coming program at least a day in advance of the air date.

cmc

March 19, 2013

Blues and Rhythm Hour 71 on 93.3 CFMU (Hamilton, Ontario)

Filed under: Uncategorized — cmcompton @ 4:22 am

Program for Tuesday, March 19, 2013 (1:00-2:30 pm)

Our March 19th show will feature some early blues, Delta blues from the 1950s, a taste of  “West-Side” Chicago blues , bit of soul from the Rojac and Tayster labels and something from Nashville.

On the show:

Ike Turner & the Kings of Rhythm – Lottie Kimbrough & Winston Holmes – Too Tight Henry – Sunny Blair – Elmore James – Big Sugar – Otis Rush – Joshie Jo Arnstead – Dottie Clark – Della Reese – and many others

Listen to the program at FM 93.3 in Hamilton or on CFMU online. The program will be available to stream or as a podcast until April 18th.

cmc

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