# Music by Genre > Jazz/Blues Variants, Bossa, Choro, Klezmer >  Blues mando recommendations

## MediumMando5722

Looking for a few mando-centric blues recordings. Chicago, British, Mississippi, Texas... any old blues  :Smile:

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## AMandolin

Charlie McCoy

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MediumMando5722

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## samlyman

Chris: I have 10 or so blues tunes recorded on my YouTube channel and can share chord and lyric charts if you want...

https://www.youtube.com/user/drsamly...sort=dd&view=0

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ago, 

CHASAX, 

GrooverMcTube, 

Joey Anchors, 

MediumMando5722, 

Simon DS, 

Teak

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## Joey Anchors

I just finished this for an EP I’m working on. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NLxW_Ndqmec

All tracks are mandolin.

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CHASAX, 

derbex, 

MediumMando5722

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## mandolinfox

Charlie McCoy is my favorite too.  He can be heard in two contexts.  He made some rural jug band type recordings with one or another of those many Chatmon brothers. But he also did some more Uptown stuff with the Harlem Hamfats.  Any recording with Charlie on it is a treasure. 

Other required listening - Yank Rachell, Howard Armstrong (Louie Bluie), Johnny Young, Vol Stevens.  I learned about a lot of these people from Rich DelGrosso's book Mandolin Blues.  Get that book TODAY!  And any recordings by Rich are great. Other contemporary blues mandolinists are Billy Flynn and Gerald Heard.  Have you heard Mike Compton play blues? He is known as the master of the Monroe bluegrass style, but he plays great blues.  

I am dedicated to blues mandolin. At bluegrass and swing jams alike, I always call blues tunes when it is my turn. People really enjoy playing them.

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MediumMando5722, 

MissingString, 

rwhitney, 

Tim Logan

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## MediumMando5722

Thanks guys. I'll check all this out.

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## Bill Foss

I love Steve James's playing. https://youtu.be/YrOOtx50zC4

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billhay4

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## Ranald

A warning, there are two Charlie McCoy's who play mandolin. You're looking for the earlier one, not the Nashville session musician, born in 1941, who'll come up first on your Google search. See if you can find "Charlie McCoy Complete 1928-1932 Recordings" (Document Records BDCD-6018). I got it cheaply on Amazon, but some of the CD's that I mention here are sometimes overpriced.

Other outstanding old blues mandolinists include James "Yank" Rachell and Howard Armstrong (a.k.a. Louie Bluie), as well as others mentioned in message #5 above. Notable contemporary blues mandolinists include Rich DelGrosso, Lino Muoio, and Andra Faye. Steve James is great too, but his CD's usually have far more guitar. Faye too mostly plays other instruments. A must-have CD is "Rags, Breakdowns, Stomps & Blues: Vintage Mandolin Music 1927-1946" (Document DOCD 32-20-3). Another good one is "Early Mandolin Classics, Volume 1" (Rounder CD 1050). If that's not enough, check this link on "Weenie Campbell", a website for lovers of old blues:

https://weeniecampbell.com/wiki/inde...olin_Listening

If you're learning: since Rich Del Grosso's book came up, when I started playing blues mandolin, I was new to mandolin, had only played a couple of blues tunes on fiddle, and didn't play guitar. I found his book difficult for someone at my level, though I'm working my way up to it. He has great tunes though, and his book is worth having just for the history. I then worked through Joe Carr's "School of Mandolin: Blues" (Mel Bay) with CD, which teaches rhythms and doesn't jump into solos. Then I moved onto Steve James's "Roots and Blues Mandolin" (Hal Leonard), with MP3 download, and his first instructional DVD, "Learn to Play Blues Mandolin" (Homespun), with sheet music download. Each of these instructional aids has its flaws, for instance Steve James shows you how to play a couple of bars on DVD, but then plays them differently when he plays the whole tune, while his sheet music is different again -- though this inconsistency is, in itself, a lesson in the blues. Still, all these teaching aids have strengths as well. Good luck.

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bluesmandolinman, 

CHASAX, 

Joey Anchors, 

Tim Logan

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## O. Apitius

Canadian legend, singer-songwriter Ken Whiteley, although more widely known for his stage presence and general vibe, is also a phenomenal multi-instrumentalist with a deep grasp of blues mandolin (and blues in general). As far as I know, he hasn't recorded any "mando-centric" albums but has a sprinkling of blues mandolin playing spread through a number of his albums. This one has probably got the most.
http://www.kenwhiteley.com/index.php...ordings&id=165

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MediumMando5722

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## Ranald

> Canadian legend, singer-songwriter Ken Whiteley, although more widely known for his stage presence and general vibe, is also a phenomenal multi-instrumentalist with a deep grasp of blues mandolin (and blues in general). As far as I know, he hasn't recorded any "mando-centric" albums but has a sprinkling of blues mandolin playing spread through a number of his albums. This one has probably got the most.
> http://www.kenwhiteley.com/index.php...ordings&id=165



Yes, Ken's a fine bluesman and a nice guy besides. He also plays mandolin on three songs on Guy Davis's blues CD, "Give in Kind". Davis himself plays a couple of mandolin tunes on his CD "Legacy", but I'd call his style more old-time than blues, on these songs anyway.

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## lowtone2

Charlie McCoy playing behind Peetie Wheatstraw on this one.  He solos too.

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bluesmandolinman, 

Kenny, 

Ranald

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## Bob Buckingham

Ole Charlie is a favorite and recorded extensively.

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lowtone2

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## lowtone2

Big Jack Johnson used one on a few tunes.

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Ranald

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## Mandobart

Yank Rachel is one of the great original blues mandolin players.  More recent there's Rich Delgrosso, Gerry Hundt, and of course Jim Richter.

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## lowtone2

Billy Flynn

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Ranald

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## urobouros

Check out Jimi Hocking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcPz5CsTc1E

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lowtone2, 

Ranald

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## Phil-D

Lino muoio check him out on YoUTube

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## Perry

> Looking for a few mando-centric blues recordings. Chicago, British, Mississippi, Texas... any old blues


If you can find a copy of this CD

https://www.discogs.com/release/5819...Mandolin-Blues

Dont think Johnny Young was mentioned above. Let us also not forget Ry Cooder.

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## lowtone2



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bluesmandolinman

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## lowtone2

Not sure who this is on Jon's recording. Sound's good to me!

 Jontavious is a super nice guy and great player, BTW.

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mandrian, 

Ranald

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## Ranald

> Not sure who this is on Jon's recording. Sound's good to me!
> 
>  Jontavious is a super nice guy and great player, BTW.


Thanks. I enjoyed that very much, both singing and instrumentation. I've been searching but can't find who the mandolin player is. You'd think they'd list the musicians on the YouTube site, but perhaps that's too much to ask. According to some internet sources, Keb' Mo' plays on the album version, but that's not him in the video. (I suppose this could be the album recording with other folks in the visuals.)

Here's Keb':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZdN...utionCoalition

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## lowtone2

> Thanks. I enjoyed that very much, both singing and instrumentation. I've been searching but can't find who the mandolin player is. You'd think they'd list the musicians on the YouTube site, but perhaps that's too much to ask. According to some internet sources, Keb' Mo' plays on the album version, but that's not him in the video. (I suppose this could be the album recording with other folks in the visuals.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ]


I thought, before seeing the video, that it sounded like Kevin Moore, but if it is why wouldn’t he play for the camera?  So, I don’t know. The usual places I look for credits, Allmusic etc, do not list any instrumentalists for this one. Might email Jon the question.

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Ranald

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## Ranald

Re: Jontavious Willis video (Post #20), 

Just to add another layer to the mystery, Keb' Mo' (Kevin Moore) walks in the door at 2:27 then picks up a banjo and begins to play. I believe we're hearing the album recording, and that a video of the fellas playing was edited to fit the music. This leaves me wondering though, if Keb' was playing mandolin on the recording, why would they have him playing banjo in the video?

From website ARISTOPR:  "In the clip for The World Is In A Tangle, a song filled with questions about the direction our world is going in, Willis portrays the freedom of living the simple life. Despite the fear of get[ting] the blues when you turn on the T.V., the band sits amongst each other in the middle of a worry-free jam session yielding feel-good solos from the mandolin, banjo, and acoustic guitar. Referred to as Mr. Banjo Man in the video, iconic Blues and Americana artist, Keb Mo (and producer of Willis Spectacular Class), makes a cameo to support the care-free groove."

This still doesn't tell us anything about who plays mandolin on the recording or in the video. Jontavious's website doesn't provide any clues either.

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lowtone2

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## journeybear

> Don’t think Johnny Young was mentioned above. Let us also not forget Ry Cooder.


Well, dang and dadgum! That's who I was thinking, other than Yank Rachel, also mentioned. 

Johnny Young played electric mandolin blues around Chicago for a long time. I've heard a few numbers over the years but I haven't done a lot of research about him. I'm sure there are videos up at youtube. 

Ry has included mandolin and blues on many of his albums over the years; sometimes those coincide. His work on The Rolling Stone's version of "Love In Vain" on "Let It Bleed" is the first time I heard a mandolin in a context other than traditional Italian music. "Goin' To Brownsville" appeared on his first solo album, but he also played mandolin in The Rising Sons, the band he was in before that with Taj Mahal. And he plays mandolin some on the album those two did just this year, "Get On Board." Though I think just on "Hooray Hooray," which isn't terribly bluesy.

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## lowtone2

> Re: Jontavious Willis video (Post #20), 
> 
> Just to add another layer to the mystery, Keb' Mo' (Kevin Moore) walks in the door at 2:27 then picks up a banjo and begins to play. I believe we're hearing the album recording, and that a video of the fellas playing was edited to fit the music. This leaves me wondering though, if Keb' was playing mandolin on the recording, why would they have him playing banjo in the video?
> 
> From website ARISTOPR:  "In the clip for “The World Is In A Tangle,” a song filled with questions about the direction our world is going in, Willis portrays the freedom of living the simple life. Despite the fear of “get[ting] the blues when you turn on the T.V.”, the band sits amongst each other in the middle of a worry-free jam session yielding feel-good solos from the mandolin, banjo, and acoustic guitar. Referred to as “Mr. Banjo Man” in the video, iconic Blues and Americana artist, Keb’ Mo’ (and producer of Willis’ Spectacular Class), makes a cameo to support the care-free groove."
> 
> This still doesn't tell us anything about who plays mandolin on the recording or in the video. Jontavious's website doesn't provide any clues either.


I think it is Kevin Moore, but that would have been awkward in the video since he’s playing banjo. I’m going to buy the CD and surely printed  credits will solve the mystery.

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Ranald

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## Greg Connor

> I have 10 or so blues tunes recorded on my YouTube channel and can share chord and lyric charts if you want...
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/user/drsamly...sort=dd&view=0


I just watched a few of these videos, Excellent!  

Great lessons in technique.  Im having a difficult time finding any Blues in my mandolin.  

Thanks, this helps.

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