⬇️ BLIND BLAKE ⬇️
(Arthur "Blind" Blake)
DISCOGRAPHY 1990-2019 (18CD)
BIOGRAPHY
Arthur "Blind" Blake (1896 – December 1, 1934) was an American blues and
ragtime singer and guitarist. He is known for numerous recordings he made
for Paramount Records between 1926 and 1932.
Little is known of Blake's life. Promotional materials from Paramount
Records indicate he was born blind and give his birthplace as
Jacksonville, Florida, and it seems that he lived there during various
periods. He seems to have had relatives in Patterson, Georgia. Some
authors have written that in one recording he slipped into a Geechee or
Gullah dialect, suggesting a connection with the Sea Islands. Blind
Willie McTell indicated that Blake's real name was Arthur Phelps, but
later research has shown this is unlikely to be correct.
In 2011 a group of researchers led by Alex van der Tuuk published
various documents regarding Blake's life and death in the journal Blues
& Rhythm. One of these documents is his 1934 death certificate,
which states he was born in 1896 in Newport News, Virginia, to Winter
and Alice Blake (his mother's name is followed by a question mark).
Nothing else is known of Blake until the 1920s, when he emerged as a
recording musician.
Blake recorded about 80 tracks for Paramount Records from 1926 to 1932.
He was one of the most accomplished guitarists of his genre and played a
diverse range of material. He is best known for his distinctive guitar
playing, which was comparable in sound and style to ragtime piano. He
seems to have lived in Jacksonville and to have gone to Chicago for his
recording sessions, at one point having an apartment at 31st Street and
Cottage Grove Avenue. According to van der Tuuk et al., he apparently
returned to Florida for the winter. In the 1930s he was reported to be
playing in front of a Jacksonville hotel.....
(Wikipedia)