Blind Blake
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There are at least two artists with the name Blind Blake
1. “Blind” Blake (born Arthur Blake, circa 1893, Jacksonville, Florida; died: circa 1933) was an influential blues singer and guitarist. He is often called “The King Of Ragtime Guitar”. There is only one photograph of him in existence.
Blind Blake recorded about 80 tracks for Paramount Records in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He was one of the most accomplished guitarists of his genre with a surprisingly diverse range of material. His complex and intricate fingerpicking has inspired Reverend Gary Davis, Jorma Kaukonen, Ry Cooder, Ralph Mctell and many others. He is most known for his distinct guitar sound that was comparable in sound and style to a ragtime piano.
Very little is known about his life. His birthplace was listed as Jacksonville, Florida by Paramount Records but even that is in dispute. Nothing is known of his death. Even his name is not certain. During recordings he was asked about his real name and he answered that his name was Blind Arthur Blake which is also listed on some of the song credits, strengthening his case on his real name, although there is a suggestion that his real name was Arthur Phelps.
His first recordings were made in 1926 and his records sold well. His first solo record was “Early Morning Blues” with “West Coast Blues” on the B-side. Both are considered excellent examples of his style. Blake made his last recordings in 1932, the end of his career aided by Paramount’s bankruptcy. It is often said that the later recordings have much less sparkle and, allegedly, Blind Blake was drinking heavily in his later years. It is likely that this led to his early death.
1. “Blind” Blake (born Arthur Blake, circa 1893, Jacksonville, Florida; died: circa 1933) was an influential blues singer and guitarist. He is often called “The King Of Ragtime Guitar”. There is only one photograph of him in existence.
Blind Blake recorded about 80 tracks for Paramount Records in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He was one of the most accomplished guitarists of his genre with a surprisingly diverse range of material. His complex and intricate fingerpicking has inspired Reverend Gary Davis, Jorma Kaukonen, Ry Cooder, Ralph Mctell and many others. He is most known for his distinct guitar sound that was comparable in sound and style to a ragtime piano.
Very little is known about his life. His birthplace was listed as Jacksonville, Florida by Paramount Records but even that is in dispute. Nothing is known of his death. Even his name is not certain. During recordings he was asked about his real name and he answered that his name was Blind Arthur Blake which is also listed on some of the song credits, strengthening his case on his real name, although there is a suggestion that his real name was Arthur Phelps.
His first recordings were made in 1926 and his records sold well. His first solo record was “Early Morning Blues” with “West Coast Blues” on the B-side. Both are considered excellent examples of his style. Blake made his last recordings in 1932, the end of his career aided by Paramount’s bankruptcy. It is often said that the later recordings have much less sparkle and, allegedly, Blind Blake was drinking heavily in his later years. It is likely that this led to his early death.
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Ragtime Guitar's Foremost Fingerpicker
Blind Blake
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All the Published Sides
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The Best of Blind Blake
Blind Blake Buy- Download Album
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The Very Best Of
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Shoutbox
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Theelongplayer wrote:
@ToothandNail04 : I love him too! Both Blind Blakes were great.
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davidwhoward wrote:
"I wish somebody would tell me what Diddie Wa Diddie means..."
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ToothandNail04 wrote:
am i the only one listening to the bahamian calypso blind blake? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Alphonso_Higgs
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spin-it wrote:
Blind musicians have made an enormous contribution to American popular music. This is particularly true in blues, gospel, jazz, and other predominantly African-American forms — perhaps because discrimination at the time made it more difficult for black blind people to find other employment. In any case, the achievement of blind African-Americans in music is extensive. - Wiki
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lewlew00 wrote:
This is American History. Shit, if lastfm can be believed, there's only one photo of the guy. And yet, only 188,000 plays? Something is not right here!
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Tweed15 wrote:
" Too tight this Rag of Mine"
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Pafgadget wrote:
Love alone !
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Chiaroscurist wrote:
<3
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Darksider_01 wrote:
so gooood
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johntardsbaby66 wrote:
lol get a time machine and take another one, you're not going to find any other ones
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violentnun wrote:
What wrong with it? It's the only photo of him in existence....
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willywonka091 wrote:
man, i don't like this photo, lets get a new one up there
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lonewolflives wrote:
that's an intense bio... and mbeauchez, it is; you can download some of it at archive.org
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daraloglan wrote:
what the hell! look at the similars. is that means blinds are similar?
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Alex181112 wrote:
great musician
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sGarrista- wrote:
this is awesome
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mbeauchez wrote:
Shouldn't this music almost/already be out of copyright?
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almagal wrote:
I don't think there is anyone finer than Blake. Have you tried Blind Willie McTell?
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simillarian wrote:
His guitar playing is phenomenal. I love his ragtime melodies. It works well on guitar. I would like to know more artists who perfected the art of playing ragtime on the guitar. Anyone have any recommendations? I know quite a few similar artist's but no one who can incorporate ragtime so proficiently and well.
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almagal wrote:
Blake is legendary. A style no other man can find.
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Recent Activity
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NosirrahEcnal added Blind Blake to NosirrahEcnal’s library. yesterday morning
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elVici tagged Blind Blake with ‘blues’. Monday afternoon
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larrythesquid, curtisbarker and duffpete added Blind Blake to their libraries. last week
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flower123garden tagged Blind Blake with florida and blind blake. last week
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lovebeatloko3, FelipeRockz, Gamurai and 17 other people added Blind Blake to their libraries. 10 days ago
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toreriku tagged Blind Blake with delta blues and blues. last month
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ezequiel_tkd, BLACKDOGWILLIE, kaynyl and 6 other people added Blind Blake to their libraries. last month
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Jimi_87 tagged Blind Blake with ‘blues’. December 2011
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Jimi_87, LimbGambith, Dynamite_Nick and 2 other people added Blind Blake to their libraries. December 2011
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rumboon uploaded Blind Blake PNG to Blind Blake’s images. December 2011
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