Barrelhouse Buck McFarland

b. Thomas McFarland, 16 Sept 1903, Alton, Illinois, USA, d. Apr 1962. On his 1929 debut documenting, Barrelhouse Buck sang reflectively, like many St. Louis pianists, but his playing was even more percussive than that of his contemporaries. This resulted partially from his encounter like a drummer, and partially from a mindful decision to create his design different. By 1934, he previously adopted a brutal, growling vocal to complement his swinging piano, as well as perhaps also to contend with his accompanists, attracted from among a rasping fiddler, a clarinettist, and Peetie Wheatstraw’s acoustic guitar. Together they produced fascinating dance music, which is regrettable that Barrelhouse Buck didn’t record once again until soon before his loss of life, in a hurried program that produced a short recording, marred by an out-of-tune piano.