John Byrd

John Byrd was created in Mississippi in the 1890’s, or perhaps earlier. After an early on career spent mainly in Mississippi, Byrd relocated to Louisville, Kentucky, in the 1920’s and 1930’s, and produced a lot of his living playing 12-string acoustic guitar in a music group led by Walter Taylor (who could also been employed by as “Washboard Walter”). He documented blues under his personal name and in addition slice gospel music as the Rev. George Jones through the past due 1920’s and the start of the 1930’s. Byrd’s tone of voice could be tough and raspy, someplace midway between Louis Armstrong and Howlin’ Wolf, so when he do gospel, as on “That White colored Mule of Sin” or “The Heavenly Aircraft,” his debut recordings from 1929, the result is usually spellbinding (particularly when he worked well in tandem with Sister Jones aka Mae Glover). Walter Taylor experienced the more versatile and aesthetically satisfying voice between your two, but actually on recordings which Taylor sang, Byrd’s acoustic guitar playing displays the type of dexterity, in its operates and fills, that provides him equivalent footing and them some (around the break–check out “Filter Encounter Blues.” Like a vocalist, Byrd experienced a narrower range than Taylor, but his acoustic guitar more than composed for just about any shortcomings, frequently sounding just like the function of two great players rather than single remarkable one. Experienced he had the opportunity to remain energetic after World Battle II, and result from a town with more of the blues popularity than Louisville, he might’ve been appreciated at least aswell and broadly as Blind Willie McTell.