Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell
by Don Erickson
Francis "Scrapper" Blackwell ranks with Lonnie Johnson as
one of the earliest and most influential urban blues guitarists. He was
a successful moonshiner before pianist Leroy Carr finally convinced him
to pursue a career in music while both were in Indianapolis.
During their first recording session in 1928 for the Vocalian label,
they cut the song "How Long-How Long Blues." The song became a
huge hit across the nation and led to a seven year stretch in which they
recorded 114 songs together. They were definitely the most popular male
blues duo during this time. In fact, "How Long-How Long Blues"
was a favorite song of blues legend Muddy Waters, and was the first song
Muddy learned to play. It was also one of the first tunes that Muddy's
idol, Robert Johnson learned to play.
You can hear several examples of Carr and Blackwell's influence running
through Robert Johnson's repertoire. For instance, the Blackwell
composition of "Kokomo Blues" was later "reworked"
by Kokomo Arnold as "Original Old Kokomo Blues," which became
the basis for Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago." I'm sure
I personally have heard more versions of "Sweet Home Chicago"
than any other blues tune. (This was the very last song that Stevie Ray
Vaughan performed shortly before his fatal helicopter crash in August
1990. He was joined on stage by Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and
Jimmie Vaughan.) The success of Carr and Blackwell led many record
companies to start searching for blues talent in urban areas. The duo's
approach to the blues helped give the music a more polished edge and
inspired many other piano-guitar duos to follow their path.
Despite this, Leroy and Scrapper are not as well known today as many
other blues artists. This is partly due to the fact that blues
historians tend to overlook artists that weren't centered in Chicago,
and also partly because Carr died at the young age of 30 in 1935.
Blackwell, depressed by Carr's death, dropped out of the music scene
until being "rediscovered" in 1959. He was on the verge of a
comeback when he was shot to death in an alley in Indianapolis.
Leroy Carr was born in Nashville, Tennessee on March 27, 1905. His
father worked as a porter at Vanderbilt University. His parents
separated when Leroy was quite young and his mother brought him, along
with his sister, to Indianapolis. He taught himself how to play the
piano at an early age. He then quit school and eventually joined the
army. After his stint in the service, he got married, worked as a
bootlegger and as a meatpacker.
By the mid-'20s, he was able to quit his day job and earn his living
playing piano. Unfortunately, he developed a tremendous liking for
bootleg whiskey and was probably an alcoholic by the late '20s. In
February of 1935, Carr and Blackwell went into the studio together for
what would be the last time. The last song that Carr recorded was a solo
number, the prophetic "Six Cold Feet in the Ground." When the
Vocalian label came calling two months later, Leroy had already died of
complications from his alcohol abuse. Despite having a short-lived
career, He was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in
1982.
Scrapper Blackwell was born in Syracuse, South Carolina on February 21,
1903. He moved to Indianapolis at an early age. Possessing a very quiet
, reserved personality, he was largely self-taught as a guitarist. He
was influenced by Blind Lemon Jefferson (as were most early blues
guitarists) and he was also exposed to the East Coast Piedmont style of
blues.
Eric Clapton paid tribute to the duo by recording two of their songs on
his album From the Cradle. He performed "Blues Before
Sunrise," as well as "How Long-How Long Blues."
You can hear Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwellon the albums Blues
Before Sunrise on Portrait (RK44122) and also Naptown Blues
on Yazoo (1036). Do yourself a favor and check out this very under-rated
duo who helped shape the sound of modern blues.
Next month we will feature the aforementioned Blind Lemon Jefferson.
Have a great month.
Reprinted with permission from the September 1996 issue of the Blues Crier
