In the days before microphones, singing in front of a band was a job for a powerful voice – a voice powerful enough to be heard over the top of the guitars, pianos, brass and drums. Even after microphones became commonplace in the 1930s, weak amplification often meant that performing live with a band demanded an abnormally strong voice. And the owners of these rare and precious assets were known as Blues Shouters.

Big Joe Turner was the leading Blues Shouter of his day. With a voice that could shake the foundations of most of the venues he appeared in and a physique to match, he remained the undisputed King of the Shouters from the late 30s until well into the 50s. 

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In December 1938 one of the most significant concerts in the history of popular music took place. It was the brainchild of John Hammond, who had already ‘discovered’ Billie Holiday and Count Basie and would eventually go on to do the same with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

Hammond decided it was about time that the Black musical traditions of America were heard by a broader - mixed race and not just Southern – audience. And what better venue to select than that North American bastion of white, classical and ‘proper’ music, New York’s Carnegie Hall.

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It was quite difficult to dance to the Blues. And even if you were skilled enough on your feet to pull it off, the sentiment and mood of most Blues tracks didn’t lend itself too well to strutting your stuff. So Boogie Woogie was invented at some point in the early 1900′s and grew up alongside the Blues as its more out-going, upbeat, sister on the dance-floor – whilst the Blues sat in the corner and drank.

Meade was one of its early commercial pioneers, releasing his first vinyl as early as 1927. But Boogie Woogie’s heyday was from around 1936 until just after WWII when its younger kid sister Rock’n'Roll started turning up at the party.

Recorded 1936.

Availability. Meade recorded ‘Honky Tonk’ several times on vinyl starting in 1927. This version, the best I think, is from 1936 and is available on the Document Records CD ‘Lewis, Ammons & Johnson – 1936-1941′ which also features the other two great 1930′s Boogie Woogiers, Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons: Amazon