Frank Hutchison
| Frank Hutchison | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 20, 1891 Logan County, West Virginia, United States |
| Died |
November 9, 1945 (aged 54) Dayton, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | Piedmont blues, country blues, old-timey[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer, harmonicist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Slide guitar, harmonica, vocals |
| Years active | 1926–1929 (recording years) |
| Labels | Okeh Records |
Frank Hutchison (March 20, 1891 – November 9, 1945) was an American early country blues and Piedmont blues musician and songwriter.[1] Hutchison was best known as a slide guitar player, where he held the guitar in his lap.[1]
Biography
Born in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, Hutchison is considered to be the first white rural guitarist to record the blues,[1] as he cut several tracks for Okeh Records. He worked as a coal miner at various coal mines in Logan County, West Virginia, both before and after his career as a recording artist. Between 1926 and 1929, Hutchison recorded forty-one sides for Okeh, of which nine were unissued.[1] Three of the issued sides and three of the unissued were recorded with Sherman Lawson, a Logan County fiddler; others featured Hutchison's guitar, harmonica and voice. Hutchison also performed in the "Okeh Medicine Show," released by Okeh in 1929.[1]
Hutchison is considered to be one of the finest performers of the "white country blues" genre of early folk music. One of his more famous recordings is "The Train That Carried My Girl From Town." His recording of "Stackalee" was included in Harry Smith's 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music, and influenced a number of musicians during the 1950s and 1960s folk revival.
Some years after his recording career had ended and after he left the Logan County coal mines, Hutchison and his wife operated a store in Lake, West Virginia, where he also served as postmaster. His family lived above the store. The store burned down, Hutchison lost everything and reportedly developed alcohol problems after that. He worked as a riverboat entertainer[1] on the Ohio River and eventually moved to Columbus, Ohio.
He died in 1945 at a Dayton, Ohio hospital, of liver disease, aged 54.
Original discography
| Matrix | Title | Record # | Recording date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80143 | "Worried Blues" | Okeh 45064 | September 28, 1926 | |
| 80144 | "Train That Carried the Girl From Town" | Okeh 45064 | September 28, 1926 | |
| 80350 | "Stackalee" | Okeh 45106 | January 28, 1927 | |
| 80351 | "The Wild Horse" | Okeh 45093 | January 28, 1927 | |
| 80352 | "Long Way To Tipperary" | Okeh 45089 | January 28, 1927 | |
| 80353 | "The Gospel Ship" | Unissued | January 28, 1927 | |
| 80354 | "The West Virginia Rag" | Okeh 45083 | January 28, 1927 | |
| 80355 | "C & O Excursion" | Okeh 45089 | January 28, 1927 | |
| 80356 | "Coney Isle" | Okeh 45083 | January 28, 1927 | |
| 80357 | "Old Rachel" | Okeh 45093 | January 28, 1927 | |
| 80358 | "Lightning Express" | Okeh 45144 | January 28, 1927 | |
| 80359 | "Stackalee" | Okeh 45106 | January 28, 1927 | |
| 80776 | "Old Rachel" | Unissued | April 28, 1927 | |
| 80777 | "Lonesome Valley" | Unissued | April 28, 1927 | |
| 80778 | "Logan County Blues" | Okeh 45121 | April 28, 1927 | |
| 80782 | "Worried Blues" | Okeh 45114 | April 29, 1927 | |
| 80783 | "The Train That Carried the Girl From Town" | Okeh 45114 | April 29, 1927 | |
| 80784 | "The Last Scene of the Titanic" | Okeh 45121 | April 29, 1927 | |
| 80785 | "All Night Long" | Okeh 45144 | April 29, 1927 | |
| 80786 | "Over the Waves" | Unissued | April 29, 1927 | |
| 401102 | "Cluck Old Hen" | Unissued | September 10, 1928 | & Sherman Lawson |
| 401103 | "Old Corn Liquor" | Unissued | September 10, 1928 | & Sherman Lawson |
| 401104 | "Sally Gooden" | Unissued | September 10, 1928 | & Sherman Lawson |
| 401105 | "Alabama Girl, Ain't You Comin' Out Tonight" | Okeh 45313 | September 10, 1928 | & Sherman Lawson |
| 401106 | "Hell Bound Train" | Okeh 45452 | September 10, 1928 | & Sherman Lawson |
| 401108 | "Wild Hogs In the Red Brush" | Okeh 45274 | September 10, 1928 | & Sherman Lawson |
| 401109 | "Boston Burglar" | Unissued | September 10, 1928 | |
| 401110 | "The Burglar Man" | Okeh 45313 | September 11, 1928 | |
| 401111 | "Back In My Home Town" | Okeh 45258 | September 11, 1928 | |
| 401112 | "The Miner's Blues" | Okeh 45258 | September 11, 1928 | |
| 401113 | "Hutchison's Rag" | Okeh 45274 | September 11, 1928 | |
| 402504 | "The Boston Burglar" | Okeh 45425 | July 9, 1929 | |
| 402505 | "Down In the Lone Green Valley" | Unissued | July 9, 1929 | |
| 402506 | "The Chevrolet Six" | Okeh 45378 | July 9, 1929 | |
| 402507 | "Cumberland Gap" | Okeh 45570 | July 9, 1929 | |
| 402508 | "The Deal" | Okeh 45570 | July 9, 1929 | |
| 402509 | "Railroad Bill" | Okeh 45425 | July 9, 1929 | |
| 402510 | "Johnny and Jane, Part 1" | Okeh 45361 | July 9, 1929 | |
| 402511 | "Johnny and Jane, Part 2" | Okeh 45361 | July 9, 1929 | |
| 402512 | "Cannon Ball Blues" | Okeh 45378 | July 9, 1929 | |
| 402513 | "K.C.Blues" | Okeh 45452 | July 9, 1929 |
References
- Russell, Tony - Pinson, Bob, (2004), Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942, Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum