Frank Hutchison (March 20, 1891 – November 9, 1945) was an American early c… Read Full Bio ↴Frank Hutchison (March 20, 1891 – November 9, 1945) was an American early country, blues and Piedmont blues musician and songwriter. Hutchison was best known as a slide guitar player, where he held the guitar in his lap.
Born in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, Hutchison is considered to be the first white rural guitarist to record the blues, 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. 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.
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 on the Ohio River and eventually moved to Columbus, Ohio.
He died in 1945 at a Dayton, Ohio hospital, of liver disease, aged 54.
Born in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, Hutchison is considered to be the first white rural guitarist to record the blues, 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. 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.
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 on the Ohio River and eventually moved to Columbus, Ohio.
He died in 1945 at a Dayton, Ohio hospital, of liver disease, aged 54.
Train That Carried The Girl From Town
Frank Hutchison Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Frank Hutchison:
Cannon Ball Blues Oh the blues ain't nothin' but a good man a-feelin'…
Cumberland Gap Lay down, boys, take a little nap Forty…
Railroad Bill Railroad Bill got so bad Stole all the chickens the poor…
Stackalee Hawlin Alley one dark and drizzly night Billy Lyons and Sta…
The Chevrolet Six Tell you, boys, I know it's true No…
The Deal Now, I've been all around this whole wide world Down to…
Worried Blues I′ve got the worried blues, got no heart to cry I've…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Opossum Phil
Amazing!
Opossum Phil
Amazing!
Brian Hackert
According to Ernest Stoneman, Hutchison was ”a big red-headed Irishman.”
Prof. Luigi
Bluesiest Irishman that ever lived.
Ross Turcotte
✨
The Brazilian Atlantis
"ONE of the first, if not THE first" Nowhere near the first.
John Roy
The attribution is meant to be 'The first white guitarist to record blues songs'. Fiddlin Jim Carson and Uncle Dave were both of a different generation and recorded songs that came from a shared repertoire. Henry Whitter recorded 'blues' songs on guitar in 24 but they were more of a pop song type. The arrangement Hutchinson is playing here is strikingly similar to the one Furry Lewis used on Judge Harsh Blues recorded the next year. In that respect Hutchinson was the first white person to be recorded playing what is recognisable as a 'Blues' guitar style. Doc Boggs recorded at almost exactly the same time as Hutchinson and was very clear about learning his material from black musicians. But again he played the banjo, and played it in a pretty much incomparable way. The point I'm trying to make is that the video description is a bit misleading.
glendonjones
Thanks.
The Brazilian Atlantis
@glendonjones Some examples are Al Bernard in 1919, John Carson in 1923, Henry Whitter in 1923, Uncle Dave Macon in 1924.
glendonjones
So who then? Before 1927?