Sam Collins (musician)

Sam Collins (possibly August 11, 1887 – possibly October 20, 1949),[1] sometimes known as Crying Sam Collins,[2] was an early American blues singer and guitarist.[3] His style has been described as "South Mississippi", rather than Delta blues and "The Jail House Blues" is his best-known recording.[3]

Sam Collins
Also known as
  • Crying Sam Collins
  • Jim Foster
Bornpossibly (1887-08-11)August 11, 1887
possibly Louisiana, or possibly Kentucky, U.S.[1]
Diedpossibly (1949-10-20)October 20, 1949
possibly Chicago[1]
GenresBlues
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)
LabelsGennett

Biography

Collins was born in Louisiana and grew up in McComb, Mississippi, just across the state line.[4] By 1924, he was performing in local barrelhouses, often with King Solomon Hill; both of them sang falsetto parts and played slide guitar.[4] Collins's first recording in 1927 was "Yellow Dog Blues", made for Gennett Records and recorded in Richmond, Indiana. His bottleneck guitar was referred to as a "git-fiddle" on record labels of the time, and blues historian Robert Palmer noted that his guitar "seemed to literally weep".[2]

Collins recorded again in 1931; some of his later recordings appeared under different pseudonyms, such as Jim Foster,[3] Jelly Roll Hunter, Big Boy Woods, Bunny Carter, and Salty Dog Sam. His rural bottleneck guitar pieces were among the first to be compiled on LP.[3]

In the late 1930s, Collins relocated to Chicago, where he died from heart disease in October 1949, at the age of 62.[4]

Discography

Compilations
  • 14 Rare Country Blues by Sam Collins & 2 Surprises by King Solomon Hill (Origin Jazz Library, 1965)
  • Jailhouse Blues (Yazoo, 1990)
  • King of the Blues Vol. 11 (P-Vine, 1992)
  • Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order 1927–1931 (Document, 1992)

Songs

1927, Richmond, Indiana

  • "The Jailhouse Blues"
  • "I Want to Be Like Jesus in My Heart"
  • "Yellow Dog Blues"
  • "Loving Lady Blues"
  • "Riverside Blues"
  • "Devil in the Lion's Den"
  • "Dark Cloudy Blues"
  • "Pork Chop Blues"
  • "Lead Me All the Way"
  • "Midnight Special Blues"
  • "Do That Thing"
  • "Hesitation Blues"
  • "It Won't Be Long Now"
  • "The Worried Man Blues"
  • "The Moanin' Blues"

1931, New York City

  • "Lonesome Road Blues"
  • "Slow Mama Slow"
  • "My Road Is Rough and Rocky"
  • "New Salty Dog"
  • "Graveyard Digger's Blues"
  • "Signifying Blues"
  • "I'm Still Sitting on Top of the World"

References
  1. "Sam Collins discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  2. Palmer, Robert (1981). Deep Blues. Penguin Books. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
  3. O'Neal, Jim (1996). "Sam Collins". In Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Koda, Cub (eds.). All Music Guide to the Blues: The Experts' Guide to the Best Blues Recordings. All Music Guide to the Blues. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. p. 57. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
  4. Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
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