Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Willie the Chimney Sweeper - Ernest Rodgers

The ur-Minnie the Moocher. This haunting recording of Atlanta journalist Ernest Rodgers (a self proclaimed 'citybilly') was cut in 1927 on wax cylinder. The wonderfully surreal imagery of Willie's drug trip is held in perfect balance with Rodgers ghostly cries in between each verse. In fact I could have used  a whole extra rendition of the song without any of the verses- just the spindly guitar and mourning cries. Haunting, funny, and timeless.

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