Walter Roland
Encyclopedia
Walter Roland was an American
blues
, boogie-woogie
and jazz
pianist
, guitarist
and singer, noted for his association with Lucille Bogan
, Josh White
and Sonny Scott. Music journalist
, Gérard Herzhaft, stated that Roland was "a great piano player... as comfortable in boogie-woogies as in slow blues." "Roland - with his manner of playing and his singing - was direct and rural," Herzhaft added.
, on either December 20, 1902 (according to his Social Security documentation) or December 4, 1903 (according to his death certificate
). He started playing on the Birmingham blues circuit in the 1920s. A competent and versatile pianist, his range covered slow blues to upbeat and jaunty boogie-woogie numbers. He was also skilled as a guitar player, and possessed a forceful singing voice
. Between 1933 and 1935, Roland traveled to New York
on three separate occasions, recording around fifty songs under his own name for Banner Records
(ARC). In 1933, Roland recorded "Red Cross Store Blues" (variously "Red Cross Blues"), his cynical viewpoint on welfare benefits. Amongst his other better known efforts are "No Good Biddie," "Jookit Jookit," "Piano Stomp," "Whatcha Gonna Do," and "Early This Morning."
In addition to his solo output, Roland also recorded as an accompanist for other musicians. For example, the guitarist and singer Sonny Scott recorded fourteen tracks for Vocalion
in 1933, all of them backed by Roland. The tracks included two instrumental
s ("Guitar Stomp" and "Railroad Stomp"), billed on record
as the Jolly Two, where Roland matched Scott's guitar work.
Lucille Bogan
was usually accompanied by Roland on piano, although he sometimes played an acoustic guitar
backing. She was also in New York in 1933, and, apparently to conceal her identity, began recording as Bessie Jackson for Banner Records. She recorded over 100 songs between 1933 and 1935, including some of her biggest commercial successes such as "Seaboard Blues", "Troubled Mind", and "Superstitious Blues".
During this same period Roland also accompanied Josh White
on several tracks.
Bogan's final recordings with Roland and White included two takes of "Shave 'Em Dry", recorded in New York on Tuesday March 5, 1935. The unexpurgated alternate take is notorious for its explicit sexual references, a unique record of the lyrics sung in after-hours adult clubs.
Roland did not record beyond this point and, by 1950, had become a farmer, then known by the nickname
s of 'Old Soul' and 'Shave 'Em Dry'. In the 1960s, Roland also operated as a street musician for several years, but accidentally lost his sight after intervening in a neighbor's argument, which saw him inadvertently hit by buckshot. In the late 1960s Roland retired to Fairfield, Alabama
, and was cared for by his daughters, having earlier being widowed.
He died of lung cancer
on October 12, 1972 in Fairfield.
Apart from those musicians mentioned earlier, Roland's songs have been recorded by notables such as Sonny Boy Williamson II
, Big Joe Williams
, Booker T. Laury
, Kim Simmonds
, Koerner, Ray & Glover
, Fred McDowell
, and Lead Belly.
His track "Every Morning Blues" (recorded August 2, 1934, New York), appeared on the 1992 compilation album
, Roots 'n Blues: The Retrospective 1925–1950. In 1994, Document Records
released a twin set of all of Roland's solo recordings.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and singer, noted for his association with Lucille Bogan
Lucille Bogan
Lucille Bogan was an American blues singer, among the first to be recorded. She also recorded under the pseudonym Bessie Jackson...
, Josh White
Josh White
Joshua Daniel White , better known as Josh White, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names "Pinewood Tom" and "Tippy Barton" in the 1930s....
and Sonny Scott. Music journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, Gérard Herzhaft, stated that Roland was "a great piano player... as comfortable in boogie-woogies as in slow blues." "Roland - with his manner of playing and his singing - was direct and rural," Herzhaft added.
Biography
Roland was born in Ralph, Tuscaloosa County, AlabamaTuscaloosa County, Alabama
Tuscaloosa County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Tuskaloosa. In 2010, the population was 194,656...
, on either December 20, 1902 (according to his Social Security documentation) or December 4, 1903 (according to his death certificate
Death certificate
The phrase death certificate can describe either a document issued by a medical practitioner certifying the deceased state of a person or popularly to a document issued by a person such as a registrar of vital statistics that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death as later...
). He started playing on the Birmingham blues circuit in the 1920s. A competent and versatile pianist, his range covered slow blues to upbeat and jaunty boogie-woogie numbers. He was also skilled as a guitar player, and possessed a forceful singing voice
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
. Between 1933 and 1935, Roland traveled to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on three separate occasions, recording around fifty songs under his own name for Banner Records
Banner Records
Banner Records was a United States based record label of the 20th century.Banner Records was launched in January 1922 by the Plaza Music Company of New York City. Banner was an extremely popular label in the 1920s, concentrating on popular music of the day. To this day, Banners are often found all...
(ARC). In 1933, Roland recorded "Red Cross Store Blues" (variously "Red Cross Blues"), his cynical viewpoint on welfare benefits. Amongst his other better known efforts are "No Good Biddie," "Jookit Jookit," "Piano Stomp," "Whatcha Gonna Do," and "Early This Morning."
In addition to his solo output, Roland also recorded as an accompanist for other musicians. For example, the guitarist and singer Sonny Scott recorded fourteen tracks for Vocalion
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
in 1933, all of them backed by Roland. The tracks included two instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
s ("Guitar Stomp" and "Railroad Stomp"), billed on record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
as the Jolly Two, where Roland matched Scott's guitar work.
Lucille Bogan
Lucille Bogan
Lucille Bogan was an American blues singer, among the first to be recorded. She also recorded under the pseudonym Bessie Jackson...
was usually accompanied by Roland on piano, although he sometimes played an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
backing. She was also in New York in 1933, and, apparently to conceal her identity, began recording as Bessie Jackson for Banner Records. She recorded over 100 songs between 1933 and 1935, including some of her biggest commercial successes such as "Seaboard Blues", "Troubled Mind", and "Superstitious Blues".
During this same period Roland also accompanied Josh White
Josh White
Joshua Daniel White , better known as Josh White, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names "Pinewood Tom" and "Tippy Barton" in the 1930s....
on several tracks.
Bogan's final recordings with Roland and White included two takes of "Shave 'Em Dry", recorded in New York on Tuesday March 5, 1935. The unexpurgated alternate take is notorious for its explicit sexual references, a unique record of the lyrics sung in after-hours adult clubs.
Roland did not record beyond this point and, by 1950, had become a farmer, then known by the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s of 'Old Soul' and 'Shave 'Em Dry'. In the 1960s, Roland also operated as a street musician for several years, but accidentally lost his sight after intervening in a neighbor's argument, which saw him inadvertently hit by buckshot. In the late 1960s Roland retired to Fairfield, Alabama
Fairfield, Alabama
Fairfield is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover Metropolitan Area. The population was 12,381 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the Census estimates the population to be 11,547.-History:...
, and was cared for by his daughters, having earlier being widowed.
He died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on October 12, 1972 in Fairfield.
Apart from those musicians mentioned earlier, Roland's songs have been recorded by notables such as Sonny Boy Williamson II
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Willie "Sonny Boy" Williamson was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, from Mississippi. He is acknowledged as one of the most charismatic and influential blues musicians, with considerable prowess on the harmonica and highly creative songwriting skills...
, Big Joe Williams
Big Joe Williams
Joseph Lee Williams , billed throughout his career as Big Joe Williams, was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar...
, Booker T. Laury
Booker T. Laury
Booker T. Laury was an American boogie-woogie, blues, gospel and jazz pianist and singer. Over his lengthy career, Laury worked with various musicians including Memphis Slim and Mose Vinson...
, Kim Simmonds
Kim Simmonds
Kim Simmonds is a Welsh guitarist, now residing in New York and best known as leader and founding member of the blues/rock band Savoy Brown.-Career:...
, Koerner, Ray & Glover
Koerner, Ray & Glover
Koerner, Ray & Glover is the name of a blues band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The band featured Tony "Little Sun" Glover on harmonica, "Spider" John Koerner on guitar and vocals, and Dave "Snaker" Ray on guitar and vocals. Koerner, Ray & Glover were part of the early folk/blues explosion in the...
, Fred McDowell
Fred McDowell
Fred McDowell known by his stage name; Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American Hill country blues singer and guitar player.-Career:...
, and Lead Belly.
His track "Every Morning Blues" (recorded August 2, 1934, New York), appeared on the 1992 compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Roots 'n Blues: The Retrospective 1925–1950. In 1994, Document Records
Document Records
Document Records is a British record label that specializes in early American blues, bluegrass, gospel, spirituals jazz, and other rural American genres , generally made between 1900 and 1945...
released a twin set of all of Roland's solo recordings.
Selected compilation albums
| Album title | Record label | Year of release |
|---|---|---|
| Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1933) | Document Records Document Records Document Records is a British record label that specializes in early American blues, bluegrass, gospel, spirituals jazz, and other rural American genres , generally made between 1900 and 1945... |
1994 |
| Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 2 (1934-1935) | Document Records | 1994 |