JOHN DUDLEY
On October 7, 8, or 9 of 1959 (the exact date is unclear), Alan Lomax recorded an inmate named John Dudley in the "Dairy Camp" portion of the Mississippi prison camp known as Parchman Farms. That is just about all we know of John Dudley, as far as I can tell. Fortunately, he recorded 4 songs (guitar and vocal), and these sides provide a tantalizing ? and remarkably accomplished ? musical mystery. (Actually, he recorded several songs and alternates; only three have been released as of this writing. Editor's note.) One of the songs (Tommy Johnson's "Cool Water Blues") appears on the Atlantic collection "Sounds of the South," which compiles a large cross-section of Alan Lomax's field recordings. A further two songs (a slide-accompanied version of "Po' Boy Blues" and an absolutely astounding interpretation of Charley Patton's "Moon Going Down" called "Clarksdale Mill Blues") are included on the Rounder CD entitled "Southern Journey, Vol.3: 61 Highway."
Frustratingly, Lomax had little to say about Dudley. Indeed, at that time, Lomax must have known precious little about Charley Patton or Tommy Johnson. If he had, he would surely have pursued this matter more thoroughly, as Dudley's "Clarksdale Mill Blues" sounds as if it were learned at Patton's knee. It is of course possible that Dudley was a contemporary of Patton; at the time of his recording (1959) he was supposedly 50 years old and serving the last months of his sentence. As it is, I am unaware of any additional investigation that Lomax (or anyone) did into the background of John Dudley. (In his very brief liner-note comments, Lomax states that Dudley seems to have been influenced by Blind Lemon Jefferson ? a truly flummoxing statement for anyone who has heard Charley Patton alongside Dudley's "Clarksdale Mill Blues"!)
It's possible that Lomax interviewed Dudley to some extent, as the liner notes attribute a single quote to Dudley. I don't have it with me, but it was along the lines of: "Those are the kind of songs we used to play back in the fields." Something like that, anyway! I believe it's in the "Sounds of the South" booklet; my copy has been with a friend for some time. Maybe someone with a copy can look into it.
If anyone knows more about John Dudley, I would love to hear about it. I'll leave you with a little bit more of interest: evidently, Lomax also took two photos of Dudley. I have been able to find one online and have attempted to attach it below (Dudley is just right of center), along with the lyrics to Dudley's "Clarksdale Mill Blues." His spoken asides are in parentheses. (I have since seen another photo of Dudley. It's on the cover of one of the many vinyl albums recently released by the Mississippi label documenting Lomax's 1959 field recordings. It's an excellent shot showing Dudley playing guitar. These Mississippi-label releases contain many unissued alternate takes -- including an alternate version of Dudley's "Clarksdale Mill Blues.")
If you haven't heard him, you need to. Particularly if your tastes run toward the Delta blues of Charley Patton (and whose don't?).
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