Dirty blues (also known as bawdy blues) is a form of blues music that deals with socially taboo and obscene subjects, often referring to sexual acts and drug use. Because of the sometimes graphic subject matter, such music was often banned from radio and available only on jukeboxes. The style was most popular in the years before World War II, although it experienced a revival in the early 1950s.[1]
Many songs used innuendo, slang terms, or double entendres, such as Lil Johnson's[1] "Press My Button (Ring My Bell)" ("Come on baby, let's have some fun / Just put your hot dog in my bun").[2] However, some were very explicit. The most extreme examples were rarely recorded at all, a notable exception being Lucille Bogan's obscene version of "Shave 'Em Dry" (1935),[3] which Elijah Wald has noted as "by far the most explicit blues song preserved at a commercial pre-war recording session".[4]
The noteworthy musicians who used the style included Bo Carter, Bull Moose Jackson,[1] Harlem Hamfats, Wynonie Harris, and Hank Ballard and The Midnighters.[5]
Compilation albums include The Copulatin' Blues (Stash Records: 1976,[6] re-released Mojo Records: 1996),[7]Them Dirty Blues (Jass Records: 1989)[8] and You Got to Give Me Some of It: 55 Risque Blues and R&B Classics 1928–1954 (Jasmine Records: 2015).[9]
^ abc"Dirty Blues | Music Highlights". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
^"Press my button (ring my bell) - Lil Johnson lyrics". LyricsOfSong.com. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
^Thom Jurek. "Shave 'Em Dry: The Best of Lucille Bogan - Lucille Bogan | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
^Elijah Wald, The Dozens: A History of Rap's Mama, Oxford University Press, 2012, p. 60. ISBN 0-19-989540-6
^Cite error: The named reference Albums was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"The Copulatin' Blues [Stash CD] - Various Artists - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
^"Copulatin' Blues [Mojo] - Various Artists - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
^"Them Dirty Blues - Various Artists - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
^"You Got to Give Me Some of It: 55 Risque Blues and R&B Classics 1928–1954 – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
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