Tommy McClennan

Appearances

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1. Catfish Blues: Mississippi Blues, Vol. 3 (1936-1942)

#21646311

Robert Petway

Number of Discs: 1

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Biography

• Born Apr 8th 1908 in Yazoo City, MS
• Died 1958 in Chicago, IL

A gravel-throated back-country blues growler from the Mississippi Delta, McClennan was part of the last wave of down-home blues guitarists to record for the major labels in Chicago. His rawboned 1939-1942 Bluebird recordings were no-frills excursions into the blues bottoms. He left a powerful legacy that included "Bottle It up and Go," "Cross Cut Saw Blues," {"Deep Blue Sea Blues" (aka "Catfish Blues")}, and others whose lasting power has been evidenced through the repertoires and re-recordings of other artists. Admirers of McClennan's blues would do well to check out the 1941-1942 Bluebird sessions of Robert Petway, a McClennan associate who performed in a similar but somewhat more lyrical vein. McClennan never recorded again and reportedly died destitute in Chicago; blues researchers have yet to even trace the date or circumstances of his death. ~ Jim O'Neal, All Music Guide