How long frank stokes

OJL Records discography. Blues Southern Preservation Records S. Flyright Records discography. Memphis Blues - Jazz Tribune No. Before The Blues Vol. Edward W. Southern Country Blues Vol. Too Late, Too Late Vol. The Cornshuckers Frolic Vol. Cluck Old Hen J. Unlike the stereotype of the world-weary and downtrodden bluesman who sings melancholy songs of heartbreak and loss, Frank Stokes created music that was electric, up-tempo, and fun, even funny. It was party music that transcended the barriers of race and class and demanded that you get up and dance.

The show toured around the South during the years of WWI and allowed Stokes to hone his skills as both a performer and a professional, which helped to set him apart from his less polished counterparts. Performing with the medicine show also provided Stokes with the opportunity to collaborate with a host of white musicians. They also earned their keep touring with the traveling shows. According to blues scholar Paul Oliver, one of the white artists with whom Stokes performed was country music legend Jimmie Rodgers.

Tiring of a life on the road, Stokes moved to Oakville, Tennessee around and returned to his life as a blacksmith and musician. He teamed back up with Dane Sane and the two became a popular fixture at local fish fries, bars, picnics, and house parties. Soon after, the dynamic duo returned to Beale Street where they began performing as the Beale Street Sheiks. In August of , Stokes and Sane brought their raucous party music off of the streets and into the studio, recording the first Beale Street Sheiks album under Paramount Records.

While the Beale Street Sheiks were never financially successful, their recordings did make a big impact on their fellow musicians, especially fellow Memphis Music Hall of Fame inductee Memphis Minnie. The Sheiks were also deeply instrumental in helping to establish Beale Street as the one true mecca for original American blues music. In February of , the Sheiks recorded several tracks for Victor Records at the Memphis Auditorium, a session that also included blues great and fellow inductee Furry Lewis.

Stokes continued to record as both a solo artist and a Sheik for the next year, amassing a catalogue of 38 sides for Victor and Paramount, making him one of the most recorded Memphis artists of the era. His last recordings, which were made in , featured fiddle player Will Batts and are amongst the most wildly original pieces in his catalogue.

Although his recording career had ended, Stokes remained a very popular live performer. He continued to wow audiences with his expert guitar playing and powerful voice throughout the s and 40s, where he performed as a member of medicine shows, the Ringling Brothers Circus, and other traveling acts.

In the s, Stokes moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi, another center of the traditional blues, and would occasionally play shows with fellow blues great Bukka White.