The Best of Frank Stokes

Illustration by R. Crumb

Frank Stokes was born in Whitehaven, Tennessee on January 1, 1888, but he was raised in Mississippi.  

Frank was one of the famous musicians of the Memphis blues scene in the 1920s and 1930s, and was one of the leading figures in the history of early American music.  Besides being an excellent Blues performer, he was also a master of the ragtime-breakdown style centered around Memphis from the late 1800s through to the end of the 1920s.

In 1925, he played tent and medicine shows with guitarist Dan Sane, violinist Will Batts, and singer Jack Kelly.  A year later, Frank and Dan Sane, formed the duo called "The Beale Street Sheiks".  The group’s sound was a combination of good times and down home blues, a throwback to earlier styles.

From 1927 to 1929, Frank Stokes, together with Dan Sane, recorded for the Paramount label, while Frank also cut some solo sides for Victor.  In addition, he recorded a famous song called “I Got Mine,” one of a group of pre-blues songs about gambling, stealing and living high. Stokes recorded 38 sides for Paramount and Victor, including blues as well as older pieces like “Too High for Me,” an outstanding version of “You Shall,” and “Hey Mourner,” a traditional religious piece.

Frank Stokes possessed a remarkable voice and was a skillful guitarist, and duets with Dan Sane have wonderful rhythm.  With the arrival of the Great Depression and the decrease in recording opportunities, Frank and Dan Sane went back to playing street corners, occasional circuses, and traveling shows. 

Frank slowly faded from the blues scene in the mid 1940s and died September 12, 1955, of a stroke.

For more on Frank's final resting place, visit: 
https://mtzionmemorialfund.com/project/frank-stokes/

'The Best of Frank Stokes' was released by the Yazoo label in 2005.  It has original recordings from the collections of Richard Nevins, John Tefteller, Sherwin Dunner and Joe Bussard.  It was produced and remastered by Richard Nevins.

Much of Frank's music combines influences from blues, ragtime, and string bands, which makes it a great window onto a bygone time and place.  Also, while Frank is a great player in the alternating-bass fingerpicking style that combines rhythm and lead, this CD also contains some beautiful songs in which he accompanies a fiddle player whose playing is haunting and beautiful.

If you like Mississippi John Hurt, you'll enjoy Frank Stokes.

The other day we discussed music, we turned young people onto.  So this time for the freeload, what music did young people turn you onto?