Authenticity is Everything
The Great American Blues Players Signature Study: Please Add Your Examples
Hello everyone,
I have been wanting to start a thread on this for a long time, and i figure now is as good of a time as any. I collect primary guitar players, and have been selling alot of them off recently, but one thing i continue to collect are the great old blues guitar players. Their is something about the Delta Blues traveling lifestyle that holds alot of wonder for me. These guys laid the foundation of modern music and they inspired many, if not most, of the musicians working today. Most think of Robert Johnson when they think of the great Blues players, but their are so so many others that deserve mention and tons of respect.
As anyone who has ever studied early blues signatures knows, they are incredibly difficult to authenticate or even find at times. You have guys like Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, BB King just to name a few whose signature examples can readily be found. But aside from a few key players, autographs from these guys are very hard to find. And when you find one, often you really have to trust your source or do some serious research. And even then you often cant find examples.
So i thought this would be a good thread that may help future collectors out with examples we think are authentic. Please post examples of blues signatures that you like and want to share. Guys like Buddy Guy and BB King probably dont need to be posted in mass b/c their signatures are so abundant, but dont hesitate if you would like to post some.
I hope this can turn into a good database, and really the only one of its kind on the net. I have many examples from many different sources and if someone doesnt want their picture posted just leave a comment and i will delete it.
I am going to start this off with Albert King. You can find Albert King signatures from time to time, and of the 3 King's, he is the next most available after BB. Alberts signatures are typically sloppy, shaky, and can take on a few forms. Albert often write "Love You" before his signature, and his typical signature takes the form of A. King. I have also seen variations including "A.B. King". King often would not write out King fully and the formation would flow from the K almost into the g. I have seen my fair share of forgeries with Albert, but his signature can be authenticated in most instances in my opinion. Here are some examples with sources:
This is one album i used to own and recently sold on RR Auction. It came from "Mr. Bebop", of Larrys Books and Autographs. He specializes in blues signatures and this was a great example of king.
These next images came from RR Auction
The Ace of Spades album is a nice example, and the rarer A.B. King signature. The middle cut display is more atypical. This one in my eyes can go either way but is probably good. The A looks typical but the King is a little more unusual. But he did do this from time to time in his shorter signature versions. The bottom example is a typical King signature.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tacoma Blues on
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Lucky Lopez Evans is a Blues guitarist. He was a member of Howlin' Wolf band in the 1960s, and has played with many of the Chicago greats since the 1960s. He is a very talented guitarist who deserves a great deal more notoriety then he has been given. The shown signature comes from a private collection.
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Now for a series of non-musicians who have made major contribution to Blues music. First we have Bob Koester, founder and owner of Delmark Records. Delmark Records is the oldest jazz and blues independent record label in the United States. His labels have recorded many of the Blues greats, including Robert Nighthawk, Magic Sam, Buddy Goy, Junior Wells and countless others.
Next up is is Bruce Iglauer, the founder and owner of Alligator Records. Alligator has been a significant Blues label since its founding in 1971. The shown signature includes Mr. Iglauer's hand drawn "Alligator" moniker.
The next two signatures come from a private collection. Phil Chess was the co-founder of the famous Chess Records. The Chess Records story is known to any Blues fan, serving as the home label for such greats as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon, Etta James, as well as early Rock artists Chuck Berry and Bo Diddly.
Marshall Chess is the son of Leonard Chess (who co-founded Chess Records with his brother Phil). He worked for Chess for many years and produced a number of Chess notable records, including Muddy Waters' "Father & Sons" LP. He has also worked for Rolling Stones Records and island Records.
Dick Waterman is a legend in his own right within Blues history. He is credited with re-discovering Son House in the early 1960s and served as his manager through Son House's last public performances in the early 1970. He went on to manage other artists including Junior Wells and had a close association with Bob Koester and many other notable Blues musicians (Bonnie Raitt, etc).
And finally there is John Fahey. A noted musician in his own right, John Fahey was credited with re-discovering Skip James (along with Bill Barth & Henry Vestine). The relationship between Skip James and John Fahey did not remain intact through the 1960s, but Mr. Fahey's contribution in bringing Skip James back to the public's attention is worthy of note.
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Here is a very rare signature by the one-man band Blues musician, Jesse Fuller (1896-1976). He wrote many songs re-recorded by other artists, including "San Francisco Bay Blues," "The Legend of John Henry", and "99 Years and One Dark Day."
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Attached is a 78 cover of Jesse Fuller's first released signed by the artist. He signed both his formal name as well as his moniker, "Lone Cat."
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Below is a set of a graphs from a recently acquired fully signed 1965 American Folk Blues Festival program.
Cover:
Mississippi Fred McDowell:
Roosevelt Sykes:
J.B. Lenoir:
Eddie Boyd:
Big Walter "Shakey" Horton:
Buddy Guy:
Big Mama Thornton:
Lonesome Jimmy Lee:
Fred Below:
Dr. Isiah Ross:
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Permalink Reply by Gray Sailor on
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I have an interesting Albert King autograph. I saw Albert at Antone's in 1979. Antone's had just moved to their new place north of town, it was hard to get to and no one knew where it was practically. I had recently come into some unexpected cash - so I took a girlfriend and a running buddy with me. We were the only people there. Literally. Like maybe 15 people in the bar. We sat at a table right in front. I bought snacks and drinks for the band. We had a blast. After playing he signed three posters for me and my friends. He was slow and methodical and I really liked the way his signature was effortless, and almost artwork. Here they are - and they don't look anything like any of these others. He was going through a slump at the time, and that combined with the small turnout (Antone's also struggled in the new place) maybe encouraged him to be very appreciative of our attention, although from what I know he was always a nice man. Funny story - several years later in the early 80's I was in Little Rock at a blues club watching Pharoah Sanders (a sax player, who like Albert, was from Arkansas). Club was tiny, like eight tables. Pharoah was wailing away as usual. I look at the guy sitting to my left, touching my elbow, and it was King Albert! During the break I told him what a great time I had at his show in Austin. BTW - the spots on the poster are probably puke. LOL. I was pretty wild at this time.
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Permalink Reply by KEEMAYA KEEMAYA on
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Albert King usually had other people sign his stuff unless he was signing it in front of you/ l'd think twice. saw albert king in montreal Canada 1972 he was just getting of stage when l ask him to sign my poster /he told me to go to his bus which was parked outside / some guy answered the bus door took my poster and mentioned he would get Mr king to sign it / beautiful framed it had it on my wall for 25 years till he personally signed 3 posters for me in front of me. the one l had on my wall for 25 years was signed from someone else in the garbage it went. that signature at bottom of antones poster not his signature. albert king was illiterate he couldn't write a single letter / l have been collecting autograph posters for 45 years everyone of the 308 posters l possess each one got signed in front of me
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Did you not read the text associated with the Antoines poster? I was there. Me, a girlfriend and a buddy. We were literally about half of the crowd. Antoines had just reopened in a new (and incredibly hard to find warehouse place because of new road construction). I had a table right in front of the stage. At the break Albert and another band member sat with us and I bought us all drinks and snacks. I had recently come into about $800 and was trying to spend it all (this was the late 70's remember). He signed two posters for us, in FRONT OF ME. I gave one to the girlfriend (can't even REMEMBER HER name now, laughably - I was more thrilled to be sitting there with the King). I sat next to him years later in Little Rock at a jazz club watching Pharoah Sanders destroy his sax. At the same table again. So STFU. I only got posters or things GIVEN to me because I'm not a hound like you - mine were rewards for good deeds or presents of appreciation. That's why I only have a few - including some letters from famous writers, a few politicians (I was John Andersons Austin Texas campaign director in 1980) and things like that. Therefore they aren't on the market. And I'm not interested in buying any others either - lol - they don't mean anything to me. Why clutter your life with crap like that. I suppose if it reminds you of a great concert then that's one thing. I do have ticket stubs - (INCLUDING the one from Antoines - ya wanna SEE it? lol) - so yeah - things like that are ok - and if ALL of your 308 posters were signed in front of you then you have things that remind you of those events. I would LOVE to have a decently made video of Emerson, Lake and Palmer from 1973 - but it seems like NO band had ANY decent video made prior to about 1980. Wasn't there ANY decent video technology then? Oooops - end rant. Still - ya kinda pissed me off there bro.
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l've been collecting autograph posters for 45 years I possess 308 autograph posters all done on Canadian soil / the albert king signature aug 14 2013 at 2.05 is a big fake/ l personally had albert king sign 3 posters / when l asked him he was pissed he question how l even entered the conference room he was sitting with 5 other people albert king was illiterate guess he didn't want to show his friends how illiterate he was / first time l asked Mr albert king to sign a poster was 1972 in Montreal he just got off stage he told to come to his bus which was parked outside which is what l did / someone else came to bus door took my poster and mentioned he would get albert king to sign it / guy returned with poster signed had it framed on my wall for 25 years / didn't know till 25 years later that albert king got someone else on the bus to sign it / well 25 years later that poster went into the garbage
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Permalink Reply by Mr Mojo Risin on
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Do you have something to sell of Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Hohn lee hooker and other?
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