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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 Nate on
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The 1963 American Folk Blues festival starred: Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Sonny Boy Williamson, Lonnie Johnson, Big Joe Williams, Memphis Slim, Victoria Spivey, Matt Guitar Murphy and Willie Dixon again. Many many great names, and all have been covered off previously in this thread.
The 1964 Festival starred: Howlin Wolf, Sleepy John Estes, Sonny Boy Williamson, Sunnyland Slim, Lightnin Hopkins, Hammie Nixon, Hubert Sumlin, John Henry Barbee, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Willie Dixon again! Out of these Hammie Nixon, Hubert Sumlin, John Henry Barbee and Sugar Pie DeSanto haven’t yet been looked at.
Hammie Nixon was an old school Country Blues harp and jug player. He is most well known as part of the greatest trios in Blues history with Sleepy John Estes and Yank Rachell. His autograph again is rare but not expensive, probably around $25-$50. Here are a couple of examples:
Firstly from a previously shown multi-signed 1964 AFBF programme page (with the 'x' of Sleepy John Estes and Howlin Wolf):
Then a signed 45 cover:
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Hubert Sumlin was one of the Blues greatest sidemen, helping to create the Chicago sound by backing the legendary Howlin Wolf for 2 decades, then releasing a number of great albums when he went out on his own. Hubert’s autograph is not rare, he only passed a few years ago and was happy to sign, but such is his standing amongst Blues enthusiasts that his autograph can easily fetch $100+. Here are some examples:
Another multi-signed AFBF programme page (Huberts signature can be found under Doctor Ross (who we will look at later):
A previously shown piece (with Howlin Wolf):
A couple of other examples (the first is pretty big hence the reason it looks more flamboyant):
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John Henry Barbee is not a familiar name to most. A Country Bluesman who, pre-war, played with the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson I and Big Joe Williams. He was ‘discovered’ not long before the 1964 AFBF and died soon after. As such his autograph is almost non-existent, but he also didn’t have time to build a reputation, I would estimate a value of around $50 - $150 depending on the item, but could go higher if it’s a super nice piece due to his rarity. Here are a couple of examples:
A signed page (above are Hubert Sumlin, Hammie Nixon and Sleepy John Estes ‘x’):
Next a signed cut:
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Finally for 1964 we have Sugar Pie DeSanto. A diminutive R&B singer, she is anything but diminutive during her stage performances (backflips etc). You can view her website for more info: http://sugarpiedesanto.com/ . Her autograph is probably around the $20-$50 range. Here are a few examples:
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The 1965 American Folk Blues Festival showed the talents of: Fred McDowell, John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, Big Walter Horton, J.B. Lenoir, Roosevelt Sykes, Buddy Guy, Doctor Ross and Jimmie Lee Robinson. Of those we’ll look at: JB Lenoir, Doctor Ross, Buddy Guy and Jimmie Lee Robinson (with all the others already shown previously).
J B Lenoir was an influential guitarist who worked with the likes of Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Memphis Minnie and Sonny Boy Williamson II. His songs often took on social and political lyrics. He died relatively young (aged 38) in 1967 and his autograph is quite rare. The last one to sell in early 2014 (as signed programme photo page) went for approx. $325, so for value it is probably somewhere between $150-$400 depending on the item. Here are some examples:
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Doctor Isaiah Ross was a multi-instrumentalist (harp, guitar and drums) as well as a proficient singer. He recorded with both Sun and Chess records and won a Grammy in the 80s. His autograph is worth somewhere between $25-$75, and he would sign a number of different ways e.g. Doctor Ross, Doctor Ross Isaiah, Doctor Isaiah Ross or even Doctor Ross the Harmonica Boss. Here are some examples:
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Next we have the Blues Master Buddy Guy. A major influence on so many artists, Stevie Ray Vaughan famously said “Without Buddy Guy, there would be no Stevie Ray Vaughan”. His autograph is common to say the least, in fact he sells his wares on eBay! However early examples are quite rare and desirable. So for price you are probably looking at anywhere between $25-$200 depending on the item and rareness. Here a just a couple of examples of the many:
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And finally for 1965 we have Jimmie Lee Robinson, also known as ‘Lonesome’ Jimmie Lee. An early guitar partner of Freddie King’s and playing/recording with the likes of Little Walter and Magic Sam. I don’t know much of his autograph, but I would assume $25-$40 would be about right. Here is one definite autograph of his (signed ‘Lonesome Jimmie Lee’) followed by a few that I wouldn’t like to commit to on their authenticity:
This first one has been seen previously (and you will see an nice early Buddy Guy at the top and a JB Lenoir on the right hand side):
Here are a some late examples that I'm not sure of:
That’s it for the first half. I’ll hopefully get onto the second half (1966-1969) in the very near future.
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Cool piece Jay.
Think it's safe to say that Hasil was a one-off. Did you get much of a chance to chat with him?
A cult figure in rockabilly and seen as a founding father of psychobilly (mainly thanks to the Cramps), reading a little of his story I think it's pretty amazing he lived as long as he did.
I have one piece signed by Hasil, it's part of the signed Fat Possum poster showed previously, attached is a close-up of the autograph. - Attachments: No photo uploads here
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HA.jpg, 150 KB
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