Barrelhouse Buck McFarland
Barrelhouse Buck McFarland | |
---|---|
Birth name | Thomas F. McFarland |
Born | Alton, Illinois, United States | September 16, 1903
Died | April 8, 1962 Alton, Illinois, United States | (aged 58)
Genres | Blues, boogie-woogie |
Occupation(s) | Pianist, singer, composer |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Years active | 1920s–1962 |
Labels | Paramount, Decca, Folkways, Delmark |
Thomas F. McFarland (September 16, 1903 – April 8, 1962), known professionally as Barrelhouse Buck McFarland was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist, singer and composer.[1] He first recorded material in the early 1930s, but had to wait until three decades later, before providing his 'barrelhouse' swan song.
Life and career
He was born in Alton, Illinois, United States, the son of William Henry and Elizabeth "Lizzie" McFarland, as one of 12 siblings.[2]
He moved with his family to
McFarland was not recorded throughout the rest of that decade, nor in the 1940s and 1950s,
On August 6, 1961, McFarland got another opportunity to record. He performed with just his voice and piano accompaniment, in the same gutsy, outgoing and tough style, as was reminiscent of true "barrelhouse".[7][12] Alton Blues, which was re-released on CD in 2007, contained pieces such as "Alton Blues", "Mercy Blues", and "I Got to Go Blues", which one reviewer commented "all sound like rewrites of 'St. Louis Fire Blues'". Several cuts, including "So Long Buck", were in a similar manner to the earlier "On Your Way", and utilised a 16-bar blues formula, but instead of the more usual dominant toward the end of the progression, "there is one and a half bars of the submediant (vi)". Several reviewers commented Alton Blues had the best sound of all his recordings.[4]
Before McFarland had any chance to capitalise, he died eight months after the recording, on April 8, 1962.[1]
Legacy
Early tracks by McFarland were reissued on several compilation albums, including The Blues Box - Country Blues (1968), The Blues in St. Louis, 1929-1937 (1969), and Barrel House Piano (2009).[13][14] In 2009, Wolf Records released a compilation album, Barrel House Piano, which included 18 tracks by Speckled Red and five by McFarland. All of the barrelhouse recordings were from 1929 to 1938, and originally recorded in either Chicago or Aurora, Illinois.[15]
Discography
Singles
Year | Title (A-side / B-side) | Record label | Credited to |
---|---|---|---|
1930 | "St Louis Fire Blues" / "On Your Way" | Paramount Records | Buck McFarland |
1934 | "I Got to Go Blues" / "Lamp Post Blues" | Decca Records | Barrel House Buck |
Albums
Year | Title | Record label | Credited to |
---|---|---|---|
1961 | Backcountry Barrelhouse | Folkways Records | Barrelhouse Buck |
1961 | Alton Blues | Delmark Records (released on CD in 2007) | Barrelhouse Buck McFarland |
Selected compilation albums
Year | Title | Record label | Credited to |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Barrel House Piano | Wolf Records | Speckled Red & Barrel House Buck McFarland |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Barrelhouse Buck McFarland | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 9780313344244. Retrieved March 20, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ ISBN 9780810869332. Retrieved March 20, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c "'Barrelhouse' Buck McFarland". Pianobluesreview.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "Katherine C.McDavid, Barrelhouse Buck McFarland, Keghouse, Arthur McKay – St. Louis Piano Styles (1925-1937) (Complete Recordings) (1989, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b D'Souza, Ajay. "Barrelhouse Buck McFarland | Big Road Blues". Sundayblues.org. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "Alton Blues - Barrelhouse Buck McFarland | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "Barrelhouse Buck McFarland - Alton Blues". Delmark.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Backcountry Barrelhouse - Barrelhouse Buck | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "Barrelhouse Buck : Backcountry Blues". Folkways.si.edu. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
- ^ "Barrelhouse Buck McFarland – Alton Blues (2007, CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Illustrated Speckled Red discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Illustrated Kokomo Arnold discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "Speckled Red & Barrel House Buck McFarland - Barrel House Piano 1929 - 1938". Wolfrec.com. 26 March 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Decca matrix C 9321. I got to go blues / Buck McFarland - Discography of American Historical Recordings". Adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Decca 7013 : Barrel House Buck : I Got To Go Blues". Bluesimages.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021.