History of the Blues Calendar part 3, (cont. from part 3)

Only recently has this dream became a reality now that a full body shot of Patton with guitar has finally been located. The importance of this photograph cannot be understated. To honor Patton as the “King of The Delta Blues” that he is, this photo has been prominently placed on the front cover, which will bring immediate joy to Blues collectors worldwide!

We understand that some African Americans in today’s society may be offended at some of the images represented here. However, we feel it is important to remember that this artwork was aimed at the African American record buyers of the time. They gladly paid their extremely hard-earned dollars to purchase the 78 rpm records advertised in these images.

These records were not marketed to whites. While the drawings may have a bit of an “Amos ’n’ Andy” look to them, they indeed reflect a period in American history that cannot be denied. They can now be seen as an indicator of the torrent of abuse of the Black man that led to the creation of the art form called The Blues.

We do not know if the artists who created the original drawings used in this calendar were African American or not. We conducted an exhaustive search to find the artists or their descendents, but found no one. Paramount did have an African American talent scout, J. Mayo Williams, but as far as we know, Fred Boerner and the rest of Paramount’s employees were white. It doesn’t really matter because it’s the music that counts!

The Blues has evolved into America’s call letters to the rest of the world.

Presented here are magnificent promotional materials for the music and singers which changed music forever and inspired much of what became Rock & Roll. To further help you understand the significance of the true roots of Rock & Roll, included is a CD of the songs actually depicted in the artwork. Enjoy!

John Tefteller, World's Rarest Records & Blues Images™