Andrew Smokey Hogg - Collection 1937-57 (2020)

Born in Texas in 1914, Andrew Hogg was taught guitar by his father and in his teens was touring the logging camps and juke joints of East Texas with B.K., Turner, better known as Black Ace. He recorded a session in 1937, but it was a decade before he was back in the studio after military service. He recorded in Texas and Los Angeles in a variety of musical environments – solo, in duos and in small groups, for a staggering array of record labels, the records generally being released under the named Smokey Hogg, or various different spellings of that name, with his style being regarded as reminiscent of Big Bill Broonzy and Peetie Wheatstraw. This excellent-value 56-track 2-CD set comprises selected A and B sides from his releases on the Decca, Modern, Bullet, Specialty, Exclusive, Macy’s, Independent, Sittin’ In With, Jade, Imperial, Mercury, Combo, Top Hat, Federal, Show Time, Crown, Ray’s and Ebb labels during this era. It includes at least one side from the majority of his releases and recording sessions during this era, which effectively represented the entirety of his recording career – he died in 1960 at the age of 46. It includes his Top 10 R&B chart hits “Long Tall Mama” from 1948 and “Little School Girl” from 1950. It’s an absorbing selection of classic blues recordings, redolent of their provenance and showcasing his talents as guitarist, singer and songwriter.