| Jessie Clarence Gorman |
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Jessie Clarence Gorman
Vol. 32 of the George Mitchell collection
Fat Possum
33 1/3 rpm 7" EP
$5 |
Fat Possum's reissue series of George Mitchell's classic recordings is such an embarrassment of riches that it's easy to take it for granted and almost be overwhelmed by it. So many records, so many of them by relative unknowns. Well, let me tell you, if you wanted to hear this music a few years ago, that meant you'd be scrolling through countless copies of George Mitchell's Black and White Minstrels records on Ebay, hoping to stumble upon the real deal. And if you did find one, it would be typical for a used copy of, say, Georgia Blues Today or that Fred McDowell & Johnny Woods record to go for ~$50. Trust me, times are better now.
Which brings us to Jessie Clarence Gorman. Who's he? Born in 1928 in Talbotton, Georgia, his older brother taught young JC to play the guitar when he was nine years old. He played the old blues numbers when he was a young man, but later gave it up for rock 'n' roll. By the time Gorman and Mitchell made their acquaintance in Thomaston, Georgia in the spring of 1969, Gorman said that he didn't remember all those old songs too well. Be that as it may, he was able to deliver a superb "John Henry" on the electric guitar and two versions of "Going up to the Country" on the acoustic. Short and sweet.
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