Andy Boy (musician)
Andy Boy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Anthony Boyd |
| Born | November 10, 1904 Galveston, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Texas blues |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
| Years active | 1930s |
Andy Boy (November 10, 1904 – unknown) was an American Texas blues pianist and songwriter. He was part of the 'Santa Fe Group', a loose ensemble of black blues pianists who played in the many juke joints abutting the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.[1][2]
Details of his life outside of his recording career are sketchy, including a complete lack of information relating to his death.
Life and career[edit]
Anthony Boyd was born in 1904, in Galveston, Texas, United States.[3]
He created some notoriety in the 1920s, when one newspaper reported that Andy Boy had been accused of having attempted to kill his wife. On another occasion, Boy was arrested along with several others for illegal gambling, after police raided a local bar. Boy used the experience some months later when composing one of his songs, "House Raid Blues".[3] Robert Shaw recalled meeting Andy Boy and stated about him "He was a little fellow, just a little older than me. He was the top kicker of Galveston".[3]
His piano playing incorporated ragtime stylings into the blues.[1] Combining that in his left hand with a jazz element, was counteracted by clusters of chords or runs with his right.[3] He accompanied the blues vocalist Joe Pullum on eleven songs, all of which were recorded on August 13, 1935.[3] They were released as a series of singles on Bluebird Records.[4] Andy Boy then recorded eight solo tracks in San Antonio.[1] He also accompanied Walter "Cowboy" Washington on four sides at the same recording session, which took place on February 24, 1937.[3]
His recording career over, he left Texas to move to Oklahoma.[3] In the early 1940s he was reportedly in Kansas City,[1] and when his whereabouts were queried in 1960 by Paul Oliver, Buster Pickens told him that Andy Boy was still alive and residing in New York, but thereafter the trail ran dry.[3]
All of Boy's recordings were collated on the compilation album, Joe Pullum Vol. 2 (1935-1951), released in 1994 by Document Records.[5] The 2021 release, I Need You Blues, covered the same material but lacks Boy's work accompanying Pullum.[6]
Confusion[edit]
In the book Blues and Gospel Records: 1890–1943 (1997), it stated that "This performer's surname was 'Boy'".[7] However, subsequent research revealed differing information. Michael Hortig, an Austrian author, photographer and blues historian,[8] eventually uncovered his birth details as shown above.[3]
Andy Boy's 'stage name' is not to be confused with the brand name used by the California-based D'Arrigo Brothers, for their range of fresh vegetables.
Legacy[edit]
Bill Wyman chose Walter "Cowboy" Washington's recording of "Ice Pick Mama", with piano accompaniment from Andy Boy, as one of the tracks on the compilation album, Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey (2002).[9][10]
Santa Fe Group[edit]
The 'Santa Fe Group', otherwise known as the 'Texas Santa Fe' style of piano playing, referenced an association with the Santa Fe Railroad tracks. In the 1920s and 1930s, there were numerous juke joints alongside the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, in which various black pianists performed in a similar manner. The style was a blend of dance music, boogie-woogie, ragtime and blues.[1][11] Performers included Andy Boy, Pinetop Burks, Rob Cooper, Robert Shaw, and Black Boy Shine, who were all recorded, although many others were not.[1] The style is more broadly defined when referring to a map of Houston. The Santa Fe style was known as emanating from the Fourth Ward. Lightnin' Hopkins, conversely, was a Third Ward bluesman, while George Washington Thomas was an example of a Fifth Ward pianist, with a different playing style.[1][2]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g "Andy Boy Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "TSHA | Blues". Tshaonline.org. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Andy Boy | Big Road Blues". Sundayblues.org. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "Illustrated Joe Pullum discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "Joe Pullum Vol. 2 (1935-1951)". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "I Need You Blues". Open.spotify.com. August 27, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Rye, Howard (September 1, 1997). Dixon, Robert M. W.; Godrich, John (eds.). Blues and Gospel Records, 1890-1943 (4th ed.). Clarendon Press. p. 96. ISBN 0198162391.
- ^ "Michael Hortig". Hamburgboogiewoogie.net. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey - Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey (2001, CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Oliver, Paul (February 19, 1998). The Story of the Blues. UPNE. p. 159. ISBN 9781555533540 – via Google Books.
External links[edit]
- 1904 births
- Musicians from Galveston, Texas
- African-American pianists
- American blues pianists
- American male pianists
- Texas blues musicians
- 20th-century American pianists
- 20th-century American male musicians
- Songwriters from Texas
- African-American songwriters
- 20th-century African-American musicians
- American male songwriters