"MANIC DEPRESSION"
Abner Jay was a one-man band based in South Georgia from the 1920's all the way up through the 1970's, who billed himself as the "World Famous One Man Minstrel Band and Show."
The fine folks at Portland's Mississippi Records have collected an incredible sampling of Jay's music for public consumption, "True Story of Abner Jay," shining just a bit of light on a guy who's been shunned to near complete obscurity.
The LP-only release comes packed with some excellent ephemera, including a snapshot of a sharp lookin' young Abner Jay, and a copy of one of his "information brochures" he would hand out to promote his shows.
In his words (verbatim):
"Abner Jay is a living art. Plays and sings over 600 Favorite Ole American Classical songs, mostly of the Ole South....Abner is Old, he has been playing and singing these same songs since 1926. And he was wearing a size 12 shoe when he start singing...Abner has raised 16 young'uns ages are from 10 to 40 years of age. And they weigh from 100 to 312 lbs each. Abner is known to be champion of the HAMBONE AND the only JAW BONE PLAYER living to-day."
The picture of Abner Jay playing a jaw bone doesn't do much to clarify how one actually goes about doing it.
I have a real soft spot for "outsider" music, but there's a charm to this compilation that's rare to come by. Sure, they're culling from 40+ years of material, but every track is a gem. And the song introductions are classic vaudeville schtick (and how can ya not like that?)
The first track, "I'm So Depressed," is given substantially more weight- all ghostly wails and deep, baleful moans- by the deletion of its goofy introduction, which is transcribed on an accompanying typewriter-written sheet of paper that accounts each track's introduction as it appeared on Abner's original albums.
Here's the intro for "I'm So Depressed":
"You know they gotta stop makin' them King size cigarettes and start making Queen size... because it's got a bigger butt. Do you know why elephants don't smoke? Because they can't fit their butts in the ashtray. I know an ol' boy who took his girl out on a country road the other day. Stopped his car and took his key out. Says to his gal... 'Now are you gonna be a Camel and walk a mile? Or like a Chesterfield that satisfy?' She said, 'It depends on if it's King size or regular, daddy."
Ah. Just can't find good cigarette slogan humor much anymore.
But all butts aside, "I'm So Depressed" is a beautifully sad and lonesome song. I must have listened to it 6 times in a row, and it's held its sway each time.
Abner Jay was a one-man band based in South Georgia from the 1920's all the way up through the 1970's, who billed himself as the "World Famous One Man Minstrel Band and Show."
The fine folks at Portland's Mississippi Records have collected an incredible sampling of Jay's music for public consumption, "True Story of Abner Jay," shining just a bit of light on a guy who's been shunned to near complete obscurity.
The LP-only release comes packed with some excellent ephemera, including a snapshot of a sharp lookin' young Abner Jay, and a copy of one of his "information brochures" he would hand out to promote his shows.
In his words (verbatim):
"Abner Jay is a living art. Plays and sings over 600 Favorite Ole American Classical songs, mostly of the Ole South....Abner is Old, he has been playing and singing these same songs since 1926. And he was wearing a size 12 shoe when he start singing...Abner has raised 16 young'uns ages are from 10 to 40 years of age. And they weigh from 100 to 312 lbs each. Abner is known to be champion of the HAMBONE AND the only JAW BONE PLAYER living to-day."
The picture of Abner Jay playing a jaw bone doesn't do much to clarify how one actually goes about doing it.
I have a real soft spot for "outsider" music, but there's a charm to this compilation that's rare to come by. Sure, they're culling from 40+ years of material, but every track is a gem. And the song introductions are classic vaudeville schtick (and how can ya not like that?)
The first track, "I'm So Depressed," is given substantially more weight- all ghostly wails and deep, baleful moans- by the deletion of its goofy introduction, which is transcribed on an accompanying typewriter-written sheet of paper that accounts each track's introduction as it appeared on Abner's original albums.
Here's the intro for "I'm So Depressed":
"You know they gotta stop makin' them King size cigarettes and start making Queen size... because it's got a bigger butt. Do you know why elephants don't smoke? Because they can't fit their butts in the ashtray. I know an ol' boy who took his girl out on a country road the other day. Stopped his car and took his key out. Says to his gal... 'Now are you gonna be a Camel and walk a mile? Or like a Chesterfield that satisfy?' She said, 'It depends on if it's King size or regular, daddy."
Ah. Just can't find good cigarette slogan humor much anymore.
But all butts aside, "I'm So Depressed" is a beautifully sad and lonesome song. I must have listened to it 6 times in a row, and it's held its sway each time.
posted by Pete Klockau at 9:00 AM
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