Bman's Blues Report

Tom Delaney was one of the more popular and prolific composers of blues songs in the '20s. He was better known for the behind the scenes activity of composing, although he did make a few appearances interpreting his own songs on record. Much Delaney material was fodder for recording artists and publishers of this era, always on the lookout for new blues material at a time when the large audience for such product had just recently been recognized. Delaney's "Down Home Blues" was a fantastic success for Ethel Waters in 1924, while the Helen Gross recording of "I Wanna Jazz Some More" became famous for his rhymes about "Miss Susan Green from New Orleans." "Sinful Blues", first published in 1923, was an example of one of the many Delaney titles that fell into control of producer, publisher and record company manager Joe Davis. Davis continued exploiting Delaney material throughout the decade, examples of which include Maggie Jones recording t...

Born in Charleston; sang in the Jenkins Orphanage choir in the early 1900s; a popular and prolific blues composer/songwriter on Tin Pan Alley and in the 1920s whose songs were used by recording artists of the era; worked as a pianist on vaudeville circuits; he wrote “Jazz-Me Blues” and in 1924, his “Down Home Blues” was a huge success for Ethel Waters and “I Wanna Jazz Some More” became famous for his rhymes about “Miss Susan Green from New Orleans” recorded by Helen Gross; several of his songs were recorded by Bessie Smith; his “Sinful Blues” (1923) was one of many Delaney songs that was exploited by producer, publisher and record company manager, Joe Davis – other examples were Maggie Jones’ recording on the Columbia label of “If I Lose, Let Me Lose” and Clara Smith’s recording of “Troublesome Blues”; Delaney also recorded on his own – “I’m Leavin’ Just to Ease My Worried Mind” and “Bow-Legged Mama” (1925); he was pianist/manager for Ethel Waters; Delaney passed away in Baltimore. If...