Bman's Blues Report

Tommy McClennan (January 4, 1905 – circa 1962) was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist.McClennan was born in Durant, Mississippi, United States, and grew up in the town. He played and sang blues in a rough, energetic style. He made a series of recordings for Bluebird Records from 1939 through 1942 and regularly played with his friend Robert Petway. He can be heard shouting in the background on Petway's 1942 recording "Boogie Woogie Woman". McClennan made an immediate impact in 1940 with his recordings of "Shake 'Em on Down", "Bottle It Up and Go", "Whiskey Head Woman" and "New Highway No.51". He left a powerful legacy that included "Bottle It Up and Go," "Cross Cut Saw Blues" later covered by Albert King, "My baby's gone" (covered and adapted by Moon Mullican), "Deep Blue Sea Blues" (aka "Catfish Blues"), and others whose lasting power has been evidenced through th...

Robert Petway was an African-American blues singer and guitarist. Very little is known about Robert Petway. His birthplace is speculated to have been at Gee's Bend, Alabama. There is only one known picture of Petway, a publicity photo from 1941. He only recorded 16 songs, but he is said to have been an influence on many notable blues and rock musicians, including John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Jimi Hendrix. Like many bluesmen from the Mississippi Delta, Petway traveled around as a musician, playing at parties, roadhouses, and other venues available. Petway and McClennan often travelled and performed together. After McClennan had been in Chicago for a few years, Petway travelled north to join him and cut records, as did Georgia's Frank Edwards who met them in Mississippi. There is no record, official or unofficial, of Petway's death. As such, he may still be alive, though he would be roughly 103 years old. The last record of his public life is a quote from Honeyboy Edw...

Tommy McClennan (April 8, 1908 – circa 1962) was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist. McClennan was born on a farm near Yazoo City, Mississippi, United States, and grew up in the town. He played and sang blues in a rough, energetic style. He made a series of recordings for Bluebird Records from 1939 through 1942 and regularly played with his friend Robert Petway. He can be heard shouting in the background on Petway's 1942 recording "Boogie Woogie Woman". McClennan made an immediate impact in 1940 with his recordings of "Shake 'Em on Down", "Bottle It Up and Go", "Whiskey Head Woman" and "New Highway No.51". He left a powerful legacy that included "Bottle It Up and Go," "Cross Cut Saw Blues" later covered by Albert King, "My baby's gone" (covered and adapted by Moon Mullican), "Deep Blue Sea Blues" (aka "Catfish Blues"), and others whose lasting power has been evidenc...