Black Rat Blues Swing

Memphis Minnie

This comes from Phil Wiggins’s advanced blues harp class at Augusta Heritage Center. Phil is know for country blues, playing with John Cephas. This piece is (as John would say) low down dirty blues. It works well accoustically or using a mic in a Chicago type blues band. It has all of the basic elements of "good chops" and a relative beginner should be able to get it all down and use it as grist for jams.

Here is Cephas and Wiggins on Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad doing Black Rat Swing. You get to hear Phil starting to do the notes below, but it fades out.