H. C. Speir
Encyclopedia
H. C. Speir was an American
"talent broker" and record store owner from Jackson, Mississippi
. He was responsible for launching the recording careers of most of the greatest Mississippi blues
musicians in the 1920s and 1930s. It has been said that, “Speir was the godfather of Delta Blues" and was "a musical visionary". Without Speir, Mississippi’s greatest natural resource might have gone untapped.”
, Speir was a white
businessman who ran a music and mercantile store on Farish Street, in Jackson's black
neighborhood. In 1926, through selling blues records in his store, he began working as a scout for the record companies producing the records, such as Okeh
, Victor, Gennett
, Columbia
, Vocalion
, Decca
and Paramount
.
Using a metal disc machine in his store, Speir made demo
recordings
of the musicians that he sent to the labels, before arranging for more formal recording sessions. Word spread among blues musicians that Speir could help them make records, and many came to audition at the store. This audition process was recreated in Martin Scorsese
's The Blues
television series, which aired on PBS
in 2003.
Among the numerous musicians whom Speir introduced to the record companies were Ishman Bracey
, Tommy Johnson, Charlie Patton
, Son House
, Skip James
, Robert Johnson, Bo Carter
, Willie Brown
, the Mississippi Sheiks
, Blind Joe Reynolds
, Blind Roosevelt Graves, Geeshie Wiley
, and Robert Wilkins
. He also auditioned, but turned down, Jimmie Rodgers
.
Speir retired from recording in 1936, and left Farish Street after a 1942 fire at his store. On April 22, 1972, Speir died at his home in Pearl, Mississippi after suffering a fatal heart attack. He is buried alongside his wife at Lakewood Memorial Park Cemetery, in Clinton, Jackson County, Mississippi. According to a living family member, Speir's "headstone does not recognize him for his accomplishment in the recording industry".
Speir was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame
in 2005.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
"talent broker" and record store owner from Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. He was responsible for launching the recording careers of most of the greatest Mississippi blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musicians in the 1920s and 1930s. It has been said that, “Speir was the godfather of Delta Blues" and was "a musical visionary". Without Speir, Mississippi’s greatest natural resource might have gone untapped.”
Biography
Born Henry Columbus Speir in Prospect, MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Speir was a white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
businessman who ran a music and mercantile store on Farish Street, in Jackson's black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
neighborhood. In 1926, through selling blues records in his store, he began working as a scout for the record companies producing the records, such as Okeh
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
, Victor, Gennett
Gennett Records
Gennett was a United States based record label which flourished in the 1920s.-Label history:Gennett records was founded in Richmond, Indiana by the Starr Piano Company, and released its first records in October 1917. The company took its name from its top managers: Harry, Fred and Clarence Gennett....
, Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Vocalion
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
, Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
and Paramount
Paramount Records
Paramount Records was an American record label, best known for its recordings of African-American jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey and Blind Lemon Jefferson.-Early years:...
.
Using a metal disc machine in his store, Speir made demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of the musicians that he sent to the labels, before arranging for more formal recording sessions. Word spread among blues musicians that Speir could help them make records, and many came to audition at the store. This audition process was recreated in Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's The Blues
The Blues (film)
The Blues is a 2003 documentary film series produced by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to the history of blues music. In each of the seven episodes, a different director explores a stage in the development of the blues...
television series, which aired on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
in 2003.
Among the numerous musicians whom Speir introduced to the record companies were Ishman Bracey
Ishman Bracey
Ishman Bracey was an American blues singer and guitarist from Mississippi, considered one of the most important early delta blues performers. With Tommy Johnson, he was the center of a small Jackson, Mississippi group of blues musicians in the 1920s...
, Tommy Johnson, Charlie Patton
Charlie Patton
Charlie Patton , better known as Charley Patton, was an American Delta blues musician. He is considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", and is credited with creating an enduring body of American music and personally inspiring just about every Delta blues man...
, Son House
Son House
Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. was an American blues singer and guitarist. House pioneered an innovative style featuring strong, repetitive rhythms, often played with the aid of slide guitar, and his singing often incorporated elements of southern gospel and spiritual music...
, Skip James
Skip James
Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter, born in Bentonia, Mississippi, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, Robert Johnson, Bo Carter
Bo Carter
Armenter "Bo Carter" Chatmon was an American early blues musician. He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks in concerts, and on a few of their recordings...
, Willie Brown
Willie Brown (musician)
Willie Brown was an American delta blues guitarist and singer.- Life and career :Born Willie Lee Brown in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Brown played with such notables as Charley Patton, and Robert Johnson. He was not known to be a self-promoting frontman, preferring to "second" other musicians...
, the Mississippi Sheiks
Mississippi Sheiks
The Mississippi Sheiks were a popular and influential guitar and fiddle group of the 1930s. They were notable mostly for playing country blues, but were adept at many styles of United States popular music of the time, and their records were bought by both black and white audiences.In 2004, they...
, Blind Joe Reynolds
Blind Joe Reynolds
"Blind Joe" Reynolds , was a singer-songwriter.Reynolds is thought to have been born in Tallulah, Louisiana in 1904, although his death certificate stated his birthplace as Arkansas in 1900. He was blinded by a shotgun blast to the face in Louisiana in the mid-late 1920s, which resulted in the...
, Blind Roosevelt Graves, Geeshie Wiley
Geeshie Wiley
Geeshie Wiley was an American female blues singer and guitar player. She recorded three records in the early 1930s...
, and Robert Wilkins
Robert Wilkins
Robert Timothy Wilkins was an American country blues guitarist and vocalist, of African American and Cherokee descent....
. He also auditioned, but turned down, Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)
James Charles Rodgers , known as Jimmie Rodgers, was an American country singer in the early 20th century known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling...
.
Speir retired from recording in 1936, and left Farish Street after a 1942 fire at his store. On April 22, 1972, Speir died at his home in Pearl, Mississippi after suffering a fatal heart attack. He is buried alongside his wife at Lakewood Memorial Park Cemetery, in Clinton, Jackson County, Mississippi. According to a living family member, Speir's "headstone does not recognize him for his accomplishment in the recording industry".
Speir was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame
Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1980 by the Blues Foundation, it honors those who have performed, recorded, or documented blues.-1980:*Big Bill Broonzy*Willie Dixon*John Lee Hooker...
in 2005.
External links
- H. C. Speir bio
- H. C. Speir interview (introduction)
- H. C. Speir interview (part 1)
- H. C. Speir interview (part 2)
- H. C. Speir interview (part 3)