The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Got back from an auction today. Picked up a Victrola portable in fantastic shape. Don't know what model it is yet, but smaller than a VV-50.

But my real reason for writing here is that I also picked up quite a group of records. Mixed in it all was a Bessie Smith on the Flag Label. Haven't played it yet. Might not either until get modern equipment. One side has "If You Don't I Know Who Will," and the other side has "Nobody in Town Can Bake a Sweet Jelly Roll Like Mine." I wonder what's that about? Fletch Henderson on piano.

Anyway A3942.

That's a good one. Two great songs.

James.

You know, all of this is very educational. I knew the song "Ain't She Sweet," but I hadn't heard of Jimmie Lunceford who recorded it in 1938. So I looked him up. Every record has a story.

By the way, what I bought was a VV-35. It's in exceptionally nice condition. There was an Edison Model B, no horn and the governor was off but still present. No reproducer. Motor looked to be all there but didn't run. Went for more than what I wanted to pay for this common model.

I had to wait until the end of the auction when the records were finally sold. Most of the 78's were post WWII. I let 'em go; not much interested in them anymore.

Don't wait to hear this great music!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ5TelpSv50

Nobody In Town Can Bake A Sweet Jelly Roll Like Mine

In a bakery shop today
I heard Miss Mandy Jenkins say
She had the best cake, you see
And they were fresh as fresh could be
And as the people would pass by
You would hear Miss Mandy cry

Nobody in town can bake a sweet jelly roll like mine, like mine
No other one in town can bake a sweet jelly roll so fine, so fine
It's worth lots of dough, the boys tell me so
It's fresh every day, you'll hear 'em all say
Don't be no dunce, just try it once
You'll be right in line
Somebody told me I made the best jelly roll in town, I say in town
You must admit that I'm a jelly roll bakin' hound, bakin' hound
Good jelly roll, jelly roll is so hard to find
We always get the other kind
Nobody in town can bake a sweet jelly roll like mine

Somebody told me I made the best jelly roll in town, I say in town
You must admit that I'm a jelly roll bakin' hound, bakin' hound
Good jelly roll, jelly roll from a bakery shop
Will surely make a pool frog hop
Nobody in town can bake a sweet jelly roll like mine, like mine

As for meaning...
jel·ly roll -a cylindrical cake with a spiral cross section, made from a flat sponge cake spread with a filling such as jam and rolled up.
vulgar slang - a woman's genitals, or sexual intercourse.

For a little more information about Blues Language, here are very old links that will (right or wrong) provide some insight
http://blueslyrics.tripod.com/blueslanguage.htm
http://www.earlyblues.com/Meanings.htm

James.

And this too...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=occyKaOZb34

Thanks for the lyrics and the links. I listened to them both. Very good.

Some people say I'm cheap. I prefer the word parsimonious. I knew that Bessie Smith was in the box lot of records before it was sold. When the auctioneer finally got around to the records, the first to be sold was my box. He wanted $5, I offered $2. (This is me not being cheap as I've seen boxes of 78s go for 50 cents.) The auctioneer did not take my bid and was about to combine my box with some others I had no interest in. So I offered the $5 and he took it. Now my daughter has taken an interest in vinyl. In my $5 box lot was one album of Bob Marley, the complete piano recordings of Scott Joplin, MGM recordings of Hank Williams plus, some easy listening music. My daughter was very happy to take most of the 33-1/3s She's happy; I'm happy. I got my Bessie. Seems like a win-win situation all around!

I didn't want to change the thread as this particular post doesn't concern Bessie Smith so much, but I think I've been fortunate to obtain some early recordings amongst the records I have recently bought. Since when I was a teenager I always liked Scott Joplin when played correctly. And now I have recordings by one of Joplin's acquaintances, someone whom I had never heard of: Wilbur Sweatman.On Columbia's blue label I have Rainy Day Blues and Ja-Da on A2707. And I have Kansas City Blues and The Alcoholic Blues on A2768. And I have two more Sweatman records: A2596 and A2548. These four 10-inchers were found together in an old album for 12-inch records. Now I want to find some Ma Rainey.

Well, I also have recordings by Handy's Orchestra. I will assume for now that is W. C. And I found a record by Bert Williams (A1817). Now that name is familiar but I will need to look it up.

This is all very interesting.