Happy 121st Birthday to the most innovative musician to come out of the Bluegrass

In the wake of LexArts’ Jazz Arts Month celebration hosted last month by the Lexington Public Library and ArtsPlace, now is the perfect time to revisit the biography of Jimmy Blythe. One of the most important, yet unheralded, artists to come out of Kentucky and influence Chicago’s “Roaring Twenties,” Blythe was a key figure in the transition from the ragtime piano era (Scott Joplin died April 1, 1917 in NYC) to the blues/stride/jazz piano era that began in October 1921 with James P. Johnson’s “Carolina Shout.” In February 1923, the first solo piano records were made in Chicago, reflecting this new style - “The Rocks” (by George Thomas, aka Clay Custer) and “Jazzin’ Babies Blues” (by Richard Jones), among others.

On this, Blythe’s 121st birthday anniversary (May 20th), the thing to remember is that he was born in nearby South Keene and spent his formative years in Lexington. If one cannot separate Louis Armstrong’s accomplishments from his youth in New Orleans, then one cannot do the same with the biography of Blythe, who recorded alongside the great “Satchmo.” Blythe’s unique sensibility was developed in his years living in rural Jessamine County and on Patterson Street, at W. Maxwell, in Lexington — just three blocks south of the train tracks/L&N Line, two blocks from his school, and across the street from his church. What led him to Chicago, circa 1918, was the same American promise of possibility that brought Armstrong to the great metropolis.

After producing several dozen piano rolls beginning in 1922, Blythe recorded his first ‘live’ solo piano side in April 1924 — “Chicago Stomp.” He is remembered most for this tune because it is considered the first complete boogie woogie recording and inspired an entirely new genre of music to be put on record. Blythe practiced his artistry tirelessly and innovated the jazz and blues piano sound and style on several different recordings. Yet, he is not remembered for the sum total of his creative efforts, due mainly to his early demise at the age of 30. Most of his peers outlived (and out-recorded) him by several decades, thus cementing their legacies in the history books. Blythe, though, was a casualty of the Great Depression, which consumed both his life and his legacy.

Now a remembrance of Blythe’s supreme accomplishments: If you want to hear the HOTTEST jazz on record, look no further than the tune “Ballin’ the Jack” recorded by the Chicago Footwarmers on Dec. 3, 1927. Blythe’s piano playing is explosive, concise, and “in the pocket” (aka rhythmically flawless). The rest of the quartet are tight, too! Johnny Dodds, the clarinetist and leader of the group, gained his reputation as a featured member of King Oliver’s, Armstrong’s and Jelly Roll Morton’s classic bands. When recording on his own account, Dodds favored Blythe as his pianist — recording 31 sides with him between May 1926 and March 1928. This tune is the prime example of their sympathetic partnership.

In a similar way, on a 1925 recording accompanying singer Sodarisa Miller, Blythe plays a ‘first-of-its-kind’ 12-bar blues shuffle riff on the bass end of the piano. If you compare that riff with later boogie woogie and rock and roll tunes (for instance Buddy Holly’s “That’ll be the Day” (1956)), then you’ll recognize the significance of Blythe’s musical instinct and creative genius. Later, on sessions in June and October 1928, Blythe led two groups, the Dixie Four and the Midnight Rounders, that can be credited with recording the first ever ‘jam sessions’. The energy and spirit generated by these bands (both with Bill Johnson on bass, Clifford Jones on percussion) is like nothing produced by anyone else in that place and time. These recordings are 100% rock and roll (they’re jazz, too…)! In 1925 and 1928! Yes, indeed! So, happy birthday to Jimmy Blythe – a Kentucky original, jazz and blues pioneer, and the first rock and roller!

Sean McElroy is now working on the complete biography of Jimmy Blythe and continuing to research early popular music in the Bluegrass region.

This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 8:41 AM.