Hour #3 brings us to the heart of this week’s special feature: the recordings of Paramount artists accompanied by pianist Will Ezell. Ezell was an important part of the Paramount recording operation, serving as the label’s house pianist and providing accompaniment for a remarkable assortment of blues singers. Rather than focusing primarily on Ezell’s own recordings, this hour allows us to hear his playing in the company of several distinctive voices from the Paramount catalog.

Lucille Bogan opens the hour with two striking performances, “Doggone Wicked Blues” and “Oklahoma Blues.” Bogan was one of the most direct and uncompromising singers of the classic blues era, and her recordings often combined sharp observations about relationships and everyday life with a fearless delivery. Behind her, Ezell provides the piano foundation that helps drive these performances while leaving Bogan firmly at the center.

Sam Tarpley follows with “Alabama Hustler Blues” and “Try Some of That.” Tarpley is another of the lesser-known Paramount artists whose recordings reward closer attention. The performances demonstrate the variety of blues musicians who passed through the Paramount studios and the important role Ezell played in giving these sessions their musical backbone.

The Paramount All-Stars then contribute “Hometown Skiffle Blues, Parts I & II.” The recording broadens the hour beyond individual vocalists and offers a glimpse of the collaborative atmosphere surrounding the Paramount sessions.

Elzadie Robinson follows with “Wicked Daddy Blues” and “It’s Too Late Now.” Robinson was among the many women blues singers whose careers were documented by Paramount, and these performances provide another opportunity to hear Ezell working behind a strong and distinctive vocalist. His piano is not merely background accompaniment; it provides the rhythmic and harmonic framework that keeps the performances moving.

Sally Duffy contributes “Bunker Hill Blues” and “Plantation Blues.” Duffy is one of the more obscure names represented in the set, which makes the appearance particularly appropriate for Blues Before Sunrise. The Paramount catalog contains countless recordings by musicians who never achieved the recognition of their better-known contemporaries, and preserving and presenting those performances is an important part of the program’s mission.

Bertha Henderson follows with “Black Bordered Letter” and “Six Thirty Blues.” Henderson’s recordings add another distinctive voice to the collection and further demonstrate the range of blues singers who worked with Ezell during the Paramount years.

Blind Roosevelt Graves then changes the musical character of the hour with “Guitar Boogie” and “Low Down Woman.” Graves was a guitarist and singer associated with the gospel and blues traditions of the South, and his appearance here provides an especially interesting contrast to the piano-centered performances that dominate much of the hour.

The final three recordings bring the hour back to a series of individual blues performances: Blanche Johnson’s “2:16 Blues,” Marie Bradley’s “Storm Hailing Blues,” and Ora Brown’s “Jailhouse Moan” and “Restless Blues.”

Taken together, these recordings provide a remarkable look at the world surrounding Will Ezell at Paramount. The singers are the stars, but Ezell’s piano is a constant musical presence, connecting performers whose styles and personalities could be quite different.

Hour #3 is therefore less a portrait of one musician than it is a portrait of a recording environment. Paramount brought together a remarkable collection of blues singers and musicians, and Will Ezell was one of the musicians who helped turn those performances into recorded blues history.

Playlist

DOGGONE WICKED BLUES — LUCILLE BOGAN
OKLAHOMA BLUES — LUCILLE BOGAN
ALABAMA HUSTLER BLUES — SAM TARPLEY
TRY SOME OF THAT — SAM TARPLEY
HOMETOWN SKIFFLE BLUES PTS I & II — PARAMOUNT ALL-STARS
WICKED DADDY BLUES — ELZADIE ROBINSON
IT’S TOO LATE NOW — ELZADIE ROBINSON
BUNKER HILL BLUES — SALLY DUFFY
PLANTATION BLUES — SALLY DUFFY
BLACK BORDERED LETTER — BERTHA HENDERSON
SIX THIRTY BLUES — BERTHA HENDERSON
GUITAR BOOGIE — BLIND ROOSEVELT GRAVES
LOW DOWN WOMAN — BLIND ROOSEVELT GRAVES
2:16 BLUES — BLANCHE JOHNSON
STORM HAILING BLUES — MARIE BRADLEY
JAILHOUSE MOAN — ORA BROWN
RESTLESS BLUES — ORA BROWN