Masters of the Cigar Box Guitar CD
"EMPTY CIGAR BOXES, STICKS, HACK-WIRED ELECTRONICS...WHATEVER MAKES A SOUND. EACH OF THESE PERFORMERS ABANDONED THEIR "NORMAL" INSTRUMENTS FOR SOMETHING DEEPER...TRUER...MORE PRIMAL!"
 I'm sure you've read about old bluesmen who started out on simple guitars made from broomsticks, cigar boxes and baling wire. There is a new movement of musicians who are going back to the basics...making and playing their own homemade instruments. They call it the Cigar Box Guitar Revolution.
78 MINUTES OF PURE HOMEMADE BOOGIE. This disc rocks!!! If you love to find cds that push the boundries, you'll absolutely love this release. Buy it. Crank it up. Rock it out!!!
This is the revolutionary cd created by the Cigar Box Guitar Forum. Eighteen performers from 3 different continents...all playing cigar box guitars and other homemade instruments. It's not what you'd expect. Genre's include blues, rock, folk, goth, nu-metal, techno, trip hop, rockabilly and more. Every copy of the Masters of the Cigar Box Guitar cd also comes with a page of coupons. Here's what you can get:
- SAVE $15 OFF ANY IN STOCK CIGTAR FROM CIGAR BOX SLIM. (SAVE $25 OFF SPECIAL ORDERS)
- SAVE $25 OFF ANY IN STOCK DELTACASTER FROM STACY PUCKETT.
- SAVE $10 OFF ANY STANDARD 3-STRING CBG FROM TOMI-O (OR SAVE $25 OFF A CUSTOM ORDER)
- RAY'S RU RHYTHM BOARDS: SAVE 10% OFF ANY ORDER OVER $100
- AND GET A FREE SHAKER STICK WITH ANY LOWEBOW PURCHASE FROM JOHN LOWE.
ORDER NOW!
Track Listings
1 Beans Beans Hambone/El Morrow. The first recording of a CBG (1931)
Written by: James Albert (aka “Beans” Hambone)
From the album: Victor Phonograph #23280-A A 78rpm record released in 1931
Website: More info on Beans at http://www.geocities.com/cigarboxguitar/beans_hambone.html
Cigar Box Guitar used: Unknown, but it sounds like a 5 string banjo-based instrument. Could be like an Uncle Enos Banjo. It definitely has a very homemade tone to it.
Producer's note:
We think we have discovered the world's very first recording of a cigar box guitar!!! To the best of our knowledge here at The Cigar Box Guitar's Place, there has only been one major example of a Pre-War musician using a cigar box guitar.
James Albert, a.k.a. "Beans Hambone" and his partner El Morrow were musicians from North Carolina . They recorded just two songs for the Victor Record Company, “Beans” and “Tippin' Out”. Beans Hambone provided the main vocals and plays what seems to be a home made cigar box guitar! El Morrow backs Beans up on standard guitar. This is according to legendary record collector, Pete Whelan.
We have found evidence of a “Negro prisoner in the North Carolina chain gang” named James Albert in the 1930 US Census. The lyrics to this song suggest a chain gang chant.
2 When I Lay My Burdon Down Rollie Tussing & Ezra Holbrook
Written by: Trad. Arranged by Rollie Tussing © 2004 Rollie Tussing
From the album: Hillbilly Blues (currently unreleased)
Website: www.rollietussing.com
Band Members: Rollie Tussing (Subverso Fiddle, vocals), Ezra Holbrook (bass, backing vocals, drum pedals)
Cigar Box Guitar used: “The Subverso Fiddle”, built by Rollie Tussing. Has 4 strings. Rollie electrifies the instrument by duct-taping an old acoustic soundhole pickup to the box.
Producer's note:
Rollie Tussing was the 2001 Slide Guitarist Champion and is one of the most talented performers I've ever seen in my life. On this track, he plays his “Subverso Fiddle” with his fingers and a slide. Mind you, there are no frets on his guitar. He's fretting a blank fretboard. Amazing. Truly amazing. Ezra Holbrook backs Rollie up with a literal one-man band: bass guitar, bass drum, hi-hat and backing vocals!
3 They Call Me Cigar Box Slim Cigar Box Slim & the Smokebox Revival
Written by: Mike Mancil © 2004 Mike Mancil
From the album: Currently unreleased
Website: www.cigarboxslim.com
Band Members: Cigar Box Slim (Ol' JB, vocals) Delta Fox (cigar box bass), G-Man (drums)
Cigar Box Guitar used: “Ol' JB,” a wild double-neck electric cigar box guitar named after Junior Brown. This cigar box guitar has 3 strings on one neck and 4 on the other. Delta Fox plays an electric cigar box bass made from a standard bass neck and a huge wooden box.
Producer's note:
Slim RAWKS! His slide playing really reminds me of a hot rodded Hound Dog Taylor. I chose this song for the cd because of it's electrified primal energy. Mind you, all the sounds you hear are coming from a cigar box guitar. A BADASS cigar box guitar!!!
4 Jack O' Diamonds Salty Dog
Written by: Blind Lemon Jefferson This version © 2003 Salty Dog
From the album: JACK OF DIAMONDS (for sale on their website)
Website: www.saltydogblues.com
Cigar Box Guitar used: Electric fretless cigar box guitar made by Steve Plater of Salty Dog (see pictures on their website)
Producer's note:
Salty Dog is a phenomenal male/female blues duo from Austrailia. Steve Plater plays electric cigar box guitar along with a foot stomping board while Marion Turner delivers smoke & honey vocals and plays a wicked harp. This song is the title track from their latest cd which is chock full of cigar box guitar and harmonica music. Not to be missed. Go to their site and buy a copy today before they're all sold out!
5 You Don't Love Me Anymore Gerry Thompson
Written by: Gerry Thompson © 2004 Gerry Thompson
From the album: currently unreleased
Website: http://community-2.webtv.net/livergee/MYBLUENEIGHBORHOOD/
Cigar Box Guitar used: 4-string “Mandar”, a cross between a mandolin, tenor guitar and cigar box guitar. Built by Thompson. It is run thru an acoustic amplifier with a microphone and a transducer pickup
Producer's note:
I think I know what Alan Lomax felt like when he discovered a true American singer/songwriter. Hearing Gerry Thompson's submissions to this cd gave me chills. Better yet, seeing him perform live was like stepping back in time. His music is so true and pure. It's Americana at its finest. I especially loved the dark humor of his songs. By the way, this track was taken from the bootlegs of the 2004 Cigar Box Guitar Festival in Kentucky.
6 Black Sea Outline Bazookahosen
Written by: Bazookahosen © 2004 Bazookahosen
From the album: currently unreleased
Website: http://bazookahosen.dk/
Band Members: Mikael Larson (cookie tin guitar), Jenz Koudahl (percussion, harmonica, toy xylophone), Rasmus Meisler (guitars), Troels Nielsen (drums), Sylvester Roepstorff (bass clarinet)
Producer's note:
This is the greatest band in the world. One part Tom Waits. One part gypsy caravan. One part whoknowswhat. This track features homemade instruments playing wobble jazz that is primitive, yet refined. Only these guys could pull it off! Bazookahosen has a self-titled cd available on their website. BUY IT. Trust me. You'll thank me later.
7 Bright With Stars Chris Ballew (of Pres. of the USA )
Written by: Chris Ballew © 2002 Aurora Elephant Music
From the album: My First Computer (available for purchase on his website)
Website: www.chrisballew.com (and also www.presidentsrock.com )
Cigar Box Guitar used: 1-string cigar box bass made by Shane Speal
Producer's note:
Back in 1988, I sent a couple cigar box instruments to the band The Presidents of the United States of America . In the ensuing years, I have kept contact with the band's frontman, Chris Ballew. When I told him about the Masters of the Cigar Box Guitar cd, he said that he indeed recorded with the 1-string cigar box bass I sent him. This is that track. As you can tell, Ballew was bitten by the Techno bug. He has released a couple techno cds under his own name and they both feature goofy snippets from children's record like you hear in this song. Better than Moby.
8 My Cigarronne Yeti On A Budget
Written by: Yeti On a Budget
From the album: currently unreleased
Website: www.yetionabudget.com
Band Members: Jason (drums), Corey (bass fiddle), Jeff a.k.a. Starship (guitar), Wally (Cigarronne)
Cigar Box Guitar used: THE CIGARRONNE!!! Listen to the lyrics for a description. Plus a homemade box bass called the WallyRight.
Producer's note:
One of my faves! You can't get this song out of your head. The cigar box guitar goes tripping over hip hop and bohemian jamming. Notice how these guys describe the building process of their “Cigaronne” cigar box guitar in the lyrics. Essential to this collection!
9 Possum Headed Girl Ditch Diggers
Written by: Ken Frank © 2004 Tin-Foot Paul (BMI)
From the album: currently unreleased
Band Members: Tin-Foot Paul (Vocals, Triptar, Harmonica), Juan Suarez (Bass), Whistlin' Dick Wilson (Pan Pipes), Carlton Glitter (Drums, Percussion)
Cigar Box Guitar used: Cookie Tin Triptar, a 3-string instrument made from a cookie tin.
Producer's note:
A very cool homebrewed song. It sounds like an ultra-modern jug band with all the clicks and clacks. Gotta love those pan pipes, too!
10 X-Ray Spex Jug Fusion
Written by: Shane Speal © 2003 Shane Speal Music (BMI)
From the album: Jug Fusion ‘BOX SET' (available for purchase at www.somedarkholler.com )
Website: www.geocities.com/jugfusion1 (also the Cigar Box Guitar's Rightful Place website: www.geocities.com/cigarboxguitar )
Band Members (on recording): Shane Speal (vocals, 2-string slide bass, 3-string electric cigar box guitar, toys), Mike Watert (drums)
Cigar Box Guitar used: 3-string electric cigar box guitar plugged into an Octave Pedal and a Little Big Muff distortion pedal.
Performer's note:
This is my tribute to the band Morphine. We used a 2-string slide bass as the main rhythm instrument. An electric cigar box guitar plays harmonic background notes and provides the feedback during verses. Also, I played a Phazer Death Ray toy along with a Yak Bak voice recorder into the pickups of the electric cigar box guitar.
11 Tree ‘Fo' A Hurricane Dr. Oakroot
Written by: David Smith © (P) 2004 David Smith Music (ASCAP)
From the album: LOVE AND DEATH (available for purchase on his website)
Website: www.doctoroakroot.com
Cigar Box Guitar used: 1-string cardboard box guitar and a Styrofoam cup for percussion.
Producer's note:
The most primitive of the modern tracks on this disc. I absolutely love the sparseness of Doc's 1-string. He makes it sound like an impending storm. Perfect in every way.
12 John Henry Johnny Lowebow
Written by: Trad. Arrangement © 2004 John Lowe
From the album: Live at Wifflestock (available for purchase at Xanadu Music and Books, Memphis . E-mail him at bevlowe@bellsouth.net )
Website: www.geocities.com/lowebow
Cigar Box Guitar used: Lowebow, an insane double-neck electric cigar box guitar. Both necks are played simultaneously. One neck sports a bass string. The other has 3 guitar strings. Played with a slide.
Producer's note:
If you want my thoughts on Johnny, just go to the website I created in his honor (see link above)!
13 High Noon Shane Speal
Written by: Shane Speal © 2004 Shane Speal Music (BMI)
From the album: The Black Album
Website: www.geocities.com/jugfusion1 (also, www.geocities.com/cigarboxguitar and www.cigarboxguitars.com )
Cigar Box Guitar used: 3-string Macanudo (pictures and description of this cigar box guitar are at www.geocities.com/cigarboxguitar/macanudo.html )
Performer's note:
I recorded this in my living room, 5 minutes after I created the tuning. The song was just a short demo I created so I could use it in the future. Eventually, I gave the track to my producer, Scary Jerry West and he added all the filters and effects to it. He also shook a pack of Tic Tacs in the microphone for the rattle sound! He also came up with the title. I included the song to give a sampling of New Age Music on the cigar box guitar.
14 Voodoo Stew Elliott and the Untouchables
Written by: Elliott New © 2004 BluTouch Music (BMI)
From the album: VOODOO STEW (available for purchase on their website)
Website: www.elliottandtheuntouchables.com
Band Members: Elliott New (Ellbow cigar box guitar), Bob “Sonny D” Dickey (Saxophone), Jim Heidenriech (drums), Mike “Naz” Nazerenko (harmonica), J.T. Anderson (Bass)
Cigar Box Guitar used: The “Ellbow”, Elliott New's version of the Lowebow. Like Johnny Lowe's creation, New's cigar box guitar sports two necks with three guitar strings and a bass string. Photos of the Ellbow are at their website and also at www.geocitiescom/cigarboxguitar/elbow.html
Producer's note:
The cleanest, smoothest track on this disc. Elliott shows us how to take a primitive instrument uptown. A great addition to this disc. This is the title track to his latest cd which contains three other songs on the Ellbow.
15 The Way of the Green Osiris Stone Breath
Written by: Timothy Renner
From the album: Lanterna Lucis Viriditatis (available for purchase at www.somedarkholler.com )
Website: www.somedarkholler.com and also www.lostgospel.org
Cigar Box Guitar used: 3-string fretless cigar box guitar made by Shane Speal
Producer's note:
I built a cigar box guitar for Bob Campbell, a friend who owns a local music store. Bob lent the guitar to Tim Renner, a goth-folk legend (covered greatly by the Ptolomaic Terrescope magazine) who happens to live in my area. That was 4 years ago…Tim still has the cigar box guitar! This song showcases the cigar box guitar in a spooky setting. Renner plucks it, uses an eBow on it and backs it up with a deconstructed toy piano. 7 minutes of pure darkness. I love it! (Tim has become a close personal friend of mine and I even recorded an album of myself in a solo setting, performing his songs on my cigar box guitar. We plan on collaborating in the future.)
16 Tone to Salve My Soul Tim Bower of Citrus
Written by: Tim Bower
From the album: currently unreleased
Website: www.citrus.lovesmusic.com
Cigar Box Guitar used: 3-string fretless played with a slide
Producer's note:
Like Salty Dog, Tim is also from Austrailia. He plays a fretless acoustic bass in a the Christian acoustic rock band, Citrus. I love this track for two reasons: 1. because it beautifully showcases a songwriter who has adopted a cigar box guitar for composing (rather well) and 2. it's the first time anyone ever included me in their lyrics!!! I'm absolutely flattered…and floored.
17 Don't Want to See You Go Stacy Puckett
Written by: Stacy Puckett © 2004 Stacy Puckett
From the album: LIVING IN THE SHADOWS
Website: http://www.cybamall.com/harmontown
Cigar Box Guitar used: “Deltacaster” 6-string cigar box guitar built by Puckett.
Producer's note:
I put Stacy's track right next to Tim Bower's because of the really cool singer/songwriter aspect of both. Stacy lives the life of a modern music legend…He spent the 80's playing in a Christian heavy metal band. Worked on other projects in the 90's and put it all behind him to live in an old fishing shack in Mississippi . He builds cigar box guitars for a living…graceful 6-string cigar box guitars to be exact! His guitars are called Deltacasters and feature wood he retrieves from old tables, trash cans and wherever else he can find them. He performs as a one man band with his Deltacaster and a drum stompboard he rigged from an old flower box and several cookie tins. He's been featured on many TV and radio shows throughout the South. Like Gerry Thompson, listening to Stacy's music makes me feel like Alan Lomax. Pure, unadulterated Americana . I hope some Nonesuch Records discovers this guy.
18 Cigar Holler Mack Stevens and David Betz
Written by: Mack Stevens
From the album: currently unreleased
Cigar Box Guitar used: 3-string (fretless) cigar box guitar made by David Betz
Producer's note:
The cigar box guitar goes Rockabilly!!! Wooooo-hoooo! David Betz is a contributor of artwork to the National Cigar Box Guitar Museum and has built his own 3-string cigar box guitar. For this session, he enlisted underground rockabilly legend, Mack Stevens to play the cigar box guitar and sing while David handles percussion. Is it me, or does this track sound like it was recorded in 1954???
19 My Little Toy Ray Gun Dynamo Ray
Written by: Jay Kirgis
From the album: currently unreleased
Website: www.jaykirgis.com
Cigar Box Guitar used: 6-string electric cigar box guitar (regular guitar neck attached to a cigar box. Magnetic pickups installed.)
Producer's note:
Cigar Box insanity from the guy who painted the cover of this cd! This track was recorded live in a Mississippi club. Jay Kirgis is a master artist who's 1-string cigar box guitars grace art galleries and personal art collections. He's also the inspiration behind Johnny Lowe's LOWEBOW guitars. Here we find Jay fronting his band Dynamo Ray on a 6 string electrified cigar box guitar. I love the raw and live sound quality. This was definitely recorded in a footstomping club!
BONUS TRACKS:
20 Berta Berta Rollie Tussing & Ezra Holbrook
Written by: Trad. Arranged by Rollie Tussing
From the album: currently unreleased
Website: www.rollietussing.com
Cigar Box Guitar used: Subverso Fiddle
21 Sophia's Tune My Blue Neighborhood
Written by: Gerry Thompson
From the album: currently unreleased
Website: http://community-2.webtv.net/livergee/MYBLUENEIGHBORHOOD/
Band Members: Gerry Thompson (Mandar cigar box guitar), Dave Fecca (4-string slide cigar box guitar) and April Iorio (3/4 scale electric bass)
Cigar Box Guitar used: 4-string “Mandar” cigar box guitars, built by Gerry Thompson
Producer's note: (see notes for Gerry Thompson)
22 You're Going To Need Somebody On Your Bond Tim Bower
Written by: Trad. Arranged by Tim Bower © 2004 Tim Bower
From the album: currently unreleased
Website: www.citrus.lovesmusic.com
Cigar Box Guitar used: 3-string fretless cigar box guitar played with slide
23 Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dyin' Bed Jug Fusion
Written by: Blind Willie Johnston / arranged by Shane Speal © 2003 Shane Speal Music (BMI)
From the album: Jug Fusion “BOX SET”
Website: http://geocities.com/jugfusion1
Band Members (on recording) Shane Speal (3-string acoustic cbg, 1-string acoustic cbg, 3-string electric cbg, Balalaika, African bass guimbri, foot stomp on guitar case for bass drum, vocals), Matt Frigm (vocals)
Cigar Box Guitar used: 3-string acoustic cigar box guitar, 3-string electric cigar box guitar, 1-string cigar box guitar
24 Swing Low Sweet Chariot Stacy Puckett
Written by: Trad. Arranged by Stacy Puckett
From the album: “LIVING IN THE SHADOWS”
Website: http://www.cybamall.com/harmontown
Cigar Box Guitar used: 6-string Deltacaster cigar box guitar built by Stacy Puckett.
Producer's note: The perfect ending to the entire cd….
All proceeds from the sale of this cd will go to the non-profit
National Cigar Box Music Foundation. |
