Blues ranging from back porch casuals to juke joint smokers were delivered by Texas bluesman Andrew “Smokey” Hogg (1914-1960). Influenced by the likes of Big Bill Broonzy and Lightnin’ Hopkins (who might have been his cousing), Hogg’s career is captured on this two disc set, collected from his itinerant recording career on a surfeit of labels including Decca, Specialty, Imperial and Crown.
His earliest recordings here have him found in Texas in 1937 with just voice and guitar, sitting back and giving his first hit, Broonzy’s “Too Many Drivers” leading up to him moving to Los Angeles and recording in a larger setting for his the gritty “Long Tall Mama” and a year latter with Broonzy’s “Little School Girl”, hitting the juke boxes and reaching #9 on the charts. Also included is his famous two part “Penitentiary Blues” from 1952, which was a remake of a prison song. The last couple of years had him leaning more on the jump blues as on ”Penny Pinching Mama” , recorded just a few years before his premature death of 1946. Hogg had a unique ability to mix rural sounds with big city jive. Check this guy out!