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Blues Mixture

Lemuel Fowler

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Recorded in New York City on July 19th 1923 featuring Lemuel Fowler at the piano.

*"Blues Mixture" was composed by J. Meller.

New York based pianist Lemuel Fowler was fairly active as a composer and piano accompanist in early Summer 1923 appearing on two sides for Edison backing singer Ellen Coleman.

One of these sides recorded in July and released in August 1923, "You've Got Everything A Sweet Mama Needs (But Me)" composed by Fowler, was described in an advertisement released by Edison's publicity department in this way: "A "Blues" song performed characteristically by Ellen Coleman, a colored blues specialist and accompanied by Lem Fowler, the colored Composer and his "Blues" interpretists".

After achieving marginal success initially, sales for the record fell off and Lem was in the studio again this time for Columbia in mid-July called back to re-record piano solos he had first attempted on July 3rd.

What every went wrong the first time is not repeated as Lemuel Fowler thrills listeners with his mid-Western piano style with a walking bass treatment reminiscent of George W. Thomas.

As on every side he ever produced this piece introducing an early piano boogie recorded in 'The Big Apple' doesn't fail to maintain his usual element of intrigue throughout. After all a standard slow blues could become a deeply moving piece of music at the touch of Fowler's competent fingers.

At the time of this recording Lem Fowler was in many ways like Perry Bradford a popular artist and performer with a strong foothold in the publishing business. Publicity generated from his infamously dragged out copyright dispute with Bradford over "He May Be Your Man" beginning in August 1922 had unwittingly thrust the pianist into the spotlight.