My April 25th Auction: Pete Whelan Pre-War Blues 78's Collection, part 1!

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Pete Whelan's World-Class Pre-War Blues 78's collection, part 1: Complete List!

Closes Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 7:00 pm PT

Peter Whelan was a friend of mine for over twenty years. He started collecting records in 1946 and was the founder of the Origin Jazz Library label in 1960 and of 78 Quarterly in 1967—THE magazine for 78 collectors for 35 years!

Pete passed away in January at the age of 93. Last year, he offered to sell me his World Class collection of Jazz and Blues 78's. He stated his price, which would be the most I ever paid for a record collection, but I didn't hesitate to say YES!

It will take a few years and multiple auctions to find new homes for all of Mr. Whelan's records. Some of these gems are staying here, enhancing my already fantastic collection, but some of them are duplicates and/or records I'm not interested in.

Prices for World Class Blues 78's have been climbing steadily for the past 40+ years and recently have been rising VERY dramatically! This is your chance to obtain some legendary records from one of the world's BEST, and most important, collections before their prices shoot up even higher! So bid competitively if you want to win and use my call back system for "must-have" items!

The Jazz records will be sold separately from the Blues collection. Please let me know if you want to receive the Jazz auction ads.

Thank you and good luck to all!

Printed (PDF) version of Pete Whelan's's Pre-War Blues 78's collection auction, part 1

Pete Whelan Pre-War Blues 78's HIGHLIGHTS!

How to bid on my Monthly Auctions

1. Garfield Akers — "Cottonfield Blues—Part I / Part II" Vocalion 1442V- Tiny edge chip on A-side only—NOT into grooves. Plays better than the grade. Maybe six copies known! MASTERPIECE! MB $5,000

2. Kid Bailey aka WILLIE BROWN with CHARLEY PATTON — "Rowdy Blues /Mississippi Bottom Blues" BRUNSWICK 7114V+ In the TOP TEN of all Pre-War Blues! Plays fantastic! About eight known copies! They don't get better than this! MB $10,000

3. Teddy Darby — "Lawdy Lawdy Worried Blues / My Laona Blues" PARAMOUNT 12828E/E- Nice one! See the RARE VICTOR by him later in this list! MB $2,000

4. Mattie Delaney — "Tallahatchie River Blues / Down The Big Road" VOCALION 1480G Worn, but this is one of FOUR known copies! Plays rough at start but better after 20 seconds, BEST FEMALE BLUES RECORD EVER—TIED WITH GEESHIE WILEY! MB $3,000

5. Rube Lacy — "Mississippi Jail House Groan / Ham Hound Crave" PARAMOUNT 12629E- HIS ONLY RELEASED RECORD AND MAN, WHAT A RECORD!!! Masterpiece with great Vocal and Stinging Guitar! MB $3,000

6. Willie Lofton — "Dark Road Blues / Beer Garden Blues" BLUEBIRD 6229E Stunning version of TOMMY JOHNSON'S "BIG ROAD BLUES" and less than EIGHTknown copies! A must-have! MB $5,000

7. Alabama Sheiks (The Fox And The Rabbit) — "The New Talking 'Bout You/Sittin' On Top Of The World" VICTOR 23261 V Plays better than the grade except for one spot on the A-side that sticks, Very rare 23000 Victor MB $100

 

8. Missouri Anderson — "Gamblin' George Blues/Somebody Else's Blues" VOCALION 1041 V SCARCE FEMALE BLUES MB $100

9. Andrew And Jim Baxter — "Bamalong Blues / K.C. Railroad Blues" VICTOR 20962E- Plays near perfect! FABULOUS record!!! This is Blues from the previous century, preserved on record in 1927—essential to any serious collection. MB $500

10. Jim And Andrew Baxter — "Dance The Georgia Poss / It Tickles Me" VICTOR38603 E Another great one by them and another gorgeous copy!! MB $1,000

11. Lewis Black — "Rock Island Blues/Spanish Blues" COLUMBIA 14429 E- Sticker on label, Nice one MB $300

 

12. Blind Blake — "Stonewall Street Blues/Too Tight" PARAMOUNT 12431 V PLAYS GREAT MB $300

 

13. Cleo Brown — "Latch On/Slow Poke" DECCA 795 V+ MB $25

14. Jesse C. Crump — "Mister Crump Rag/Golden West Blues" GENNETT NO # V+ Great Piano Rags by the man who backed up IDA COX and many others in the 1920's MB $75

15. Teddy Darby — "Deceiving Blues / Built Right On The Ground" VICTOR 23311E Tough one!!! Tiny label 23000 series. MB $2,000

 

16. Cow Cow Davenport — "Mootch Piddle/Back In The Alley" VOCALION 1282 E MB $200

 

17. Cow Cow Davenport — "Texas Shout/We're Gonna Rub It" VOCALION 1291 E/E- MB $200

 

18. Charlie Davenport (Cow Cow Davenport) — "Givin' It Away/Running Wild" SUPERTONE 9455 V+ TOUGH ONE MB $300

19. Tom Dickson — "Death Bell Blues / Happy Blues" OKEH 8590V+ Plays fantastic! Dixon plays like Mississippi John Hurt. RARE!!!! MB $1,000

 

20. Dixieland Jug Blowers — "Boodle-Am-Shake/Carpet Alley Breakdown" VICTOR 20480 E GREAT JUG BAND RECORD MB $200

 

21. Dunham Jubilee Singers — "Calvary/Do What The Lord Says Do" GENNETT 6723 V Plays Nice! Rare ELECTROBEAM GOSPEL GROUP MB $100

22. Gertude Dwyer — "Six Feet Of Papa/A Too Tame Papa" BELL 461 E- Obscure Female Blues MB $200

 

23. Evans & McClain — "So Sorry Dear/Joe Evans" ROMEO 5099 V PLAYS NICE and tough MB $100

 

24. Lottie Everson aka LOTTIE KIMBROUGH — "Lost Lover Blues/Going Away Blues" CHAMPION 15591 V+ TOUGH ONE AND PLAYS GREAT!!! MB $700

 

25. Lottie Everson aka LOTTIE KIMBROUGH — "Blue World Blues/Rolling Log Blues" CHAMPION 15636 E-/V B-side has stripping but plays decent with some slight distortion in spots MB $300

 

26. Lottie Everson aka LOTTIE KIMBROUGH — "Wayward Girl Blues/Runnin' Wild" CHAMPION 15755 V MB $200

27. Will Ezell — "Bucket Of Blood/Playing The Dozens" PARAMOUNT 12773 E Great Piano MB $300

 

28. Will Ezell — "Pitchin' Boogie/Just Can't Stay Here" PARAMOUNT 12855 E- MB $300

29. Will Ezell — "Freakish Mistreater Blues / Hot Spot Stuff" PARAMOUNT 12914 E- RARE MB $500

30. Famous Blue Jay Singers Of Birmingham — "Clanka A Lanka/I'm Leaning On The Lord" PARAMOUNT 13119 E- Tough 13000 PARAMOUNT and Great GOSPEL GROUP MB $300

31. Harlem Hamfats — "Weed Smoker's Dream/Little Girl" DECCA 7234 E Classic "weed" song MB $100

32. Otis Harris — "Waking Blues /You'll Like My Lovin' " COLUMBIA 14428 E+ GREAT ONE!! MB $500

33. Willie Harris — "What Makes A Tom Cat Blue / West Side Blues"BRUNSWICK 7092E- Great one!!! MB $2,000

34. Willie Harris — "Never Drive A Stranger From Your Door / Lonesome Midnight Dream" BRUNSWICK 7149V+ PLAYS FANTASTIC!!! 1/2 inch hair crack on edge. Could be THE WILLIE BROWN, his version of "Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor"—STUNNING RECORD! MB $2,000

 

35. Buddy Boy Hawkins — "Awful Fix Blues/Raggin' The Blues" PARAMOUNT 12539 V Plays better than the grade MB $300

 

36. Walter Hawkins — "How Come Mama Blues/Voice Throwin' Blues" PARAMOUNT 12802 V- Plays better than the grade—Rare! MB $300

 

37. Papa Charlie Jackson — "All I Want Is A Spoonful/Maxwell Street Blues" PARAMOUNT 12320 E With slight label fading, A-side is the same song CHARLEY PATTON would later record MB $200

 

38. Lillian Jackson — "Cow Cow Blues/You Can't Do What My Last Man Did" SUPERTONE 9294 V+ Plays nice, Rompin' Female Blues MB $200

 

39. Lulu Jackson — "Careless Love Blues/You're Going To Leave The Old Home, Jim" VOCALION 1193 V+ Plays Great MB $200

 

40. Frank James — "Snake Hip Blues/Frank's Lonesome Blues" CHAMPION 50018 E- MB $200

 

41. Frank James — "Forsaken Blues/Mistreated Blues" VARSITY 6062 E MB $50

42. Jesse James — "Southern Casey Jones/Lonesome Day Blues" DECCA 7213 V+ FABULOUS ROCKIN' PIANO BLUES MB $200

 

43. Blind Lemon Jefferson — "Old Rounders Blues/Beggin' Back" PARAMOUNT 12394 V+/V MB $100

44. Blind Lemon Jefferson And His Feet — "Hot Dogs / Weary Dogs Blues" PARAMOUNT 12493E/E- HIS BEST RECORD!!! He plays his feet almost as good as he plays the guitar! MB $800

 

45. Blind Lemon Jefferson — " 'Lectric Chair Blues/See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" PARAMOUNT 12608 V ALL TIME CLASSIC MB $200

46. Blind Lemon Jefferson — "Bootin' Me 'Bout / Empty House Blues" PARAMOUNT 12946 E Tough one—HIS LAST RECORD MB $500

47. Big Bill Johnson /Western Kid — "Skoodle Do Do /Mountain Girl Blues" GENNETT 7210V+ Tough one! A-side is BIG BILL BROONZY, B-side is FRANK BRASSWELL—both sides are KILLER! MB $500

 

48. Johnson And Smith — "Brown Skin Shuffle/Stove Pipe Stomp" CHAMPION 40074 E+ Big Bill Broonzy MB $500

 

49. Big Bill Johnson — "Mr. Conductor Man/Big Bill Blues" CHAMPION 50060 E Big Bill Broonzy MB $500

50. Blind Willie Johnson — "Dark Was The Night--Cold Was The Ground / It's Nobody's Fault But Mine"COLUMBIA 14303E Gorgeous copy of his MOST DESIRED RECORD—MASTERPIECE!!!MB $1,000

 

51. Blind Willie Johnson — "God Don't Never Change/Let Your Light Shine On Me" COLUMBIA 14490 V+ MB $300

52. Blind Willie Johnson — "Sweeter As The Years Roll By / Take Your Stand" COLUMBIA 14624E- One of his last records and harder to find than most of his othersMB $500

53. Elvira Johnson And The Birmingham Darktown Strutters — "How Could I Be Blue?/Numbers On The Brain" BUDDY 8057 V+ With 1inch hair crack, Could be the only known copy! Rare Label MB $200

 

54. Lil Johnson — "Take It Easy Greasy/That Bonus Done Gone Through" MELOTONE 6-05-52 E- MB $200

55. Lil Johnson — "You'll Never Miss Your Jelly Till Your Jelly Rollers Gone/Never Let Your Left Hand Know What Your Right Hand Do" VOCALION 1299 E- Tough one! MB $300

 

56. Lil Johnson And Her Chicago Swingsters — "Let's Get Drunk And Truck/Hottest Gal In Town" VOCALION 03312 E- MB $200

 

57. Lil Johnson — "Keep On Knocking/I Lost My Baby" BLUEBIRD 6112 V+ Plays great! TOUGH ONE and yes, it is the same song that LITTLE RICHARD turned into a BIG hit in the late 1950's MB $200

58. Stump Johnson — "Would You Do What I Asked You To/Kind Babe Blues" PARAMOUNT 12862 V+ MB $200

 

59. Missionary Grace Jones — "The Ways/Vacation In Heaven" Q. R. S. 7021 V+ Romping, stomping, shouting Gospel!! Only copy?? MB $500

60. M. Paul Jones — "A Rag Fantasy/Bolero" HODGE NO # V+ ONLY COPY?? Rare label from Hollywood and nice GUITAR SOLOS MB $200

61. Noah Lewis — "Chickasaw Special /Devil In The Woodpile" VICTOR 38581E Great one from MEMPHIS JUG BAND founder MB $500

62. Poor Boy Lofton — "Dirty Mistreater / Rainy Day Blues" DECCA 7049V+ FABULOUS and PLAYS GREAT! MB $500

63. Charlie McCoy And Bo Carter — "Mississippi I'm Longing For You/The Northern Starvers Are Returning Home" OKEH 8853 E- Essentially a MISSISSIPPI SHEIKS record MB $500

 

64. Charles McCoy — "Glad Hand Blues/Blue Heaven Blues" BRUNSWICK 7165 E/E- TOUGH ONE MB $800

 

65. "Papa" Charlie McCoy — "Times Ain't What They Used To Be/Too Long" VOCALION 1712 V+ Plays fantastic!! Great one by him MB $500

66. Hattie McDaniels And Dentist Jackson — "Dentist Chair Blues, Part I / Part II" PARAMOUNT 12751E- TOUGH ONE! Dentist Jackson is Papa Charlie Jackson MB $500

67. Charlie McFadden — "Groceries On The Shelf/People People Blues" PARAMOUNT 12928 V+ PLAYS GREAT—Nice L-Master Paramount with piano by ROOSEVELT SYKES MB $500

68. Charlie MacFadden — "Groceries On The Shelf No. 2 / Yellow Woman Blues" PARAMOUNT 13076E- Tough one and this is THE EVEN RARER 13000 PARAMOUNT!!! Piano by ROOSEVELT SYKES. MB $1,000

 

69. Rev. F. W. McGee — "Women's Clothes/A Dog Shall Not Move His Tongue" VICTOR 23296 E+ MB $200

 

70. Rev. F. W. McGee — "Paul's Heavenly Vision/From The Jailhouse To The Throne" VICTOR 38528 E-/E MB $200

 

71. Rev. F.W. McGee — "Jesus In The Fire/Shine Drinking" VICTOR 38574 E- MB $200

72. Elders McIntorsh And Edwards — "Take A Stand / Behold! The King Shall Reign" OKEH 8671E Masterpiece! Wild, Crazy Gospel with Guitar and shouting!! MB $800

73. Al Miller — "Someday Sweetheart / I Found A Four Leaf Clover" BLACK PATTI 8047V+ With edge bite, NOT into grooves. One of two known copies, not the best Black Patti, but not the worst either— an "affordable" one. First one I've ever had to sell. MB $1,500

 

74. Memphis Jim and Flossie Smith — "Terrible Operation Blues/Fix It" SUPERIOR 2630 V+ MB $200

 

75. Memphis Minnie — "I'm A Bad Luck Woman/Ball And Chain Blues" VOCALION 03541 V+ Nice one MB $100

76. Memphis Sanctified Singers — "He Got Better Things For You / The Great Reaping Day" VICTOR 38599V+ PLAYS GREAT! FANTASTIC and RARE!!! MB $350

77. The Mississippi Moaner — "It's Cold In China Blues / Mississippi Moan" VOCALION 03166E Fantastic record and THE ONLY ONE EVER RELEASED BY HIM! MB $1,500

 

78. The Mississippi Mudder —"Meat Cutters Blues/Baltimore Blues" DECCA 7009 V MB $50

79. The Mississippi Mudder — "Evil Devil Woman Blues / Please Baby" DECCA 7822E His version of the SKIP JAMES Classic "DEVIL GOT MY WOMAN"—FANTASTIC!!! MB $500

80. Mississippi Sheiks — "Hitting The Numbers/It's Done Gone Wet" BLUEBIRD 5474 V+ Plays fantastic and the Sheiks Bluebird releases are really tough to find MB $300

 

81. Little Brother (Montgomery) — "Crescent City Blues/Shreveport Farewell" BLUEBIRD 6733 E+ GREAT PIANO BLUES with small # on B-side label MB $300

 

82. Little Brother (Montgomery) — "Louisiana Blues—Part 2/Vicksburg Blues—Part 3" MONTGOMERY WARD 7111 E- MB $100

83. "Ma" Rainey And Her Georgia Band — " "Ma" Rainey's Black Bottom/Georgia Cake Walk" PARAMOUNT 12590 E Classic MB $400

 

84. Ma Rainey's Georgia Band — "Ice Bag Papa/Hellish Rag" PARAMOUNT 12612 V- Tougher one MB $50

85. Ma Rainey And Papa Charlie Jackson — "Ma And Pa Poorhouse Blues/Big Feeling Blues" PARAMOUNT 12718 E- MB $300

 

86. Speckled Red — "House Dance Blues/31 Blues" BRUNSWICK 7137 E+ MB $350

87. Speckled Red — "The Right String—But The Wrong Yo Yo/The Dirty Dozens" BRUNSWICK 7151 E All Time Blues Classic MB $200

 

88. Speckled Red — "Do The Georgia/St. Louis Stomp" BLUEBIRD 7985 E+ MB $200

 

89. Tampa Red And Chicago Five — "Let's Get Drunk And Truck/Maybe It's Someone Else" BLUEBIRD 6353 E+ MB $300

90. Blind Joe Reynolds — "Nehi Blues/Outside Woman Blues" PARAMOUNT 12927 POOR ONE OF FOUR KNOWN COPIES!!! Labels are faded and it is noisy, but you can hear it—an all time Paramount BLUES MASTERPIECE!!! MB $500

 

91. Bessie Sanders — "Shake A Little Bit/Papa, You're Too Slow" CHAMPION 15471 V MB $50

 

92. Whistlin' Rufus — "Sweet Jelly Rollin'/Sleepin' By Myself" BLUEBIRD 6277 V+ MB $100

 

93. Bessie Smith — "Gulf Coast Blues/Down Hearted Blues" COLUMBIA 3844 E- MB $50

 

94. The Southern Wonders — "I Will Ever Stand/Oh Lord, Have Mercy" COLUMBIA 14245 E- MB $100

95. Minnie Wallace — "The Old Folks Started It/Dirty Butter" VICTOR 38547 V+ With The Memphis Jug Band MB $500

96. Ethel Waters — "Oh Daddy/Down Home Blues" BLACK SWAN 2010 V+ MB $75

 

97. Ethel Waters — "Sweet Man/Dinah" COLUMBIA 487 E+ MB $50

 

98. Ethel Waters — "Birmingham Bertha/Am I Blue?" COLUMBIA 1837 E+/E MB $50

 

99. Ethel Waters — "River, Stay'way From My Door/Shine On Harvest Moon" COLUMBIA 2511V+ MB $25

 

100. Sylvester Weaver — "Smoketown Strut/I'm Busy And You Can't Come In" OKEH 8152 V+ Very early Guitar Blues, plays nice MB $100