Maine Blues
R. L. Eagle
welcome. TIA.
Bob
MAINE is a state which has experienced little blues activity. In 1920, it
had only 1310 black residents, among whom 416 were in Cumberland County, and
250 in Penebscot County. Of 1036 black residents of the state who disclosed
their state of birth in the 1920 census, 717 (69%) had been born in the
state, and 57 (5%) had been born in each of Massachusetts and Virginia.
By 1990, the black population was still only 5138, including 1565 in
Cumberland County, 932 in Aroostoock County, 536 in Penobscot County, and
335 in Sagadahoc County.
The state is mentioned, for reasons unknown, in Robert Lockwood Junior's
SWEET WOMAN FROM MAINE (J O B RECORDS #1107, recorded 1955).
Eli "Lucky" Thompson was reportedly based in Maine in the 1980s, but by
19934 was reportedly based at Seattle, Washington.
L. P. "Big Pete" Pearson moved to the state from Arizona in 1998.
AROOSTOOCK COUNTY
Presque Isle: Nothing known.
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
Portland: Producer William Ferris Jr. was based at Portland, Maine in 1972,
but later moved to Tennessee, then to Mississippi and finally to Washington,
DC.
The Main Blues Society was active at least from 1999 to 2001 -
http://www.mainebluessociety.org/.
Local blues performers (2001) were: Pam Baker; Bar - B - Que Blues Boys
(Ed Murphy/ Myron Samuels); Blind Albert (Bill Batty/ Tim Cousins/ Vince
Gabriel); Blue Line Blues Band (Mike Farthing/ Luke Nabozny/ Travis
Rideout); Blue Steel Express; Steve Bowman; Dave Mellow Band (Shyman
Brown/ D. W. Gill/ Dave Mellow/ Chris Worthley/ Robin Worthley); and the
Mark Miller Band (Dan 'Red' Girouard/ Bob Higgins/ Mark Miller).
KENNEBEC COUNTY
Waterville: location (1990s) of Deluge Records - in...@deluge-records.com,
and of Marvidic Music, BMI
KNOX COUNTY
Rockland: site (2000) of North Atlantic Blues label, operated by Paul E.
Benjamin - http://www.midcoast.com/~bluesman/.
LINCOLN COUNTY
Boothbay Harbor: location (2000) of Checkmark Music Publishing Co., BMI
(operated by Arthur S. Czech) featuring compositions by William James Emery
(contrast Emery Williams, Jr.). The publisher and composer may not be of
blues interest.
SAGADAHOC COUNTY
Brunswick: Nothing known.
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rafael Ibarra
coffeeboy