RARE Tommy Johnson 1928 Cool Drink of Water / Big Road DELTA BLUES Victor Record For Sale

DESCRIPTION

A major piece of pre-war Delta blues history from Tommy Johnson, one of the foundational Mississippi bluesmen and one of the most influential artists of the 1920s country-blues era.

Johnson helped shape the Delta blues sound and influenced later musicians including Howlin’ Wolf, Robert Nighthawk, Floyd Jones, Houston Stackhouse, and others. His relatively small recorded output has become enormously important to blues historians and collectors, and his original Victor and Paramount 78s rank among the most desirable records of the genre.

This is the original Victor 21279, pairing two of Johnson’s defining recordings: “Cool Drink of Water Blues” and “Big Road Blues.” Both were recorded in Memphis on February 3, 1928, with Tommy Johnson on vocals and guitar accompanied by Charlie McCoy on guitar. The documented matrices are 41836-2 for “Cool Drink of Water Blues” and 41837-2 for “Big Road Blues.”

That pairing makes this far more than simply an old blues 78. Both sides are cornerstone performances from one of the most celebrated early Delta blues recording sessions. “Big Road Blues” became particularly influential throughout the blues tradition, while “Cool Drink of Water Blues” contains the famous water-and-gasoline image later echoed by Howlin’ Wolf.

Specialist blues dealer John Tefteller has called this exact pairing an “all time classic Delta Blues” and a major investment record in high grade. The record is important enough that Tefteller also features a copy in his online museum collection of Tommy Johnson 78s.

Artist: Tommy Johnson

A-side: Cool Drink of Water Blues

B-side: Big Road Blues

Label: Victor

Catalog: 21279

Year: 1928

Format: 10-inch shellac 78 record

Genre: Delta Blues / Country Blues / Pre-War Blues

CONDITION

This is a heavily used survivor with substantial visible surface wear, including numerous scratches, scuffs, groove wear, and handling marks across both sides.

The “Cool Drink of Water Blues” label remains largely readable, although it shows significant wear, discoloration, paper loss, writing, and tape residue.

The reverse-side label is extremely worn and largely obliterated, but Victor 21279 is firmly documented as the coupling of “Cool Drink of Water Blues” with “Big Road Blues,” and the record’s identity is consistent with the known issue.

There is also a visible crack running from the playing area toward the outer edge, with old tape reinforcement visible near the label and along the edge. Please study the photographs closely for the exact extent and placement of the crack and reinforcement.

There are extensive hand-etched markings in the dead wax and surrounding area, consistent with the distinctive identifying marks seen throughout the Detroit collection from which this record came.

Because of the crack and overall wear, the condition should be judged carefully from the photographs and any available audio sample rather than from appearance alone.

I am not a professional record grader, so please examine all photographs carefully, as they are an important part of the condition description.

Questions are always welcome. If you would like an audio sample and one is not already included with the listing, please message me and I will provide one when possible. For a record this important, playback can matter enormously, so please listen carefully if a sample is provided.

PROVENANCE

This record comes from a remarkable private Detroit collection assembled over several decades by a devoted audiophile and serious crate-digger active around the Detroit music scene from roughly the 1950s through the 1990s.

He accumulated thousands of recordings spanning blues, hillbilly, rockabilly, early rock & roll, garage, psych, soul, R&B, regional issues, promos, private pressings, and assorted musical oddities. Stories associated with the collection suggest that he may also have been involved at various times as a DJ or promoter, but what is certain is that he spent decades digging deeply into recorded music.

One distinctive characteristic of the collection is the hand-etched identification found in the dead wax of many records, including this one. Those markings have become something of a fingerprint for a lifetime of serious collecting.

For a serious pre-war blues collection, Tommy Johnson on original 1928 Victor is top-shelf material. Even in compromised condition, this is an original artifact from one of the foundational recording sessions in Delta blues history.

This is one of thousands of records from this extraordinary Detroit collection that I will be listing. Many more rare 78s and 45s are coming, including blues, hillbilly, rockabilly, early rock & roll, garage, psych, soul, R&B, promos, regional releases, private pressings, and records that simply do not surface every day.

Check back frequently. There is much more coming.