Joseph Spence (1910 - 1984) was a Bahamanian guitarist, singer and blues musician. He is well known for his vocalizations and humming while performing on guitar. Several modern folk, blues and jazz musicians were influenced by and have recorded variations of his arrangements of gospel and Bahamanian pop tunes, including Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder, both of whom had the opportunity to meet and play with him.
Joseph Spence played the guitar as he sang a demented sounding sort of scat. He grunted, snorted and made low guttural noises, and would often descend into complete nonsensical garble. They say he looked like he was going into a trance when he played. Working with songs learned from hymnals, from the radio and from local tradition in his native Bahamas, Spence displayed a unique guitar style with wild, syncopated rhythms and a unique but sophisticated sense of harmony, while he casually growled out excerpts of lyrics.
Joseph Spence was also part of a musical group called The Pinder Family, with his sister, Edith Pinder. Edith sang in a powerfully deep and throaty tenor, while her husband Raymond provided a deep and rich bass, while their daughter Geneva sang in a flighty treble. They sang with an incredible intensity; their music was simple, but the complexities are astounding.
In the late 1970’s Joseph Spence recorded an album called Living on the Hallelujah Side which featured his version of Sandy Craws Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, which to my ear sounds a bit like Tom Waits meets Otis the town drunk (from the Andy Griffith Show).
LISTEN TO SONG:
DOWNLOAD MP3:
Joseph_Spence_-_Santa_Claus_is_Comin_To_Town.mp3
Loading ...
Kinda sounds like he mutters to himself like Popeye, too. Uck-uck-uck-uck!