Mick Hartley

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Early Blues

Washington, D.C., ca. 1920. Library of Congress annotation: "Photograph shows two African American men sitting on bales of hay and playing instruments outside a barn or stable. One man plays guitar and the other plays a bowed instrument similar to a cello; both men simultaneously play kazoos." 

SHORPY-00282u
[Photo: Shorpy/National Photo]

Shame there's no soundtrack.

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2 responses to “Early Blues”

  1. Sheddie Avatar
    Sheddie

    Could it be a diddley bow?
    Wasn’t there a kazoo playing one man band in the 60s’s Jesse Fuller perhaps.

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  2. Mick H Avatar
    Mick H

    Yes, a diddley biow was suggested by one of the Shorpy commenters – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diddley_bow
    And yes, Jesse Fuller did indeed play the kazoo. It was quite a feature with the jug bands.

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