August 2016

 Many Schmidt made  instruments and musicians come togehter at the "Loblocher Blues Meeting" in July. So i had the chance to record eight Oscar Schmidt instruments plyed togehter.

Some of them are well know guitars, others are really strange and very rare ones, like a Sovereign 8-string tenor guitar.

I only will give a short overview now and make a detailed presentation of one or the other instrument later, sometimes in this section.

Stella concert size guitar with spruce top and birch back and sides.

Schmidt made this flat back  Mandolin for "Bruno&Sons" in the early 1920's. It has a spruce top and mahagoni back and sides.

1930's Sovereign Baritone Ukulele with Koa top, back and sides.

1930's Stella concet size guitar with birch top, sides and back. This was produced for the "First Hawaiian Conservatory Of Music" .

1920's Stella grand concert size with spruce top and mahagoni back and sides.

1930's Sovereign eight string Tenorguitar with spruce top and mahagoni back and sides.

1930's Schmidt made concert size "Marcia" guitar with birch top, back and sides.

Late 1930's Schmidt made "Hilo"  lapsteel guitar made of mahagoni with hollow neck.

The sound of the instruments were amazing. We recorded the song "What's the matter with the mill" by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy, which became well known blues standard.

 Memphis Minnie (birth name: Lizzie Douglas) was born on June 3, 1897 in Algiers, Louisiana and became the first and maybe most popular female country blues singer. She made recordings from  1929 to the 1950's. Joe McCoy was her second husband. They divorced in 1935. Memphis Minnie died on  August 6, 1973 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mc Coy was born May 11, 1905 in Raymond, Mississippi. He became a famous guitarist and played various formations, f.e. the Harlem Hamfats. McCoy died on January 28, 1950 in Chicago.

"What's the matter with the mill" was recorded in 1930 for Vocalion.