Francis "Scrapper" Blackwell was one of
Robert Johnson's primary inspirations. Born in February 1903 in Indianapolis to parents of African and Cherokee ancestry, he developed his blues guitar technique during the 1920s while specializing in the distribution of bootleg liquor.
Hard Time Blues, a
Scrapper Blackwell sampler released by Acrobat Records in 2003, covers a timeline from 1928 to 1935 with eight solo
Blackwell performances followed by ten duets with pianist
Leroy Carr. Unlike
Bad Liquor Blues, a similarly packaged but more varied
Blackwell collection released by Catfish Records in the year 2000,
Hard Time Blues is laid out as if to emphasize the powerful presence of
Blackwell as a soloist alongside his famous collaborations with
Carr. This little 18-track survey may serve as an introduction to the work of both men, with
Blackwell's contributions standing out as distinct from the shadow of his famous colleague. Note that the rhythmically hypnotic "Trouble Blues," originally released as flipsides of a Vocalion 78 rpm record, is here presented as tracks one and eight, almost as if to "bookend"
Blackwell's solo portion of the proceedings, like the soundtrack to a short film with opening and closing credits. "Kokomo Blues" was covered by
Kokomo Arnold and then famously converted into "Sweet Home Chicago" by
Robert Johnson.