Document's 22-track collection devoted to blues singer
Lillian Glinn faithfully delivers everything listed in her discography, covering an almost exactly two-year period during which she made records in Dallas, Atlanta, and New Orleans with various accompanists. Those whose identities have been established include pianists Willie Tyson and Taylor Flannagan, trumpeter Pete Underwood, guitarist Perry Bechtel, and a fine tuba player named Octave Gaspard, who anchored her first and last recording dates by breathing through his instrument with tremendous strength and control. Gaspard's even-keel basslines were perfectly suited for
Glinn's down-to-earth delivery. Born and raised in Dallas, she spent most of her life singing in church. After hooking up with talent scout Hattie Burleson, she took on a secular repertoire and worked the vaudeville blues circuit for a while before chucking the fast life and returning to the religiously disciplined community that was her original extended family. Having all of her work on one disc enables the listener to savor and become familiar with her marvelous delivery. She's probably at her feistiest on "Shake It Down," but even during that number
Lillian Glinn was a real old-time Texas blues singer who took her time with each song and communicated exactly what she needed to get across without ever tippy-toeing around.
Glinn's music has appeared on several collections amongst other blueswomen and assorted Texas-based musicians, as well as in tandem with her contemporary
Mae Glover. Document's complete edition is highly recommended, as it covers
Glinn's entire output. ~ arwulf arwulf