RARE Pre-War Blues 78 Record Memphis Minnie Vocalion 1930 VG for Sale

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RARE Pre-War Blues 78 Record Memphis Minnie Vocalion 1930 VG For Sale

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RARE Pre-War Blues 78 Record Memphis Minnie Vocalion 1930 VG:
$300.00

1. TITLE

RARE Memphis Minnie 1930 Bumble Bee / I’m Talking About You Pre-War Blues Record

2. DESCRIPTION

A cornerstone of pre-war blues from one of the most important women in the history of the genre. Memphis Minnie was a powerhouse singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose career stretched from the acoustic country-blues world of the late 1920s into the electric Chicago blues era. The National Park Service calls her one of the blues’ most influential artists and notes that her early work anticipated the sound that would later define Chicago blues. “Bumble Bee” was one of the signature songs that emerged from her earliest recording period.

This is Vocalion 1476, pairing “Bumble Bee” with “I’m Talking About You.” Contemporary newspaper advertising from July 1930 specifically lists Vocalion 1476 with these two Memphis Minnie titles, firmly placing this issue in the first great wave of her recorded career. The record features Minnie’s unmistakable country-blues style and belongs to the period associated with her celebrated musical partnership with guitarist Kansas Joe McCoy.

For a serious pre-war blues collection, this is exactly the sort of original shellac that carries real historical weight: an early Memphis Minnie Vocalion, one of her defining songs, and a surviving artifact from the period when country blues was being captured commercially for the first time.

Artist: Memphis Minnie

A-side: Bumble Bee

B-side: I’m Talking About You

Label: Vocalion

Year: 1930

Format: 10-inch shellac record

Genre: Pre-War Blues / Country Blues / Memphis Blues

CONDITION

The record presents attractively for an original shellac pressing from 1930. Both playing surfaces show light-to-moderate visible wear, including scattered surface marks and scratches consistent with age and use, while retaining a pleasing amount of original sheen.

The ornate black-and-gold Vocalion labels remain attractive and clearly readable, with typical age-related wear. There is visible hand-etched identification in the dead wax, a recurring characteristic of the Detroit collection from which this record originated.

I am not a professional record grader, so please examine all photographs carefully, as they are an important part of the condition description.

Questions are always welcome. If you would like an audio sample and one is not already included with the listing, please message me and I will provide one when possible. Many higher-value records will already include an audio or video sample, so please listen carefully when one is provided.

PROVENANCE

This record comes from a remarkable private Detroit collection assembled over several decades by a devoted audiophile and serious crate-digger who was active around the Detroit music scene from roughly the 1950s through the 1990s.

He accumulated thousands of records spanning blues, hillbilly, rockabilly, early rock & roll, garage, psych, soul, R&B, regional releases, promos, private pressings, and assorted musical oddities. Stories connected with the collection suggest he may also have spent time around radio and promotion, though what is certain is that he had a remarkable eye for unusual records.

One distinctive characteristic of the collection is the hand-etched identifying mark found in the dead wax of many records, including this one. It has become something of a fingerprint for a collection built over decades of serious digging.

Memphis Minnie records from this era have a special place in blues collecting because her influence runs directly into the later development of electric blues, R&B, and rock & roll. Muddy Waters himself was exposed to records by Memphis Minnie during his formative years, illustrating just how far her influence traveled.

This is one of thousands of records from this extraordinary Detroit collection that I will be listing. Many more rare 78s and 45s are coming, including blues, hillbilly, rockabilly, early rock & roll, garage, psych, soul, R&B, promos, regional issues, private pressings, and records that simply do not turn up every day.

Check back frequently. There is much more coming.

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RARE Pre-War Blues 78 Record Memphis Minnie Vocalion 1930 VG For Sale

RARE Pre-War Blues 78 Record Memphis Minnie Vocalion 1930 VG: $300.00

RARE Pre-War Blues 78 Record Memphis Minnie Vocalion 1930 VG:
$300.00