FRANK HUTCHISON
Frank Hutchison was one of the earliest and finest white country blues musicians to record commercially. Born in West Virginia, he worked as a coal miner while developing a distinctive guitar style that blended Appalachian music with the blues traditions of Black musicians he encountered in the mining camps. Recording for Okeh between 1926 and 1929, Hutchison left a small but highly influential body of work, distinguished by his expressive singing and accomplished fingerstyle guitar playing.
THE BURGLAR MAN
Recorded September 11, 1928 – New York, New York
Matrix 401110-B - Okeh 45165
"The Burglar Man" is a comic narrative song based on an old vaudeville and minstrel favorite that had circulated widely in American popular culture since the nineteenth century. Hutchison transforms the piece into an engaging solo performance, accompanying himself with lively fingerpicked guitar that adds rhythmic drive to the humorous story. His relaxed delivery and inventive accompaniment demonstrate the ease with which he moved between traditional ballads, blues and popular songs.
