One Time Blues/Kokomo Blues (Sweet Home Chicago)

One Time Blues /Kokomo Blues (Sweet Home Chicago) “One Time Blues” was recorded in March 1927 by Blind Blake for Paramount Records (Paramount 12479). A twelve-measure blues with an AAB lyric scheme, its melody has unknown, perhaps folk, antecedents; Freddie Spruell had sung it as an alternate theme to end his record “ Milk Cow Blues ” on June 25, 1926 (OKeh 8422). A direct reworking of Blake’s record was “ Two Time Blues ” by Arthur Petties of Mississippi, later of Chicago, in February 1928 for…