Arranging Folk and Blues Songs: Crazy Blues

The 1920 recording of “Crazy Blues,” on the Okeh label, by Mamie Smith and her Jazz Hounds, is often cited as the first blues record. In this arrangement, the renowned player, recording artist and instructor Orville Johnson adds some interest to the old tune by using two different grooves to create more of a verse-chorus feel--a New Orleans rhumba for the verses and a four-to-the-bar walking bass for the choruses. Learn the song and dazzle your friends.