Smokey Hogg

Biography

Andrew "Smokey" Hogg (January 27, 1914 – May 1, 1960) was born near Westconnie, Texas, in Rusk County, the epicenter of East Texas blues. Growing up on a farm, he learned to play guitar from his father, Frank Hogg, and while still in his teens, he teamed up with slide guitarist and vocalist B. K. Turner (known as Black Ace). Together they traveled a circuit of turpentine and logging camps, country dance halls, and juke joints around Kilgore, Tyler, Greenville, and Palestine in East Texas. In 1937, Decca Records brought Hogg and Black Ace to Chicago to record his first record, "Family Trouble Blues" backed with "Kind Hearted Blues," released under the name Andrew Hogg. This initial recording opportunity proved isolated, and he did not return to a recording studio for over a decade.

By the early 1940s, Hogg had settled in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas, Texas, where he was making a good living busking and becoming increasingly well known. After being drafted in the mid-1940s and serving a brief spell with the U.S. military, he returned to Dallas and came to the attention of Herbert T. Rippa Sr., head of the Dallas-based Bluebonnet Records, in 1947. Rippa recorded several sides with him and leased the masters to Modern Records, marking the beginning of Hogg's most prolific recording period. His breakthrough came with Modern Records releases, including his two biggest hits: "Long Tall Mama" in 1949 and "Little School Girl" (another Big Bill Broonzy composition) in 1950, which reached number 5 on the Billboard Retail R&B chart and number 9 on the Most Played Juke Box R&B chart. Between 1947 and 1957, Hogg recorded prolifically for numerous labels including Combo, Ebb, Exclusive, Fidelity, Imperial, Jade, Meteor, Ray's, Recorded in Hollywood, Show Time, Specialty, Bullet, Macy's, Mercury, and Sittin' In With, cutting several hundred sides and becoming one of the most prolific and best-selling blues artists of his era.

Hogg's musical style embodied Texas country blues, drawing on traditional blues forms while adapting to the post-war R&B landscape. His recordings were phenomenally popular on jukeboxes throughout the South during the late 1940s and early 1950s, and he continued working and recording until the end of the 1950s, performing on the party and juke joint circuit in Texas and California. He died in McKinney, Texas, on May 1, 1960, at the age of 46, from a hemorrhaging ulcer. Despite his relatively short life and the passage of over seven decades, his recordings remain highly regarded, with his music standing as a testament to the vitality of Texas blues during the post-war era.

Fun Facts

• Smokey Hogg had a girlfriend in all the major cities he frequented, but by his own account considered himself unlucky in love due to the failure of his two marriages.
• Despite his massive recording output of several hundred sides between 1947 and 1957, Hogg's first recording session in 1937 was followed by an isolated decade-long gap before he returned to the studio in 1947.
• His two-part "Penitentiary Blues" (1952) was a remake of the traditional prison song "Ain't No More Cane on the Brazos," demonstrating his connection to blues tradition.
• Hogg was one of the stars of jukeboxes during the late 1940s and early 1950s, with his records becoming phenomenally popular on the jukebox circuit throughout the South, yet he remained relatively obscure outside of regional blues circles.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Frank Hogg - Father who taught Smokey to play guitar (Guitar instruction and foundational musical training) [1920s-early 1930s]
• B. K. Turner (Black Ace) - Slide guitarist and vocalist who partnered with Hogg as a teenage entertainer; traveled together performing at turpentine camps, logging camps, dance halls, and juke joints (Joint performances and early recordings) [1930s-1937]

Key Collaborators

• B. K. Turner (Black Ace) - Early performance partner and co-artist on Decca Records session (1937 Decca Records recordings including "Family Trouble Blues" and "Kind Hearted Blues") [1930s-1937]
• Herbert T. Rippa Sr. - Head of Bluebonnet Records who recorded Hogg and leased masters to Modern Records, launching his major recording career (Bluebonnet Records sessions and Modern Records releases) [1947 onwards]
• Modern Records Studio Musicians - Session musicians who backed Hogg on his most successful recordings ("Long Tall Mama" (1949) and "Little School Girl" (1950)) [1948-1950]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. When I've Been Drinkin (Shake a Leg)
2. Hogg Oo-Oo-Wee
3. You Gotta Go (Penitentiary Blues)
4. What More Can A Woman Do
5. I Don't Want No Bloodstains
6. Prison Bound
7. I Want A Roller (The Specialty Story)
8. Train Whistle - Remastered (Anthology: The Deluxe Collection (Remastered))
9. Look In Your Eyes Pretty Mama
10. Great big mama

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #blues, #country-blues, #electric-texas-blues