Jerry Strikes Again

Jerry's Records is a Pittsburgh store run by Jerry Weber and his son Willie that specializes in rare vinyl—or in this case, shellac. He made the news in November when he bought several boxes of old 78 rpm records for $50. The stash turned out to include a rare copy of Robert Johnson's 1936 recording of “I Believe I'll Dust My Broom” (Vocalion 03475). The record was in VG condition (that is, worn but still listenable) and was valued at between $6,000 and $12,000.

A couple of weeks ago, Jerry and Willie had another stroke of good luck—although this is the kind of luck that is most likely to come to experts in their field. They bought a group of 78s by Blind Lemon Jefferson—for a lot more than $50, I'm sure—and discovered in the set an extremely rare country blues recording: “Adam and Eve in the Garden”/”I Heard the Voice of a Pork Chop” (Paramount 12693), by Bogus Ben Covington, recorded in September 1928. This one is in mint condition, making it very valuable.

Little is known about Ben Covington. His real name may be Ben Curry, and he also recorded as Blind Ben Covington and Memphis Ben. The nickname “Bogus” is said to come from the fact that he pretended to be blind while busking. Fortunately, both sides are posted on You Tube. They can also be found on two 4-CD box sets on the British JSP label. “Adam and Eve” is on When the Levee Breaks: Mississippi Blues, Rare Cuts, 1926-1941, and “Pork Chop” is on A Richer Tradition: Country Blues and String Band Music, 1923-1942.

Both sides are essentially the same tune with very different lyrics. Covington accompanies himself on banjo, and probably on harmonica as well. (On old records, you can usually tell whether a singer is accompanying himself by the overlap, or lack of it, between voice and harmonica.) Rather than suggesting that Covington was schizophrenic or religious, the talking pork chop song is a novelty about his dietary preferences. The style of these songs is consistent with the hypothesis that he was a minstrel show performer.

The story gets even more interesting. The great cartoonist Robert Crumb, who now lives in France, is an avid country blues collector. You may have seen Crumb's trading cards with drawings of early jazz and blues artists. A mutual friend arranged a trade between the Webers and Crumb. In exchange for the Covington 78, he has done a drawing of Jerry and Willie which they are free to use in promoting their business. They expect to have a T-shirt with the drawing available in the Spring.

Photo by Lake Fong/Post-Gazette