Biography

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Andy Cohen has studied and played old music all his life, wandering North America as a songster. He lives by playing old songs. On this CD, Andy plays acoustic guitar, piano, dulceola and sings. On some pieces he is accompanied by his wife Larkin Bryant, on haunting vocals and mandolin.

Here are unadulterated songs from the early days of the blues — two piano rags done as guitar pieces, three blue country songs, two piano boogies, one of which has passed between the piano and guitar for over seventy years. The rest are a variety of blues numbers, including a talking blues by Woody Guthrie, two tough ones by Memphis Minnie, one each by Big Bill Broonzy, Teddy Darby, and Henry Spaulding. For Andy, these songs are some of the central chunks of his troubadour life, especially Cairo Blues, the weirdest blues ever composed, by a barber from central Illinois.

Andy Cohen is a virtuoso finger-style guitarist who has been described as “a walking, talking folk-blues-roots music encyclopedia.” He grew up in a home with a piano and lots of Dixieland Jazz records. During the Sixties Folk Revival, he got hooked on the music of Big Bill Broonzy and the Jim Kweskin Jug Band. When Andy was 16, he heard South Carolina’s Rev. Gary Davis perform and the effect on him was profound. He has devoted his life to studying, performing, and promoting traditional blues and folk music of the pre-World War II era.

Andy has toured solo, as well as with Martin, Bogan and Armstrong, John Jackson, Rev. Gary Davis, Brother Daniel Womack, Rev. Dan Smith, Jim Brewer, and Honeyboy Edwards. He also worked extensively with Walt and Ethel Phelps, Big Joe Duskin, Pigmeat Jarrett, Etta Baker, Big Boy Henry, and James "Son" Thomas.

Andy has helped to support a number of his mentors and younger players by organizing festivals and other venues for them to play in. He has written about several of the old masters and studied their work in a systematic way. Many of his students are now professional touring musicians. The Country Blues says, “One thing is for sure, the boy can play. There are few people around today who had a chance to pick it all up from the old generations, get this good at it and continue to cherish and preserve the old traditions.” He has been assiduous in sharing his expertise in classes, camps, and anywhere people are making music .

Andy Cohen has more than a dozen recordings to his credit, including Oh Glory, How Happy I Am: The Sacred Songs of Rev. Gary Davis and Andrew M. Cohen: Dolceola Favorites. An enthusiastic proponent of the dolceola, Andy says he “never leaves home without it.” Described by some as a “miniature piano,” the dolceola has a keyboard, but the strings are struck with wooden mallets.

Along the way, Andy earned a Master’s Degree in anthropology. His passions come together in his essay on “The Hands of Blues Guitarists,” published in Ramblin’ On My Mind: New Perspectives On the Blues, edited by David Evans (2008).

At an Andy Cohen concert, expect to hear blues rooted in Mississippi, the Piedmont, Memphis, and Chicago, as well as some ragtime, gospel, and original tunes.

In 2011 Andy received the Eisteddfod Award from The Eisteddfod Traditional Music Festival. Festival Director Dr. Jerome Epstein said, “We decided to give the award to Andy, one of this year’s performers, because of his outstanding contributions to the field of traditional music, as performer, collector, and advocate.” In 2012 Andy received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Autoharp Gathering.


Built Right On the Ground
CD-4959
Andy Cohen - Built Right On the Ground
Genre : Blues, Folk, Americana
Release Date: May 18, 2010

Andy Cohen Bio

Andy Cohen has studied and played old music all his life, wandering North America as a songster. On this cd, Andy plays acoustic guitar, piano and dolceola, and sings. On some pieces, his wife Larkin Bryant accompanies him on mandolin and haunting vocals. Here are unadulterated songs from the early days of the blues —two piano rags done as guitar pieces, three country blues songs, and two piano boogies—one of which has passed between the piano and guitar for over seventy years. The rest are classic blues.

“… in a perfect world Andy Cohen would be as famous as Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. Built Right On The Ground showcases not simply how good a player he is and the extensiveness of his repertoire, but also the warmth and genuineness of his vocals. This recording is a must for lovers of acoustic and traditional blues.” – Ron Weinstock, Jazz and Blues Review

Album Credits

Recording Dates: December 1, 2009 Andy Cohen acoustic guitar and lead vocals, all tracks except track 7, piano (tracks 4,13) Larkin Bryant, mandolin (tracks 10,15) and vocals (track 15) Kurt Anderson, lead vocals, (track 7), 2nd guitar (track 10)

Recording Engineers - Kevin Houston, Zebra Ranch Studio, Coldwater , Mississippi
Producer - Michael Robert Frank, CEO, Earwig Music Company, Inc.
Album Cover Photography - Eric Johnson, front cover, Joe LaRose,
inside photo Liner Notes: William Lee Ellis


Built Right On the Ground 3:15
Railroad Blues 2:39
Cairo Blues 2:47
Honky Tonk Train 2:30
Soo Cow Soo 2:12
Jim Dickinson Stomp 2:07
My Old Pal 4:47
Temptation Rag 3:15
Mopper's Blues 3:37
Miss the Mississippi and You 3:07
Grandpa's Spells 1:53
Me and My Chauffeur 2:42
Shake-a-you Boogie 2:38
Mean Talkin' Blues 2:47
Tennessee Blues 4:04